The Assembly Hall was ready – the wooden chairs had been spread out neatly across the wide room, and at the top of the rows stood the tall stage, its mahogany planks shining under the daylight that was coming through the windows. All the windows may have been opened, and all the fans on the ceiling may have been turned on, but it didn't stop the students from feeling the heat of June.

It's unbearable here.

If it weren't for her own matter, Sam wouldn't want to be here right now.

Well, that plus the fact that the Toad had come to fetch her afterschool. She had initially planned to ditch them and go join the meeting without a word of notifying them. But a little part inside her had whispered to her that perhaps mother had recovered, and was possibly waiting for her outside the gate. She couldn't bear the idea of leaving her mother out in the sun like that, and so she went to the gate to check.

But she was greeted with disappointment. For there, awaiting her in the small cramped Daimler, was Tom, with Ralphie snoozing off in the backseat. Apparently, Edith had stayed behind to take care of mother. Sam's first thought was immediately thinking perhaps something awful had happened at home that it required her sister's presence.

She ventured to ask how the situation was back at home, although mentally biting her tongue as her brain reeled at herself – how had it come to this where she was having to ask a totally hateful stranger about her family?

Tom reassured her it was another matter that needed some care, and that Mrs. Pulitzer was already better enough to be able to have her meals properly. He said no more, and she inquired no further.

This was better then, Sam told herself on second thought, relieved of all worries.

Without Edith, she could easily trump the Toad – she told him she'd walk back home after the meeting, and she wasn't taking any answer other than an agreement. The poor man didn't try to argue, simply stuttering out.

Sam walked back towards the school building. She couldn't care less if he got roasted in this heat, or if Edith got mad at him for … well, who knows what. Sam wasn't counting much on Edith ever getting mad at her Toad, though.

Now, seated beside Eliza, Sam cursed at the heat of the upcoming summer. If this was to be borne, she would be dead before fall came again.

"Why didn't Ralphie stay?" Rosie asked from across Eliza. The Hall was bustling noisily with excited chatters of girls in their seats, and teachers in the back rows while they waited for the Principal to get onstage. Sam looked sideways at her friend, replying sarcastically,

"You don't expect me to babysit this whole time, do you?"

Rosie giggled before turning back to her left where Debbie was about to tell her something. Between them, Eliza stared out to the far distance of the stage. She was giving the silent treatment towards Sam, who in turn didn't budge at all from her resolution. And now, even though they were seated side by side, neither showed signs of hearkening.

Finally, Ms. Coulomb made her way up the stairs to the center stage where the speech stand was placed. She tapped the microphone for attention, bringing every head to look up and face her plump good-natured self.

"Good afternoon, students, and teachers." She started with a smile, although anyone who had known her for long would also know that this smile wasn't as radiant as usual.

Sam let out a yawn, preparing herself for the boredom session that was about to come. She hoped she'd last it though – she needed to. Her summer depended on it.

Not that she was looking forward to it anyways.

After Lucille was gone, summers had lost its appeal. Every now and then, she'd miss her older sister – but a near two years had left her to face the truth with dignity. She no longer cried at the slight mention of her sister's name, rather she just wished things wouldn't have changed so drastically.

And Sam felt that it was Lucille's death that had driven Edith to find comfort in the arms of another. And after all, Lucille leaving this world started a series of unexpected changes – it was like a last straw where the world Sam used to know was hanging thinly upon. Or, at least that was what Sam believed. It didn't come to her mind that perhaps it wasn't necessarily the death of a sister but the process of advancing into adulthood that brought about such changes.

Without being conscious of her action, Sam leaned her head onto Eliza's shoulder as her ears heard Ms. Coulomb drawl on. Yes, she was hearing it, but she wasn't listening well. The words entered her left ear and left through the right.

There is nothing left in my right brain, and there is nothing right in my left brain.

Eliza hissed as she tried pushing her friend's head away rather violently. The latter however groaned and pushed back insistently, not discouraged at all. Eliza may still be mad at her, but it would be heartless to deprive Sam of her usual nap, right?

And by her usual nap, it was meant the morning Assemblies, although the heat of the afternoon today was making Sam drowsier than Monday mornings.

"For the past few years," the woman on stage continued, "the board of education has been trying to search means of improving the standardized education. Ever since the Sachs School had been found by Mister…"

Slowly, the words became too blur for Sam to make out, and her eyelids drooped, equally blurring her vision. The last thing she heard was,

"- education during the summer."

The train was covered in white cloudy steam that enveloped everything around like soft cotton. She felt the warmth, no, the heat very vividly from where she stood among the blurry atmosphere filled with these clouds.

She saw a figure right in front of her. She couldn't make out who exactly it was; all that she could see was the back of a gray silhouette of the person. The person was walking towards the train, only their back visible to her.

She felt a throb in her heart. It was pounding very uncontrollably as if it was trying to warn her of something. Trying to warn her of what she was about to lose.

She opened her mouth to call out to the person, to not go yet. But her voice had vanished, and she stood still where she was. Neither able to move, nor call out.

This helplessness began to drown her; tears began to well up in the corner of the chocolate brown eyes; regret began to flood through her soul.

"Please…don't go…." was all the coarse whisper that came out, but the person had turned deaf to all else around as they climbed up the steps of the hooting train.

Once it had reached the top of the flight, the figure hesitated. And for one brief moment, she thought perhaps not all hope was lost yet. Her heart gave a flutter, waiting for the figure to turn round so she could finally see the face.

But that moment ended, for the person never turned.

