The Mystery of Life (Reynie Muldoon x reader)

The Final Test (dun dun dunnn)

(3rd Person POV)

"I've noticed something..." Reynie said, out loud.

"The smell? The decreased visibility? The flood danger?" Sticky said, worry some.

"You've got a point, but, no. They haven't mentioned a scholarhip or the Boatwright Academy once this whole time." Reynie replied.

"It's a weird way to approach the fancy school, through a sewer." Althea said, popping up from behind the boys. They both screamed and mice and rats of all sorts scattered away from them.

"Hey, come on." Reynie said. Sticky grunted.

"Whoa! Is this the Boatwright Academy?" Sticky asked. The kids suddenly stopped.

"Wait here. I'll be back." Milligan said.

"Now what?" Sticky asked.

"Has anyone been allowed to call their parents?" Althea asked.

"That would show weakness." Dewey said, grunting.

"I told my parents not to expect to hear from me." Sticky said.

"Yes... I did that too." Reynie said. Althea looked at him, and shook her head.

"What about you Kate?" Reynie asked.

"I don't have anybody to call." she started. "My mother died when I was a baby, and my father ran away and left me when I was three." Everyone looked at her and felt guilty. Everyone but Dewey. He was too busy showing off to Althea that he can do one handed pushups. She rolled her eyes and was tempted to punch his smug little face.

"Guys, it's really fine. Really, I don't even remember them." Kate said, trying to reassure everyone.

"You don't remember them... at all?" Althea whispered out quietly.

"Actually, that's not totally true. I do have one memory. So, down the road from our house was this old millpond, and my dad took me there to swim once. I was only three, but I was a good swimmer. I laughed and splashed around till I was exhausted. I can't really picture his face. I remember how his arms felt, lifting me out of the water. They were strong. Warm from the sun. I asked if we could go back sometime and he said, "Of course, Katie-Cat." 'Cause that's what he called me, Katie-Cat. But next thing I know, he was gone, and I was in an orphanage." Kate said, finishing the story.

"That's terrible." Reynie said. Kate smiled sadly.

"It was a long time ago. Besides, circus life was really good for me." Kate said. The group decided to not push on further when Dewey finally finished showing off.

"My parents love me. They call me their miracle." Dewey said. Althea rolled her eyes.

"Don't care Dewford. Oh oops, that is your real name, no?" she said, sarcastically. Kate laughed, and a familiar girl appeared before them.

"Hello children." the girl said. Everyone gasped.

"Rhonda?" Sticky said.

"That is still my name." she said.

"You tricked us!" Reynie said.

"Ah, just doing my job." she said.

"You're not a kid." Althea pointed out.

"Mmmhm, not a kid. An adult actually." she said. Rhonda then clapped her hands together.

"So! Here you are. The final seciton. You have five minutes to navigate the maze, climb the stairway, and ring the bell at the top. You should be able to do this with your eyes closed. Keep in mind, however, that we can only take the first four of you who ring that bell. So, I'll start you each in different rooms. When you hear the bell... off you go." Rhonda said, explaining it. All the kids were put into different rooms and all of a sudden, the bell rang.

(Althea's POV)

I saw the nearest thing to me and it was a vent. I kicked it open and climbed through. When I was looking through the vent windows, I bumped into something or someone. It was Kate.

"You thought of the vents too? We must be twins!" she said, with a laugh. I giggled.

"Mmhm, let's go find our way out of here." I said. We reached the bell, but before I could ring it, Kate stopped me.

"Wait, Rhonda said the FIRST FOUR. We should wait for Sticky and Reynie." Kate said. I nodded. We sat down on the floor playing "Chopsticks" I heard some steps storming up stairs and I saw Dewey. He quickly rang the bell. The timer rang and Rhonda appeared. 

"Kate and Althea got here on time, but they refused to ring the bell." Rhonda said.

"We thought we'd wait to ring it with you two." Kate said, standing up. I stood up and the four of us (Reynie, me, Sticky and Kate) ran the bell together.

"Well done. Dewey, Milligan will escort you home." Rhonda said.

"What? No. But you said the first four." he said, in disbelief.

"Yes. And these four were the first to ring the bell. Unless you rang it with two others?" Rhonda said, with a raised eyebrow.

"This isn't fair!" Dewey said. Milligan appeared behind me, trying to escort him out.

"I don't disagree." Rhonda said, calmly.

"What... you'll be hearing from my lawyer!" he retorted back. "He's gonna... he's gonna paper you to death!"

Milligan finally got Dewey out of there and I smiled. That annoying boy finally was gone.

"Congratulations. You've all passed." Rhonda said.

"No more tests?" Sticky asked.

"No more tests. We have our team." she said. We followed her to a door and she opened it.

"What's in there?" I asked.

"Truly, one of the preeminent ethicists, moralists, and scientists of our time. Mr. Benedict." Rhonda said. A old gray man with crazy hair came out of the bookshelf.

"Oh, hello! Welcome! Congratulations!" he said, with a happy tone to his voice. I raised an eyebrow.

"Hello?" I said.

"Oh, Reynie, Althea, Sticky, and Kate." Mr. Benedict said. "I'm so glad you're here. Please, come in. Come in." he said. We walked in and took a seat on the couch.

"All right. You look hungry. Of course, you must be." Mr. Benedict said.

"I could eat." I said, shrugging. A plate of snacks were put infront of me.

"Eat whatever you'd like." Mr. Benedict said. I took a donut and bit into it.

"Feel anything? Poision?" Kate asked. I shook my head.

"Nope." I said. Kate took one, looking at it unsurley and bit into it.

"This tastes good!" she said, devouring it.

"After our fifth arrives, we'll have a full meal after the orientation." Mr. Benedict said.

"A fifth?" Sticky asked.

"Please, not Dewey." I begged.

"No, it's not Dewey. It's someone... what's the best way to say this? Someone much better in most ways. But in some ways, much worse." Benedict said.

"This place is ugly and smells like eggs." a young girls voice said. I turned around and saw Constantine. She's my cousin, but more... different...

"Althea! This is what your life has been? Following old men? Tsk tsk, I thought you were smarter than this." she said. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll have to say the same for you." I said.

"Alright, now that we all know each other, let's get started, shall we?" Benedict said.