AGAINST THE RULES : CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER ONE
THE RULE
At Brain Academy, there was one rule students feared more than all the others.
It was written in large red letters on a board beside the principal's office:
STUDENTS ARE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN FROM ENTERING THE OLD SCIENCE BUILDING.
Nobody knew exactly why.
Some students said the building was unstable.
Others claimed a student had once been injured there.
Some even whispered that the school had experienced a terrible accident years ago and had never spoken about it.
Hikmah didn't believe the rumours.
"Why would they leave a building standing if it's so dangerous?" she asked one afternoon.
David shrugged.
"Maybe there's something inside."
Semilogo rolled her eyes.
"Of course. Everything is a mystery to you."
"I like mysteries."
"You like trouble."
Everyone laughed.
But Quwiyat wasn't laughing.
She was staring at the old building through the classroom window.
"I heard Mrs. Johnson telling Mr. Williams that the competition equipment is being stored there."
Hikmah turned.
"The Young Innovators Competition?"
Quwiyat nodded.
The competition was the biggest event Brain Academy had held that year.
The winning students would receive scholarships and represent the school nationally.
For Hikmah, it meant more than a trophy.
It meant an opportunity.
For Amira, it was a chance to prove that she belonged among the school's brightest students.
For Mubarak, it was a chance to make his family proud.
And for David?
It was a challenge.
"We're going in," David announced.
Aliameen immediately shook his head.
"No."
David frowned.
"Why?"
"Because there's a reason the building is forbidden."
Hikmah looked toward the old building again.
For some reason, she couldn't explain it, but she felt uneasy.
"Maybe we shouldn't."
David smiled.
"You're scared?"
Hikmah didn't answer.
But deep inside, she was.
