Randal reached inside first. Much like Eva, he looked surprised as he moved his hand around. He didn’t take quite as long to pick, coming away with a yellow marble.
Rachael stepped up after him. She reached in and immediately pulled out a green marble with no surprise or digging around. By the looks of things, she had taken the very first marble her fingers touched.
“Alright,” Eva said as they moved away for the next schools to have their turns. “Guess I’ll see you guys in the center.”
Randal looked to her with a half-smirk. “Don’t get killed.”
“Please, after everything I’ve been through? I’m more worried about accidentally killing one of them.”
“Don’t get cocky either,” Rachael said with a sour expression. “Or kill anyone. It wouldn’t reflect well on us.”
“I’ll try not to,” Eva said, taking one step towards the violet light hovering just behind where the schools had been standing. She paused, looking back to her companions. “I warned you before,” she said in a hushed tone of voice, “but keep an eye on the Nod Complex’s vampire. I don’t know that he’ll be playing nice.”
“So long as fire puts him down nicely, I shouldn’t have a problem.”
“And I’ve a few tricks up my sleeve as well,” Randal said. “Good luck.”
With that, they split up. Eva slipped her own marble into a pocket on her skirt, watching the other schools pick their marbles as she waited.
Somehow, the Isomer students muscled their way past the Mount Hope girls despite being further away. Only one of the Elysium Order nun trainees were participating in this event. The two other boys picked out a blue and a red marble.
The curly-haired nun picked her marble, looked over it, and began scowling as soon as she glanced towards Eva’s colored light.
From their brief interaction, Eva had a vague idea bout the curly-haired nun’s personality. She deferred to the other trainee, acted somewhat nervous about Eva, and—if Eva wasn’t missing her mark—had been more believing about the fact that a vampire was roaming the halls.
Of course, just because this was the nun more believing of Eva’s claims did not make them friends.
She stalked over with a glare yet somehow managed to avoid eye contact.
Eva paid her little mind for the moment. When the event actually started, she would have to be wary. It wouldn’t be surprising if the nun tried to take her out the second the light disappeared.
Instead of talking or taunting, Eva continued to watch as the students split off to their respective colors.
It wasn’t until the Nod Complex students moved up to get their marbles that Eva found herself growing worried.
The violet light still only had herself and the Isomer girl. Though unlikely, it would be just her luck to wind up with both a nun and a vampire. She had already done that dance once with Serena and Nel and it hadn’t been a lot of fun back then. Those two were at least friendly. To Eva.
She actually let out a short sigh when she saw him pull out a red marble. At least she wouldn’t have to doubly watch her back. He would still be around the playing field, but she could maybe get away from the nun before then. Or maybe set the nun on the vampire.
“Is he that dangerous?”
Eva glanced to the nun with a raised eyebrow. “The vampire?”
“You weren’t half as agitated when you saw me walking over.”
“Between him and you, I’d much rather be partnered with you.”
Eva took her eyes off the nun, watching as the vampire meandered over to the other Isomer student. The two boys nodded at each other, not having anything resembling the hostility Eva might have expected from an undead and a ‘Holy’ Academy student. He was probably just a normal kid. The school wasn’t entirely made of Elysium Order recruits after all.
“He’s already attacked me in an attempt to get my blood,” Eva continued.
“And you fought him off?” the nun said with a scoff. A clearly disbelieving scoff.
Did she not think that demons would beat vampires?
Holding out her hand, Eva flicked her wrist. Flames lit up all the way to her elbow.
“Vampires can’t catch you if you’re on fire,” Eva said with a wide grin.
The nun harrumphed and looked away.
Just in time for the two of them to see a third student heading over to the violet light. One of the poor students from Mount Hope. After being shoved aside by Isomer, the rest of the schools took that as a go-ahead to select their marbles first. The Hope students just sat around awkwardly as everyone pushed past them.
The one coming towards Eva looked fairly young. She couldn’t be much older than Eva. Maybe a year at the most. She gave Eva’s hand a wide berth, eying her as she walked up to them. Despite that extra space and the slight look out of the corner of her eye, she smiled at both Eva and the nun.
“Emily,” she said with a happy nod of her head.
Eva extinguished her hand. “Eva.”
Both looked towards the nun. Emily, probably because she was being friendly. Not so much in Eva’s case. She put on her widest smile, fully channeling Sawyer as she looked at the nun with expectant eyes.
