A/N.: Some of you asked why Beam has a scholarship when his parents are super rich...well, his parents are rich, Beam is not and he hates his parents and doesn't want to use their money especially since that money was earned with lot of blood involved. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be poor to get a scholarship. The Lunar University has various scholarships, among others, scholarships can also be awarded to students who are socially involved or to promote certain professions. Although Beam is considered a Casanova, his social commitment is known only to a few, and it was clear to him from an early age that he would specialize in pediatrics, with a focus on neonatology. Since this specialization is chosen very rarely, the university decided to support this specialization with a scholarship.
3rd Person's POV
Finally, the day of the moon and star competition has arrived and all students, as well as the academic staff and guests of honor, are gathered in the university auditorium.
The dean of the university enters the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for attending today's event. We are here to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the founding of the university. We can look back on a long, eventful history marked by many changes. As one of the most prestigious universities in Thailand, the Lunar University has made it its mission to prepare future generations of this country for their upcoming tasks in the best possible way and to accompany them at least on part of their career path.
In order to celebrate this day appropriately, the Moon and Star Competition was created many years ago, which, like everything in life, has also changed over the years. From the hard and very demanding competition it once was, it has developed into a competition full of laughter, warm encounters and funny moments. However, the organisation of the competition is only possible because we have so many hard-working and voluntary helpers who support us in the organisation and of course our sponsors also contribute greatly to the success of this format. Therefore I would like to introduce our most important supporters and guests of honor, which are also the founders of our Moon and Star Competition. Please welcome Mr and Mrs Zohran and Mr and Mrs Vongviphan on stage who will give us the honor to open the competition with the traditional gong stroke."
The student body welcomed the guests of honor with polite applause as they entered the podium. Suchitra Vongviphan steps up to the microphone without letting go of her husband Amaphon's hand, after all she is always keen to present a strong unit in front of the public. "Thank you for the warm welcome. It is an honor to be here today and to watch the next generation fight for their future and show us what they are capable of."
"As Mrs. Vongviphan has already mentioned, it is a great honor to meet the future elite of this country. An elite in which we have already invested and will continue to invest in the future." Mrs. Zohran addresses the student body, a false smile on her lips, not wanting them to notice that the Vongviphans have taken away her grand entrance, as they have done so many times before.
"But enough of words. Let's start the competition." Amaphon's voice comes through the speakers.
"May the best man win." Mr. Zohran grins as he snatches the microphone from Amaphon's hand.
Both men step forward to the big gong. They both lift the hammer and strike the gong with great force. The booming of the gong fills the air and the student body bursts into cheers. "Let the games begin."
...
"Before we begin with the Moon and Star competition, we want to explain it first: The competition consists of three phases. The first phase is the so-called treasure hunt. Each team receives a bag full of things that may or may not be clues in the further course of the treasure hunt. However, first you will receive a letter with the first clue to find your treasure." Explains a professor.
Forth and Beam are one of the first couples to receive their bag. It contains a rope, a matchbox, a compass and of course the aforementioned letter.
"Okaaaay?! What are we gonna do with all this stuff?" Beam looks at the contents of the bag with his head tilted.
Forth can only shake his head at Beam's impatience. "We'll probably realize later on, was we any use to the things. Let us first open the envelope. The clue it contains is at least 100% helpful and useful!"
"Geez, then open the stupid thing already!" Grumbles Beam. It's already noticeable how little interest Beam has in the whole thing.
Forth opens the letter and finds a riddle text inside. In subdued volume, only so that Beam can understand him, Forth reads the riddle. "They have not flesh, nor feathers, nor scales, nor bone. Yet they have fingers and thumbs of their own. What are they?"
"Huh? What on earth could it be?" Asks Beam, tapping his index finger against his lips.
"Sssh, you moron, can't you see I'm thinking?" Forth hushes Beam.
"Who you calling a moron, you ass!"
"There is just one person here you could call a moron."
"Whatever." Beam is pouting. "Let's focus on the riddle instead of throwing insults at each other."
Forth nods, already fully concentrated on the riddle again.
"Soooooo, what do you think it could be?" Beam asks again.
"Beam, just shut up for a second." And Forth puts his hand on Beam's mouth before he can disturb him again, then he rereads the riddle. "They have not flesh, nor feathers, nor scales, nor bone. Yet they have fingers and thumbs of their own. What are they?"
