ST. VERITAS HIGH: THE DIAMOND LEAGUE.

CHAPTER 5: HIERARCHY

Tuesday morning came sooner than Aurora expected.

She had spent most of Monday trying to absorb everything she had learned about St. Veritas High.

The school was nothing like her former school.

The buildings were enormous. The students were different. Even the rules seemed to belong to an entirely different world.

And then there were the leagues.

Aurora had spent almost the entire evening reading the Rule Book she had been given.

She had learned that every student belonged to one of four leagues.

Bronze.

Silver.

Gold.

And Diamond.

The first three leagues were represented by stars on the students' uniforms.

Bronze students wore a bronze star.

Silver students wore a silver star.

Gold students wore a gold star.

Diamond students, however, were different.

They didn't wear the school uniform at all.

Aurora still didn't completely understand how the entire system worked.

She knew that family status, wealth, achievements and something called Prestige Points all played a role.

But the Rule Book had been deliberately vague about some things.

And Aurora had a feeling there was much more to the league system than what was written on those pages.

She pushed the thought aside.

She was already seated in Art Class Four when the classroom door opened.

A woman walked inside.

She looked to be in her early forties, dressed neatly in the school's staff uniform. She carried a tablet in one hand and walked confidently toward the teacher's desk.

Aurora straightened in her seat.

The woman placed the tablet on the desk and looked around the classroom.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, ma'am."

Aurora glanced around.

There were thirty students in the classroom.

Seven wore gold stars.

Fifteen wore silver.

And eight wore bronze.

Including her.

Something immediately caught her attention.

The Gold League students weren't really paying attention.

One girl was quietly scrolling through her phone beneath her desk.

Two others were whispering to each other.

Another was checking something on her tablet.

They didn't even look particularly interested in the woman standing at the front.

The Silver League students were slightly better.

Some were paying attention.

Others looked distracted.

But the Bronze League students were sitting upright.

They seemed genuinely interested.

The woman cleared her throat.

"As your homeroom teacher, I would like to officially welcome everyone back for the new session."

Aurora listened carefully.

"Yesterday was Monday, the first day of the session. As usual, classes were not held because the school administration uses the first day to ensure that students are properly settled."

She glanced down at her tablet.

"That includes dormitory arrangements, schedules, transfers and other administrative matters."

Aurora nodded to herself.

That explained why she hadn't had any classes yesterday.

The teacher looked up again.

"Which also means I wasn't able to introduce someone to you."

Her eyes moved toward Aurora.

"We have a new student joining Art Class Four this session."

Aurora's heart skipped slightly.

The teacher smiled.

"Would you like to introduce yourself?"

Aurora slowly stood.

Immediately, the attention of the classroom shifted toward her.

Well...

Most of it.

The Gold League students still looked only mildly interested.

Aurora took a small breath.

"My name is Aurora Simpson."

She paused.

"I'm seventeen years old, and I transferred here after receiving a scholarship."

A few students looked up properly this time.

"I used to attend another school, and I'm happy to be here."

She gave a small smile.

"I hope we can get along."

She sat down.

For a second, there was silence.

Then—

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

The Bronze League students began applauding.

A few Silver students joined them.

The Gold League students barely reacted.

Aurora noticed.

Again.

There was something strange about the way the different leagues behaved.

She couldn't put her finger on it yet.

Before she could think any further, the classroom door opened.

A man walked inside.

He wore the same staff uniform as the other teachers, but there was something different about his appearance.

A small silver insignia was attached to his uniform.

Beneath it was a single letter.

D.

Aurora immediately remembered the Rule Book.

Disciplinarian.

Her eyes widened slightly.

The man walked into the classroom without saying anything.

The change was immediate.

Phones disappeared.

Whispers stopped.

Even the Gold League students suddenly put their devices away.

Aurora almost smiled.

So they weren't completely untouchable after all.

The disciplinarian walked toward the back of the classroom and sat down.

He didn't need to threaten anyone.

Everyone knew why he was there.

Aurora had read about the system the night before.

Every student at St. Veritas had Prestige Points.

Points could be earned through academic achievements, competitions, extracurricular activities, leadership, good conduct and participation.

But they could also be lost.

Breaking school rules could cost a student points.

Repeated misconduct could cost even more.

And those points mattered.

Students with outstanding records could receive rewards, privileges and recognition at the end of the session.

Aurora remembered one particular line from the Rule Book.

A student's record is a reflection of their character.

She had thought it sounded dramatic when she first read it.

Now she wasn't so sure.

The disciplinarian looked around the classroom once.

Everyone was perfectly still.

Then the door opened again.

A woman entered.

She was dressed professionally and held a slim tablet in her hand.

She glanced around the room before walking toward the front.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, ma'am."

She smiled.

"I'm your history teacher for this term."

Aurora nodded quietly.

So this was her history teacher.

The woman connected her tablet to the classroom's projection system.

The large screen at the front of the room flickered to life.

A title appeared.

HISTORY

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND ITS GLOBAL IMPACT

Aurora leaned forward.

