As the exam period arrives, the usual buzz of the school shifts into something more intense. Students scramble to cram last-minute notes, while others wear the tired expressions of sleepless nights.
Alex, however, feels an odd sense of calm. Between secret fights in monster-filled portals and the chaos surrounding Elizabeth and Lilac, a written exam feels almost easy in comparison. Still, he knows better than to underestimate it.
Peter leans back in his chair, stretching. "You ready for this?" he asks, his usual grin slightly strained.
"More or less," Alex replies, glancing at the neatly stacked notes on his desk. He catches a glimpse of Elizabeth across the room, she looked as composed as ever, though her fingers tap against her book impatiently.
The door swings open, and Teacher Martin strides in with an armful of exam papers. "I hope you've all been preparing," he says, his gaze sweeping over the class before lingering a beat longer on Alex.
As the papers are passed out, Alex exhales slowly. Whatever happens next, he's ready.
The sound of rustling papers fills the room as the exam begins. Alex scans the first page, basic formulas, historical dates, nothing out of the ordinary. He quickly settles into a rhythm, his pen moving steadily across the paper.
Beside him, Peter lets out a quiet sigh of relief. "At least it's not as bad as I thought," he mutters under his breath, earning a sharp glance from Teacher Martin.
Across the room, Elizabeth works with her usual efficiency, her pen gliding over the paper without hesitation. If the pressure of the exam affects her, she doesn't show it. But Alex notices the subtle twitch in her jaw, a sign she's more on edge than she lets on.
Midway through the test, Alex pauses. A faint prickle creeps down his spine, a familiar sensation, one he's felt too many times since his first portal fight. His senses sharpen as he subtly glances toward the door. Nothing unusual. Yet, the feeling lingers.
He pushes the unease aside and refocuses. Now isn't the time to be distracted.
When the bell rings, signaling the end of the exam, a collective sigh of relief echoes through the room. Peter slumps in his chair. "One down, a million more to go," he groans.
Alex chuckles quietly, gathering his papers. "It wasn't that bad."
"For you, maybe," Peter huffs. "My brain's already fried."
As they were about to leave the class, Alex notices Teacher Martin watching him again, his expression unreadable. It's not the first time, and it wasn't going to be the last. But Alex files it away for later.
In the hallway, the usual post-exam chatter fills the air. Elizabeth walks ahead, her pace brisk, shoulders tense. Alex debates whether to say something, but what would he even say?
Ever since she brought him food over some weekd ago, she had been somewhat avoiding him.
Before he could decide whether to talk to her, a soft voice interrupts his thoughts.
"How was the exam?"
Alex turns to find Lilac beside him, her silver hair catching the light. She tilts her head, watching him with an unreadable smile.
"Fine," he answers carefully. "You?"
"It was easy," she replied, her tone light but her gaze too focused on him. "I expected more of a challenge."
Alex doesn't respond immediately. Something about the way she says it makes his skin prickle again.
Without waiting for his reply, Lilac hums softly and drifts away into the crowd, leaving Alex standing in the middle of the bustling hallway, that strange feeling gnawing at him once more.
When last did he see Lilac? Now that he remembered, it was after their encounter in the bar, it was the last time they saw each other and ever since then, he had not heard from her, never seen her in class... Nothing at all.
At a time, he wondered if she had died or something.
But seeing her now assured him that all was well in her side... Or was it?
Meanwhile, after Lilac left Alex's side, she headed towards the library , it was quiet and lonely today and it was a perfect place to meet up secretly.
Soon, father she had arrived, someone also came — Teacher Martin.
"When are we doing it?" Teacher Martin asked Lilac. "I can no longer wait."
Lilac smiled, her smile warm and lovely. "Today, after the exams," she replied. "I'll take the lead, you join later."
Teacher Martin seemed to be relieved. The young man slowly approached Lilac and then wrapped his hands around her waist, bringing his face close to her ears, he continued. "I can not seem to get enough of you," he whispered to her.
Lilac let out a soft, breathy laugh, tilting her head slightly as if indulging his touch but the glint in her eyes remained cold. "Patience," she murmured, her fingers brushing against his chest in a gesture that seemed affectionate but held no warmth. "You'll have me soon enough… but first, we have work to do."
Teacher Martin exhaled sharply, his grip tightening before he reluctantly pulled back. "Fine," he said, though the hunger in his voice lingered. "Just don't keep me waiting too long."
Lilac stepped away from him with a graceful ease, smoothing down her uniform as though nothing had happened. "Trust me," she said, her smile sharp. "After today, everything will change."
Without another word, she turned and slipped deeper into the library's shadowy paths, leaving Teacher Martin standing alone, his expression tense with both longing and anticipation.
----
Back in the hallway, Alex still couldn't shake the unease crawling under his skin. Seeing Lilac again stirred too many questions—questions that didn't have easy answers. Why now, after vanishing for so long? And why did her sudden reappearance feel like a storm quietly brewing on the horizon?
Peter suddenly nudged him with his elbow, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Hey, are you gonna stand here all day? Lunch won't eat itself."
Alex gave a distracted nod and followed, but his mind remained tangled in the strange puzzle forming around him. Lilac's return, Teacher Martin's lingering stares, something wasn't right.
While they were having their lunch, Peter noticed that something was not right — Something did not seem okay with his friend, Alex and it bothered him. He stopped eating, focused his eyes on him and saw how he'll occasionally glance around, sigh, and try to eat. Not able to continue keeping quiet, he spoke.
"Hey, man, what's the problem?" He asked Alex. "You've barely touched your food."
Alex sighed, he didn't want to disclose anything to hus friend yet as he was still unsure if it was his primal instinct working or just imagination.
"It is nothing," he said. "I'm fine, just thinking about the exams," he lied.
Peter gazed at Alex, he knew his friend was lying to him. "You are lying, man. Just open up and tell me what the problem is, if it something I can help you with, I'd gladly do."
"No, it is... Fine!" Alex mumbled and went ahead to disclose his feeling."I have been having this strange feeling since morning, a feeling that something will happen but I can not place my finger on it."
"Perhaps you are just being overly conscious," Peter replied. "I think you should relax a bit and focus more on the exams."
Alex sighed, Peter was right, their exams were more important than any other thing at the moment, but... "Fine, I've heard what you said. I'll try and focus more on the exams. We have just five papers remaining and thankfully, we are finishing everything today."
"Yeah, it is hectic but better than writing every day," Peter could not help but agree with his friend.
As they were talking, the school bell rang once more and all the students began to rush back to their classes for the remaining exams.
As Alex returned to the class with Peter, he was feeling more bothered — the feeling was getting stronger and it bothered him.
'Whatever it is, I will focus on my papers first.'
He thought as he went into the exams hall.