The Shepherds always pushed Noah to attend Concord Academy. It was because adoptive parents wouldn't get the allowances if at least one of the foster children didn't attend classes.
Noah covered his sister with two old blankets and put her to sleep. He left food and water beside her mattress before leaving.
It was the final week of senior high school at Concord Academy. Noah had already planned his future after graduation.
The young man aspired to secure a paid internship as a skilled worker at Providence Technologies, one of the world's leading conglomerates. Then he could rent an apartment and provide healthcare for Lia by himself. Right now, every day was agony, tolerating the horrible Shepherds and their abuses.
Noah walked on the footpath with a canvas bag slung over his shoulder, daydreaming about his future. He reached the Academy's gate and pulled down his hood. The watchman looked at his ID card and scoffed. Area G's children had a G watermark on the ID.
Noah entered the Academy and reached his classroom shortly. Students filed in, and he recognized a few faces.
There was Cory Gilbert, the Class President. He was a jerk of the highest order—constantly demeaning others and praising himself. His father was the Chairman of Gilbert Enterprises, which boasted of managing a sub-project of Providence Technologies.
Cory never stopped talking about how influential his father was. He even promised several beautiful classmates he would get them internships at Providence.
Alice Harper entered with her entourage of girls. She was a blonde beauty, the campus belle—voluptuous, and most desirable. Her father was a prosperous businessman.
Alice was Noah's crush since he joined the school. However, he never had the courage to ask her out. Even though the girl hung out with Cory, she was reported as single. Alice was also kind and polite to everyone.
"Why don't you ask her out?" a voice asked from behind. Noah turned around to see another familiar face.
Piper Lee was another foster child like him. Piper constantly tried to befriend the young man, but the latter was not interested.
"Who? Me? Ask out Alice?" Noah replied with a nervous smirk. "Are you crazy? We're graduating this week."
"Hence the need for urgency," Piper whispered with a wink. "If you don't propose to her soon, Cory will swoop in and steal her. Nobody wants that to happen."
Noah sighed. Cory, Alice, and their retinue were from wealthy families. A poor foster child like him with no future wouldn't dare approach the class diva.
His internal monologue was cut short as Mrs. Samantha Gosling, the Headmistress, entered the classroom. She immediately demanded silence. Samantha was a tall redhead in her early thirties and was known for regularly failing students.
"Today, we have a representative from Providence as our guest," she declared. "Please gather in the auditorium after class for an important conference."
The students let out a collective gasp as Samantha turned sharply and left the classroom.
"Is Providence finally recruiting from Concord?"
"The last time our alumni joined the company was a decade ago!"
"Did they send a hotshot manager to speak to us?"
Even those from the well-to-do families aspired to join Providence. It was one of the largest tech-business conglomerates in the world, worth a trillion dollars. Even if you joined as an intern, your future growth was limitless.
Today was a splendid opportunity to suck up to the Providence representatives.
***
The conference was to be held in the auditorium after lunch. Students gathered in the cafeteria for snacks and gossip.
The Shepherds never gave Noah any pocket money, so he always skipped lunch. However, the Academy cafeteria had a stall with free lemonade for the janitors. The latter always offered him some. He drank a few glasses until he was full.
"Hey, wastrel!" someone called from behind. "Leave something for the other homeless kids!"
Noah turned around to see Cory Gilbert and his group eyeing him from a nearby table. They had delicious snacks and soda in front of them.
Cory beckoned him to come over. Noah normally didn't speak to others, but he pulled up his hood tighter and walked up to the guy. Cory was the Class President. It was unwise to ignore him, or trouble would find you.
At the elite round table were seated Cory James and Alice Harper. Also present were Dave Smith, the athletics champion, Katie Bell, the Math and Science Club President, and Ron Davidson, the martial arts champion. There were a few others from prominent families.
"Settle an argument for us, wastrel," Cory began, sneering.
"My name is Noah."
"Whatever! My friend Dave here believes you are the poorest in the school. I told him that the old lady who cleans our toilets is actually the most stricken with poverty."
Except for Alice, the entire group broke into laughter.
"You versus Cleaner Lady," Dave said, sliding a plate of fries towards Noah. "Who is more miserable? Care to weigh in and share your expert opinion? We'll compensate you with leftovers…"
The group laughed in unison again. Adopted orphans like Noah were the butt of every joke. The young man bit his lip and started walking away.
Cory rushed to his feet and blocked the path. He pulled down Noah's hood roughly and grabbed his jaw with a hand. "I'm the goddamn Class President! I wasn't done talking to you, scum!"
Noah grabbed his wrist and applied light pressure. A pained expression replaced Cory's smugness abruptly. He hurriedly withdrew his hand and groaned.
"What the fuck did you do to my wrist?! You maggot!"