Instead, the doors closed behind their back, and the way was shut forever.

It was then she realized she was suffocating – the steam around her had turned to gray clouds of smoke as the train rumbled impatiently. And slowly, it started moving.

And she stood there, watching the train pass her by in a whirl.

Mumbling indistinctly, Sam woke up to the violent movement of Eliza trying to shrug her off.

"You're drooling again," the girl whined while her sleepy friend rubbed her mouth and eyes grouchily. There was a wet spot on Miss Eliza's right shoulder, and she was looking at it with utter disdain.

"Sorry-" Sam apologized with red cheeks, before realizing her mouth was perfectly dry – it was her eyes that had been leaking of the shimmering wetness. Sam didn't know which was worse, drooling or crying in public. She hung down her head, wiping her eyes silently to not attract any attention. Not even Eliza seemed to have noticed.

The hall was still ringing of Ms. Coulomb's speech however, and the loudness of the microphone could be traced in the small vibrations that went off from the wooden chairs they were seated in. The staff probably thought it was better to have them have deaf ears rather than let them go unheard of the Principal's valuable words.

Sam turned round, still not paying attention to Ms. Coulomb. Everyone was gazing on the woman onstage, well, everyone except Sam. And Mrs. Noreen, of course. The class teacher was found to be glaring intently at her star student, eyes burning like a pair of laser guns, standing at the outside of their seating row.

Sam flinched at catching her homeroom teacher's eyes, face turning red of guilt, even though it wasn't the first time she was caught napping. Almost always, Mrs. Noreen would leave her seat with the teachers at the back row to come check on her class – especially this one. Although these checks were meant for her students to pay attention to the speaker on stage, Sam felt it was a disrespect in itself to whoever was speaking at the moment.

As in, if Mrs. Noreen would simply let her be with her naps, Sam was sure no one would even notice. And even if one did, no one would bring it up, surely. But no, the old witch had to come up every time she was having a good sleep, and announce it silently to the whole school – because movement was scarce once the Assembly began, and so any slight movement or sound would bring the attention of everyone.

Eliza herself glanced sideways nervously, and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Sam groaned, still not getting used to the glares even after more than 5 years of receiving them after every nap she stole.

But this time, she was actually glad to be woken.

Sam had never had strange dreams or nightmares before, not even as a child she had never been frightened of the growling bears in her dreams or the dancing trees in the wind. Even if she had been in an extremely scary setting, she never had the habit of screaming out in reality or waking up to a wet bed.

Her grandmother used to tell her about two different kind of children – those who are very nice but gets troublesome at night, and those who are a handful of trouble but goes to sleep nicely. Sam didn't know how that worked, but she had always known she belonged to the second group, where her dreams never bothered her at all. She loved her sleep dearly to be disturbed by nightmares.

Up on stage, Ms. Coulomb's voice was still blaring through the old speakers. "…and so, the board of education has decided to start out on the idea of Remedial Classes over this summer." Here, she paused a bit, eyeing the wide assembly hall as if she was expecting a boo or a holler. She need not have bothered, for the girls of the school were known to be more prestigious than their male counterparts. And even if not, it would be a disgraceful act for a young girl to publicly embarrass herself.

"The list of names of the students required to attend these classes have been posted on the Notice Board outside, and I encourage you to take a look at it before leaving. If you wish to take these classes on your own will, please meet me tomorrow before school. As the motto goes, "Practice makes Perfect." A little extra learning never hurts."

Sam rolled an eye with a huff, and Eliza nudged her to keep it down.

"Have a great evening, ladies. You are excused."

There was a rumbling of chair legs across the floor as everyone stood upright to greet the principal off. As soon as she had left the room, the nervous ones filed out to rush to the Notice Board to see if their doom had been written on there.

Sam didn't even bother checking. She was pretty sure one way or another she'd end up in the worst of hell.

It seemed all her life, everyone was way off better than herself. And although spiteful for that, she didn't want to cower under the storms life threw her way – she wasn't going to go down without a fight, and even if she had to, she'd keep her head high.

Or at least that was what she tried to tell herself. Truth was, she was just too scared to actually see her name written in the black dark ink that sentenced her to a summer of learning when everyone would have their holidays. She didn't want to admit defeat and accept it just yet.

So she headed out straight to the gates.

It was crowded with all sorts of cars by now, and as the girls streamed out in pairs, car engines revved and roared. Sam walked slowly towards the Daimler which Tom had parked under the tree shade on the right side of school building. Ralphie, as expected, was still snoring sound asleep – only, this time he was joined by the toad too.

In slow motion, Sam turned left and headed down the street, away from the meddling crowds. She wasn't looking forward to spending time with the worst human being on earth. No one had asked her if she was fine with him barging into their family life, so why should she be the one to make adjustments to tolerate him?

And although she would feel bad for leaving Ralphie out here alone with the Toad, she was sure the boy would manage – after all, it wasn't for nothing that he was her favorite brother, if not the only one – when not counting 3-year-old Herbert. If anything, she was sure Ralphie would be excited to support her rebellious phase in defying Tom, and Edith, and her parents, and everyone in general.

She also wasn't ready to face her parents just yet – especially her father. Sam could already imagine the conversation that would take place in her father's study as soon as she arrived home. About her failing grades. Her conduct at school. And overall, her behavior as a human being.

Besides, she needed time. To think over everything – that dream, and her life in general. And knowing perfectly well what awaited her at home, she needed more time than ever.

Nope, she was not going straight into trouble if she could help it. The trouble was, it seemed that trouble had a knack of constantly following Samantha around.