Here we go

Cover Art: Mysterywhiteflame

Chapter 7

Breakfast was a subdued affair the day after the assessment tests. Few teams had slept well, as they'd grown used to the luxury and comfort of their air-conditioned pods, and now had to sleep in barrack-style bunkbeds made of metal and padded with basic mattresses. Rain had sent him a photo last night, along with a crying emoji face, and it really had said all that needed to be said. As if to make matters worse, the cafeteria was empty of the second year students that often frequented it, because most of those bastards were out on an all-expenses paid spa day in Atlas for having gone four-zero on most of the first-year teams.

Only a couple remained to sullenly pick at their meals, and even more sullen were the two teams JCKP had defeated, who were one of the only two sets who had lost their own comfortable rooms in the test. Their own success had come at the loss of two other teams, but Jaune wouldn't have had it any other way. There obviously wasn't much reason for his team to be quiet, other than self-preservation, because when ninety-nine per cent of the people in a room were in a rotten mood, you didn't want to be the only ones laughing.

Once breakfast was over, the first years made their way outside to where their latest message on their scrolls had told them to meet. There was no Winter this time, probably chaperoning and "experiencing" her own spa treatment, but instead they were faced with two soldiers. Jaune saluted anyway, as did everyone else, and the soldiers saluted back.

"Is this all of you? Good. My name is Clover Ebi and this is Vine Zeki. We are Specialists of Atlas and have been asked to instruct you all today on mandatory firing range practice. Let's get the obvious things out the way. Who here already uses a gun, in one form or another, as part of their weapon loadout?" Plenty of hands went up, about half really, but more stayed down. Jaune had absolutely no ranged options. "Good. You're all with Zeki today. The rest of you stay here."

The pasty-skinned man started moving away. "With me."

Jaune stayed along with a bunch of others, and soon it was just them and Ebi again. The man smiled cheerfully, his hands shoved in his pockets, and waited until the rest were gone before speaking again. "Alright. Now that it's just the lot of us, let's get to the point. Some of you are likely wondering why you're being forced to practice with guns when you have your own weapons, your own styles, and those styles have served you well before Atlas. That is because we would rather you have the knowledge and training than not have it – any help against the Grimm, eh?" He smiled, and several people laughed along with him. "But seriously, there is a better reason You there." He pointed to someone at random. "What's your weapon?"

"Glaive, sir. Um. Chain-shot with reeling in and some dust control for blasts."

"Very good. Very good." Clover nodded. "And that's a fine weapon against the Grimm. You see, large Grimm tend not to be very susceptible to weapon fire. They don't rely on organs like we do, so a bullet to the chest isn't quite so useful. Large, heavy cutting weapons like that are preferred because they do catastrophic damage with every swing. It means that even if you don't kill them, you're leaving them crippled and bleeding out. Can anyone tell me the primary advantage of a gun over a melee weapon? Other than range, obviously."

Someone's hand went up. "Ease of use, sir."

"That's right." Clover pointed to the correct answer. "Don't let me belittle the hard work that goes into being a marksman, because I tell you not it's not simple, but the fundamentals of using a gun are much easier to pick up than say, a spear, a sword or an axe." He pulled out a submachine gun that was lacking its magazine, then slid one into it and aimed it, one handed, down the range. "If I want to hit a target that's nice and close to me, all I need to do is this."

He held the trigger down and the sound – oh, the sound. Jaune had seen movies with guns on them, but they didn't really do justice to just how loud and sudden it was. He wasn't the only one in the audience to flinch.

Clover was still smiling. "Easy, eh? This is another reason why we advise everyone to carry sidearms here in Atlas. Let's use your glaive for example again. It's a perfectly suitable weapon, but you're still human. Every swing, hit or miss, is going to cost just a little bit of stamina in your part. Eventually, you'll grow tired and start to slow down. That's not a problem with a gun. Conservation of ammo is, but a weapon like this is a great way to conserve energy, especially if you're dealing with, say, a flock of Nevermore, or a swarm of Lancers. Small, numerous Grimm that you'd have to swing that weapon around fifty times to deal with. A quick spray of this will thin the horde nice and quick."

Jaune found himself agreeing along with everyone else. He'd always grown up watching his father train with Crocea Mors and admired that, and he still did in a sense. He was sure guns did involve skill, but it just looked cooler when someone was fighting with a sword. Still, he could see the common sense in what Clover was saying. Use the sword for big Grimm in one-on-one and use the gun when you had to deal with a load of little ones. Trash mobs and AOE in a sense, to call back to the old games he used to play. He wasn't sure the officer would appreciate that kind of comparison, however, so he stayed quiet.

"Here in Atlas, we expect everyone to learn a side arm in addition to their primary weapon. Think of it as convenience, extra security or even something you can hand off to someone you rescue in the field. It's better to have the option and not have to use it then to never have learned at all." He smirked then, and said, "And who knows, maybe this knowledge will help you keep your luxury bunks next time, eh?"

Groans, angry cries and fierce glares. Clover Ebi took them all with a smug grin. The whole school knew, then, and were going to rub it in to help reinforce lessons. Jaune felt that would hurt a lot more if they hadn't kept their rooms. Everyone else looked like they were being kicked while they were down.

It wasn't long before Clover had them all at spaces on the range and with guns in hand. He didn't provide ammo at first, showing everyone how to hold the single-shot Atlesian rifles. No automatic fire, he'd said, not until they knew how to handle the recoil and weren't going to spray at one another. Jaune waited his turn with the rifle held up, butt to his shoulder, and listened as Clover adjusted his feet and hands, offering confident advice and tugging Jaune into a better posture. Once he was happy, he moved onto the next and continued.

"Grimm come in all shapes and sizes so no two lessons fit." He pressed a button and several cardboard cut outs appeared at the end of the range, some fifty metres away. "We've yet to discover cardboard-based Grimm, but who knows what the future holds? They'll be stationary for now. Most Grimm won't be. They'll be coming right at you and making themselves nice, big targets while they're at it. Just focus on getting used to the feel, sound and the kick of the rifle for now. Your aim will improve with practice. I'm dispatching ammunition now. Load, but don't fire yet."

Clips were provided, and then they were instructed to load and shown how. Now, their guns had to be barrel forward at all times for safety, though they all had aura as well as screens between their booths and the next. Someone would have to turn a full ninety-degrees to shoot anyone, but it was still better safe than sorry. Jaune aimed at the black card shape and waited for the command, then pulled the trigger when it was given.

He was ready for the loud blast of noise as so many guns went off at once, and he expected the kick. That didn't mean he was ready for it. The gun didn't leave his hands but his foot did leave the floor, slipping back as he caught himself. That was a lot more than he thought it would be! Video games had lied, or the people in them were holding their guns a lot tighter.

Clover had them continue to practice for twenty minutes or so, then signalled them to put the guns down and step away. He collected them, then opened a new locker with new guns inside. Smaller ones, submachine guns this time like the one he'd shown off before. They were instructed to take one, take their positions and then, again, magazines were provided. "Single shot only. These are all fixed to only provide that. Aim and fire when ready."

The gun was smaller, easier to hold, and the recoil wasn't as powerful this time. Or maybe he was more prepared for it. The shorter weapon also made it much more comfortable to hold against his shoulder, with the sights closer to his eyes and easier to aim. Clover came down again, offering little advice he'd never heard of like gripping around the barrel instead of resting the gun on his hand, or how to brace it properly, and how hip firing was for movies or when you really didn't care about hitting anything, and was definitely not an acceptable form of combat.

They practiced some more with the SMGs and then moved onto handguns which, despite their size, seemed to have the worst recoil of all. It might have been because he couldn't steady it like the others, but he definitely found himself gravitating to the SMG option. It just felt easier to wield and use, and if the Grimm were running at him anyway, then long range wasn't much of an option. He needed something rapid-firing and only vaguely accurate, and the SMG felt like it was the natural choice.

Once it was done they reconvened with the others, who had by the looks of things had the chance to try out some more specialised and downright fun weapons. They were in fine cheer. "That's it for now," said Clover, to the lot of them. "The firing ranges are open at all times but you will need to book a slot and a weapon if you want to use them. Your attendance will be logged and used as justification for if any of you request a firearm for personal use. Don't come asking for a sniper rifle if you haven't rented one out for at least a hundred hours. Basically, show us that you're serious and we'll take you seriously. Atlas isn't afraid to put itself out of pocket to equip the future huntsmen and huntresses of Remnant." He clapped his hands together as the bell rang. "Any questions?"

Rain stuck his hand up. "Can you tell us what the next assessment test will be?"

"Ha." Clover laughed. "Nice try, but no. That'd defeat the point of it, eh? I'll say that you won't be tested against the older students next time and that's it. Not much fun for us, or practice for them, if they're picking on first years all the time. You're all dismissed."

/-/

Lunch led into specialised afternoon classes where their team split up for their respective roles. Penny went to the medical wings to learn how to patch people together, while Neon went to engineering and Jaune to leadership lessons. Flynt had yet to pick an elective, but promised he'd be clocking some hours in on the firing range and not lazing about. No one wanted to be the first to slack off lest they be blamed later for having dragged the team down and lost them their rooms. Yet again, Jaune couldn't help but marvel at how effective Atlas' reward-based system was.

Sadly, that didn't mean the lessons were always interesting, much like "leadership" apparently, as they had to sit on a seminar on organisational matters, then fill in paperwork as if they were requisitioning supplies, provisions or time off for their team. It was paperwork, pure and simple, and as mind numbing as that sounded.

"Do not doubt the importance of this," said the guest lecturer, an officer in military dress with several medals on his breast. "Many a squad has been weighed down by incompetent administration. An army cannot march without adequate logistics, and that means organisational planning. A small failure, such as misquoting travel time or even miscalculating by a day, can mean troops arrive at their destination starving, sick or even reduced in number. Never rush your paperwork, ladies and gentlemen. You don't get to blame higher command when you failed to accurately inform them what you would need."

Pens scribbled and scraped as everyone worked in silence, save for occasional groans, sighs or questions to the teacher. They'd been given "scenarios" of travel time, days, speed, and provisions, and told to fill out the correct forms. Jaune's first one was wrong. "You haven't accounted for the mission! It says here clearly you will be holding sentry for three days. You've organised provisions for a journey there and back, but what do you intend to eat out on the border of the wilderness? Do you think there will be take-a-way out there? Going to order pizza to the Grimm-infested wilderness, are you?"

"No, sir," sighed Jaune.

The man scrunched the paper up and tossed it at Jaune's head. "Then start over and remember to actually feed your team this time." He moved on. "What is this? Hm. Soleil, is it? Excellent job. Truly marvellous. You should all be taking her example on this."

Ciel Soleil managed not to flinch at the sudden angry looks set her way; she kept her eyes ahead, calm on the surface, but a little annoyed. Jaune had been jogging with her and the suffering crew most mornings, and felt he was just starting to get to know her. Ciel was by no means emotionless like she gave off, but she instead chose not to show them. Military training, she'd said, from an academy she studied at before coming to Atlas. Emotional displays were for in private and with friends, and yes she did have those. Both the emotions and the friends. Jaune had apologised for having implied otherwise – especially since he'd totally thought it.

Honestly, she wasn't that bad a person to hang around with. Direct, brutally honest, but not afraid to share her opinion, and actually rather chill about offering advice whenever he asked for it. In her words, it wasn't annoying at all that he asked her help, and it would be far more annoying if he struggled in silence and dragged Penny down.

"That was a fun lesson, wasn't it?" he said to her after it was over, as the team leaders were filing out. "Between our last lesson on how morale can cripple us, to the one before on knowing when to stage a retreat and the one before that on filing forms on deceased teammates, I'm beginning to think this whole leadership thing is just a little morbid."

"Just a little," agreed Ciel, without humour and without looking at him. He had the feeling most people were put off by that, but he'd seen her act that way even when nearly throwing up from their morning runs, so he knew it wasn't anything negative aimed at him.

"Do you think we'll move onto actual battlefield strategy soon?"

"I would hope so. I am growing… weary of the administrative aspects."

Jaune whistled. "That says a lot coming from you."

"Yes, well, even my professionalism has limits. Rain asking Captain Ebi today for information on the next assessment test was unexpected." Ciel tilted her head a few small degrees. "Unexpected, but wise. It's made me question if we couldn't ascertain the knowledge ourselves."

"Ourselves. You mean the study group?"

Ciel nodded. "We weren't in competition on the last task and it stands to reason we should cooperate again. Unless you think we might be pitched against one another?"

"I mean, it's definitely a possibility but I didn't raise that idea," said Jaune. "You did. And, eh, I think it's still worth the risk. What are you thinking? Asking the teachers doesn't seem like it's going to work out. The older students?"

"Ebi told us we wouldn't be competing against them, so it stands to reason they shouldn't care too much for sabotaging us." Ciel paused, and then said, "Except for the teams you defeated. They might just hate your guts."

"Yeah. I'd say so." Other teams, though, especially those who were coming back from a lovely spa treatment, might be in much better moods, and open to cooperation. "We're going to need something to bribe them with. They're not going to do nothing for nothing." He didn't have much in the way of money. "Any ideas what? I doubt they'll trust first years to do their homework for them."

"Probably not. I'll discuss with my team."

"Same. Maybe we can ask the other joggers in the morning as well. They might like us enough to do us a favour."

Ciel hummed. "They might. That's a good idea." There was the smile, small and subtle, but recognisable all the same. It was gone a moment later, but he knew it had existed and felt pleased about that. "I will see you tomorrow bright and early then, Jaune. A good afternoon to you."

"You as well. See you around, Ciel."

Jaune took the idea directly to his team as they met up after lessons that afternoon.

"So, we're cheating?" asked Penny.

They were each lounging in their pods, the doors open, because why sit on the floor when you had those? Jaune was quick to shoot down what she said. "We're gathering intelligence ahead of the test. It's not cheating if there aren't any rules against it. I mean, the older teams knew exactly what they would be doing for weeks ahead of us. Was that cheating?"

"That was bullshit is what that was," said Flynt, "But we get your point. I'd rather be in the know than not."

"Same," said Neon. "Not losing this bed. Can't Penny just hack the information, though?"

Penny looked alarmed. "I-I cannot do that! Breaking into security software is a crime!"

"She has a point, Neon," said Jaune. "There's asking older students for advice and then there's literally breaking into secure systems for our own sakes. I think one's a little more forgivable than the other. And yes, we know, you'll do anything for your bed."

Neon was all smiles. "Anything!"

"Seduce an older student?" asked Flynt.

Her smile fell. "Maybe not anything…" Her tail flicked behind her. "Unless they're hot."

"No seduction," said Jaune. "Look, we're overthinking this. We're going to try something revolutionary and simple instead." He waited for them to lean in. "We're going to ask them."

Three sets of faces blinked back at him.

"Ask them…?"

"Ask them," he confirmed. "Just walk up, ask them, see what they say. If they want something in return, ask what they want and say you'll see if it's doable. Come back and we'll discuss. If we gather a whole bunch of requests on what the teams want from us for the answer, there's bond to be one or two that aren't crazy."

"One or two?" asked Penny.

"In case they're lying," said Neon, cottoning on. "If we get two answers the same then they're telling the truth, but answers don't match and they're yanking our chains. I can look around for faunus teams. They might give me the answer just to help out. It's not easy being a faunus in Atlas."

"Are we sure this is allowed?" asked Penny nervously.

"It'll be fine," said Jaune. "Winter was all about looking past the obvious in the last one, and our initiation, so I doubt she's going to have our heads for doing extra work for this one. If it goes badly then I'll say it was my idea, okay?"

"No!" cried Neon. "Blame Ciel."

"Your bed isn't worth my honour, Neon."

"It is! It is! A thousand times it is!"

/-/

General James Ironwood listened to Penny's weekly report with half an ear, the rest of his attention focused on a pressing missive from Ozpin relating to the Vytal Festival later this year. His Semblance helped him keep from becoming distracted, and he'd instructed Penny to report on how she was adapting to life in a team of normal people, especially since he no longer had Ciel Soleil to rely on. Soleil had nonetheless reported on Penny's leader, Jaune Arc, and by all accounts the experiment was going swimmingly. Penny had even muscled her way into the medic role on the team so as not have any unfortunate accidents with her teammates trying to cut her open.

It would benefit them too, since Penny could not shake and had perfect recall, so her team would be in very safe hands with her. She might even be capable of full surgery give a few months, though he hoped a first year team wouldn't have any need of that.

"-and I am worried that it will break the rules," said Penny.

"Hm?" Ironwood looked up. "What was that?"

"Their plan." Penny was fidgeting, which was an oddly human mannerism for her to have picked up. It was also a very good sign, because she'd had a worrying tendency of absolute stillness a few months ago, who looked very unnatural. She didn't breathe or shift unless she chose to, and so would be as still as a machine if she didn't remember to move.

"Mr Arc's, what was it again?"

