Evaline:
The test was to take place right after lunch. So we headed there once we were done eating.
I barely felt like eating, half because of my nerves and half because I ate a bunch of strawberries just half an hour ago. Still, I forced myself to empty a bowl of chicken soup.
The five of us walked out onto the training fields with other applicants. And I found myself closely observing my teammates. I was grateful to them, but that didn't mean I trusted them. Not fully. At least not yet.
I had learned the hard way that trust was a currency few could afford. People left. People betrayed. Even those who smiled at you today could twist the knife tomorrow.
So I was planning to enjoy this... warmth, this sense of belonging... but I would not lower my guard.
Not completely.
The sound of a bell ringing reached our teams. It was a long, sonorous tone that vibrated through the very ground beneath us and it was summoning everyone to gather for the second test.
