Henrietta's POV:
"Henrietta! Henrietta!! Teta!!! Teta!!!!", I heard Stella scream my name as she approached me. I had fallen asleep on my school desk and was just waking up.
"Teta!!! Where is this girl?! Oh there she is!"
I looked at her, puzzled and wondering what the screaming was all about.
"Teta!!! Oh my God!!! My girl!!!" Stella screamed, hugging me. I felt uncomfortable with the hug as I was still trying to shake off the last doses of sleep in me.
"Get off me Stella. Ahh! What's it?! Why are you screaming? And what's happening outside?" I asked her because I was also hearing noise from outside.
"They just pasted 1st term results!" Stella screamed at me excitedly.
"Ehhhh?" I asked, my eyes fully open now and all sleepiness gone.
Before Stella could answer me, I sprinted out of the classroom and rushed to the notice board with Stella hot on my heels.
When I got there, there were already lots of students standing there checking their results, some were jubilating, some were looking sad.
I frantically searched for my class list, Grade 6B and when I saw it, I started scanning through it hurriedly. And then I saw what I was looking for.
"Henrietta Cotta = 93.45 average grade = 3rd place."
Immediately I saw it, I turned to face Stella and we started screaming together. I hugged her and she hugged me back.
"Congratulations Teta!!! You did the damn thing! My goodness. How?", Stella said, looking genuinely intrigued.
"What do you mean? I read my books!!!" I laughed in response
"Congratulations Henrietta", Vincent, one of my classmates said and I thanked him.
"How about you Stella? What did you score? Wait let me check.", I said, turning to look for Grade 6A this time.
"No need Teta. I came in the eleventh place. 79.23 average grade."
"Wow, congratulations girl. You passed."
"Thank you. Thank you", Stella responded.
"Oh my God that reminds me. Benji!"
Immediately, Stella and I ran down to his classroom block. Sure enough, results checking was also going on. As we made our way to their notice board, Benji saw us first and came running to us.
"Henrietta! Stella! I did it", he screamed as he approached us.
We waited expectantly for the details.
"I came 2nd in my class. 96.22 average"
"My boyyyy!!!" Stella and I screamed with joy and lifted Benji up.
Later that day, when we had all come back home from school, Sir Cornel came by to congratulate us. He brought gifts with him for myself, Benji and Stella.
"If you continue displaying this level of excellence, then there is every possibility that you and Benji would be selected with the next batch to go to the city school.", Sir Cornel said looking very pleased and proud of me and Benji.
Later that night, Stella briefed me thoroughly about the selection process. Every two years, a selected group of students who have maintained an excellent academic performance would be transfered to the city school. The next batch was supposed to happen, next year which was at the end of my third term in Grade 6B.
I was elated, very delighted with this news. I had promised myself that my brother and I must thrive here. Not only would we thrive, but I dreamed, though within me, that my brother and I would rise in status and class here. And for this to happen, I was ready to work as hard as required.
And so I started working hard, and hard and hard. The second term came and I finished in third place again with an average of 93.44 and in the third term, I finished in second place with an average of 94.27. Benji had also maintained a sweet record, finishing 4th in his 2nd term and 3rd in his third term.
I prayed hard and was very hopeful for the both of us.
But then like some things in life, my plans didn't work out.
When the time came for the selection process, only two people were selected from each grade class. When our results from the three terms were compiled, I was the overall third in my grade while Benji was also the overall third in his grade. And only the first and second were selected.
"I'm so sorry Teta. Don't worry, all hope is not lost. You could make it in next time", Stella said, comforting me.
I lay in bed after the selection choices were announced and cried. I refused to go outside for two days straight. This is
not what I wanted. Benji didn't really feel too bad about not being selected.
"My dear", Sir Cornel said when he came to see us. "Relax. You and Benji are really brainy kids. Just keep up the effort and you would surely get in next time. I do not know what happened this year, but the last time this was done, 5 students were selected. And the time before that, it was 4 students. Nobody saw this drastic reduction happening.
Dont worry my dear. Everything would be fine."
"Sister, why is this worrying you so much. It's not the end of the world.", Benji said to me one evening when I was still wallowing in sadness.
"Because I want the best for us. Because I really wanted us to go to the city", I replied.
"But what is even in that city? For me, I prefer here. It's okay, it's nice. It's fine. The Northerners treat us all well."
"No Benji. Don't settle for this when you can have more. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in this welfare home? Don't you want to make a name for yourself? Huh?"
"Listen, yes I know that we are treated well. But you should know that people whose only source of livelihood is living off the goodness of the North's welfare home is not respected in society. In here, we may all be equal. But if you go into the city, we are just a little above slaves. Just a little! And I don't want that for us. For you or for me please."
"For you to be respected and treated well in society, then you have to be excellent and valuable. Do you get me?"
"Yes sister, I understand.", Benji said and I hugged him.
Suddenly, Benji looked at my arm and shouted in alarm. "Sister, the ink is clearing!" and then turned to look at his own arm.
I instinctively and swiftly, placed my hands over his mouth to keep him shut, then looked around quickly to make sure that no one was around; after which, I carefully looked at my arm.
My brother was right, the ink that I had used to alter the Highbrow pack symbol on my right arm was clearing and the actual symbol was becoming conspicuous again. I looked at my brother's arm and his own ink was clearing too.
I panicked, pulling our sleeves down even more to cover the mark.
"god no! This can't happen!"