Back in the present, James was still on the stage with the other qualifiers. He had finished narrating the incident, his body visibly shaking. He looked like a coiled spring, a volcano minutes from eruption.
"That's why this bastard can't join!" James roared, his voice thick with loathing. "He's no less than Bucky!"
The other students, though not privy to James's personal tragedy, heard the one cursed name.
"Did you hear what he said?"
"Loud and clear! He's talking about Bucky!"
"It better not be! We have to kick him out!"
Jeremy had listened to James's entire flashback with unnerving calm, only reacting when the other students started whispering.
"James! What the fu**? Guys, I'm no Bucky!" Jeremy insisted, a flicker of genuine nervousness crossing his face. He might tnot know the details, but he knew the name wasn't something the students took to liking.
"Hey, hey, calm down here!" Eric Brayden quickly intervened, stepping between the two. "He's not Bucky. Bucky is long gone. This boy here is Jeremy Flintwood. We've reviewed his background, and we know he's from a noble family."
"Thank you, kind sir," Jeremy said, regaining his composure.
"You can't fool anyone, Jeremy! Ever since that incident, I got beat up, stoned—hell, students threw eggs and tomatoes at me!" James shouted, his fist twitching with barely controlled fury.
The shame was real. The witnesses in Middleton hadn't dared testify against Jeremy, a boy from a wealthy family. They all pointed to James, the boy who broke a senior's leg.
James's mother had been left deeply in debt after forced to pay the medical fees for the senior. She had even confessed it was the hardest time in her life.
Somehow, some way, she was eventually saved by an unknown benefactor.
"James, I truly am sorry for the trouble Jeremy must have caused you," Kelvin said, cutting through the tension with blunt practicality. "But, I don't think we really have a choice. There's only one person left to fill the group, and only one person left unpaired, which is Jeremy here."
James reluctantly turned to size up the final addition to their group.
To his surprise, he found himself staring at a girl of startling beauty—an angel in human form. She had jet-black hair that cascaded to her waist and long, tanned legs visible beneath the gorgeous black gown she wore. Her features were perfectly balanced, her body proportioned just right.
"Quit the stares!" Kelvin teased.
Priscilla was visibly annoyed, folding her arms tightly. She didn't know why she felt that way, but she found herself frowning at James.
"She's Tolly Dalton from 10F. The same class as Jeremy. She's also very intelligent—the best in her class."
"Not anymore," Eric chimed in with a smug grin. "Jeremy scored the highest in the evaluation in their class. I shouldn't be telling you this, but you should be proud Jeremy is in your group. I think your team is actually unfair."
Tolly's and Kelvin's eyes widened.
'If Jeremy scored higher than Tolly, and James beat Jeremy in most subjects... am I even in these guys' league?' Kelvin thought, completely stunned.
"We don't really have a choice, do we?"
Priscilla asked, her tone crystal clear with her dislike for Jeremy.
With a heavy finality, Jeremy Flintwood and Tolly Dalton were added to the team.
James grunted, his gaze burning a silent threat into Jeremy, and stormed out of the hall. He had no choice, but the alliance felt like a pact with the devil.
James got home late that day, storming past his mother and slamming his room door shut, still consumed by residual rage. The next morning, his anger cooled, he explained the team situation to his mother.
Serena, though deeply worried, could only hope the trauma of Middleton wouldn't repeat itself.
Two tense days passed. It was now Friday, the day of the event.
The fifty qualified students, including James and his newly formed, dysfunctional team, were gathered one last time. They received their equipment—backpacks, compasses, and cryptic maps—and were finally briefed on the full rules of the event.
Soon after, a large school bus pulled away from the campus, leaving the safety and familiarity of Braxton High behind.
The event wasn't set to take place in a safe gymnasium or a nearby park. No. The competition was set to unfold deep in the forgotten woods, miles away from the town, miles away from help.
The quest had officially begun.
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I'm sorry this one is short... we're getting to the chapter I've been waiting to write since chapter one.
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