...
"Okay, let's go, Beam. We have to go to the medical lab."
"Whrmpf..." Beam's answer is not really understandable thanks to Forth's hand on his mouth.
"What?"
Beam points with furrowed brows at Forth's hand.
"Ow, sorry."
"Thank you. And I asked, why do we have to go to the medical lab when we have to solve the riddle first?"
"This is exactly why we need to get to the medical lab. Now, let's go!" Forth grabs Beam's hand and drags him to the lab.
...
...
"Forth, why are we here? Tell me!"
"For real?! How did you manage to get a scholarship if you're so stupid? Do you really still have no idea why we're here?" Forth looks at Beam in disbelief. "Ah, I forgot! You're so damn rich you're used to lifting your little finger so people will lay the world at your feet!"
Full of rage, Beam grabs Forth by his collar and pushes him against the door of the medical lab. "You fucking bastard! You know nothing about me!" Tears begin to run down Beam's cheeks. "Yes, my so called parents are damn rich but not me! I got that scholarship for various reasons and definitely not because of my parents, I got it on my own! So don't you dare say anything about my situation or about me if you know absolutely nothing about me, you bastard." Anger, but also hurt is visible and hearable in Beam's expression and voice.
Forth never thought that his words could hurt Beam so much and the regret about his words is clearly visible in his face. "I'm sorry, Beam. I didn't mean to hurt you and you're right: I shouldn't judge you if I didn't know you."
Beam releases his grip, turns away from Forth, dries his tears with his sleeves. "Let's get this shit over with. I don't want to put up with your face any longer than I have to." His voice dangerously low and full of hate.
"It's gloves."
"Huh? What gloves?"
"The solution of the riddle...it's gloves."
Hastily Beam enters the laboratory and heads purposefully towards the cabinet with the medical equipment. And indeed, on the box with the rubber gloves lies another letter containing a white sheet of paper.
"And? What does it say? Go ahead and read it." Pushes Forth.
Beam examines the paper from all sides. "The paper is blank."
"What?"
"I told you, the paper is blank."
"How can that be? Shouldn't our second clue be written on it?"
"Just because the paper is blank doesn't mean it hasn't been written on." Finally, it's up to Beam to solve the riddle.
"Pardon?"
"The paper feels strange. Could be an indication that invisible ink was used in this case."
"And how are we going to make the ink legible again, Mr. Smarty-pants?"
"Invisible ink, also known as security ink or sympathetic ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some means. Invisible ink is one form of steganography." Beam explains. "There are different types of invisible ink and each type is defined by how the message can be developed in order to be seen. Since the paper does not smell of lemon or something similar, and since that would be too easy, I assume that we cannot make the invisible ink visible again with the help of heat, but with the use of another chemical. If we expose this kind of ink to another chemical it will cause a chemical reaction to occur, which changes the color of the original ink, making it visible. So we need either sodium carbonate or hydrogen peroxide to make the ink visible. Hmm..." Attentively, Beam looks around. "Forth, over there... bring me that bottle of white powder."
"Why?"
"Because the powder is sodium carbonate and this is the only bottle that's freely available. I don't think the university is trying to get us to break open any closets or rooms to get hydrogen peroxide."
"Good deduction." Forth nods acknowledgly and then hands the bottle to Beam.
Carefully Beam spreads the powder on the white sheet of paper and after a few seconds letters become visible on the paper.
"What does it say?"
"I only have one face. It is illuminated by foreign light. If it doesn't illuminate me, the foreign light, I can't be seen."
"Huh?"
"Okaaaaaay, I have no idea what that could be..."
"I honestly have no idea either."
Both fall into thoughtful silence, pondering over the solution to this riddle.
"Just one face..." Mumbles Beam. "And lit by an foreign light... so what we are looking for is incapable of self-illumination? And most likely related to the Lunar University, nothing else makes sense."
Deep in his thoughts, Forth stares out of the window at the university courtyard, lets his gaze wander and gets stuck at the fountain in the center of the courtyard. "The moon."
"Huh?"
"The moon is only visible when the light of the sun shines on it in a way that illuminates the side facing us."
"Shiaaa...that actually makes sense. But which moon is meant? There are so many moon symbols here, we can't check them all."
