Capítulo 9: Chapter 9: The Highest Score
"So you are telling me that you've been classmates since you were first years and you've never talked to each other?" Light said, rubbing his forehead which Joy found adorable.
"Well, I don't know if you can understand the concept of rivalry, but yeah, that's that." Joy replied, looking at the firefly that went to Light's finger. "Honestly, I tried to talk to her before, but she avoided me. I've heard that her father is strict. Very strict in fact." She added, still looking at Light who was smiling because of the firefly, but then it flew away and went with the other fireflies roaming in their garden.
"I might not be from this world, but I'm not completely clueless." Light said, still looking at the fireflies. "But I wonder what challenges await us with this mission. I'd bet it wouldn't be as easy as the mission a while ago."
"You call that easy? Have you forgotten that you collapsed right after you uhm- ah… helped her?"
"Skip that part already." Spot, Joy's dog came near Light and showed a cute grin. "I'll have to go now, Hope. I'll see you tomorrow." He said and patted the dog's head then he left her alone in the garden. Joy heard him bid farewell to her grandmother and to her brother, and she thought of all the things that might be bothering Fallon. Maybe she's pressured- or just tired. She felt sleepy after such a long time of thinking, so she went straight to her bed. She looked at the necklace again as she laid down her bed and thought about what might happen tomorrow. Her relationship with Fallon is not very good, but she doesn't want to lose any more person.
"Whatever her dilemma is, I'll be sure to help her with it." She whispered to herself like a prayer and she then started to sink deeper and deeper to her sleep.
She woke up early the next morning feeling some kind of a burden that seemed to create in herself a wholesome tidal wave of something so terrible. The feeling wasn't foreign to her at all and it made her reluctant to even get up from her bed. She knows that there was something inside her that was uninvited, but it was there, waiting to strike at the right time- but she won't give in. She promised herself not to do that 5 years ago because there are so many people that she feared to leave behind. The alarm clock rang 5 minutes after she woke up, so she took a bath and wore her school uniform. She expected this day to be very tedious due to the fact that there's a quiz at her Biology class [but her teacher, Mr. Novicio taught them astronomy last meeting], a meeting with the school paper adviser, and a mission that awaited them. She looked into the mirror at last and did not like what she saw.
She have realized that she does not have a sense of herself anymore- and her silver eyes doesnt have the same vigour like before and that they looked stained with melancholy. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she stared at herself.
"How long do I have to mask this pain inside me? I'm getting tired." she said, astound to the fact that she was not the mission Light pertained to. She chuckled as she thought that she also needed some saving but she'll go on and save other people. She wiped her tears away and pushed herself to smile because she'll see her grandmother who is so sensitive that she'll be sad the moment she realized that Joy was sad. Her grandmother treats her like a sunshine- a hope to go on- and that's the reason why she can't be sad. "I'm strong. I am." she mumbled at herself and went away from the mirror.
She went down and saw her grandmother who had just finished preparing their breakfast. She was halfway the stairs when she saw her, and tears started to threaten to fall again. She patted her cheeks and convinced herself that she is fine and happy.
"Good morning Nana." Joy said and Josephine looked at her, as if sensing the sadness inside her granddaughter. Probably thinking that it was just hunger, she turned to the food again and smiled at Joy.
"Good morning, Hopie. Your sandwich is here. I'll just look at your brother." she said and left her. Joy ate fast as she looked at the food her grandmother had prepared.
"Why do I feel so sad?" she asked herself and almost cried. She fought that off and remembered that she will be seeing Light today and that there was nothing to be worried about. After finishing her food, she hurried and brushed her teeth, then bade goodbye at her grandmother. She opened her door and saw Light leaning on their gate, while the students who walked past him looked at him like he was some kind of an unusual person- well, he really is. She forced a smile to her face and approached him.
"Good morning Light." She said and flashed the prettiest smile she can project but Light ignored her and started to walk away. Joy did not like what he did because of the effort she had exerted so she ran towards him. As she got closer to him, she panted, making Light stop walking.
"What's - your - problem?" she confronted Light as she gasped and looked at him straight into the eyes. It was fatal to her because she have forgotten how cold it was to look at Light's eyes without precaution.
"I don't trust your smile. You are sad." he said and went away, freezing Joy, who looked like she had stopped breathing. "No matter how much you conceal your pain, your worries, you mustn't forget that your eyes show them."
She was stunned as if struck by a lightning of coldness. He was cold but his words were the truth. It was her very plea- everyone loved her smile because she was so vibrant, but she wanted someone to see her pain that she was hiding behind her successful facade. She can no longer remember the last time that a person pointed out her sadness, but Light's eyes seemed to be able to see through her eyes like a door to her very soul.
"Y-You are right. I- I am sad. I really am." she said and smiled towards him who was walking away from her. It was not a fake smile this time because she felt like she had been true to herself for the first time and it cheered her up more. She ran towards Light again and smiled at him. Little did she know that Light smiled back at her and muttered "Real smile really suits you well."
They arrived at the school just in time for the flag ceremony [again] and saw Corriene happily sneaking onto the line and she had reunited with her friends. Joy looked at Light's hands and saw that the wound he had attained was already healing. She smiled at the thought. They lined up together with their other classmates and sang the hymns. Sooner, they were already at their classroom, with their Biology teacher at the desk, holding test papers.
"You weren't present last meeting." she told Light, who seemed to be chilling even if a sure danger awaits him, "How will you be able to answer those questions?"
"Yeah, I wonder." he said and just leaned at his table, but immediately looked at his right from where Fallon had entered. Joy had noticed her necklace glow so she tried to hide it under her uniform.
"Hey, Joy." Nick said, who had just entered the room. "Light."
Light just glanced at him, and that irritated Nick. "You are getting on my nerves." he said and sat beside him.
"Mornin' Joy." Mari said and sat before her. "Had a very good dream a while ago so I was late."
"At least you're not absent." Joy said and winked at her while the testpapers were distributed.
After a while, all the papers were already in front, waiting to be distributed. Nick was aghast because for the fist time in his life, he found a worthy rival and was determined to bring him down, while Fallon, who looked like she never slept leaned on her desk as she faced the mysterious Light whom Nick tried to talk to.
"Nickolas. You are fourth highest. Congratulations." Mr. Novicio said, expecting the class to clap for him, but the response was a deafening silence that shook him with disbelief, so he carried on with the roll call and announcement of scores. Nick went to him and took his paper away, crumpling it on his hand. Mari noticed what he did and has shown a concern in her proud face.
"Next, Henry, good job, you are the fifth highest. Claire, is that you? How's your mama? You need to work harder."
"Hope Joy, I thought you'd be the highest, but you are third highest today." everyone was shocked to hear the news except Light and Joy, who just stood up and smiled as she took her paper. Fallon seemed to have seen a door to defeating her that the time on both of the necklaces were adjusted.
"Sarah, good job, you are 10th highest tied with Jin. And the last two students had tied with a perfect score. This one's Fallon Bane and - who's Light Elkin? It's you? Okay. Get your papers. Congratulations." Then the bell rang and Mr. Novicio started to walk away.
Everyone was astound, especially Fallon, who, for the first time defeated Joy and saw that she did not have perfect marks today. She had committed one mistake and that mistake was one of the stepping stones of Fallon.
"Congratulations." a voice from her back spoke, of which she had immediately recognized. It was Light - the person she looked up to ever since she saw him.
"T-thank you" she replied and blushed while he went away from her.
'There's still hope. I can still prove myself to father.' She thought to herself and smiled.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder