The Legacy of Seán – Part 1: The Orphan’s Plight

Chapter 1: The Special Student | Episode 2

It was supposed to be a regular Friday morning in September at Stourbrook High School. The students were carrying on with their usual routines when the news of the impending arrival of a new and special student at the school stirred a whirlpool of emotions within the young hearts. Even the minds of the senior students were filled with a thousand questions. Who is this new sensation? What made him so special?

Mr. Anderson, the Principal of the institution stood patiently at the door of his office, waiting for the outstanding student to arrive. The moment the hour hand of the big clock hanging from the wall inside his office room struck nine, a young lad appeared at the end of the long aisle.

‘Good morning, Kevin. Welcome to Stourbrook High. We’re delighted to have you here,’ greeted the Principal, extending his hand with a friendly smile.

Kevin shook his hand politely and thanked him for letting him be a part of that institution.

‘We’ve heard quite a bit about your exceptional talents and achievements. We believe you’ll be a great addition to our school community,’ added the Principal.

‘Thank you, sir. I’ll do my best to contribute positively to the school,’ the young lad replied modestly.

The boy’s confident and humble attitude attracted the Principal’s attention immediately. He asked the boy to follow him.

The school was already abuzz with whispers and curiosity about the mysterious new student who had already arrived. The students of his class were eager to see him in flesh and blood. Principal Anderson led Kevin into the classroom.

‘Good morning, everyone,’ he began. ‘Today, we have a special student joining your class. Please give a warm welcome to Kevin Seán Allen. He is a very gifted boy who completed his ‘O’ levels at the age of thirteen this year. Kevin has also achieved remarkable feats in various academic fields. We’re fortunate to have him in our school. He’ll be joining your class, and I’m sure you’ll find his presence both inspiring and enriching.’

A pin-drop silence prevailed in the class after the announcement because the students found it to be somewhat jaw-dropping. Most of them were aged sixteen to seventeen, for they were in standard eleven now. They had already settled into their schedules and friendships. These people had no idea that a child prodigy of thirteen and a half was about to join their midst. So they stared at him in awe. The backbenchers craned their necks to get a glimpse of him while a few exchanged intriguing glances with each other.

Soon whispers broke out among the students, as they tried to size up the new addition to their class. Some looked curious, while others appeared unsure about how to react to the newcomer. 

As Kevin was settling down in his assigned seat right in front of the class teacher, he couldn’t help but overhear his new classmates. 

‘Bugger me! We’ve got a shrimp in our class!’ someone at the back chuckled.
‘But isn’t he handsome and cute?’ another voice, that of a senior female student, was heard. Kevin could hear giggles and murmurs echoing behind him, all expressing the same sentiment. 

He blushed and his ears went pink upon hearing those compliments. It was because the whole class found the teenage prodigy had an adorably striking appearance that was hard to ignore. He appeared like an oversized doll to them, ready to be scooped up and cuddled in one’s lap.

‘SILENCE!’ boomed the voice of Mr Shelby. The class teacher had been intently focused on writing a complex math equation on the board when the chuckles and tee-hees broke his concentration. 

‘One more word from you Master Reynold Smith and you’ll be out of the class,’ he snapped at the senior student who was sitting right behind Kevin.
Silence fell inside the class instantly and the students continued with their lessons. Their sense of curiosity heightened once again when Kevin raised his hands to answer a complicated question on calculus asked by the teacher. Impressed, the teacher invited him to the massive blackboard for a quick demonstration. However, what followed was Kevin’s worst nightmare—something he always dreaded. 

Even after stretching his arms and balancing on the tips of his toes, he struggled to reach the top of the blackboard. His futile effort caused a ripple of laughter among his classmates. Red-faced he stood like a fool for a while. And then quick like a bolt, he dashed towards the corner of the room, grabbed a stool and brought it back. He placed it in front of the board, hopped onto it and started scribbling on the board.     

The boy sure had common sense! Mr Shelby quietly admired the boy’s resourcefulness. His admiration grew further when Kevin solved the equation with neat handwriting and impeccable accuracy.

‘And that’s what I call problem-solving,’ said Mr Shelby. ‘Well done, Kevin,’ he praised him. A few students complimented too. Kevin received a few pats on his shoulder which raised his level of confidence.

Aha! The teacher liked me…and the older classmates have started liking me too! Kevin felt satisfied with his performance on his very first day at the new school. Perhaps a few more displays will earn me the respect I need to fit in, he thought. Driven by this notion, he began raising his hand more frequently. He tried to answer every question posed by the teacher, in a bid to solidify his reputation as a bright and capable student among those towering peers.

