Adler | The Aces of St.Sinclair BOOK 1.

Summoned | A ONE

I made it a means of survival to stay clear of Garren Adler's wrath even if it inconvenienced me. For instance, not signing up to take any of the advance classes because I knew he'd be there and if I remained in the regular ones, I would hardly cross his path.

My calculation had been right but with the minimum exchanges the regular student could make with Garren ranging to a relatively small margin and at the same time, increased his popularity. He had practically become something of a celebrity.

Then there came the matter of Coeus.

Extracurricular activities and clubs were a dime a dozen in St. Sinclair but Coeus stood out amongst the rest. It was centred for scholars who excelled in the practical academic fields of science, maths and standard literature.

The club would engage in competitions like spelling bees, chess tournaments or the International Mathematical Olympiad, etc. It was originally founded by a former prime minister, an astronaut and renowned surgeon that birthed somewhat of a law.

Membership was deemed worthy only to the cream of the crops, nothing more or less. My streaks of full marks and perfect test scores would expose me no matter if I tried to squander them now. Not that I could actually bring myself to in the first place.

Thankfully, enlistment wasn't mandatory. Once reaching Year 9, the eligible grade to apply, Garren and his two fellow Aces were one of the very first names to make the submissions list. With that, I bid farewell to dreams of membership. The price felt heavy each time I thought about it but knowing I dodged a bullet, I moved on.

Not long after Garren's enlistment, rumours began to spread that only assured me I made the right choice. Six members of Coeus had mysteriously resigned and word had it, Garren somehow got them kicked out. It sounded ridiculous but I couldn't completely dismiss it. From there, Garren's popularity sky rocketed to a national level now thanks to his big brain aiding in the competitions.

Thus, making escaping the mention of him even outside the academy walls impossible. It was grueling but I'd keep myself going by constantly chanting inside that I only had to endure it for one more year. After that year, I'd have the option to graduate early. That was what kept me in peace.

***

"My brethren, I have undeniable proof the apocalypse is upon us," Ashton announced as she approached us by the quad.

"How?" Liam asked. "You got a boyfriend?"

"Ha, ha very funny." She smacked the upside of his shaggy head.

"I take it he's wrong?" I concluded.

"Yes."

Liam massaged his head. "Then what else could it be?"

"The prince of darkness is on the cover of Daytime Scope."

Ashton held up the Daytime Scope paper for us to see and sure enough, it was those assertive grey eyes of the academy's dictator gleaming at me on the cover. I stubbornly told myself it was the filter or camera tricks that presented his skin complexion to be so spotless and capture the coy smile on his lips to appear enviable and endearing at the same time.

Deep down, however, from a handful of references derived from sightings at the lunch hall, the profile was identical to the real thing.

"Wow." Liam lowly whistled, nothing short of stunned.

I could only grimace up at Ashton, visibly sharing my tortured feelings. "How the heck did he manage this?"

"The junior regional tournament that held place in Sussex. Our school's team and the runner-up got interviewed by an employee who was watching," she explained, settling down on the bench beside me. "The interview is total rubbish too. He just went on praising Adler and calling him a 'New era of genius in the world'. Didn't even mention the captain who played a big part in earning our academy the win and only wrote one line for the opposing team."