30 THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

"Are you sure you brought all the needed requirements?" Tiana's voice echoed in the house as they prepared to leave for the morning.

"Yes, Mom!" Abigail answered loudly.

"Are you guys ready already? I need to book for Ubear already, or we'll be late." Terrence looked at his family as they rushed everything.

They were currently in a panic because they woke up later than was intended.

It was already 9 in the morning, and they were supposed to arrive at Abigail's university by 9:45.

"Book it already, Brother! We will be done in no time!" Abigail was the one to answer when no one did.

Terrence sighed. He looked at his father, who was just in front of him. The two of them were sitting in a relaxed manner while the women in their house panicked to get ready.

"I'll book now, Dad?" He asked for permission.

Archer nodded. "Yeah. Go book already. Your mom and sister will have no choice but to go once the car arrives." He said in a calm voice.

"Alright," Terrence uttered as he booked a car using the app.

It didn't take long before a notification popped up on his screen saying that the driver was on his way to their location already.

"Mom? Sister? The car is just near our location." Terrence informed them.

His words were like magic. Tiana and Abigail stopped walking around and stayed in the living room. They were out of breath.

"We are done now," Tiana announced as they took a seat on the chair, even just for a couple of minutes.

Terrence looked at his mother and sister, dumbfoundedly. Just a few minutes ago, they were running around, putting on some colors on their face, and now they're seated as if nothing happened.

This was really a miracle that only women could do.

When the car arrived, all of them rode inside and enjoyed the short ride. It only took them 20 minutes before they arrived at Abigail's university. It was the biggest university near their house. Almost 6,000 students were enrolled this year.

Its location was in the middle of their town and a town next to them, so the students were mixed inside. Although the university's tuition was high. It was considered a public university that was run by the government.

Terrence's family entered the university. A woman wearing thick eyeglasses, who looked like she was one of the professors in the school, led them into an air-conditioned hall.

There, they saw more students waiting inside. In Terrence's estimate, there were more than two hundred people inside, including them.

Abigail was instructed to sit in front, while Terrence and the rest of the family were asked to sit at the back, where the other family members of the students were seated.

Terrence looked at the stage in front of them. It was decorated with white and red flowers around. There was a table in the middle, with centered pieces of flowers and stacks of folders lined up on the side. 

The principal, together with some high-ranked professors at the university, was seated on the left side of the stage. There were 5 empty chairs on the right side, covered with white fabric, designed in a simple manner. 

'It seems like a lot of government officials are going here today,' Terrence thought when he guessed that those officials would probably be seated on that side.

Terrence noticed how the atmosphere in the whole hall seemed to be cold and serious. Even on the family's side, no one was talking. If there were, it was just small talk about how nervous they were.

Terrence does not have any idea how the whole program or process will take place. It looked new in his eyes. It was the first time that a scholarship program was done this way.

'This looks grander than their intention of helping the poor,' Terrence tilted his head to the side.

"Do you think your sister will be picked, Terrence?" Tiana whispered. She closed her eyes and prayed that Abigail would be picked for this program.

Terrence nodded. "I'm sure she will, Mom." He answered even though he knew for a fact that Abigail was not good at her studies compared to the usual high-ranking students.

In pure honesty, he was even surprised when Abigail said that she was part of this program.

"I hope too," Tiana deeply breathed out. She was silently praying that the odds may be in their way.

When Terrence looked around, he couldn't help but shake his head. Most students seated in front looked like they were a bunch of nerds, with thick glasses on their faces and dark under eyes. Some were even reading thick educational books.

'I wonder when this will start.'

Terrence was starting to get bored as he looked at the time on his phone. It was already close to 10 in the morning. He just hoped that they would start on time.

A few more students arrived after a few minutes. Terrence saw that all the chairs in front were already occupied by the students.

When the door closed, a woman, who looked like the principal, stood up and walked to the side of the stage with a smile on her face. She went in front of the microphone stand and took the mic.

"Good morning, everyone!" The woman shouted loudly. There was a glint of happiness in her voice as she waved her hands after greeting everyone.

"Good morning, Principal Melisa."

The students all rose up to greet the principal before sitting again.

The woman, whom the students called Principal Melisa, smiled more widely as she heard the students' loud cheering voice.

Terrence couldn't help but scoff. 

'Why do they sound like a cult?

"I am sure that all of you are thrilled about our program today. Yesterday, we announced that the school picked a total of 200 students to be qualified for the scholarship program that the government provided for us," Melisa informed everyone through the mic.

"We still don't know how many students they would pick, but we hope that everyone will be happy and accept the results later on. About the people who were behind this program…"

Melisa looked back at the people accompanying her on the stage before continuing her words.

"We kept their identities secret because we don't want a pity program here," Melisa laughed, hiding the mocking tone in her voice. 

"But don't worry, everyone, because in just a few minutes, all of you will know who they are!"