Noah was an incredible athlete and had trained his body privately for years. He never participated in Academy sports to avoid drawing attention to himself. The young man never demonstrated his strength before, but today he was in an especially foul mood.
"How dare you try to hurt me, loser!" Cory raged. "Do you know who my father is? He is the Chairman of Gilbert Industries! He has contacts with the Mayor of Concord! I'll get you expelled and have your family arrested!"
Noah would be elated if the Shepherds got arrested, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
Ron Davidson, who was built like a tank, jumped to his feet. As the wrestling champion of Concord Academy, he was a feared individual. "Should I fuck him up for you, Cory?"
Noah balled his fists, anger bubbling in him. These elitist students wasted money on trash food and luxuries. At the same time, Lia couldn't even have her share of life-saving medicine. Someone needed to be taught a lesson. Ron Davidson was about to realize he wasn't the strongest in the class.
"Leave him be, everyone!" Alice exclaimed all of a sudden. "We need to focus as a group and plan a strategy for the Providence Conference."
"Fine," Cory replied, gesturing to Ron to back off. "I'll let the wastrel escape today. But I won't let it slide the next time!"
Noah's eyes met Alice's for a second. He nodded his thanks, gathered his things, and scurried away. It was a close shave with the elite gang. In fact, the young man who prided himself on self-restraint felt a twinge of guilt for almost losing his temper.
Noah was about to exit the cafeteria when he sensed someone watching him. He stopped in his tracks and looked for the source.
In the STAFF ONLY section, Noah noticed a new face—a tall, elegant blonde with aquamarine blue eyes. A crowd of teachers suddenly blocked his view. The young man shook his head and left the cafeteria, wondering who the stranger was. More importantly, why was she watching him?
***
The auditorium was packed to the fill. Apart from the graduating class, even junior year students were present. They were desperate just to get a glimpse of what Providence Technologies had in store.
Mrs. Gosling ascended the stage and, after a few formalities, invited the Providence team to begin. The students let out a collective expression of wonder as a young group, sharply dressed in expensive suits, ascended the stage and set up an audio-visual presentation.
Their attire and mannerisms exuded wealth, competence, and authority. This is what success looked like in Concord City.
Leading the Providence team was a girl in a fashionable pantsuit. She was gorgeous, with lustrous, blonde hair and a voluptuous yet slender body. In looks alone, the girl put Alice Harper, the campus belle, to shame. All the boys and male teachers began drooling over her appearance.
Noah was also intrigued, mainly because he recognized her as the mysterious blonde from the cafeteria. The beauty's expression was cold and stern, as if she were already disappointed with Concord Academy.
She raised her demeaning eyes to the class. Her following words were abrasive, and her tone was condescending. "I am Eve Trinity, a member of the board of directors of Providence Technologies."
Her words caused a flurry of gossip in the crowd. "Eve Trinity? Isn't she the daughter of Leland Trinity?"
"Leland is the Chairperson of Providence! What is his daughter doing in Concord City?"
"Silence!" Mrs. Gosling commanded, and the crowd simmered down.
Eve continued speaking as if she had not been interrupted at all. "I'll cut to the chase. A decade-long research by Providence's scientists has helped us conclude that an invasion from the outlands is inevitable."
There was another flurry of gossip among the students. Everyone was aware of the dangers lurking outside the habitable cities—the outlands. After the Third World War, extensive continental areas of the Earth were separated from human civilization by walls.
The outlands were breeding grounds for ferocious monsters mutated and evolved from radioactive wastes. It was also rumored in chat groups that those forbidden lands were inhabited by intelligent creatures who planned to overthrow the human race. However, the government heavily censored such information.
"Isn't it forbidden to talk about the outlands?" one of the curious students asked from the crowd.
Eve cast her an emotionless glance. "It was until now. Providence is already working with the Department of Defense. We are developing weapons technologies to resist an invasion. However, our purpose for this visit is recruitment."
Excited murmurs rose among the crowd. The rumors were true! This was a golden opportunity to be hired by Providence Technologies!
"Don't be optimistic already," Eve interrupted the shift of moods. "Concord City isn't our only target. We are conducting country-wide recruitment tests on academy students about to graduate."
"In what position will you be recruiting?" another student asked.
"That is a good question. Providence's new weapon technologies require young exceptional individuals with high overall statistics. We are recruiting smart agents with sharp instincts. They must be strong and courageous. Our company will build an elite team separate from the government's defense forces."
Eve's revelations began another wave of discussions in the crowd. "How many will be chosen? And how?" one of the students asked.
The Headmistress addressed this question. "Classes for the graduating class will be suspended tomorrow for a recruitment test," Samantha declared. "Those who don't wish to participate may remain at home."
"It is possible none will be chosen," Eve concluded, shutting down her presentation. "Therefore, give it your best, or your worst."