After the class ended and Mr. Shelby left, Kevin found himself surrounded by a sea of curious faces, as if he was the star of a reality show. His classmates were extremely eager to know about his family background, personal interests, and the remarkable journey that propelled him to advance through classes, ultimately placing him in the ‘A’ levels.

Surprisingly, Kevin remained reserved in his responses. He was not willing to reveal much about his past or his family. Some even inquired about the turbaned man who had accompanied him to school. Kevin simply informed that the man was a friend of his father, offering no further details. But a few classmates were not ready to give up. They bull-dozed him with more personal questions and mocked him about his height.

‘Hey, shorty! Tell us how come you’re smarter than us at this age? Does your parents feed you brain food?’ That was Reynold Smith, the senior student, a macho guy with an air of superiority.

‘Maybe, he is from another planet. Krypton, perhaps,’ chimed in another senior. Kevin later came to know his name: Charlie Connor. 

‘Nah! This one seems to have crash-landed from Pluto,’ Reynold smirked, clearly pleased with his own wit.

‘Why Pluto?’ asked another.

‘Look at his size! He couldn’t even reach the top of the blackboard!’ Reynold laughed, pointing at Kevin. 

‘Come on, Reynold,’ snapped back a tall, well-built lad who seemed to be more friendly than the rest. Kevin recognized him as one of the three students he had seen when entering the premises earlier that morning. 

‘He’s just a kid. He’s not as old as we are. And look how smart he is in Maths. We’re surely going to benefit from having him around.’

‘Benefit, my foot,’ Reynold clearly disapproved of the boy’s claim. ‘I doubt whether he would survive even the first term. ‘A’ levels are not easy, Nori.’

‘Oh, well, I am confident he will,’ said Nori, grinning. The two senior students started betting on Kevin’s abilities, with one suggesting the child prodigy could solve even more complicated equations, while the other doubting it, making wagers on how far his skills would actually go.

Kevin could only stare back in awe, feeling both flattered and bewildered. Well, this surely isn’t what I expected – the centrepiece of a betting game. He thought and scratched his head. He planned to just blend in, not have his every move scrutinized like this. 

As the gambling continued around him for some time. But before any conclusion could be reached, the bell for the next class rang loud and everyone scampered away to their respective seats when Mr. Cornwall, the Chemistry teacher entered the classroom with a very serious look. 

Kevin promptly occupied his seat and blinked at him hoping for a nice confrontation as it happened in the previous class.

Mr Cornwall hastily picked up the register and ran through the names. 

‘Who is Kevin Seán Allen, may I know?’ he asked. His tone did not seem to be friendly to Kevin. He slowly raised his hand and then stood up.

‘Gracious heaven!’ Mr Cornwall exclaimed as he spotted Kevin standing among the older students who were sitting tall all around him. He wondered how the boy ended up among the sea of giants.

‘Are you sure you’re in the right class?’ he asked.

‘Yes Sir, I am pretty sure, I’m,’ said Kevin.

‘Well, the Principal told me you’ve completed your earlier grades very quickly. Let’s see how smart you’re.’ Mr. Cornwall turned to the blackboard and, with a hurried motion of chalk and duster, scribbled a chemistry equation. His handwriting was very untidy. The writing on the board resembled a trail of scattered ants struggling to follow one another in a disorganized line. The students let out frustrating moans and reluctantly turned the pages of their books and copies. 

Kevin gave a quick glance around. Is it the teacher or the equation, which one was troubling the class, he wondered.

‘Now, solve this,’ Mr. Cornwall turned towards the class and frowned.

Kevin was not familiar with the equation and had no desire to be called upon for a demonstration. He quickly opened his notebook and jotted it down. He then pretended to focus intently, hoping to avoid drawing Mr. Cornwall’s attention.

A few moments later Kevin felt a sharp tap on his shoulder. He looked up and found Mr Cornwall staring at him intensely.

‘Can you solve this one, genius?’ he asked.

‘Umm,’ Kevin gulped nervously, ‘I…I can try,’ he answered feebly. Reynold chuckled softly from behind. He was pretty sure Kevin was in hot water now, as Mr Cornwall had an infamous reputation for troubling his students with impossible questions, long-winded lectures, and the occasional sarcastic remark that could leave even the most confident students confused and embarrassed. 

‘Oh, don’t just stand there and mumble,’ the teacher snapped at him. ‘Go ahead and solve it,’ he ordered the boy.

Kevin once again found himself awkwardly hopping around with the stool, trying to reach the blackboard. His every action was followed by loud guffaws and giggles occasionally silenced by Mr Cornwall. As for the teacher, he stood aside with his hands on his hips, watching intently as the boy attempted to navigate the stool and solve the equation simultaneously.

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