Inspirational quote: One kind word can change, or even make, someone's day.
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Lauriel was doomed.
Hopelessly doomed.
Why?
She was supposed to start the test twenty minutes ago but she didn't, the first fifty girls that were supposed to take the test still had an awful lot of time left.
They used up seven and a half minutes, which gave them only two and a half to complete the Perilous Obstacle Course Test.
Since Lauriel was number 77 out of a hundred, that therefore meant she was going to be the twenty seventh person in there.
She had already witnessed ten girls die, eleven give up, seven throw up and twenty two girls still somehow alive and miraculously doing the test.
And whilst she was watching them, Lauriel couldn't help but think to herself:
I have to ace this test.
I can ace this test.
And I certainly will ace this test.
Just believe in yourself Lauriel! She thought to herself internally. You can do this. And even if you don't, it's better thinking I'm glad I did the perilous obstacle course rather than I wish I did the perilous obstacle course test.
Thank God that she wasn't the only girl taking the test at the moment, otherwise that would have just made everything more daunting.
It seemed like there were about a million girls around her, when there were only about forty nine, if not less, and they were either doing one of four things:
-screaming.
-crying.
-throwing up.
-acting perfectly nonchalant, as if this test was not the scariest thing in the world (even though it probably was) like Lauriel was doing at the moment.
And Lauriel could have sworn that the girl in front of her was dead.
Why she thought this? Because she was lying down with her body on the ground, face staring at the ceiling with sunglasses, looking probably lifeless.
Since there was practically nothing else to do, Lauriel went ahead and did it, she gently kicked the girl checking to see whether she was alive or not.
Nope, Lauriel thought to herself, still helplessly glaring at her. Must have fainted. She's dead.
That was what Lauriel had thought anyway. Moments later, the girl with the sunglasses on the floor got up, giving Lauriel a look of death.
"What you did was just really painful. I felt that. It really hurt."
"Well I'm sorry for kicking you in the chin then," Lauriel lied through gritted teeth, looking away from her instantaneously.
She then came to realise that the girl had a name tag with her initials on it, which was MGS. In the meantime, Lauriel's initials were LCW, and the girl was pretty sure she knew Lauriel from somewhere, if not then school.
"Hang on a second..." MGS told Lauriel, getting up and casually sitting down in the spare seat next to Lauriel, which made Lauriel half irritated because she didn't ask to sit there, she just sat there.
"You look really familiar all of a sudden..."
Do I? Lauriel thought to herself, not really saying anything.
And hopefully Dr Kozak couldn't "read her mind" from here either.
"I'm pretty sure I know you. Do I... I don't know. Know you from somewhere?"
Lauriel didn't reply. It was then that the girl removed her sunglasses, and when she removed her sunglasses, she gasped.
"Lauriel!"
Lauriel looked at her blankly, then gasped as well once she figured out who she was.
"Maria Grace!"
What a lucky coincidence, the two girls bumping into each other in a place that certainly wasn't school.
They then hugged each other, because like Lauriel and Kieran, the two had finally made up, despite their deep hatred for one another before, despite the Lauriel/Kieran/Kendrick incident.
"What are you doing here?" They both asked each other at the same time.
Then Maria Grace told Lauriel that she could go first.
"Two agents kidnapped me," Lauriel began. "Apparently they were Dr Kozak's sons- agent Marcel and Tyrese. Long story short, Dr Kozak was originally supposed to be my father but my mum divorced him a long time ago, before I was born even. What about you?"
Maria Grace didn't reply straight away of course. Firstly she checked her watch, before checking the time left until the Perilous Obstacle Course test was over.
"Long story that you probably wouldn't have time for because the girls in there only have a minute until their time is up, so they've used up nine minutes."
The test probably couldn't be described any more simple than that.
Take the test.
You had ten minutes to complete all eight sections.
If you couldn't do it then you died.
Lauriel found herself not replying, and obviously Maria Grace was worried so she said something else.
"Although quick question. How do you know Dr Kozak? Sorry. I forgot. I think I have amnesia or something. He was my primary school teacher. What about you?"
Lauriel explained how she knew him, then talked about agent Astera for a while as his wife.
