Project YM

Chapter 6

"You are a devil!" I shout at the top of my lungs after Meir hangs me upside down in front of our dormitory. And most of the staff and students in this compound are laughing at me.

"This is not the first time I hang you here, Yeshira, You should be used to it, or better yet, stop pretending that you can't do the task I gave you at the right time."

"I am not pretending," I exclaimed. "Your system is way too advanced for me and even a genius like me can't just so right into it with the time you gave."

"I know how your finger works, Yeshira," he said and sighed. "If you keep doing that, I will double your punishment till you gave up."

I just cross my arms and let myself hang on to this pole that he made just for me. Yeah, he prepared this pole for me three months ago just as a punishment and he keeps hanging me here every time I failed to do my task.

Well, he is right. I can finish the task but I made sure not to do it because I don't want to stand out too much.

Duh, being a student of someone like Meir is already had a great impact on everyone's expectations of me. And I don't like that.

It puts more pressure.

Plus most of the female students here are having a crush on him and they are always giving me a daggered glare whenever they see me with him.

So I was assuming that doing something that would not please Meir and now that I succeed, I am just a laughing stock for them.

He leans towards me to level our faces. "When will take this seriously, Yeshira? I've been observing everything you're doing for the past three months and I know that you are just messing around. Frazer confirmed that you can be the best asset of this organization and I am sure that he is not wrong with that."

I avoid eye contact with him.

"Fine." He stands up and sighed. "You are stubborn."

I know and I still am even if I had to suffer every week for this kind of punishment. I will still do everything that will prevent me from getting much attention because that is not comfortable.

Meir leaves and that's a cue for Jelah and others to go near me.

"Why do you keep doing this, Shira?" Jelah asked. "I saw how you put all your effort to make sure that every task he gave. You sacrifice your sleep so you can study all the systems he created so that you will finish the job he's given to you. But for the past three months, he keeps hanging you there because you keep delaying your task."

"Jelah, you know your sister." Ives said. "And there is only one thing why she keeps messing with her class with Meir."

"She wanted to avoid the attention that her instructor is receiving from the normal recruits," Maki added.

I sighed. "Yeah. And you all know that I am doing everything I can to avoid things that gave me an uncomfortable feeling. So I'd rather be punished and become a laughing stock to them."

"Besides, if she gets a nice relationship with Meir, she will surely be the target of those girls in normal recruits who has a huge crush on him," Kris said.

"But she can't keep this thing up," Jelah said with a high voice. Well, I know she doesn't want me to suffer like this but I choose this. "I will do something about it. You are ruining your study and it is not good, especially in the next three months."

"Ah." They said in unison as if they remember something.

"Scylla said that if we manage to get the require grades, she will give us a week's vacation outside this compound."

My eyes got widened and I immediately reach for the rope in my feet to free myself and cut it but before I fall, Maki and Kris catch me and help me get up. "Are you sure about that?"

They all nod.

"Meir didn't tell me anything." That arrogant man! Are they not letting me get out of this place?

"Maybe because he is not happy with everything you are doing," Jelah said. "And maybe he thinks you wouldn't like the idea of having a vacation out of this compound."

"Then, he is wrong," I exclaimed. "Getting out of here even just for a week is like getting my favorite food."

"From your record as of now, I think you are not getting that reward."

I look at them and smirk. "Did you forget who am I?"

It looks like I made the wrong decision but if only I had known that vacation leave; I wouldn't do anything to sabotage myself in my class just because of some stupid brat who is jealous of me being the student of the most handsome men in the whole compound.

"Thank god. She finally comes to her senses." Jelah said and tap my shoulder. "Now, go and see Meir so you will fix your problem with him and qualify for that vacation leave."

I nod and run toward my classroom. I know that Meir is still fixing some bugs in his system by this time since we supposedly have our class.

And I was right.

He was still here when I arrived but he was not using the computer. He is standing in front of the door looking like he's waiting for me.

"So, you heard about the vacation leave?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You should know that for every task you finish on time, we instructors, have the responsibility to give some rewards since all of your friends are always getting theirs."

Ah, he's right about that. Almost every week, my friends are given a lot of rewards every time they pass their tasks. And me? Well, I only got nothing but punishment because I never think that this cold man will give me such things.

But now I know, rewards are required for them to give as long as we do what they say.

I sigh. "Fine." I raise my hands as a sign of surrendering. "I will take this seriously and I will stop sabotaging myself in our class. But I have one condition."

"You tell me."

"I don't want to stay in the same building where the normal recruits are," I said. "I want to change our classroom."

"And why?"

"Every time they see me with you they keep glaring at me. And to be honest, it is irritating me." I messed my hair. "And I don't have a plan on getting bullied by those brats, okay? So I will be safe even if we got along and stop being punished."

"Where do you want to set up our new classroom?"

I immediately pointed my fingers at the north part of the compound. "There is an abandoned building in that direction and that will be a nice place for me to concentrate without having any issues. And if you do it, I assure you that I will be the most obedient student in this organization."

He didn't say anything. He just stared at me for almost a minute and then, he sigh. "Fine. I will take care of everything. But—" He pointed at me. "Don't mess with me again or else, I will surely make you regret it."

I felt a little scared because I know that this time, he is really serious.

"I need your answer, Yeshira."

"I promise!" I raise my right hand. "I won't mess with you anymore and do my task properly at the right time without any mistakes."

He nods. "Okay. Tomorrow, your classroom will be in that building just like what you demand."

Yes. "Okay, thank you."

__________

Just like what Meir and I agreed, our classroom was immediately put in the building that I choose.

Well, that building is also near to our dorm, plus there are only a few people who pass through it so I can concentrate enough in my class without minding anyone.

But I didn't expect that my friends are also switching their classrooms in this building. And I guess that is kind of good news for us because we don't like to socialize with normal recruits.

"Finally." I saw Ayane enter my classroom. "You decided to do everything right."

"For the vacation leave," I said and shrugged my shoulder. "And for this whole building that will be ours for the whole four years."

She walks right beside me. "Be honest with me, Yeshira. What do you plan about this place?"

I sigh and look at her. "You know that I dig too much about this organization, right?"

She nods. "You keep trying to hack our system and Meir just barely stopped you to reach the most confidential information we have." She laughs. "That's why we know that you are just messing with Meir every time you failed the task he gave to you. So we want to know why you want to use this building as your classroom."

I save the code that I am currently creating and gave my whole attention to her. "First of all, I want someplace where I can get the silence I need to concentrate on what I am doing. Those normal recruits are irritating me and I don't have enough patience for them so I just wanted to have a peaceful place for myself. Second, well, you made it good for me when you decided to also place here my friends because, like me, they don't want to have anything along with others. And third..."

She raises her eyebrow waiting for what I will say next.

"PYM is accepting jobs as part of a student training to get part of the budget that these places are using," I said. "And sooner or later, you will let us do one of those jobs so I want to make sure that I and my friends and are ready for that because our situation is different from the others."

"You choose your friends to be in your team?"

"I can't?" I get back my computer and continue my codes. "I will not work with a team that I am not comfortable so it's either I work with my friends or I will work alone."

"You're unbelievable," she said. "You do what you want to your advantage, huh."

I look at her while keeps typing. "You should know that by now because you also did what you want to your advantage to get me here."

Aside from that, Meir added more high specs computers in this room so I have more energy to complete this code that I was creating.

Ah! I feel like I am in heaven because of these technologies around me.

And since they are so kind to give me everything I demand, I will give them the most advanced system that surely gives them more budget for the whole compound.

And I will get my first vacation leave.