ON THE FOURTH DAY, the science teacher was lecturing in front of the classroom with her Intersexual students — Reeves was at the back of the room, totally listless and brooding in a foul mood. He was clenching a pencil in his hand with his thumb, pressing hard on it, while waiting for the boring class session to end.

Joe was in that class too, he would normally switch off his attention from the class lectures, with his affinity of sketching cars. He was doodling, a hot-wheeled, sports car on the page, while in the pretence of taking notes.

Joe was among some students in the IIRC, who were diagnosed with ADHD and he lacked focus — and was given some mild medication every morning. He once told Reeves before that he could not participate in his past escape-plans because he was on his meds — but, Reeves promised that he would procure his prescription somehow, once they both had jumped the wall onto the other-side into civilization. Even that did not convince him — and Joe stuck to his excuses.

It was now time for Miss Freda Mitchell's assignment...

"That concludes on Madam Marie Sklodowska Curie — the two-time winner, of the Nobel Prize for multiple sciences. Now, for your assignment of the week; and to commemorate the coming 'Science and Technology Day' — I want you all to write an 'original' 250-word essay on Marie Curie — the scientist who founded the theory of Radioactivity, and the discovery of polonium and radium — hey listen here boys, no copy and paste works from the internet, I will double-check every one of your papers."

The entire class murmured, while Reeves sighed aloud at the back — shaking his head to the kind of grandiose assignments, that this woman assigned them to do every week...

"Come on boys, this lady is a legendary icon and a role model to all the scientists around the world, who wants to reach her greatness — especially the present scientists, who are working hard to find a solution to cure the Medusa Virus," said Miss Mitchell overconfidently.

'Such pompous adorned bullshit told to a class full of docile cows, that will someday be slaughtered if no one discovered a cure to the fucking virus soon,' the dissident Reeves' thoughts were brewing...

He was also thinking about the other names of the past scientific icons, which the science teacher had used without any honour of sanctity in today's pragmatic dying world. It was a fact after twelve years, that none of the present scientists had come close, in finding a cure to the Medusa contagion.

The pencil in Reeves' hand broke in two with a sharp crack. Students who were seated around him turned to look — including Joe — someone whom he was not in speaking terms with any more. Reeves mentally barked back at him gawking...

'What are you looking at, you fucker?'

"I want you all to honour this woman with your assignment — so we will go back in our pairing groups of A and B — now, who is in group A?"

Half the class raised their hands, "Group A will do the research and write 250 words on Madam Curie's family background and education — while Group B — put your hands up..."

Reeves did not raise his hands for either A or B...

"Okay, those in B, will write 250 words on her achievements and discoveries — both you and your partner will work together in this assignment, okay? I want to see your best effort in this homework."

The school bell rang at that moment, and Reeves was the early one to walk out of the class. Joe followed from the rear and saw a broken pencil on Reeve's desk. He then glimpsed at his classmate Victor calling out, running out of the classroom door, "Reeves, wait up."

Joe anticipated trouble, so he followed from a close distance, and listened to Victor who caught up with Reeves at the hallway...

"So you will be doing Marie Curie's achievements as B — so, when can we meet up later and discuss the assignment?" Victor comprehended.

What Victor was saying sounded like quibbling in Reeve's ears...

'Like the grades mattered for these rhesus monkeys once they graduate from this IIRC institute — and go out to the promised fucked-up world someday, to get some menial serving jobs as servants, to the current dominant gender.'

"I am not doing it! You can go screw yourself if you say one more word!" was Reeves' immediate reply.

That perplexed Victor a second before he responded back firmly. "What? But, you are my study partner — this is our assignment, and we will be graded together." Reeves chided, despite not wanting to create a scene in the hallway — but, his decision was unwavering...

"Screw this crap too — and with their great female hope-bullshit to find a cure. For all I know is that there is not going to be any — because the brainy people who came close to finding a cure to the Medusa Virus, are all dead and buried — period. You hear me Victor, period — now fuck off!"

Joe almost snickered aloud — when he looked at Reeves walking away from the speechless Victor, who was befuddled in his own intellection — whether the class assignment was on Curie's Radioactivity or, was on the Medusa Virus.

Joe knew Reeves too well — that once he said no to anything — it was difficult to change his mind.

Victor turned around and saw Joe walking towards him. "What's wrong with him?" Joe chuckled at the dichotomy of Reeves' earlier argument...

"Chillax, dude, just ignore him — he has been really stressed up lately. Hey, I am also in Group B and guess what, I think I can help you out here — yeah, I will do Reeves's part of the assignment for you. Come, let's go, it is lunchtime now, Vic — I will serve you later, your side-order menu dish of beef Marie-curry soon!"

He shook his classmate's shoulder and chuckled loudly and left.

Victor who was about to bring the matter to the science teacher, he was still perplexed of his decision...

"You would really help me? Hey, thanks a lot, Joe."

*

Reeves stepped out onto a corridor and he stared at the empty campus ground with a lone, female gardener trimming a hedge below. He saw the old, orange wall at the far end of the campus — feeling more of the exasperation of anger, for overstaying the years there, with the rest of the domesticated herd.

It was time now for him to finally leave this inflated place for good.