The Final Classroom

Geoffrey's gaze was set outside the window, half his mind paying attention to the teacher at the front, going through everything she needed to.

Things had gotten slightly harder, yet not hard enough that everyone was paying attention. 

As usual, however, some people seemed to have a hard time following.

It wouldn't be a problem for now, but eventually the content they were going through would most likely come up in an assignment.

"Some of you already know about, but other classes have already chosen a class president."

Geoffrey's attention was sucked in, whatever the horizon had to offer was not as interesting as what was just said.

Even the student who had spent the past days sleeping suddenly rose his head, wondering where she was going.

Miss Jenny continued. "Some of you have heard about it, but the first task as a class president will be to choose the stakes at which this class will perform. This is an assignment for the president, but a failure to choose stakes will be a failure for the whole class."

Peter raised his hand. 

"Yes?" 

Peter cleared his throat. "Why would the whole class fail for the president's inability?"

Miss Jenny's smile was still brightly showing on her face.

"You are not divided into classes just for teaching purposes, Silly. You will need teamwork to make it out of here, without it you'll be stuck here forever," she said, chuckling.

Seems simple enough.

"So what's the big deal with those stakes?" asked Jet without raising his hand.

"Let's say the next major assignment awards you 10 points each. You could double this, should you win. However, losing means losing twice as much."

So, if we have a cushion of let's say 50 points, we could stake a multiplier that wouldn't exceed 50 points lost.

"We're just gambling now, then," said Jet.

"Yup!"

Miss Jenny then looked at the clock.

"Oh! Would you look at that! Almost lunch time! Well, everyone, it was fun. Three days of intense revision! Hope everyone is up to speed, starting tomorrow we're getting into the real content!"

"That wasn't real content?!" said a student further ahead.

Geoffrey could hear the lamenting from his seat, as some students fell into a slight despair.

It was understandable. Through the three days, it felt like she had gone through the entirety of what one would learn in high school. If real content started now, it would most likely mean college-level knowledge.

If some of them barely got through the entrance exam, their nightmare would start right about now.

On the other hand, all this knowledge could be useful, in the case they made it out.

The bell rung, a symphony of chairs being pushed back echoed through the classroom while miss Jenny's smile vanished.

She walked out of the class. Geoffrey nodded at Emilia, leaving the class through the door at the back with her following in his step.

She took a few quick steps, walking to his side.

"You're walking fast," she said.

"Miss Jenny will go drop her things in the teachers' room. Then, if nothing stopped her midway, she'll make her way toward the cafeteria."

They walked through a lot of students also heading toward the cafeteria, most of them turning around and trying to avoid being in Geoffrey's way, leaving Emilia to try and dodge those who stood in her way.

"How do you know this for sure?" she asked.

"I followed her yesterday. Before finding you."

She remained silent.

As they arrived, Geoffrey chose a table that was closer to the door where the food came out of. 

Next to it was a small window, through which someone could order to go.

They both sat, Emilia's puzzled gaze trying to find answers through Geoffrey's expression.

Feeling the weight of her intense stare, he sighed.

"Don't worry. I've confirmed it quickly yesterday. She did a mistake, and we'll make sure to use that mistake to our advantage."

"What mistake?" asked Emilia.

"She let Jet go."

"I don't think that was a mistake, that was on probably on purpose..."

A very small line was forming at the window, and as soon as Miss Jenny appeared at the end of it, he pulled on Emilia's sleeve.

"There."

She looked, and she recognized her instantly.

"So what now?" she asked.

Geoffrey waited. One minute went by, then another, the pressure building up.

"What now?!" asked Emilia.

"There," he said.

"What?! What am I even looking at."

Geoffrey pointed at Miss Jenny. "In her hand."

She frowned. "Her new card?" she asked.

"Yes. Steal it."

Emilia frowned, then chuckled, an amused smile on her face as she turned back to Geoffrey.

She found no smile and no amusement there.

"You're... serious?"

She anxiously looked at him, then at miss Jenny who was slowly making her way up the line, card in hand.

"It's now or never," he said.

"What do you mean?! Now or never?! This isn't fixing the problem, that's causing more!"

"I said I would help you. You need to trust me. Please."

"Trust you? That's not even the point..."

"You need to be quick, she's moving up the line."

Emilia's eyes jumped from Jenny, to Geoffrey. She looked back and forth, her eyebrows tightening while she bit the tip of her thumb.

Jenny was the next to order.

"Fuck!"

She grabbed a fork on the table, and concentrated her thoughts on Miss Jenny's card.

Geoffrey quickly grabbed her hand, taking her out of her concentration.

"Do it like last time. When you use your power, snap your fingers."

She confusedly obliged and snapped her finger.

Where the fork stood between her fingers was now Miss Jenny's card.

She looked up at Geoffrey smiling. 

It was a success.

Miss Jenny quickly turned toward the two of them, her eyes displayed annoyance beyond anything they had ever seen before.

Her heavy steps turned some heads as she hurriedly reached them.

"What now?!" whispered Emilia.

"Emilia. You again," she loudly said in her stride.

She had reached them, leaning on the table with both hands. She wasn't only annoyed; she was boiling. Her cold eyes would be stabbing them if it could.

Emilia, however, didn't notice her fury.

Her eyes were staring at Geoffrey, in shock. Her mouth was open, while her eyebrows raised in shock.

"How... can you?"

Geoffrey was holding the white card in his hands, after taking it from hers in a quick movement.