Maria Grace didn't know her, as she claimed another agent named agent Valentina took her here- plus apparently she was so hostile that she wanted Maria Grace to die in this test.
"You know we don't have to do this test by ourselves right? According to Dr Kozak's rules, we can do this test in pairs or threes. No more than that."
"So what are you trying to imply?" Lauriel asked her stupidly, drinking the orange flavoured Capri Sun.
It was better cold but it wasn't cold... oh well.
"We can work as a pair. Actually no. A three. My cousin Anastasia's here. Anastasia!"
Lauriel had judged Anastasia before she had even met her. According to her number, she was number sixty three. Lauriel really didn't get the point of these number tags?
It wasn't going to be the age she was going to die, was it?
So what was the point of them?
Lauriel intently watched Anastasia come towards her and Maria Grace where her judgmental attitude started kicking in.
Anastasia was wearing pretty much what agent Astera was wearing.... Except in fuchsia.
Her hair was the same as Vanessa's, except shorter and her eyes were the same as Kieran's, except more brown than hazel.
Oh yeah.
And the freckles.
Man, they were everywhere on Anastasia's face.
She was wearing sunglasses for some reason- either she was blind or she thought that she would look cooler wearing them.
Wow I already don't like her, Lauriel thought, before Anastasia even had the chance to actually say anything.
"Hey," she whispered, looking right through Lauriel. She then had to ask Maria Grace who Lauriel was, where Maria Grace introduced Lauriel to Anastasia and vice versa.
Lauriel looked at her spitefully, even though Anastasia was full on smiling at her.
A real smile.
Not the fake ones she received from people when they wanted something from her, a real, genuine smile.
"Oh my gosh you're so pretty!" Anastasia squealed, jumping up and down when she saw Lauriel. "Your hairstyle is so cute. And I love your fashion sense. Purple looks really good on you."
Lauriel wasn't convinced. Maria Grace probably forced Anastasia to be nice to her, but she wasn't buying it.
"Are you being sarcastic?" Lauriel shouted at her, where Anastasia shook her head.
"No sarcasm here, miss." Anastasia admitted truthfully, grimacing even more at Lauriel. "I genuinely like your fashion sense. I think it's really cool."
"Riiiiight..."
Lauriel was still looking at her deceitfully, although she couldn't help but think:
Aw man. She's so nice. I can't dislike her.
Then, when she was talking to Maria Grace about something:
She's probably even prettier than Vanessa to be honest. Who I don't really like, for breaking up with and being hostile to one of my best mates Kieran.
Lauriel was cautiously watching Anastasia's every move to see if she'd do anything wrong or peculiar but that never happened.
She also thought that Anastasia was going to be nice to her the first time until five minutes later and then bam! Instant rudeness.
Although that never really happened either, much to Lauriel's irritation.
Lauriel soon became fed up of watching Anastasia. Her perfectness made Lauriel personally wanted to die inside because no one was this sweet to everyone, ever.
Seriously, what did Anastasia have that she didn't?
Lauriel was so jealous of her.
Even worse for Lauriel: Anastasia was talking to Maria Grace about something until once again, she did something that made her perfectness level intensify completely.
Oh my god. And she recycles? There is genuinely no hating in that girl.
Anastasia kindly included Lauriel in her and Maria Grace's conversation once again, albeit as Lauriel was about to say some thing, once again, something had to interrupt her.
Someone actually.
It was the invigilator for the test, calling out the register names, to ensure that every girl who was supposed to take the test was here, ready to die.
"...I mean survive," the invigilator added rapidly, realising that every girl was now staring at her confusingly, Lauriel included.
She called out the people by their first names rather than name tags, as she felt like it would have been more convenient, which it was.
"I want you to say 'here' when I call your name. Understand?" No one replied. "Good."
She was taking what seemed like forever to get to Lauriel's name, even though she was 27th on the list, plus the register wasn't even in alphabetical order.
"Anastasia." She called.
"Here!"
"Maria Grace." She called again.
"Here!"
"Lauriel."
"I really don't know what I'm doing." She trailed off. "Here."
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Moral of chapter: Again, judge others and you will be judged as well.