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The New Student: Looks Can Be Deceiving


by jamespongebob

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There was excitement buzzing in the air at Classroom 11B. News of a new student was passing around, in notes, whispers, shouts and voices. The class was chattering and noisy, as the rumors spread on who the new student will be. An Altadorian scholar. The son of a famous movie star. A famous Yooyuball player. A bright exchange student from Faerieland. The class was saying even crazier rumors.

      "I bet it's a Hero from Neopia!" Jane, a blue Acara announced.

      "It's probably the latest new thing on Neopian Times!" Robert, a green Xweetok said.

      "Or maybe it's a Neopie Awardee!" Jonathan, a red Lupe exclaimed.

      "He must be King Hagan-smart!" Alice, a petite Draik yelled.

      The frenzy of rumors continued back and forth until finally, the teacher arrived.

      A dignified-looking Lenny with a monocle quickly silenced the class with a tap of his pointer on the wooden oak table at front. He fixed his monocle, and announced in a clear voice, "Class, as you may have heard, there will be a new student joining us today. I hope you would all treat him respectfully and openly welcome him. His surprising I.Q qualified for Brightvale, reaching an amount of 232."

      Gasps erupted throughout the class. 232? Everyone knows you must have at least an I.Q of 200 to enroll. Not many lands in Neopia have even more than 160! Could he be an Altadorian?

      "Silence!" the teacher announced. Everyone complied. "Please, put your hands (or paws) together to welcome our new student. A Gnorbu all the way from Tyrannia, Arushko."

      Then, a furry yellow Gnorbu with a thick gray mane and droopy ears entered the classroom. He was carrying nothing but two rocks in his paws.

      Then, the class erupted into laughter.

      This? An I.Q of 232? An I.Q of 10 would be more likely! And look how he's dressed! As if he was clothed by someone who was blind! This has to be some kind of joke, its impossible! Tyrannia is the second most unintellectual land in all of Neopia, coming only after Meridell! The class was in hysterics, rolling on the floor, writhing in laughter.

      That's when Jonathan managed to spit out, "Are you serious, Mr. Altara? This Gnorbu can't possibly be it! Maybe the school mistakenly switched it with the Idiot's Department!?" Then, he lost control and fell back in laughter.

      Mr. Altara stomped on the ground loudly. "SILENCE!" he growled. The entire class stopped, and squirmed back to their seats. "I tell you, Arushko HAS attained the qualifications and King Hagan himself was impressed with his ability. None of you are to disrespect him, so all of you would you stop behaving like children! And Jonathan, since you would SO kindly comply, please direct Arushko to the seat BESIDE you. UNDERSTAND?"

      Jonathan could only stammer, "Y-y-y-y-yes, sir!" Then the Lupe stumbled towards Arushko and ushered him unwillingly to the empty seat next to his.

      "Now, who would like to name the item that was exclusively released as a Lenny Conundrum prize that begins with the letter I? Arushko?"

      The Tyrannian Gnorbu nodded. Then using the two rocks, he hit them together into some type of pattern. Then he sat down. Everyone stifled a laugh.

      "Thank you, Arushko, next question...."

      Was this Lenny serious? He was correct? All he did was make a sound like any baby would! Or was he so pitiful that he tried not to embarrass him? Probably the latter. Everyone silently snickered.

      After the first classes of History, Science, Math, Literature, Physics and Anatomy, (in which all of them seemed to know that pity-gig and accepted his stupid tapping of rocks) the class finally had their recess break. They broke off into groups as they left for the cafeteria, Arushko of course, being by himself.

      "Can you believe this guy?" Jane muttered under her breath. "Acting like some kind of joke! I bet he doesn't even know what number comes after one!"

      Serena, a plain Usul, replied, "I know! I don't even think he can talk! He hasn't said a word since he's got here! What's with him! How can this guy be even 100 I.Q. material?"

      "Maybe King Hagan just wanted Meridell to think that even Tyrannia is smarter than them!" Alex, a Krawk, replied.

      Everyone treated him like some sort of deformity throughout classes acting grossed out whenever they came near him, speaking extremely slowly and avoiding words like "horrible" and "fantastic" and using "good" and "bad" instead. But for some reason, every teacher didn't act as if something was wrong when he replied with his rock-pattern gig. For starters, none of the students of classroom 11B even paid attention to the pattern, much. They presumed it as just nonsense. Everyone was thinking it was just baloney, this entire act, when Jonathan realized something.

      When Arushko wasn't in the room, he quickly announced to everyone, "Everyone! The Level 5 Tests are coming up next week, and then when they give back the results, we could finally expose this moron to the teachers for the idiot he truly he is. Then, they'd realize that he's only a disgrace to have at Brightvale." Everyone agreed, and decided not to bother Arushko until the exams arrived.

      When the test finally came, all that was in the air was complete seriousness. The students answered the 250 questions from the 15 topics they had learned throughout the past weeks as the clock ticked. Some students lingered on some hard numbers, like 76 and 194. Others started backwards, from 250 to 1. Others skipped the hard ones to go back to them later. Arushko on the other hand, went from 1 to 250 without blinking an eye. The hands on the ornate clock ticked by as students frantically rushed to finish the test. The teacher, Mrs. Carson, a pink Aisha, was walking around the classroom, eyes always alert. The teachers in Brightvale can spot one person cheating in a crowd of millions taking a test. That's why no one dared cheat. When one hour and thirty minutes finally finished, the test papers came forward, some finished, other with blanks, and some that were just plain messy.

***

      Five days later, the results were in. Mrs. Carson announced the results.

     "Our highest grader scored a perfect 250/250. the only one actually. Please take your paper-" Everyone held their breath. "Arushko."

      Shrieks and wails of protests exploded from the students of class 11B.

      "HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!"

      "I DEMAND A RECHECK!"

      "PLEASE STOP FOOLING WITH US!"

      "SILENCE!" Mrs. Carson boomed. Then, she held up a paper, with Arushko's name clearly labeled in elegant script, and Mrs. Carson's red ink showing off check marks, and 250/250 in a red circle with a star next to it. Arushko stood up, and respectfully took the papers from her. Then he grabbed a chalk and wrote clearly and elegantly on the blackboard.

      "I am from Tyrannia and my name is Arushko. I have been studying my entire life under our wisest elder and learned much from whatever bit of knowledge enters our land, from stones with inscriptions to visitors from Brightvale. I have worked hard for my knowledge, with only two things hindering me. The first being that I live in Tyrannia, a land not really known for intellect. The other being I am mute. Yes, I cannot speak, something I was born with. But I managed to figure out a way of communication. I bring two rocks with me everywhere I go, using them to tap out the signals in the universal Neopian Code. The strikes, their frequency and length. Nearly everyone in Neopia has to know it. So I used these rocks to form words. I have worked hard for the knowledge and ability to get here, and you have no right to have treated me so icily. Maybe if you weren't so busy being poisonous, you would've recognized the code. I bet you've learned it in Elementary. Next time, before you insult someone without any reason or justification to what you'll say, please do remember this. Looks can be deceiving."

The End

 
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