The Apprentice Academy

Chapter 1: Welcome to The Apprentice Academy

"It takes 10 000 hours to develop talent. How many hours have you clocked today?" - Celestine Chua.

CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO THE APPRENTICE ACADEMY

Late June 2011

"Now remember, it's the founder's grandson you'll be meeting"

"Be sure to make a good impression"

"Make sure he feels comfortable"

"Don't mess it up, 'Newly Appointed' President"

And those annoying advice go on in my head, replaying them even when I don't want to. Those worrying and doubtful teachers.

Nervous.

Who? Me?

Not a chance.

I, Nurul Amelia does not get nervous.

Okay, maybe a bit.

To be honest, I'm sweating. And it's not just because of the nervousness.

It's 1.50pm right now and the hot sun is up as usual like any normal weather in Malaysia. My tie is well-knotted. The maroon blazer I'm wearing gives off the professional vibe that it should have. My white shirt is tucked in nicely inside my long maroon skirt. And my black shoes are polished and shiny. And they're all making me sweat more than usual under this scorching late afternoon.

I look at myself in the body-length mirror in front of me which is conveniently attached to this corridor wall. I tighten a bit more of the tie on my neck. Why do I bother choking myself?

Resist. Do not unbutton that collar like you always do in class.

Alright, one last look at yourself, Amy. I push a strand of hair off my face and securely tie my long hair up, leaving no strands behind. I turn sideways, both left and right, and then full front again. I give a smile at myself.

Let's do this. Let's welcome the new student to The Apprentice Academy.

****

I can't stop tapping my left foot as I wait for the arrival of the new student, the new Form 4 kid (or Budak Form 4 Baru as we call them around here), the founder's grandson - Zainal bin Abu Bakar. I check my watch and it's already 2.05pm. I am aware that Malaysian in general has a different sets of punctuality. And being on time isn't one of them. You can either be too early, slightly late or worse.

And I have lack of tolerance for the last part. I've already taken off my blazer and now the chair that I should be sitting on is wearing it. Bits of sweats are dripping from my head and making trails behind my neck.

Maybe it's traffic. Well, it is lunch hour. The big tinted glass door behind me with the sign 'Administration Office' feels tempting for me to go in right now. The Admin Office, Staffroom, Library, Computer Labs, Music Studio, Auditorium Halls and Indoor Courts are some of the rooms in this school which have built-in air cons. The rest of the place, especially classrooms feel like oven when the day reaches afternoon. Even though, most of us grew up living in this humid and tropical country, I am one of those people that will never stop stating how hot the weather is today.

I can't go on like this. Any more minute and I'm going to ditch this work. So what this guy is the grandson of the school's founder? I'm sure he can find his way around here. How hard can it be? I mean even the Admin Office is behind me, not like it's going anywhere. So what am I doing here anyway?

My finger is already itching to loosen the tie when, "Amy! Amelia!"

Two voices I'm hearing not far from here. I turn and my guess was right. Two of my closest friends are steadily running toward me. Kim, the guy with tanned skin like mine whose hair is slightly tousled from the running and Yana, the petite girl with fair skin and whose hair is a lighter shade of black, catches up. Both already in their sports attire. What are they doing running around under this sizzling sun?