Helanie:
The chaos finally ended, and we sat down for the exam. I hadn’t realized it would be a verbal examination.
Each of us was given five questions, and whoever scored the highest would co in first. The first round focused on herbs and plants, and to my surprise, the others weren’t doing so well. Most of them barely managed to answer three out of five questions correctly, except for Salem, who scored four. Now it was my turn.
Kaye returned to my seat, his eyes lingering on my notebook for a mont before he shook his head and resud the examination. He began asking questions, and I nailed four of them. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the fifth one right. Now, it was a tie between Salem and .
I had already passed the exam, but I wanted to score the highest, so I was thrilled about the tie-breaker round.
"Both of you, co here and stand in front of everyone," Emt instructed, gesturing at a spot before the group.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought I might faint. Salem looked confident, while Kaye had been watching intently. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of question he’d ask. Knowing the brothers well, I suspected that Norman had probably whispered sothing ridiculous to Kaye, just to throw off and make lose.
They had a quick exchange when they saw Salem and tied.
"The question is..." Kaye announced, his eyes shifting briefly from to Salem before returning to , "Which rose induces a profound coma and dream-like hallucinations?"
The second he said it, I sprang to my feet, ready to answer.
"Pink!" Salem shouted first, but she was wrong.
"Kaye turned to , almost demanding that I answer. "Helanie?"
"It’s the purple rose—the one that traps its victim in a prison of dreams," I replied confidently. As I spoke, I noticed a faint smile on Kaye’s lips, as though he had chosen that question on purpose.
The defeated look on Salem’s face was satisfying to see. I turned to the crowd, catching Lucy and Gavin giving a thumbs-up, though Sydney had her arms folded tightly over her chest. Naturally, she wasn’t pleased. Lamar, on the other hand, kept his expression neutral.
"Congratulations—" Emt began, flashing his usual charming smile, but before he could finish, Norman and Maximus exchanged a look and shook their heads.
"These two have done a great job. How about we give Salem one more question? If she can’t answer and Helanie does, only then will we make a final decision. This ti, I’ll ask the question." I knew Norman wasn’t thrilled about taking the lead.
"Making up your own rules, brother?" Emt scoffed, but he masked it with a sarcastic smile.
Norman rely grunted and asked Kaye to step aside. I knew exactly why—Norman suspected Kaye had asked that last question knowing I’d answer it in a heartbeat.
Now, Norman stood before us, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black pants, his fitted black shirt straining against his build. There was a glint in his eye, almost challenging , as if to say, *Let’s see how you win this ti.*
"What is the effect of a lush green herb?" he asked. The mont he spoke, my mind flashed back to a day I had sniffed the purple rose. I recalled a bottle labeled with the herb’s effect.
"It’s called the Fla of Lust. It puts a creature into a state of heat," I answered, barely pausing to take a breath. The look on Norman’s face said it all.
Behind him, I noticed Kaye and Emt exchanging wide smiles.
"Damn it!" Salem muttered under her breath as her sister rushed to comfort her. She knew I had won from the slight nod Norman gave . He didn’t even bother to congratulate ; instead, he turned away to join his brothers.
As Lucy and Gavin ran over to give a group hug, I caught Salem and Sydney glaring at us. Lamar simply sat in silence, his eyes fixed on , though this ti, they held no hint of anger.
"If you’re all done celebrating, we need to start the second exam," Norman announced, his tone tight. For soone who was supposed to be impartial, he seed visibly annoyed. I could’ve sworn he was muttering under his breath, too.
Kaye stepped between us, facing the students while Salem and I faced each other. We both tilted our heads back to et his gaze—he was so tall that we had to crane our necks to look him in the eye.
"Ask them the toughest question you can co up with. Whoever answers first and correctly will be the winner," Norman stated. Kaye closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. I could feel my nerves mounting.
We returned to our seats, and this ti it was Emt who had prepared a set of questions related to weapons. He began firing them off in a fast-paced, quiz-style format, forcing us to answer quickly. I did my best, racing to keep up with each question until we reached the final one. Whoever answered this last question correctly would be declared the winner.
I wanted this victory so badly.
Glancing over Emt’s shoulder, I noticed the brothers arguing in the background. It was clear that Norman was frustrated. But Kaye caught my eye and gave an encouraging nod, urging to stay focused. Then, looking back at Emt, I realized he was pausing slightly, making sure I was ready. I returned his gaze with a small nod of my own.
At that, Emt proceeded to give us the final question.
"What mark does a weapon touched by a devil have?" he asked, his voice steady. Imdiately, I recalled a conversation with Maximus about weapon markings. This was how I’d managed to score so well, but now I needed to get this last answer right.
Without hesitation, I shot to my feet and answered, loud and clear, "A bone-like pattern!"
The defeated look on Norman’s face confird my victory. With a proud and cheerful smile, Emt declared, "Helanie got it right."
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