Chapter Twenty-One — Madam Yvette's Medallion

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∆IN CLASS NUMBER 528∆

"What the heck is happening?" Oozed the voices of surprised students as Desha shamefully trailed towards Madam Yvette. She was knocked for six and she could not hide it any longer. All eyes were fixed on her as she was walking to the cruel despot.

Madam Yvette didn't care about what other students said about her or Desha. She quickly went straight ahead to announce the result. "The second place goes to…" That was enough to pull back silence back to the classroom. Some students were fidgeting and praying for them to be called by Madam Yvette. "The second place goes to Jemima Stephenson!" The cruel despot announced again.

Everybody was shocked. She was still a neophyte who just did her official introduction yesterday. Student's mouths were wide open as the ash blonde haired girl walked towards Madam Yvette. Her friends on the other hand clapped enthusiastically for her.

"And the first place goes to Jayden Bennett Flintstone!" The despot announced. "The first place would have gone to Jemima Stephenson but miraculously and by a whisker, Jayden managed to outfox Jemima with one and half mark…" Both Jayden and Jemima were lethally shocked, even the students there were dead shocked. One and half mark?! That was damn serious. Was Jemima that intelligent?

Desha was given a wristwatch that had diamonds and black opals as its designs. Black opals were rare to find in Ohreja. It could only be found in the mines that belonged to families of Lowes and Eris. That actually mean that Madam Yvette was from Lowes or Eris family but her surname was 'Trooper' except if she was interrelated with them like any of her siblings was interrelated with the families or she was interrelated with them.

Jemima was given a medallion. It had an imperial seal in it. Madam Yvette won the medallion when she went for an international tournament. She represented Ohreja then and the Premier House (the highest authority all over the world) gave her the medallion.

Jayden was so happy after all, he bagged the first place again. He was a geography whiz after all because he loved exploring and travelling when he was on holidays. The questions weren't hard for him after all as he wrote them with ease. Who knows what could be given to him as a gift?

Although he was given the opportunity to be the representative of the school when it comes to geography competitions. That was such an honor but hard to preserve. He would have gotten the second place if he had failed one or two questions in the test. That was to show how intelligent Jayden was, his IQ was very high and his awards and trophies were the proofs. He took the first place in the biannual high school math competition, linguistics contests and calisthenics (that was why he looked so muscular and brawny at his young age) and other competitions too.

Such a lucky guy! Madam Yvette told him to come over to his office later to collect his gift. It wasn't something she could just bring out in front of students.

Madam Yvette congratulated them and the students applauded them as they went back to their seats.

"I've waited for a day like this when a student will stand up to his or her feet and make a traumatizing impact. Jemima and the other winners are just the replicas of such students, try to emulate them…"

The lunch bell rang and Madam Yvette summarized her speech and left the classroom.

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∆AT THE EATERY NEAR THE HIGH SCHOOL∆

"Wow! I can't believe that you passed Madam Yvette's test?" Caitlyn said sarcastically as Jemima laughed perkily.

Shelbie didn't feel hungry so she didn't buy any food or snacks. She was waiting for her friends to finish eating so that they could go to the library and gather more books. "You're a geography whiz kid, I guess so…You know, we've never passed Madam Yvette's test, not even an attempt. The last time I tried…I managed to reach the third place."

"Yeah!" Khloé nodded. "And you even earned her medallion."

Caitlyn who had been sitting there and enjoying her lunch to the fullest while listening to their discussion spoke up. "Just the second day you came to Skye Evander High School, you've notched up Madam Yvette's medallion. How do you do that?"

Jemima was never expecting such question from Caitlyn. This wasn't the first time someone would ask her such question anytime she did something different from others.

"I don't even know how I do that." Those were the words that nipped out from her mouth. Of course, she didn't know how she did that. She could still remember when her BFFs in Hamill Dayle High School had always urged her to take an IQ test 'cause she was extraordinarily intelligent and astute at her young age, she was just fifteen but didn't act like a fifteen-year-old at all.

