Iliana Cato strode down the hallways of Basilik High School looking for her friend, Chiara. "Loud voice, bright colors," she muttered to herself, only stopping at the entrances to any hallway she passed. However, all she saw was a sea of sensible grey and all she heard was a steady murmur of voices like an ocean on a calm afternoon. "Not here, not here, not here," her voice grew increasingly frustrated with each unsuccessful look. Finally –
"...Oh you didn't hear?!" pierced the air like a squeak toy in a morgue, "Teacher Blackmont was soooo annoyed!"
Quickly weaving her way through the crowd, Iliana was just in time to hear Dmitri Aurelius' reply.
"What occurred today, Compatriot Feray?" His puzzled mien looked straight up to see Chiara's reaction, "Why would you wish to annoy Teacher Blackmont?"
Giggling, Chiara retorted, "Oh, everyone needs a bit of humor once in a while, and Teacher Blackmont is no exception! She looks like she's been preserved in pickle juice! Anyways, I proved she didn't really exist here...' Chiara paused dramatically and glanced at Dmitri with an expectant air.
He didn't fail her. "What?! Why did you essay to disprove her life and frustrate her?!"
"Oh, Dmitiri! Why don't you just say, 'Why are you trying to prove she doesn't exist and so anger her?' You're so funny!! Anyways, here's what happened," Chiara shifted into her 'dramatic storytelling stance'. "So Teacher Cecilia Blackmont asked me-" and here she pinched her face in imitation, "-like this: "Compatriot Feray, why is your mind wandering?" and then I said, "I think - therefore, I think I am. You think you are but I think you are not. So at least I'm actually here!" Obviously, Teacher Cecilia was much confuzzled-"
"Confuzzled?!" Dmitri interjected. "What kind of a conglomeration is that?"
"It's confused and puzzled all in one word! Very efficient!" Chiara giggled and then continued. "Anyways, Distracting Dmitri, I said "I can prove you don't exist here-"
"Compatriot Chiara Feray!" A stentorian voice trumpeted through the static noise conversations around them and brought everyone and everything to a sudden halt. "Chiara Feray!" The sea of pale grey school uniforms parted before a tall, angular woman in all white with a frown like a bloody cut on a snow-white handkerchief. If not for her black hair pulled back into a severe bun and ruby red lipstick on her razor lips, Teacher Blackmont could have faded into the whitewashed concrete block walls. She stopped and handed Chiara a pale white slip with angry black letters scribbled across it. "Principle Blackmont requires you." Her watery grey eyes almost sparkled with malicious glee.
The whispers rippled down the hallways. "A Requirement! A Requirement!"
YOU ARE READING
Refuge of Lies
Adventure"I think, therefore, I am. " -Renee Descartes What if there was a culture where philosophical thinking was not only admired, but demanded? What if in that culture, if you could not prove you could philosophically think, you would be executed...
