November 2020

Evelyn could never forget Sophie’s eyes—they were like black holes that sucked up every answer that Evelyn had written down. Even though Mrs. Walls watched the students closely, Sophie still managed to glance around the privacy boards a few times. It was at the beginning of the second grade, when all the students took a test called MRA. The student with the highest score in the class would be selected to join the Gifted and Honors Class. After Evelyn returned home, her mom asked, “How was your test?” “It was good.” Evelyn frowned. “I tried my best, but the questions were difficult.” “Really?” Mom said. “Can you give me some examples of the hard ones?” “‘Give a few examples of human evolution.’” “That’s challenging. I don’t expect anyone else in your class can answer that, except you!” “But I think Sophie answered it correctly,” Evelyn said. “How do you know?” asked Mom. “Did she tell you her answers?” “No, but I saw Sophie peeking through the privacy board,” Evelyn said. “She could see all my answers.” “Wow, she is some person!” Dad smirked, joining the conversation. “You just transferred to this school, but she already knows that you are academically inclined. She also knows you are the type of person who will not tell on her. Finally, she can make quick moves—even under great pressure. She will make a great politician in the future!” “Stop it, Dad!” Evelyn said. “Maybe her score will be higher than mine. Maybe she will go to the gifted class.” Mom put her arms around Evelyn and said, “No matter if you are selected or not, we are always proud of you! We are still going to the food festival on Kepler-15u next year, like we promised!” “Thank you so much!” Evelyn cried. “I love you!” *          *          * There were two basketball courts, a play castle, and three sets of swings on the playground of Stenwood Elementary School. They were not that fancy, but still, the playground was the students’ favorite area. If the weather was good, the students were allowed to play there during recess. In one corner of the playground, behind a blue steel bench, was Kyler and Arjun’s “secret base,” which the boys called KSB1. On one sunny morning, the playground was crowded with many kids playing tag. Kyler and Arjun knelt inside KSB1, not wanting any taggers to see them. That was when Arjun dug into his pocket and took out a shiny blue pill with letters printed on it. “What is that?” Kyler asked. “Mrs. Romero gave these pills to us yesterday. She said if we take them, we won’t be sick during the spring season. This year, the germs could be more dangerous than ever,” Arjun explained. “But Mrs. King said I shouldn’t rely on pills to fight any disease,” Kyler said. Kyler was a student from Mrs. King’s Gifted and Honors Class. Kyler and his classmates were in the advanced academic program. They exercised outdoors much more frequently than regular students, ate only organic foods, and most importantly, fought all kinds of diseases without the help of any pills. “You have to be physically and mentally strong,” Mrs. King had said to Kyler quite a few times. “As a reward, you will earn a special medal upon graduation. Your parents will also receive a golden certificate from the state!” Kyler had never seen his parents in person. Stenwood parents worked on a remote planet called Kepler-15u, which was 350 light-years away from Kepler-22b. Students could video chat with their parents every week, but they couldn’t meet them in person until graduation, when a space cruiser would take them to Kepler-15u. The State Honor Roll had always been a topic during Kyler’s video conversations with his parents—they were very proud that Kyler had been selected as an honor student. They told Kyler that they had put a bumper sticker on their space shuttle. During one video chat, Kyler’s mom was even wearing a T-shirt that read “Proud Mother of an Honor Student.” Kyler could not imagine how thrilled his parents would be if he earned the medal. He had dreamt about that moment so many times. “I know—you’re one of those dudes,” Arjun grinned, “But you’re the only normal ‘honor’ student I have ever seen. Take the pill anyway. Mrs. Romero said that this time the germs can be fatal. It’s better to be prepared.” “What about you—if I take your pill . . . ?” Kyler asked. “Uhmm, it’s ok.” Arjun tilted his head sideways. “I can tell Mrs. Romero I lost my pill. She’ll give me another one.” Arjun tilted his head to the other side. “One pill is enough to keep you healthy for a whole season, but Haithem has taken a few pills already. He thought they tasted better than candy. Nobody cares much about regular students anyway.” “Thanks, bro,” Kyler said. “You make a great friend!” “Shhhh. Hide quickly! Shlock is coming. We don’t want to be tagged!” Arjun exclaimed. Both boys stopped talking. They peered through the holes to check the taggers. Kyler didn’t plan to take the pill, but he truly appreciated Arjun as a friend. I wish I could still have Arjun in the neighborhood after graduation, Kyler thought, so that we can still be good friends. *          *          * “Blow,” Mrs. King ordered as she handed Kyler yet another tissue. He had already used up two boxes of tissues. He guessed that he had finally developed an allergy to the wild plants around the playground, as many older students had. I’m a big boy now, Kyler thought to himself. He also felt a little sorry because he had laughed at those big kids who suffered from allergies every spring. How could I have been so mean? However, a few days later, the allergy that seemed mild in the beginning became serious, and