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The sun blazed through, despite the heavy window sills
that hung along the stretching pieces of glass. Ajliso sat at her tiny desk,
looking around her. The teacher was talking rapidly, many students jotting down
notes almost as fast as the teacher, a shy-looking Kyrii.
“Let me go or I’ll punish you, and maybe even
get Adam involved!” screamed the Acara when Ajliso had hold of her shirt. The
words rang in her ears. Perhaps being as cooperative as she could would get
her to fit in. She shook her head. That was just one of those incredibly unintelligent
Neopians.
The teacher talked monotonously, giving Ajliso
the memories of when she was back in Neoschool, without her parents, of course.
Back where she lived, everyone within two years of a certain age learned together
in one class (such as the year one went with ages three to five, nine to eleven,
etc.) She had to learn with her sister, who yelled aloud in class, her friends
giggling after her. Ajliso also giggled, but fortunately hardly was ever punished
for doing so.
Ajliso sighed. The class looked tired and some
even dared to doze off through the class. The teacher wrote on the green chalkboards,
a soft sound emitting as she did so. Ajliso looked at the words, then turned
her gaze to a different part of the board. ‘Mrs. Achoomelon’ was jotted on the
object in a dull yellow colour.
“Well, class,” Mrs. Achoomelon said, which woke
everybody up. Her voice sounded much more enthusiastic, and soon, Ajliso realized
why. “It’s almost lunch! Why don’t you all begin packing up? After lunch we’ll
be doing some mathematics!”
The class groaned, Ajliso frowning as they did
so. She mumbled, “Kids these days. They sleep during class and can’t even take
on simple mathematical questions!”
Lunch was much more eventful than in the quiet
classroom. At first, the students rushed hurriedly from their classrooms to
the halls in mobs. They crowded doorways, chatting carelessly and some were
making their way to the cafeteria. It was a bundle of trouble getting from their
simple room to the lunchroom.
“Move – please – thank you –” Ajliso said in
an exasperated voice over and over, making her way through the winding halls
full of people.
The Aisha, who tried to hide the fact that she
was alien, was sure Eyelle and Rosch were safe in the younger part of the Neoschool.
She, however, was not unharmed by the swift students.
At last, Ajliso arrived in the large cafeteria,
her stomach growling. She was not accustomed to Neopian foods, especially ones
from the Neoschool, and insisted to everyone that she was not hungry.
Minutes passed by, the middle of lunch arriving
quickly. Students were finished eating, but were loitering around the lunchroom.
And of course, when there’s a school, there’s a bully also.
“Eek!” squirmed a voice of a Meerca from across
the room. Ajliso turned around to see.
A commotion had begun around the area, Neopets
swarming to and fro the place of the event. Ajliso peeked over their shoulders
with difficulty, spotting a large Neopet shadowing a small Meerca.
Whispers came, but no one came to help the poor
furry Neopet. Ajliso frowned and scowled, “These Neopians! Don’t they see one
of their fellow mates is getting injured? All they do it stand around there
and chat!”
With this, the alien Aisha stormed passed them,
picked up the Meerca with ease and carried him outside the lunchroom, where
she released him. The Meerca stared at her as though she were crazy, but nodded
in thanks and ran off. Watching him scamper into the not-so-distant distance,
Ajliso heard the Neoschool bell ring, as she made her way back to class.
The students flooded in gradually after the bell,
Ajliso being first in the class. First, as in before her teacher, if the Kyrii
could be known as one, seeing as she didn’t teach Ajliso a single thing.
Class began and continued, Ajliso drifting in
through her thoughts. She looked around the room and frowned. “Gee,” she mused.
“You’d think because we had less heavier gravity in Alien Aisha Land, we’d be
taller and could be told apart from these Neopians, or at least look older than
Neopets who are about ten years behind your age.”
“Ajliso,” called the voice of Mrs. Achoomelon.
“What is seventeen multiplied by one hundred and nine?”
The alien Aisha took a moment to process the
rather foreign numbers through her head – as she would say the equation in her
own land ‘one seven multiply one zero nine’. She was about to answer automatically,
‘One eight five three,’ but caught herself as the class laughed. Ajliso didn’t
understand why.
“One thousand eight hundred fifty-three,” Ajliso
said, sounding drained and tedious. At this, the class murmured in surprise.
Mrs. Achoomelon’s eyes widened.
“That was,” Mrs. Achoomelon replied. “Intended
to be a joke to see if you were awake, Ajliso. But good job indeed – and without
a calculator too! How unexpected and wonderful!”
The class began to murmur things such as, “Without
a calculator!” and “My older brother wouldn’t even be able to do that – and
he’s about eight years older than me.” Ajliso rolled her eyes slightly and sighed.
One of the students even dared to say the brother
comment to Ajliso, and she responded with, “I’m probably older than your eight
year elder. In fact, I could be older than Mrs. Achoomelon!”
With this, the class gasped and fell silent.
Mrs. Achoomelon looked very shocked, and after a few minutes, cleared her throat.
“Well, that’s certainly a surprise!” she said enthusiastically.
Ajliso was unseated and was standing on her feet
since she had said her reply, looking very odd and still for a while. She finally
sat down and cleared her throat in a muffled way.
Many minutes past, the classroom still silent
and quiet. Finally, Mrs. Achoomelon spoke. “I knew it!” she exclaimed, grinning
widely. “You’re on a mission, aren’t you? Like a secret agent!”
Ajliso was taken aback. This teacher sure had
a childish side, but the alien Aisha grinned. “Sort of, except I made the mission
for myself.” She guessed the tiny bit of information wouldn’t hurt, but just
in case she did, she added, “And don’t tell anyone, it’s supposed to be a secret.”
“Ajliso’s a secret agent!” cried one of the
students in delight, as others joined his chant.
Mrs. Achoomelon smiled. “Calm down, everyone.
We must keep our promise of making this a secret! If word leaks out of this
classroom, your strict Mrs. Achoomelon will be here…” she threatened, although
Ajliso did not think she could possibly have a mean side to her. “Well now,
considering you’re on a mission, I should give you some items!”
The teacher took out various Neopian daily use
objects and handed them to Ajliso. “Me too!” students said as she did this,
handing her many items. Soon, the alien Aisha was flooded with things and managed
to squeeze everything in a small bag on her belt. It was made with the highest
technology – it made things look small, but was actually very large in size.
The down side was that it would take a long time to get the item needed quickly.
“Thanks, everyone,” said Ajliso gratefully,
baking off from the class. “I guess I should be going now, shouldn’t I? A lot
of work to do. Well, see you!”
The class cheered as the fled through the halls
to a large classroom, opened the door and asked an adult Usul for a baby Shoyru
by the name of Eyelle, scooped him into her arms and carried him round, Rosch
by her feet.
They were off with their adventure at last.
***
The moon’s bright sphere of reflection to the sun’s light beamed into the hotel
room. Ajliso dozed off and woke up again, then her eyes shut and she was sleeping.
She did this repetitively, as Rosch slept soundly.
Eyelle was still awake, tired but listening.
There was a rumbling sound in the distance, and he could feel the smallest vibrations
by the palm of his paw. He held his breath, and then saw something from the
opening of his sheet of blanket. Eyelle shot out of his large bed and gasped.
Ajliso awoke, and then sounded as though she
had never slept beforehand. “They’re back! They’ve come back to get me!”
To be continued…
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