Chapter 2

My uncle, Sam Lorde, worked in a factory in Canalia. He returned to the country every year and would always bring snacks and comic books with him.

When he first started teaching me Canalian, he was only doing it to keep me entertained. Later, he realized that I was learning the language faster than he was.

I was able to watch a Canalian cartoon series, "Pirates Adventures", without any subtitles when I was in fifth grade.

When I was in seventh grade, I passed the basic Canalian proficiency test.

I passed the expert Canalian proficiency test when I was in tenth grade, which was the highest qualification I could receive.

On the other hand, Englorian had been a nightmare for me since middle school. I couldn't remember the vocabulary or figure out the grammar. I was also terrible at the listening aspects of the subject.

My scores were always abysmal whenever I took Englorian tests.

That was why, in the second half of my sophomore year, I secretly switched my foreign language from Englorian to Canalian.

My homeroom teacher didn't know about what I did, and neither did my classmates. Even Mom and Dad only found out later because I thought that there was no need for me to announce the change since I didn't plan to take the Englorian test to get into university.

On the day of the college entrance exams, I was sent to a different examination hall to take the Canalian test.

It turned out that I was the only one who was taking the test. I was the only student in the hall with two examiners watching me scribble away on my test paper.

The test consisted of four parts: listening, grammar, reading, and writing.

The questions weren't difficult.

The expert Canalian proficiency test was on the same level as the classes taught during a Canalian major's sophomore year in university. The college entrance exams' Canalian test was much easier in comparison.

I felt incredibly calm when I walked out of the examination hall.

I had scored 390 points for the Canalian test.

As for my other subjects, I scored 372 points in Reading and Writing, 380 in Mathematics, and 358 in Science, bringing my total college entrance exam score to 1,500 points.

I had calculated my estimated scores beforehand. If I forced myself to take Englorian for my foreign language test, I would have scored at most 290 points.

My total score would drop to around 1,400 points, which would only allow me to apply to second-rate universities.

By switching to Canalian for my foreign language test, I would obtain the qualifications to apply to a prestigious institution like Gladewell University instead of just second-rate universities.

Heather was only able to accuse me of cheating during the Englorian test because there was a gap in our knowledge.

However, this gap had inadvertently pushed me into the pits of hell.

Heather didn't know it was possible to take Canalian for the college entrance exams' foreign language test.

Louis didn't either. Neither did my homeroom teacher, Benjamin Weller.

They were accusing me of cheating under the assumption that I took the Englorian test when, in reality, I hadn't even touched it.

I unlocked my phone.

Heather's suggestion to force me to take an Englorian test on the spot had been shared over 50 thousand times. The commenters were urging me to respond.

"Where's Sarah? Did she go into hiding?"

"She must be feeling guilty. She wouldn't dare show her face if she actually cheated during the test."

"The Department of Education should just void her results. They can't let her get away with this."

I didn't explain myself. Instead, I navigated to my own social media account and sent a private message to the Department of Education's official account.

"This is Sarah Lorde. I would like to request a public conference. I also want it to be livestreamed on all platforms. I'll present all the evidence in my possession."

The Department of Education responded ten minutes later.

"We will grant your request. The conference will take place at 9:00 am tomorrow in a meeting room in your local Department of Education's office."

I took a screenshot of the conversation and posted it on my social media account with the caption, "See you tomorrow."

The comments section exploded.

"Oh, my God. She's actually going to show her face?"

"Is she going to apologize?"

"You should take the Englorian test on the spot if you have the guts, Sarah!"

"I'll livestream myself eating my keyboard if she actually does that."

I switched my phone off and closed my eyes.

I was determined to reveal the truth to everyone tomorrow. I wanted them to know that they hurled three days' worth of false accusations at me because they didn't have all the information.