Chapter 3 First Day of Academy

Pan Osbourne was optimistic today. He was eighteen, and it was his first day at Cloyster Academy of Technology. Even though he was poor and likely to be mistreated, he was still excited to learn and get ahead in life.

The boy had been looking forward to this day after graduating from high school. The latter had been a nightmare. Pan’s wealthy classmates enjoyed torturing and humiliating him. They would burn his books, spill water on his homework, throw his lunch to the dogs, fill his desk with cat turds, and so on.

He could not complain to authorities because nobody cared about helping a poor kid. The rich bullies always got away.

Pan’s treatment was not so different at home. His parents died in a car crash when he was a baby and since then his uncle’s family adopted him. However, they treated him like a servant.

His elder cousin brother, two older sisters, and one younger sister, were all given special treatment while Pan was considered a humiliation to the family. 

They made him sleep in the garage and fed him only leftovers of meals. His sisters slaved him around when they could. He did most of the housework, including cleaning, washing, and shopping with the other servants, while everyone else in the family lived the classy life.  

Pan had always wondered why everybody bullied and mistreated him at home. He had above-average looks, was smart, and meticulous. What was it about him that triggered bullying? Even his elder brother, Leo, who Pan looked up to, ignored him.

Lilia, his eldest sister, twenty-three, took the initiative once to read him his rights.

“Ick! How come you don’t know why everyone hates you? Leo is the star of our family and makes us proud. Didn’t you hear he is the Student President of Cloyster Academy already? On the other hand, you are the runt of the family with no achievements. I wish you’d just disappear!”

Pan had come to terms with bullying in school. He believed that high school students were immature and that college would be different. Hard work and discipline would definitely help him rise in the world. The boy dreamed of making a career out of Engineering. The first six months at the Academy would determine if he was fit to be an Apprentice. 

Pan was also excited about the Academy for another reason. He was a hopeless virgin whom girls mainly ignored for his poverty. College girls would be full-bodied and ripe for the taking. 

Pan had never been a pervert, but something had happened to him over the holidays. His desire had become multi-fold. The boy wanted to bring his fantasies to life somehow. His nerd-introvert days were over.

***

“Which ore causes explosions in coal mines?” the Professor asked his class. The third period was chemistry, and Prof. Gergich was testing the IQ level of students.

Pan had already memorized the entire book, and hence knew the answer.

‘This is my time to shine,’ he told himself and raised his hand. There were audible gasps from the students.

“Who is that guy?”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Why is he trying to act smart?”

The class was divided into two columns, with an aisle between them. Wealthy students were on the right in cushy, premium seats, while poor and sponsored students were on the left. 

This distinction reflected the city’s social classes. Those from the high-classes were given elite positions in the industry and government. The lower classes were pushed into the unskilled labor workforce.

Usually, the right-column students raised their hands to answer, while there were no responses from the left. The latter would not risk attention from their superiors.

Therefore, Prof. Gergich, who was a wealthy man himself, was surprised when a random kid from the sponsored rows expressed his wish to answer.

“You, boy!” he hollered sternly. “Seems we have a smarty among the poor.”

The wealthy students sniggered.

“Stand up and tell us which ore causes explosions in coal mines,” Gergich instructed.

Pan stood in place with confidence. “Thanks for the opportunity, Professor. The common misunderstanding is that ores cause explosions in mines,” he said with assertion. “However, flammable gasses like Methane cause spontaneous combustion, and resultant explosion.”

“Hmm,” Professor Gergich murmured and walked over to Pan’s desk. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Professor,” Pan replied with a smile.

Swat! Gergich smashed his straight against the boy’s face. 

Pan fell to the floor, clutching his face, groaning and writhing. His right cheek had split, and blood was smeared all over. 

“The answer is Methane indeed,” the Professor announced to the class, returning to his table. “This is a useful lesson to everyone about why sponsored students should not try to accomplish anything. They are here only to observe, like the monkeys they are. If they act smart, they’ll get hurt.”

Prof. Gergich was a known elitist, and he hated poor students. The right columns broke out in laughter. Even a fair section of the left sniggered. It was always funny to see a disadvantaged kid ridiculed.