The Silent Siren and Her Affectionate King

Chapter 23

"Members of the faculty, student leaders, and students, a pleasant morning to all of you," the school's principal started speaking. It was around 8 am, and they gathered in the multi-purpose gymnasium located in the forest behind the academy. Being in the lowest grade, Vivian was seated in the upper section along with other students from the violet and blue grades.

She was zoning out when she suddenly saw familiar faces appear on the portable stage. "Last but not least, I wish to congratulate some of our students from the black and gold grades for excelling not only in their studies but also in their extracurricular activities," the principal congratulated the students on stage.

Eric, Albert, and Gavin looked dashing in their uniforms, which caused the girls beside Vivian to squeal and chatter in excitement. "Wouldn't it be nice to be their girlfriend?" she heard one say.

"With their looks, I wouldn't be surprised if they already have one," another girl said, sighing in regret.

"Ah? Who cares? I'll gladly be one of their many girlfriends!" someone swooned.

Vivian felt that the conversation was similar to the dramas she had watched with her grandma. Ignoring them, she looked at the other students on the stage. There was a pair of adorable kids; a girl and a boy who looked like twins, a young boy who looked to be around twelve, a young girl who was wearing a cute ribbon on her head, and a girl who looked to be around eighteen whose brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and a guy who looked to be the same age as the girl with the ponytail beside him.

"Everyone, please give them a round of applause!" the principal spoke to the microphone in front of him. The students around her clapped their hands, the sound reverberating throughout the gymnasium. The claps weakened, and just as the principal ended the opening ceremony, a loud, robotic voice suddenly spoke out through the speakers.

[Attention all students! We want to invite you to join our challenge! The rules are simple: you will be quizzed in five categories; the arts, the sciences, computer science, math, and literature. If you pass all of them, you will be allowed to be promoted to a higher grade; however, failing them will result in a series of punishments. Both old and new students are welcome to participate. For those who do, please proceed to the stage within 10 minutes.]

Vivian's surroundings, which went quiet when the blaring announcement was made, became noisy again. Chatters from left and right were heard, asking one another whether they wanted to join or not. Amidst the jibber-jabber, Vivian saw some students below her start heading to the stage.

When she stood up, she could sense the eyes around her focus on her. Ignoring them, she started climbing down the stairs and walking to the stage herself, too.

Soon, the stage filled up with students. There were around a hundred students ranging from the white to the yellow grades. Amongst the crowd of students, Vivian was the only violet grade student, which caused the students who noticed her badge to take a second look at her. She was sporting a half ponytail, which showed off the fair skin on her bare face. Along with her eyes, her height also made her stand out, being on the taller side as compared to the other girls.

Ashley, with her circle of friends, also saw Vivian amongst the crowd and sneered on the inside. She felt that the expressionless girl didn't know what she was doing. "Who are you looking at, Ash?" Gianna, one of her friends, asked.

The red-haired girl followed Ashley's line of sight and saw a pretty girl who had a deadpan face standing alone in the crowd. "My stepsister," Ashley replied sweetly, "she and her grandmother moved into my house just a few days ago. She came from the countryside to study here, so I'm worried about why she's joining the challenge."

Ashley's face looked worried, but she made no move to approach Vivian. Gianna and her other friends consoled her, thinking that she was just anxious about her sister. Just then, a piercing alarm sounded amid the noise, and the robotic voice spoke again.

[Time is up. Nobody is allowed to join in anymore. To all participants, please head towards the tunnel ahead.]