Liber De Morte

Chapter Nine

My nerves were freaking out. What is the test like? Is the physical challenge deadly? Most likely. Was the intellectual challenge hard? Probably.

I slowly strolled down the abandoned hallway. Everyone would be there. They would see what I could and couldn't do. And once I am determined into the sector I belong in, they'd either see me as this brutal soldier or some boring bookworm-- But those are just stereotypes. Aaron for example, may be in Vivam, loves to read and learn, but I saw him beat Ethan in an arm wrestle.

I was dressed in one of their uniforms made for stamina and balance. A slim fitted, stretchy suit that covers my arms legs, torso, and half of my neck. I wore black combat boots and my hair was tied into a ponytail. I could feel my hands slightly trembling, so I clenched my fists to hide their shaking. My fingers felt as if they were frozen; deadly cold. I clenched my jaw, approaching the classroom. No one was allowed to watch half of the intellectual part of the test, since all you would see was people silently answering questions on a piece of paper. The second part of the the intellectual challenge is like a hands-on thing. That's when we go into the arena-- Which is where everyone else is.

Opening the door, I inhale the scent of wooden pencils and aged pages of thick books. A few papers, pencils, and books were scattered on the floor, crumpled pieces of paper surrounding the trash can. Maps and globes were on the walls and desks, the board cleared from chalk, leaving a plain, spotless black surface.

I glance at the clock. 6:02PM. Twenty eight minutes early. I shrugged. What else was I supposed to do in twenty eight minutes?

I took a random book from a shelf, sat at a desk and decided to read it. The title read, Human Anatomy. I flipped the book open and began to read.

"The human body consists of four limbs, a torso, and a neck and head. Elements such as Oxygen, Carbon, Hyrdogen, Nitrogen, and other noble gases consist inside of the human body."

The book went on and on about structure and sizes, differences in male and female structure and so on.

"The human body consists of twelve systems; the integumentary, skeletal, lymphatic, respiratory, muscular, nervous, digestive, urinary, endocrine, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. These systems help the organism function properly."

John Wright entered the room, dropping his jacket at the hanger. "You're here early," he called out, snapping me into attention. I nodded. "Still have exactly nine minutes and thirteen seconds until the tests begin," he walked towards me, noticing the opened book on the desk. "What book is that?"

"Human Anatomy."

He smiled. "You could be a great member of Vivam."

After a couple minutes, others began to emerge from the doors, sitting down and chatting with each other. The room seemed to be divided into two groups of people; Group I: The ones looking forward to the physical test-- Those who wear their combat clothing in pride, with a built frame and stern features. And the ones who looked forward to the intellectual test-- Group II: Those that shyly wear the combat gear in shame, with thick rimmed glasses, always holding some kind of pocket book and a pencil behind their ears, with pale skin and goofy and happiness sharing smiles. It seemed that their sectors have already been determined. And then there is me, who sits next to Mr. Wright.

He patted my back. "I see you've noticed the seperation," he said, pointing to the separated groups. "I'm surprised you aren't in either of them," he smiled. "I think I know exactly what sector you'll be in. I've already bet money on it." I blinked. "You gambled on which sector I would be placed in?" I questioned. "Yes. With a couple of Letalis members. They're into a little gambling."

Soon enough, it was 6:30PM. The five questioned paper was passed out, those in group II already prepared with No. 2 pencils, as the rest of us were given a pencil to borrow.

The questions were, I kid you not, down right random.

Even though they were random, they were not easy. Complex questions not even a college professor could answer, as Aaron told me a few days ago. But to our advantage, it was multiple choice. Therefore we had a 1/4 chance of getting the answer correct.

I began to study the test. It didn't make sense. The questions have nothing to do with what we were taught in the past week. In fact, the fourth word of the questions made no sense.

The fourth words.

I began to write down every four words on the test as a sentence. The words were all in Latin.

In

Sinu

Autem

Vigilia

Triumphum

'Pocket watch in triumph'? I quickly scanned the room. Then I saw it. A glowing pocket watch, right at the front of the room, hanging on the board. I stood up, others in the room murmuring. I walk towards the pocket watch, and grab the pocket watch. I tried to open it, though it didn't work. "In sinu autem," I murmured. The pocket watch began to glow. "Vigilia triumphum." The pocket watch flew open, showing the beautiful watch, ticking perfectly.

John Wright stood. "Congratulations, Alana. You've passed the most important part of the intellectual test. Seeing things others can't."