"He plans to try and discover the next assessment test ahead of schedule and prepare the team for it." Penny looked aghast, both at the idea and at having to tell him. "Sir, if it is cheating then please let me change their minds. There's no reason to punish-"

"There will be no punishments, Penny."

"There won't?"

"There are no set rules against trying to game the system a little bit."

He should know since it had been his brainchild to use this system. The council had given him flak when he proposed it several years ago, saying it would make the students spoilt. Hah. They just hadn't wanted to grant him the budget. The results spoke for themselves, and far from spoilt, his students came out hungry for success. Grades had risen dramatically, though so had costs and budgetary requirements. No price was too high for safety in his mind. The world needed its protectors; on that, he and Ozpin were in full agreement.

"If your team leader wishes to try and find out what information he can then I encourage him to. Such preparedness speaks well of him. Of course, I'll have to ask you not to take part in any capacity beyond what a human could. No electronic warfare, Penny."

"I understand, Uncle Ironwood." Penny hesitated, then smiled cutely, tilted her head and asked, "In that case, can you tell me what the assessment is?"

James Ironwood was not a man who normally burst out laughing, but Penny dragged it out of him this time. He surprised himself even, slamming his good hand on the desk before reigning it under control. "Nice try, Penny," he said, chuckling. "Nice try. I can't make it that easy for your team though, can I? If you can find out the truth and take advantage of it yourselves then you will have earned the victory. Anything less and I am robbing your team of a good learning experience."

Penny accepted his decision without complaint and excused herself soon after finishing her report. No problems, it seemed, and instead some good camaraderie between her team and her. Quite a diverse team as well, with different backgrounds, ethnicities and even one faunus. Her team leader being from Vale would help open up cultural differences as well, which was a good opportunity for her.

They were one of the few teams to win the assessment test as well, thought Ironwood, opening up their files and the report from Winter. He read over it and hummed. Nothing special, really just running and hoping for the best, but there wasn't much more one could expect from a surprise assessment with no warning. The fact they won at all was all that mattered, and Winter had commended them along with Soleil's team. That victory was far less of a surprise given Soleil's background.

Still, it was surprising to have another team doing so well. Ironwood typed a quick message onto the file requesting the results of the team's performance in the next assessment to be sent to him. Winter would be sure to prepare it after, and he was curious to see how they did. Not just for the sake of Penny, but because it behoved him to keep an eye out for exceptional candidates. The Vytal Festival was coming up after all.

/-/

"Oh, I used to work in Vacuo, I used to work at the store. I used to work in Vacuo, I don't work there anymore." chanted the panting, sweaty mess of soldiers, students and even one or two officers. Jaune and Ciel were among them. If, by among, one meant desperately lagging behind and trying to catch up. "A woman came into the store asking for a luxury bathroom fitting…"

Oh, he hadn't heard this one. The chants did tend to repeat, but there were always the curious moments when someone had thought up a new one. Half the new ones were just insults at commanding officers, but everyone joined in anyway.

"A luxury bathroom fitting from the store…?" sang Jaune and Ciel, breathing raspy.

"A luxury bathroom fitting she wanted, a golden shower she got!"

"Wheeeeey~" sang Jaune and Ciel, the latter rolling her eyes. Jaune, however, felt his own widen, and decided to make a play.

"Oh, I used to work at Vacuo, I used to work at the store. I used to work at Vacuo, I don't work there anymore."

"A student came into the store looking for information on the next assessment," Jaune sang, surprising Ciel by taking the initiative for once. It was the kind of song where anyone and everyone could shout out and join in.

"Answers on the next assessment?" chanted the jogging crowd. The fact they ran with it wasn't a great sign, nor were the amused grins sent his way. "The answers he wanted, fuck all he got! Wheeeeey!"

Ugh. Bastards. It had been worth a shot, low odds and all, and the morning run came to an end soon after. Jaune was on his knees struggling to keep himself from hurling, while Ciel stood with hands on her own knees gasping for air. It honestly wasn't even a bad showing since he'd not been able to finish a jog when he first started.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't our plucky newbies." It was the woman who first welcomed them to the morning jogs, sweaty, breathing heavily, but obnoxiously still on her feet and lookin able to keep running if she really wanted to. "You two aren't doing so bad. Most people who join up drop out once they realise how brutal it is."

"Maybe they are the smart ones," panted Ciel.

The woman grinned. "Maybe. Cute try on the assessment chant."

"It was never going to work, was it?" asked Jaune.