The teacher began the lesson.

Aurora opened her own tablet and prepared to take notes.

The classroom became quiet.

Only the sound of the teacher's voice filled the room.

Aurora glanced briefly toward the back.

The disciplinarian was still watching.

Not teaching.

Not interfering.

Just watching.

She looked toward the Gold League students.

They were paying attention now.

The phones were gone.

The whispers had stopped.

For the first time since entering St. Veritas, Aurora understood something important.

The leagues might determine how students were treated.

They might determine where they lived, what privileges they received and how much influence they had.

But inside this classroom...

Everyone still had something to lose.

Their points.

Aurora turned back toward the projected screen.

She had only been at St. Veritas for two days.

Yet somehow, she already knew one thing.

This school had rules.

And breaking them came with a price.

---

By noon, Aurora had already attended two more classes.

Her head was beginning to feel crowded with everything she had learned since arriving at St. Veritas.

Just as she finished saving her notes, a loud chime echoed throughout the building.

Lunch.

Students immediately began packing their tablets and making their way toward the cafeteria.

Aurora followed them.

The cafeteria was enormous.

Rows of tables stretched across the hall, while several food stations stood along the far wall.

Students quickly formed lines.

Aurora joined one of them.

She remembered what she had read in the Rule Book the night before.

The order was simple.

Gold.

Silver.

Bronze.

Diamond students had the highest priority, but there were only three of them in the entire school—and none of them were in the cafeteria.

So the Gold League students were served first.

After them came the Silver League.

And finally, the Bronze League.

Aurora stood quietly in line.

Most of the Gold League students had already collected their meals and were seated at their tables.

Only a few students remained in the queue.

There was one Silver League student directly in front of Aurora.

After him was Aurora.

She glanced toward the food counter.

She was getting hungry.

Then she heard laughter behind her.

Aurora turned.

Five girls walked into the cafeteria together.

Gold stars were clearly visible on their uniforms.

They didn't even look toward the line.

They walked straight toward the food counter.

Aurora assumed they were going to join the queue somewhere ahead.

But they didn't.

One of the girls stepped directly in front of her.

Aurora blinked.

The girl picked up a tray and began choosing her food.

Aurora looked around.

Maybe she had misunderstood the system.

She waited for someone to say something.

Nobody did.

The cafeteria workers continued serving.

The Silver student in front of her remained silent.

Aurora finally spoke.

"Excuse me."

The girl didn't respond.

Aurora tried again.

"Excuse me."

The girl slowly turned around.

"What?" The girl barked

Aurora kept her voice polite.

"You can see we're on the line."

She gestured behind her.

"Could you please go to the back?"

The girl's eyebrows lifted.Her curly hair bounced as she turned to face Aurora clearly.

"What did you just say?"

Aurora repeated herself.

"I said we're already on the line. You could go behind us."

The other four girls turned toward her.

One of them let out a small laugh.

"I think she's new."

Another girl looked Aurora over.

"Definitely."

The girl standing in front of Aurora shook her head.

"Leave her."

She turned back toward the counter.

"It's not like she knows how things work yet."

Aurora frowned.

She looked toward the cafeteria worker.

"Ma'am?"

The woman didn't answer.

Aurora glanced at the Silver League student.

He didn't even look at her.

Nobody said anything.

Aurora slowly looked back at the girls.

So this was normal.

She had read about the league system.

She knew Gold students had certain privileges.

But she hadn't expected something as simple as a cafeteria line to work this way.

She opened her mouth to speak again.

Then one of the girls suddenly stopped. Her hair is packed in a high ponytail.

She stared at Aurora.

"Wait."

The others looked at her.

"What?" They all asked at once.

The girl continued staring.

"Her face looks familiar."

Aurora frowned.

The girl tilted her head, studying her.

"Where have I seen you before?"

One of her friends shrugged.

"Maybe you're mistaken, you can't probably know her from anywhere....I mean she doesn't look like someone from our caliber."

The girl snapped her fingers.

"I remember!"

She looked at Aurora again.

"You were on television."

Aurora's eyes widened slightly.

"The swimming competition."

The girl's expression changed as recognition settled in.

"You won it, didn't you?"

Aurora nodded slowly.

"Yes."

The girl gave a small hum.

"So you're the swimmer."

She glanced at the bronze star on Aurora's uniform.

Then back at her face.

"The scholarship girl."

Something about the way she said it made Aurora uncomfortable.

The girl gave a small, dismissive laugh.

"Interesting."

She picked up her tray.

As she walked past Aurora, her shoulder intentionally brushed against hers.

Aurora instinctively stepped aside.

The girl didn't apologize.

She simply continued walking.

Her friends followed behind her, laughing among themselves.

Aurora watched them disappear into the crowd.

She looked down at her bronze star.

Then toward the Gold League tables.

For the first time, she understood that the difference between the leagues wasn't just something written in a Rule Book.

It was something people lived by.

And apparently...

She had just stepped into a world where being different made you noticeable.

Whether she liked it or not.