"You're just a friendly and charismatic person, simple and down-to-earth." Shelbie praised her and Jemima could only smile. It was as if Shelbie was letting her guard down and was trying to welcome Jemima. She no longer held those too-serious looks anytime she was with Jemima.

Khloé and Shelbie stood up slowly and wanted to leave. Khloé took an excuse from the girls and left.

"Actually, Shelbie and I gat an errand to run…so…we'll take excuse."

Jemima smiles genially as she always did: "No worries, we'll wait for you girls at the hallway, and be quick…with your so-called errand."

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∆BACK AT THE CLASSROOM∆

On the other hand, Jayden was in the classroom neatening his corner, he could have one of those girls that crushed on him clean his corner but he didn't want to. And Vince could do nothing but hound him, expressing his shock and awe. One would think that he was a silly man chasing after a rich guy for some dosh. "My! Gee! It's so mindboggling! Can't just believe it and I don't know why."

Jayden was pissed off with Vince's immature acts. "Can you stop being inane and act mature, playboy?"

"Bro, you shocked me today! You won a gift from Madam Trooper. One of the auspicious gems that was given to the Glint Lineage!" Vince joyfully shrieked. It was rare for Madam Yvette to give out gifts to students, what suddenly happened? "Such gems are rare to find, not everybody has such gems but you earned it…I'm really green with envy."

"And you would have lost to that nice-looking girl if you failed a question…" He continued to trail out words but he got a glare from Jayden.

Vince was right, how could a girl that just did her official introduction yesterday win Madam Yvette's medallion today, and then what would happen tomorrow? Maybe she would have a meeting with the board of directors.

"Stop being awed and let's go have our lunch." The duo left the classroom to the school's cafeteria.

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∆AT THE HALLWAY∆

Jemima and Caitlyn were waiting for Shelbie and Khloé at the hallway. By chance, Desha and her cohorts saw them. They began to taunt them in front of students but Jemima and Caitlyn ignored them as if they were nothing.

"Hey you desperate vagrant, would you give me what rightfully belongs to me?" Desha yelled at Jemima. Her voice was far worse than that of a peacock.

Jemima could do nothing but wonder if she ever took a thing from this sardonic Croesus daughter. She could not remember if she had met this girl again after that ordeal at this same hallway.

"What is this thing of mine that you claim that's yours?"

"That medallion! It belongs to her and not you. You're such a sassy thief that needs to be spanked." One of Desha's cohorts cut in rudely. "Give back what really belongs to Desha, you're not worthy of that medallion, you don't even know its worth and you don't deserve it."

Jemima hides the medallion in the large pocket of her jacket.

"Ooh! Someone wanna play grubby with me, right? Just comply with me or I'll kick your arse." The hazel-hued bitch giggled.

The silent Jemima stood up and walked up to her. Silence is the best answer to a fool but not in this case anymore. "See, Desha, I don't really have time to play grubby with you…"

Rude Desha interrupted her with a smirk on her lips. "I don't care! All I want is that medallion, by hook or by crook!" She attempts to punch Jemima but Jemima missed it. She just drew back and watched the bluish-ombré haired girl swung her hand effortlessly with that contorted face of hers, her smirk fell off. She almost fell down if not for her cohorts that held her.

"You can have the medallion. I may not know its worth but you do." Jemima fished out the medallion from her pocket and threw it at her. Desha greedily caught it. "Next time, work harder to earn something bigger than that rather than causing mayhem. It proves that you're not capable enough as you always boast."

She maintained a little distance from Desha and whispered sorry to everyone's surprise, Desha was able to hear it. Her eyes widened a little as she did not understand Jemima's way of playing game at all. She was being imperious at first and now apologizing. How strange!?!?!?

"What's going on here?" Vice Principal Jensen yelled and that was enough to send shivers thru the students' backbones.

