Brandy ran to the bars shaking them, she reeked of desperation Aurelia though wrinkling her nose
A voice began to recite a riddle from a hidden speaker while most students looked around in panic "I'm alive without breath and cold as death" It started as a gas started to make it's way into the cage that they were trapped in "I'm never thirsty but always drinking, what am I?" Lin's eerily disembodied voice continued "To pass this quiz and survive the poison gas, you need to make it to the botanical classroom and answer that riddle in 5 minutes"
Aurelia smiled to herself this was what she had been waiting for a chance to stretch her legs and her mind but also the fact that Brandy had blood dripping down her face, what she didn't see was Marcus who was thinking two things at the same time. Firstly, how come to make up for an assignment Lin had made them walk right into his strange maze of doom and secondly, why on earth would Aurelia want to be here he thought to himself as he saw her smile and then he suddenly wondered what his behind her smile and her innocent façade he had decided he would find out for it was intriguing to him, a beautiful mystery
Marcus' thoughts were interrupted by Saya who Aurelia had sent over knowing she couldn't speak to Marcus "Okay small breaths" Saya relayed to Marcus placing a hand on his shoulder "Control your heartbeat and take it slow"
"Hey, I-I think I can help" Marcus offered seeing Brandy yell in frustration
Aurelia's heart softened, Marcus was so cute when he stuttered but Aurelia shook her head desperately trying to shake the thought out of her head, Marcus? Cute? The poison must have been getting to her head
"I think you can screw off" Brandy screeched turning to face him "What is this loser rat doing in AP class?"
Marcus simply stole one of Brandy's hair pins before pushing past her towards the cage door
"Get your hands off me" Brandy stupidly shrieked as Marcus snatched the hairpin leading Aurelia to snicker at the sight of Brandy making a fool of herself yet again
Marcus instead ignored her before kneeling down in front of the lock his face one of intense concentration, he was picking the lock, before they knew it Marcus had opened the door
"Out of the way rat" Brandy remarked pushing past Marcus into the empty hallway
"Your table awaits Jocko" Marcus sarcastically remarked as the legacy students pushed past him
Aurelia winked at Marcus before mouthing 'I'm proud' then following her classmates out of the cell then down the stairs into the lower sections of the school, Marcus smiled to himself savouring the moment before continuing down the steps
At this rate the gas was advancing quickly, they needed to get to the botanical classroom, and fast. Aurelia wrinkled her brow in worry as Marcus coughed up blood into his hand, even if Aurelia already had blood flowing freely down her face from her nose
Chico pushed the doors to the next part of the corridor open
"Come on" Chico spoke no one in particular as they slowly advanced through the hallway, it was quiet, too quiet
The students all turned around as they heard a slab sink down into the floor, Marcus being the unlucky student to set it off and similar to before bars began to start imprisoning them inside once again
More monks slipped in from behind and suddenly the hallway was turned into chaos for they weren't just fighting for the sake of the assignment they were fighting to stay alive
