Page 30 of The Commons

He begins to walk away. “And by the way, don’t ask any questions in your O class. Not every Patron is as nice as I am.”

He thinks he’s nice? I wait for him to leave, then look around, to make sure no one has seen me. My hands scroll over my palm casually, but the warm sensation stays, and my skin has already been filled with his fragrance so much, it almost thirsts for another heating. But my mind is stronger, so I shake it off with a frown. My heart is beginning to annoy me. I really wish I could stay away from this guy. But I know he has more in him, and he’s dangling it in front of me like bait to the fire. And I wish I could say I’m not tempted, but he knows something more about Levon. And sometimes, I wonder… if he knows something more about me.

I search for the door that leads to my class. All of them are O-shaped. They look like entrances to a spaceship. I find the door with Oratory 1001 written on it in small gold letters.

I enter the classroom. A circle pendant of lights is on the ceiling and there are white lights on the curvy edges of the long glass chairs that hold about five people each. I look around and see Zia in the second row. I walk toward her, but then turn away when I see she is right next to Zavish and his friends, Jordan and Tin, along with my curly nemesis, who leans on Tin’s shoulders, stroking his red hair in a flirtatious manner.

I give Zia a courtesy smile and find a seat in the third row. Before I can take out my books, the door slams shut. Everyone turns. In the same instant, I notice a being in black and silver. This is a Patron. The entire class bends their heads, and I hear Zavish’s friend Jordan whisper, “That’s Patron Lenon.” Fantastic.

“He’s my flippin Hero!” Zavish says. “He’s ruthless. Dangerous. I’ve heard some Patrons are scared of him. It’s rumoured no one has ever defeated Patron Lenon in a fight but Patron Pesh! They are untouchable. Pesh’s moves are lethal and Lenon’s—deadly!”

Two people are walking behind the Patron, like bodyguards.

Zavish whispers, “She’s a Sachi, and that boy’s a Lerod.”

“How do you know?”

“An educated guess, dumbhead. It is rumored Patron Lenon selects the most Lerods.”

“Yeah,” Zia interjects with a flirtatious look at Zavish. “But I heard he recommends the least Patrons, so that’s anticlimactic.”

“Shut up, Zia. Don’t act like you know more than me.” He ignores her and stares at the front.

She looks away, embarrassment plain on her face. Patron Lenon walks to the front row with a banging step and throws off his coat, flinging it to the Sachi girl. He strokes his dark hair backwards, picks up an air chalk at the tip of his fingers and flings it to the red-haired boy I met at the pods, who is apparently called Lerod Quan. I keep my head down.

“Okay, Crispy Crabs, Patron Lenon here.” His aura instantly causes the entire class to shudder, fear filling the atmosphere. “Mr. Brink is your teacher. Not me. Obviously. Take a look at the papers and internalize the information.”

Mr. Brink enters the classroom from a small door in front of us. He stands inches away from Patron Lenon, smiles at the class, and begins to hand out our syllabi for the O Test. The Sachi girl assists him. I look at my paper with my call time as Patron Lenon continues to speak.

“Mr. Brink will give you a few clues on how to pass the O Test. Mr. Brink?”

Mr. Brink steps forward to speak to the class. “Yes, hi, Commoners. So, for one part of the O Test, you will stare at a wall and simply talk. The wall is a computerized deflector mirror. It will reflect everything you are saying in real time backwards to throw you off from your speech. You will be required to talk for five hours straight on the same subject with the same tone and mood.”

“Good job, Mr. Brink. Tot Tot to the back.” Patron Lenon directs the teacher to stand behind him.

Mr. Brink steps back with a humble smile and seats himself on his desk as Patron Lenon continues to speak in a lofty tone. “I will conduct your tests with another Patron. You will receive a letter grade, and most of you will make an A, some a B. No one in my class makes a C. No one is good enough.” He smiles.

Zavish’s friend, Tin, raises his hand. I hear Zavish whisper to him, “Put your hand down, what are you doing, dumbhead?”

“He’s toast,” Zia whispers.

“Yep.” Zavish sinks into his chair with a slight chuckle.

Patron Lenon looks at Tin with a clenched jaw and an intense, staggering stare.

Tin begins to speak. “So, say we manage to pass the O Test with Common Distinction, do we get to select what major under the Oratory fields that we want to specialize in for the rest of our time here at The Commons?” Tin’s voice cracks, realizing what he has just done.

Lenon chuckles in devilish delight, then he licks his lips and eyes the entire class. Suddenly, he speaks in a terrifyingly low tone. “Why is it that you think you can ask me a question or interrupt me while I am speaking?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disrespe⁠—”

“Oh, you didn’t. I know. Or I would be sending you to the dark dungeon for days. But since you didn’t, you’ll just have to be okay with breaking up with that girlfriend of yours for the next three years. In fact, come up here.”

Tin stands up and walks to the front of the class with a slow shudder, terrified. Zavish chuckles silently in front of me, covering his mouth to hide his laughter.

“You too, Blondie.”

Zavish turns, his eyes wide open, panic-stricken. But Patron Lenon is pointing to Tin’s girlfriend. Oh my gosh, Tin’s girlfriend is the Oblivion girl—I just now realize. Goodness, she acclimates with the elites easily. She stands up and walks up to the front. The entire class stares, faces pale, anxious for their fate. I try to hold my foot with my hands to stop it from tapping repeatedly on the floor from my infuriation at Lenon’s dictatorship.