If We Exist

5.

We weren't allowed to wander the hallways after the last bell had rung. So I wasn't technically supposed to have witnessed Yuri in detention, but my curiosity had dragged me all the way out to the western wing of the school building, and I couldn't pass up the chance to press my ear against his classroom door when I heard his voice from down the hallway.

Ever since returning from winter break, there had been a rumour going around that Millin and Yuri had angered Mr Unjis, to the point where he had given them both after-school coursework for the rest of the semester. Some said that their punishment had been to write 50 sentences from the cursive textbook on the blackboard, others said that the two had to recite chapters from the law book out loud while Mr Unjis listened.

I was as curious as everybody else, but I didn't want to give the rumour much weight. That was until Adriana was sent out by Ms Gourdin to get an extra set of blackboard erasers from Mr Unjis's classroom. Having returned from her endeavour, she had told me that she'd stumbled in on the two boys reciting poetry in hexameter while Mr Unjis paced the rows.

The mental image of Yuri Karamov reciting poetry had imprinted itself on my mind. It had within minutes turned into the point of gravity around which all my other thoughts now rotated.

I had to see it for myself.

One day after school I made up the excuse to find Mr Unjis, and pretend Ms Gourdin needed some blackboard erasers. I marched to the west wing and as I was walking down the hallway, I heard faint voices coming from 2E's homeroom.

I tiptoed my way to the door and pressed my ear gently against the cold wood. I stood there and listened to Yuri recite, not poetry, not hexameter, but the lyrics to the national anthem. I was ecstatic. Every so often there was a sharp noise that rang out, and I would jerk in surprise. Yuri would quiet down. A mature voice—that of Mr Unjis—would correct him before Yuri began reciting again. If Millin was in there as well, I didn't hear him.

I had my ear pressed against the door, half listening, half contemplating what I would do if someone came across me in the hallway. The act of sneaking around was so indulgent, I lost the time to formulate a plan. Before I knew it, the door flew open in my face and there on the other side stood a fuming Mr Unjis.

- What have I told you bastards! He barked. His pointer was raised above his head.

When he saw me flinch into a crouch, he almost immediately seemed to collect himself. He lowered his pointer, but his face held on to its menacing frown.

- Konstantin? What on earth?

- M--M--Miss...M--M--Miss Gourdin—

- Yes, boy, spit it out! Miss Gourdin, what?

I hated Mr Unjis. Anyone with a half a brain-cell would. He was the embodiment of the strict middle-aged teacher. He dressed as if he was waiting for an invitation to the prime minister's office, and never let the fact that he shopped bargains at Middle Way discourage his sense of importance. He loved to sneer and make fun of the kids. He was militantly patriotic and his hatred for the Brommian was almost as strong as his dislike for children in general, which of course made his teaching post a cherished one by the principle.

- I—I...

The longer Mr Unjis's hawk-like eyes remained trained on me, the surer he seemed of my reason for eavesdropping. I couldn't have been the only student that had interrupted his after-school tutoring to find out if the rumours were true.

After some quiet deliberation, he beckoned me inside.

- Come in will you, Ru. He held the door open for me. I stepped into his classroom, a replica of Ms Gourdin's, if not a little bit tidier.