"I would try the most prominent one."
"You mean the sculpture in the entrance hall?"
Forth nods and minutes later together they hurried through the corridors to the university entrance. Finally, they stop in front of the large stainless steel sculpture.
"And now?" Looking for anything suspicious, Beam looks around. "Forth?"
"Hm?"
"Forth, since when do we keep candles here?"
"I'd say since today." Forth grins at Beam, then grabs one of the candles on the floor in front of the sculpture. "I'm not quite sure, but I think there's something hidden in the wax."
"Something is hidden in the wax?"
"Yup, I can make out a slight shadow. Here, see for yourself." Forth holds the candle in front of Beam's face, which he examines closely, and suddenly Beam has a brainstorm. "Weren't there matches in our bag?"
"You mean...?"
"Exactly." Beam fished the matchbox out of the bag, lit a match, then lit the candle. After a short time the candle has burnt down so far that a small capsule appears. This capsule opens Forth and carefully unrolls the piece of paper inside. "35 ft W., 1 yd S., 2 ft E."
"The compass." Beam blurts out.
"Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought at first." Mocks Forth.
"But I'm afraid you're just the same asshole as I thought in the beginning." Replies Beam in disdainful tone before he starts moving in the indicated direction with the compass in his hand and finally stops on the lawn in front of the entrance. A small wooden box lying in front of his feet. Quickly he unfolds the note and reads the riddle text the message out loud.
"Sometimes what we need is right in front of us but you gotta be willing to open your eyes and see better things in different light."
"Sons of a bitch!" Yells Forth suddenly.
"What the hell! Why are you swearing and yelling all of a sudden?"
"You want to win that bloody competition?" Asks Forth.
"Of course, I want to win that shit but that doesn't explain your sudden yelling." Beam looks a little bit confused.
"Do you know the motto of our university?"
"Sure - Aliquando quid opus est rectum coram nobis sed te redditus est nobis, volens aperire oculos tuos, et vide melius, quae in diversis lucis."
"And what is the translation of this?"
"Sometimes what we need is right in front of us... fuck, that's the riddle text."
"Right! And where in front of us can you read the motto?"
With big eyes, Beam looks at Forth. "You're not gonna tell me you're..."
"Yes, that's what I'm gonna do."
Skillful and fast like a monkey, Forth climbs up one of the three flagpoles that stand in front of the entrance. Besides the flag of Thailand, the flag of Bangkok, the flag of the Lunar University is also presented. And exactly on this flag you can read the motto of the university. The flags hang at about 6.5 yards, so if Forth can no longer hold himself, it would end badly. Beam watches the climbing action worriedly. When Forth arrives at the end of the flagpole and tries to release the flag from its mooring, the foreseen happens. Forth loses his grip and threatens to fall down the flagpole.
"Forth!" Beam screams in horror.
However, he can hold on to the ropes and finally makes it back to the ground with the flag in his hand.
"Forth, are you okay?" A worried looking Beam runs towards him.
"I'm fine. Come on, let's take our treasure to the Dean."
"But you're bleeding." Whispers Beam after the receding Forth.
"Beam, move your ass. We have a competition to win!" And Forth grabs Beam's wrist and drags him to the auditorium.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. Congratulations to you two." The Dean shakes hands with a grinning Forth and a very, very silent Beam. Beam is trapped in his own thoughts, his face expressionless and empty. Therefore he doesn't take his environment at all anymore, until he is finally torn out of his thoughts by a nagging Lam.
"Forth, what the hell, you are bleeding. How can you not notice that, you idiot?!"
"Ow Lam, it's just a scratch. Nothing to worry."
"Just a scratch? You bleed like a slaughtered pig, you moron. Let's go to the first aid tent." And before Beam can say anything, Lam Forth pulls to the aforementioned tent without batting an eye. Beam, who would like to accompany the two of them, is kept from doing so by his two best friends, Phana and Kit, who want to congratulate him for winning the first competition.
"Beamie! Today's dinner is on you since you won the first competition, buddy" Grins Phana and hugs him tight. Kit also grins wickedly and then just joins the group hug.
- - - - - - TBC- - - - - -
So Team ForthBeam won the first part of the competition. And if you're wondering how the meeting between Beam and his parents will be, well, we're already working on the next chapter ;)