Try and Catch Me

Exam Jitters
Whenever Lia had her big exams back in her original world, she would usually relax the night before the exam. Her mother would cook her favorite soup and tell her to sleep early. She was told resting well before the exam was also part of the preparation to be in the best condition the next day.

She could not do any of that now.

It was not for lack of trying. She did everything she can these past few weeks. But she could not shake off the feeling that it was not enough.

If she failed this exam, she would have to wait for another year to try her luck again. And time was not on her side.

She paced around the room, too on the edge to sit down. She kept on flipping through her notes and tried to cram as much information as she could.

Immersed in her studies, she almost missed the sound of stones hitting the window. She turned sharply at the sound and laughed at herself for her reaction.

‘One, two, three.’ Lia thought. That was a signal. It only meant one thing.

For the past month, “Mr. Rabbit” came to visit her almost every night. Sometimes they would stroll around the perimeter of the house, talking about random things. He was a good conversation partner. A very charming one at that.

Other times, he would drop by and then leave just as fast as he came. These past few days, though, he was like a tutor, overseeing her studies. He would quiz her just like a teacher giving a pop quiz. At times, he would do it while they were training, reinforcing what she learned before and teaching her new moves.

But in the past month, he was a constant companion to Lia, and she thought that she would not be able to settle in quite easily if not for him.

Another sound. She peeked through her window and found him sitting on his heels as he waited. She put down her notes and ran down the stairs.

When she opened the back door, she was surprised to see Eldric wearing commoner’s clothes. But even a plain tunic and pants looked extravagant to him.

“What are you wearing?” she said, looking at him up and down.

“Have you eaten dinner?” He did not have that mask, but he had a ridiculous grin on his face. His usual neatly combed hair was down. He looked way younger and more normal.

“Yeah…”

He was crestfallen. “What did you eat?”

Her eyebrow twitched. “Veggies… fruits…” she said, still trying to play along even when she had no idea where this was going.

“You should eat more for your exam.” He scowled. “Not just for your exam, really. And you don’t look like you are even sleeping.” He lit up once again. “I knew just a place. And I brought you disguises.”

“But–”

“You can’t leave I know.” Eldric signaled somewhere in the dark and a few men came out. Lia recognized them as the men from Eldric’s team. The same men she was with when they were in the woods.

She let out an audible gasp and grinned, trying hard not to jump in glee.

“We’ll guard this place in your stead. Take your time to relax,” Gaston said. Behind him, Joaquin nodded.