The Hidden Genius
1185 Words
Inside the massive mansion, laughter echoed warmly through the kitchen area.
For the first time in days—
T.L was smiling naturally.
Bianca leaned against the counter drinking juice while Sophie chopped fruits casually. Nonke and Guen argued over music while Gabriel sat lazily on top of the kitchen counter eating snacks.
T.L sat beside them laughing softly as they joked around.
The atmosphere felt peaceful.
Normal.
Something T.L had not truly felt in a long time.
Then Gabriel suddenly pointed at her dramatically.
“T.L.”
T.L looked up.
“Yes?”
Gabriel grinned mischievously.
“You said you were going to be hardworking.”
Bianca immediately narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Gabriel continued boldly.
“So why not start by cleaning my room?”
Bianca blinked slowly.
“…Gabriel?”
Gabriel shrugged innocently.
“What?”
He pointed at T.L again.
“She literally promised to work hard when she came here.”
T.L opened her mouth to respond—
But another voice interrupted immediately.
“T.L is not doing any hard work.”
Everyone instantly turned.
Madam Seraphine walked calmly into the kitchen.
Elegant as always.
Powerful without trying.
She opened the refrigerator casually and took out a bottle of juice.
“And she is definitely not cleaning your messy room.”
Gabriel raised both hands immediately.
“But that’s what she promised when she entered here, right?”
Madam Seraphine slowly turned toward him.
The room became silent instantly.
“Are you questioning my authority?”
Gabriel froze.
“…Nope.”
Sophie immediately looked away trying not to laugh.
Even T.L smiled slightly.
Gabriel nodded nervously.
“I don’t even know what we’re talking about anymore.”
“Good,” Madam Seraphine replied calmly.
The rest burst into laughter.
Bianca almost choked laughing.
Nonke pointed at Gabriel mockingly.
“You’re finished.”
Then Madam Seraphine spoke again.
“Actually…”
She smiled faintly.
“Thank you for reminding me about the rooms.”
Gabriel’s smile disappeared immediately.
“You’ll clean your room.”
She paused.
“And the attic.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened in horror.
“WHAT?!”
Everyone exploded into louder laughter.
Madam Seraphine pointed upstairs calmly.
“Now.”
Gabriel groaned dramatically.
“Fine…”
He slowly dragged himself upstairs while everyone continued laughing at him.
Sophie shook her head.
“That’s what you get for opening your big mouth.”
Madam Seraphine then looked toward T.L.
“T.L.”
T.L immediately looked up.
“Walk with me.”
The laughter slowly faded as Madam Seraphine began walking away from the kitchen.
T.L hesitated briefly.
Then quietly followed behind her.
The two walked through long elegant hallways until they reached a quieter part of the mansion.
A serene lounge surrounded by glass walls overlooked the city lights outside.
The atmosphere suddenly became more serious.
T.L stood awkwardly.
She didn’t know what to say.
Madam Seraphine noticed immediately.
“Relax.”
T.L looked at her.
“I know you feel uneasy around me.”
T.L scratched her arm nervously.
“Yeah…”
She stammered slightly.
“Yeah, I am.”
Madam Seraphine smiled faintly.
“Well…”
She sat down calmly.
“I wanted to talk to you about Heroes Academy.”
Immediately—
T.L’s expression changed.
“Heroes Academy?”
Anger flashed across her face instantly.
“I’m done with them.”
Madam Seraphine remained calm.
“Relax.”
T.L folded her arms tightly.
“They treated me like trash.”
Pain filled her voice.
“Like I didn’t belong there.”
Her eyes lowered briefly.
“…Except Schizzel.”
Madam Seraphine observed her carefully.
“But I can’t stay in a school because of only one person.”
Silence.
Madam Seraphine slowly nodded.
“…Right.”
Then after a moment—
She looked back at T.L carefully.
“But during your time there…”
“…what exactly were you doing?”
T.L blinked slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“You said you had no powers,” Madam Seraphine replied calmly. “So what was your role?”
T.L shrugged lightly.
“I worked in the Technical Department.”
Madam Seraphine became interested instantly.
“With Clarence.”
Now Seraphine leaned forward slightly.
“And how good are you?”
T.L looked at her calmly.
“Good enough to know twenty-five different ways to breach your systems and tamper with everything inside this mansion.”
Silence.
Then slowly—
Madam Seraphine smiled.
“You already know we have a technical wing here.”
T.L nodded.
“Yes.”
“Interesting.”
Madam Seraphine crossed her arms.
“Hack one of them.”
T.L blinked.
“…What?”
“Show me.”
A small confident smile slowly appeared on T.L’s face.
“Okay.”
Moments later—
The two entered T.L’s room.
T.L quickly brought out her laptop and placed it on the desk.
Madam Seraphine stood beside her watching carefully.
T.L’s fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard.
Code streams filled the screen instantly.
“You see this?” T.L said calmly.
She pointed toward the monitor.
“There’s a loophole in your system.”
Madam Seraphine narrowed her eyes.
“My technical people never found that.”
T.L smirked slightly.
“Because they think it’s an internal support program.”
She typed faster.
“But it’s actually mine.”
Madam Seraphine became visibly impressed now.
“It gives me surveillance access whenever I want.”
She pressed another key.
A hidden camera map of the mansion suddenly appeared.
Madam Seraphine’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
“T.L…”
T.L looked proud for the first time in a while.
“They taught us well in Heroes Academy.”
Madam Seraphine stared at the screens carefully.
Then calmly—
“Turn off the cameras.”
T.L nodded once.
She pressed a command.
CAMERAS DISABLED
Immediately—
Across the mansion—
Every surveillance camera shut down at once.
Meanwhile—
Inside the mansion’s technical department—
Technicians suddenly panicked.
“What happened to the cameras?!”
“They’re offline!”
“Who shut them down?!”
T.L smirked.
Then Madam Seraphine spoke again.
“Now trigger the alarm system.”
T.L grinned slightly.
“With pleasure.”
She pressed another command.
Suddenly—
ALARMS blared throughout the technical wing.
Red emergency lights flashed violently.
Technicians scrambled everywhere in confusion.
“We’re under attack!”
“No— somebody hacked the system!”
“Trace the signal!”
One of the frightened technicians immediately called Madam Seraphine directly.
She answered calmly.
“Yes?”
“Madam!” the man panicked over the phone. “I don’t know what’s happening! Someone hacked the entire system!”
T.L covered her mouth trying not to laugh.
The man continued frantically.
“Our defense systems are failing! Whoever this is—they’re inside everything!”
Madam Seraphine slowly looked toward T.L.
A proud smile formed on her face.
“I think…”
She spoke calmly into the phone.
“…we may have found another technical prodigy.”
T.L smiled back at her quietly.
And for the first time since leaving Heroes Academy—
T.L finally felt valuable again.
- Writer
