You Smiled at Me with the Likeness of a Devil

Chapter 4

As you and your dear friend Monica strolled down the hallway, the sound of your footsteps echoed through the corridor. The two of you were engaged in a pleasant conversation, discussing your mutual interests and sharing some funny stories from your daily lives. You were both heading towards the club meeting, which had been called by the mentor of the club, Miss Jane Pines. As you walked, you couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation for what the meeting might bring.

As you stepped through the door of the computer laboratory, you were greeted by a crisp, invigorating breeze that sent a pleasant shiver down your spine. The room was teeming with students, all busily typing away at their keyboards and engrossed in their work. You could see the glow of the computer screens reflecting off their faces, illuminating the room with an ethereal blue light.

The computer lab serves as the bustling hub of activity for the Green Plume Guild, an esteemed literary club that you have the privilege of leading as its president. Within the walls of this lab, your club members work tirelessly to create and publish their own newspapers, participate in various literary competitions, and organize the ever-popular poetry nights. These poetry nights have become a highly anticipated event within your school, as it is a time when individuals can openly express their deepest emotions and musings to a captivated audience. This event is truly a grand gesture and has become a beloved tradition for all those who attend.

You set your things on the table and went to meet with your teacher who was already talking to some club members. You greeted her and exchanged some pleasantries. You immediately began discussing the matters at hand.

"Plume's Prowess is right around the corner and we need people who are willing and competent enough to fill the roles. There will be seven categories: photojournalism, poetry making, impromptu speech, poster making, slogan making, and quiz bee. As the president of Green Plume, (y/n) it's your responsibility to help organize candidates qualified for the roles."

"Yes, Miss Jane. I'll help you scout some people."

"Great. I already have a candidate for some of these. Elizabeth from second year is an amazing photographer and Clair is very artistic. She said she'll take the poster-making role."

"Oh, Cameron from the third year is quite clever with catchy phrases and he can make decent calligraphy for the slogan making." you suggested making your mentor brighten at the idea.

"Sure. Let's go with that."

"As for the quizbee, I'll throw in some math geniuses and trivia experts to deal with that and of course, I take that you'll participate this year for poetry making?"

"Of course! I won't let you down. As for our roster, I like it, miss. We should proceed with these people."

"Amazing. Now we only have one vacancy."

"Impromptu speech, right? What happened to Vincent? Isn't he a master of this category?"

"I asked Vincent to join us but he already had a prior engagement. The math team already scouted him first leaving us with no speaker."

"I'm sure someone else will step up, Miss Jane." you said hopefully.

"I doubt that, (y/n)." Miss Jane sighed. "Public speech is a really terrifying thing, especially for people with social anxieties. Even confident people get scared of speaking to a huge crowd but if we don't get someone for the role we might as well back out because we need a complete team to participate. Are you sure that you don't know anyone competent and willing enough to make the list?"

"Unfortunately I don't. But maybe I can ask around. We need someone talented at wordplay who is also charismatic and has a commanding presence to capture the attention of the crowd.