"Not a chance. Everyone suffered through those tests of Ironwood's and watching the next generation suffer as we did is part of the charm. Kudos for trying to plan ahead, though. Most usually don't cotton onto that until the third or fourth assessment. Always one or two go-getters every year, though. Come the fifth, the whole school usually turns into a black market of Intel, luxury rooms and rewards."

"I doubt you came over just to tease us," said Ciel.

"Perceptive one, aren't you?" The woman looped her damp towel around the back of her neck and over her shoulders. "Alright, I'll be frank. You want to know what the next assessment test is. I'm willing to share. For a price."

Jaune and Ciel exchanged looks. This was what they'd been looking for, though he was surprised someone had come to them instead of the other way around. Swallowing his vomit, he stood, wavered, and caught himself, then asked, "What do you want?"

"The special reward Winter Schnee offers."

"The spa visits?" asked Ciel.

"It won't be a spa for your second. Never is. Atlas likes to shake them up each time, keep them fresh. It's usually random and whatever is on offer at the time. I've seen spa trips, off-road car experiences, shopping sprees, theatre and shows and all kinds of other stuff. What I want is four tickets to whatever is on offer. For me and my team."

"That's ridiculous," said Jaune. "What's the point of us getting the info to prepare ahead if we have to give the main prize away?"

"Ah. Ah. The main prize is the luxury rooms," she pointed out. "You can keep those. What we want is the bonus prize. And look at it this way, you only even have to give it if you complete the bonus objective. You fail, you owe me nothing. Isn't that nice of me?"

"How about one ticket to the bonus prize," said Ciel.

"No can do. You think my team won't notice me slipping off on my own like that? It's not worth me pissing them off by being selfish. Four or nothing." She looked between them. "Though if you both succeed then it'd only be two from each team, right? Course, if one succeeds and one fails then I still expect four tickets."

"What if we bring other teams in and split the prize that way?"

She shrugged. "As long as I get four tickets, I don't much mind."

Jaune looked to Ciel again, who jerked her head to the side. "We'll need time to discuss with our teams," she said. "Will the offer still be open tomorrow?"

"It'll be open all the way until your assessment. Just don't leave it too late or you won't have time to train properly. And trust me," she added, ominously. "You're going to want to prepare for this thing. Free clue there. Preparation will be key. You will be giga-fucked without it." Smiling again, she waved and headed toward the showers. "See you tomorrow, cadets."

No sooner was she gone than did Jaune and Ciel start talking. "It's a good offer," said Jaune.

"If we split between four teams and all won the bonus then it would be one ticket lost from each team," said Ciel. "As leaders, I believe it falls to us to sacrifice our own. The problem will be if the teams we incorporate only pass the minimum standard. We might have to give up two, or even all four of our tickets."

"We'd still keep the rooms, though. That's the main goal."

"Yes. And I don't think she will try and deceive us either. Her getting her reward depends on us succeeding at the bonus objective, so it's self-defeating for her to trick us. Also, she may be approaching us now because she wants us to keep coming to her for information in the future. We will become a renewable source of luxury days out for her and her team if we keep doing well."

"Remind me to pull this myself next year."

Ciel smirked. "You shall have to beat me to it. Are we in agreement then?"

"We should talk to our teams first."

"Ah. Yes. Of course." Ciel nodded. "I'll discuss with mine today and have an answer by tonight. You as well. We shall reconvene here tomorrow and make our decision. Agreeable?"

Jaune offered a thumbs up. He had a feeling his team would agree even if it meant giving up the reward. Neon would complain about it, but it was the rooms they wanted to keep the most. As for sharing, Rain would probably be up for cooperating again. They were all in this together, and those currently living in the basic bunk bed barracks would probably give anything for the chance to get back into their old ones.

In my high school most of the teachers just rewarded you with grades or "merits" which were useless little tokens you could hand in, and if you got 200+ in a year you got a badge on your uniform. No one cared about them. There was one teacher, however, who was an absolute legend that would play footie with us in the playground at lunch, who would reward us with things like sweets, the ability to leave lessons early and have a longer lunch hour, and even a fiver if we got an A on a big exam, if we worked really hard and did really well in class.

His class – history – was one of the highest scoring classes in the school. You would not believe how much more willing we all were to work our arses off because he was bribing us with real rewards to do well.

Next Chapter: 12th November

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