Everyone was nervous for the upcoming exams, flipping through notes until the last second, hoping that every bit of knowledge was memorised. But Anila seemed least concerned about the exams.

She wasn’t dumb; in fact, she was pretty smart, yet she always wanted to take the easy way out. While the other students stayed awake all night, usually to study or finish assignments, she had her own “strategy” — tiny chits of paper hidden in her sleeves, formulas scribbled on her wrist and sometimes an entire essay. She always got away with it. But not this time....

It was the board exam, not a regular school exam, so the invigilators were from outside her school. During the first paper, halfway through the exam, she began peeking at her tiny notes hidden under the desk. She........

© Dawn Young Magazine