Desha got scared by the Vice Principal's presence. She knew how much this man despised her and now he was here. There was a very high tendency of him judging the case between Jemima and her.

"Nothing is going on. We're…we're…just…trying to know each other…yeah…" Came forth the lie from her mouth. If not for the expressions of the students that had gathered there watching the scenario, Mr. Jensen Kirk would have believed her.

"Something was going wrong." Jemima stepped forward towards the scared Desha. She was angry but she schooled her emotions. "She snatched my gift forcefully." She darted her eyes to the medallion in Desha's hands.

Vice Principal Jensen was furious. That wasn't the first time Desha and her cohorts were harassing a new student, when will this annoying girl change?! She was the reason why the school hasn't gotten much admissions from incoming students. Any student that came to the school will never come back on the second day and now that one finally managed to stay, she wanted to make her life a miserable hell.

"Don't you know that bullying and snatching other people's properties are against the rules of this institution?! This place is not fighting ring where hoodlums like you show off their skills, this is a distinguished high school! So maintain yourself, jinx!"

Jemima was irritated. She wished she could punch that sinner in front of her. "It's all Desha's fault, she started this snag!"

Desha replied with absurdity in her voice. "Me? Nope! I can't stoop so low to as snatching gifts from a reprobate like her. She's a lowlife and high-class personalities like me do not interact with reprobates like her. C'mon! She's not even in my catalog."

The students that gathered there laughed thunderously. As the whole lot were happening, Jensen Kirk took the medallion from Desha's hands in a swift move. He scrutinized the medallion well enough that one would conclude that he was a detective. Or he used to be one.

"This medallion has an imperial seal in it! The only people that have imperial seals is the Premier House. So how did you get it?" The Vice Principal asked Jemima.

"Madam Yvette gave it to me as a gift for excelling in her test today." She replied with evenness. There was no fear, anger, panic or form of emotion in her voice. She was steady unlike Desha that fluctuated like the weather.

"So?" Mr. Jensen handed the medallion back to Jemima.

"Desha and her bloc were taunting Caitlyn and me as we were waiting for our other friends. We paid no heed to them. She began to propose a fight but I managed to hold my guts. If I was given a free rein to beat her up, I bet her parents would not be able to recognize her at all so she should learn to stay in her lane." Warned Jemima. She was irritated and one could sense that. Her ears were now pinkish red and her fists were clenched.

That provoked another wild laughter amongst the students. This drama was going to be the number one hottest in the school social media pages. Kudos! Students were videoing the incident, even the curious bloggers that lined out themselves neatly taking photos and videos.

"Is this true?" Mr. Jensen asked the students there and they all confirmed it. Who will ever risk such opportunity to let Desha go with impunity? It wasn't every day that Desha was castigated.

Desha's cohorts who were there just stood there and gasped in shock.

"Oh no! This isn't good."

"What would they do to her? Please, don't hurt her."

"Not only would I give you two weeks suspension, Desha, but your privilege to join the upcoming 'Impeccable Contest' has been seized for this trimester" Mr. Jensen announced to Desha. She was shaken, and her cohorts cried with her. Their boss would not join the contest, all because of a complicated fight with Jemima. Jemima shouldn't have taken it too far, or was this a revenge for Desha humiliating her at this same hallway?

"You are also under detention for a week, your privilege to join the 'Impeccable Contest' is still restored to you because you've never participated before and you're still a tenderfoot in Skye Evander High School.''

"We're sorry." Jemima and Desha nodded their heads in regret.

Mr. Jensen turned his back to leave and then pauses. "And you two should meet me in my office ASAP." He leaves the hallway finally as some students leave the hallway too. Jemima reprehensibly leaves the hallway as Caitlyn watches her go away.

"This is bad, I need to soothe her but I need to tell this to Shelbie and Khloé." Caitlyn nervously trots away.

What a dramatic incident! Jemima got her medallion back and that cost Desha her chance to join the 'Impeccable Contest' even though she was suspended for a week.

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