Chapter 4 Vol.1

"Why did you do such a thing?" Abigail took a moment to respond and avoided making eye contact. "Please don't misunderstand, Olivia. I acted with the best intentions for the good of our class. Who would want their classmates to die by such an utterly ridiculous experiment? You weren't the only one, Olivia," Abigail explained, her voice hesitant and her eyes darting away from Olivia's gaze.

After Abigail walked away, there was no opportunity for Olivia to respond. Olivia remained frozen in confusion. What could have possibly occurred between the two during the test?

Although asking her directly would be the best way to get an answer to that question, I didn't have the guts to do so. In my opinion, conversing with girls is more challenging than talking to people who mock me.

After finishing packing my things, I quickly headed towards the door. Suddenly, I felt like someone was grabbing the back of my backpack. Although it was heavy, I still sensed that something was off. "Don't leave just yet..." Olivia called out. "Don't worry, I didn't hear much anyway." I wanted to leave as soon as possible. John might be waiting for me in the dormitory.

"No, it's not about that," Olivia said as she dragged me into the classroom and took a seat near the door. I didn't really want to be in this situation, but I guess I have to put up with it for now.

"Oliver, what are your thoughts on the experiment?"

Well, the only way to survive is to pass all the tests, isn't it? And since our lives are on the line, eventually everyone will either work harder and strive to pass each exam or the classroom will dwindle down to just a select few from the many in the first day. "I think that everyone should strive to do better than their usual effort and aim to pass every test they take", I said. Though that wouldn't really make a big difference anyways, since not everyone has the energy to do things outside their comfort zones.

"I think the same way too Oliver, it's just that not everyone can do much than they are capable of. Although I usually do good during quizzes, I was sweating like a melting ice cream during the test 'cause I'm not really good with tests like these which test your time management at the same time", Olivia admitted with a chuckle. I guess she has some weaknesses too, huh.

"How about you, Oliver? How did you do on the test? Did you find it easy?" Olivia seemed to be one of those people who use questions as a way to initiate conversation. I thought I could use that trick in the future too.

"Well, during the test, I was also taken aback by the questions given. Even though there were only 10 questions, they felt like they were designed for 12th graders, making the difficulty level much higher," I replied, hoping to continue the conversation. If I could talk with her now, my connections inside the school would increase, and it would help me later on during the last few tests if they were to be difficult enough for me to ask others for questions.

"Well..." I hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "Um, well, what were you and Abigail talking about?" I finally managed to ask, hoping to bring up the topic that had been weighing on my mind.

"Oh, that..." Olivia trailed off, seeming hesitant to reveal the truth. "Can you promise me that you won't tell the others?" Olivia asked me, her tone hesitant but serious. I knew that to avoid any major conflicts, I should agree to her request.

"Alright," I said, nodding my head in agreement. She then gently opened her mouth and carefully chose her words.

"Abigail threw me a piece of paper with all the answers to the test," Olivia admitted hesitantly. When I asked why, she replied, "I'm not entirely sure. That's why I just confronted her about it." It seemed that even Abigail herself didn't have a clear motive.

"Did you know Abigail before starting at this school, Olivia?" I inquired, hoping for some additional context. "No, we only met today," Olivia responded. "And to be honest, my first impression of her wasn't very positive, so it's been difficult to try and befriend her."

"Ring Ring Ring!" The sound came from inside the backpack resting on Abigail's chair. Upon hearing the noise, she promptly walked over to her backpack and quickly opened the bottom pocket. "Hello? Yes, I'll be there in just a second," she said into her phone before turning it off. "Let's continue this another time, Oliver," she added, a smile still lingering on her face.

"Sure, I'll be heading off too," I said, knowing there were still more questions I needed to ask her, but realizing that would have to wait until another day. Walking alone down the empty hallway, I moved slowly toward the exit. With classes still in session, I needed to be as quiet as possible.

After finally reaching an intersection, I heard a faint voice emanating from one of the hallways in my direction. Intrigued by the sound, I cautiously walked towards the source of the voice, taking care not to make any noise with my footsteps.

As the voice grew louder, I cautiously concealed myself behind the walls, hoping not to be spotted. "Here are the answers from the students who took the test," the voice sounded eerily similar to Sir Ray's. "Excellent, I will now deliver this to our researchers," replied another voice. I could hear a distinct click, which was likely the sound of a suitcase being opened.

"I will be heading out now. Keep up the good work and you'll likely receive even more support from us," the other voice sounded like it belonged to someone of higher rank than Sir Ray. "Glad to hear that," the Sir Ray-like voice replied. As I heard the sound of approaching footsteps, I knew it was time to retreat.