PROLOGUE
A pen rolled on the ground, and Rhea did not hesitate to pick it up and give it to James right away.
“Thanks, Rhea,” James said with a smile as she handed him his pen.
A small piece of envelope lay on each table, and everyone in the class picked theirs up, puzzled. Rhea opened hers, about to ask Mr. Calder what it was for, when she noticed him at the board...trembling slightly, beads of sweat on his forehead, as if something unexpected was about to happen.
“That’s part of the assessment,” he said, turning to face the class, his expression suddenly composed. “Just answer it.”
Everyone in the class tore open their envelopes at the same time. Rhea’s eyes widened as she read the paper inside, her confusion growing by the second. Why would they give us a paper just asking for a name? she thought, staring at the blank space under the words:
Write a Name
She glanced at James, who was holding his paper the same way, eyebrows raised. Neither of them said a word, but the question lingered heavily between them.
“Just leave it blank,” James whispered finally, though his voice carried the same uncertainty that gnawed at Rhea. Neither of them had the slightest clue why the teacher would ask for something so simple... yet so strange.
Everyone in the class hesitated before writing a name on their papers—but one by one, they did it anyway. Some wrote the name of a bully, a quiet loner, or even a joke name. Rhea and James, however, stayed silent.
When the bell rang, they left their envelopes untouched on the table.
“What do you think that was about?” Rhea whispered to James as they walked down the hallway toward the cafeteria for lunch.
James shrugged, trying to lighten the mood. “Maybe the person with the most votes gets a high score or something.”
Before Rhea or James could react, Dwayne leapt out from behind them. “Uh, right! If that’s what this is about, I hope I get the most votes!”
Rhea and James jumped in surprise, and the tension of the hallway broke instantly. Everyone around them laughed, and even they couldn’t help but grin.
But as the laughter faded, Rhea’s gaze drifted back toward the classroom. The envelopes still lay on the desks, silent and untouched. The words on the papers seemed to whisper in her mind. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.
