The crowd began to disperse across the athletic field.
The parents from the slums clutched their children's hands, their eyes red. A dockworker with a weathered face crouched down and wiped the dust from his son's cheeks with rough fingers, repeating the same words over and over: "Listen to your teachers. Stay out of trouble. Eat plenty."
Outside the school gates, the scene changed abruptly.
Mr. Drake yanked open the car door, his face dark. Mrs. Drake held a handkerchief over her nose, never so much as glancing at the parents in their ragged clothes. The stretch Lincoln's engine growled. Its tires rolled through a puddle, splashing a homeless man by the roadside with muddy water before speeding away.
Tim stood where he was, watching the luxury car leave. He didn't look back, only tugged at the strap of his shoulder bag.
Bzzzt-
A burst of static suddenly came from the loudspeakers around the athletic field.
Yang Ming's voice rang out, for once without its usual murderous chill.
"It's the first day of school. No classes."
The crisp click of a lighter came through the speakers, followed by the faintest sound of smoke being exhaled.
"You're all free to do what you like. Go find your classrooms, the cafeteria, and your beds. Don't get lost."
Dead silence.
A full three seconds later, the entire field erupted. Hundreds of kids tossed their hats into the air, their screams nearly blowing the clouds away. No classes, meat to eat, soft beds to sleep in-to them, this place wasn't a school at all. It was heaven.
A crowd packed the space in front of the noticeboard.
The class assignments for three thousand students covered an entire wall. Since ninety percent of the students couldn't even write their own names, the school hadn't sorted