"Uncle!" Seeing Lieutenant Gray about to board the bus, Tiger rushed to him in amazement.
"Go sit in one of the seats. We'll talk later," Lieutenant Gray whispered, handing Tiger a small sheet of paper.
"All the seats I want are already taken." Tiger scowled, tilting his head as he searched for the spot Leon had claimed.
The moment he spotted him, Tiger pointed. Lieutenant Gray didn't ask anything, knowing very well Leon was from a poor family—and could even decide to take him off the bus. He advanced towards Leon with a frowned face.
"Hey, kid! Get up!" he barked. The force of his voice made every student on the bus turn toward them.
"Are you deaf?!" Just as Leon raised his head—after taking his black book from his bag—Lieutenant Gray slammed his palm on his shoulder and yanked him up.
Instantly, some of the elite students began recording them with their smartphones. Some took pictures, while others hurled accusations at Leon in the live video take.
"How did this kid end up with us? He must be lost," Vera sneered. As soon as her voice faded, the bus erupted into circus-like laughter.
Tiger followed Lieutenant Gray as he shoved Leon through the aisle. When they reached the back, he flung Leon aside like garbage.
"Look how helpless you are. Did you really think you could have what we have?" Vera cackled, her laughter ringing louder than her words.
Leon wanted to fight back, but with everyone filming him and accusing him of wrongdoing, he had no choice but to stay silent.
"How I wish I could grow stronger fast—strong enough to crush all of them, one after the other." Leon's fist tightened around a metal pipe wedged between the back seats.
As he glared at Tiger with murderous intent, a voice chimed from the window's side.
"Hey, my name's Mike. What's yours?" Leon turned with a sharp gaze but saw a dark-skinned boy chewing fried plantain. The way his lips smacked amused Leon, coaxing a smile out of him.
"I'm Leon Storm," he replied, halfway between laughter and bitterness.
"Wait—are you the son of the painter who died recently?" Mike's face lit up, as if Leon had become a celebrity overnight due to his father's tragedy.
"My father is not dead!" Leon snapped. "Did you see them carry his body? Did you hear any confirmation?"
"Well, no… but how could he be recognized? All the bodies that were shown in the live news were beyond recognition." Mike kept talking, unfazed, still munching on his snack.
Leon forced a smile, but deep down, he refused to accept his father's death.
Mike kept rambling, trying to lighten the mood, until Lieutenant Gray stormed over. "Hey! Why can't you brats keep your mouths shut?!" He gazed at them with a devilish eye.
Even after taking his seat, his eyes stayed fixed on Leon, as if blaming him for the chatter.
"Don't let them make you feel small, even if you're from a poor background like me," Mike whispered once Lieutenant Gray looked away.
"Does he think I'm belittling myself?" Leon muttered, staring at Tiger's oversized head.
"Hope we get the same room when we arrive," Mike prattled on, even as Leon lowered his head to sleep.
Just as sleep took hold, the haunting face of the fifteen-foot alien flashed behind Leon's eyelids, jolting him awake.
The moment he sat up, he saw a towering monument looming at the entrance.
"Is that a god?" Mike's eyes widened as he whispered. He tapped on Leon's shoulder, urging him to look.
"I've seen stuff like this in movies, but I've never gotten the chance to be this close. This place is insane!" He pressed his face to the window as he continued to admire the surroundings.
Leon remained still—no gasping, no fidgeting, no wide-eyed wonder like the other students did.
"They call themselves 'elite,' but look how stupid they act." He smirked as Vera and Tiger joined the gawking crowd.
As the bus stopped at the pavement—marked with white road lines—Lieutenant Gray stood and shouted:
"Everyone should leave their belongings in the bus. Take only one book you'll use throughout the stay." His voice still echoed in their heads even after he descended.
As the elite students disembarked, they set their bags down—only for Lieutenant Gray to snap, "Why are you putting your bags down? Grab them!"
Mike, being as stubborn as Tiger, took his bag as well and tried blending in with the elites. But the moment he stepped off, Lieutenant Gray struck him with a brutal slap.
"Hey! Didn't you hear my orders?!" Spittle flew onto Mike's face, his skin fluttering like a flag in a hurricane.
Looking at how Mike was being treated, Leon took only his black notebook—the one he usually used to keep track of his studies, motives, and all the strange events happening in his life.
But as he stepped down, Lieutenant Gray snatched it away, as if suspecting hidden smuggled goods.
"Didn't you hear me? No belongings!" He hurled the book to the ground and forced Leon to pick it up.
As he bent over, Lieutenant Gray smacked his palm on Leon's back.
"Look at your pet," Vera whispered as she points to Leon in a delighted manner. All she wanted was to see him being treated like trash.
All the ladies behind them laughed—except two, who broke away to help Leon.
"Ladies, leave the book." Lieutenant Gray's tone softened unnaturally as he addressed them.
Right after they turned back, he spat on the notebook. Then, he whispered, "If he won't take it, then it will turn into a mart."
Leon seethed, locking eyes with him before shaking his head in silent fury.
But as he was about to act on his rage, a man wearing the same hoodie Mr. Wang had worn earlier caught his eyes.
He murmured to himself, stunned by how he might have reacted. "What was I even thinking?"
"Leon! Come, we're moving inside!" Mike's voice called out just as Leon bent to pick up the book.
Seeing them all moving towards the doorway, Leon had no choice but to follow.
"See how dirty they are!" Right after all the students entered through the main gate, Lieutenant Gray hopped back on the bus and began insulting all those who had sat in the last three rows.
"How come the steel pipe is like this? Wait—is that a handprint?" As he reached the last row, where Leon had sat, his eyes stumbled upon the very steel pipe Leon had clenched. But since he'd turned right after he threw him, he wasn't sure it was Leon's grip that had caused the damage.