Lucas leaned back against the wall, thinking about what he'd overheard.
Seventeen students with claw marks, multiple broken bones, poisonous berry incidents... The exam had been brutal for everyone, not just his group.
He glanced around at his teammates.
Damion was checking his gear methodically, Zacard had pulled out his map and was making notations, Garrett and Lydia, and Celeste...
Celeste sat apart from the others, staring at her hands. Her earlier conversation with Lucas clearly still weighed on her mind.
"Hey," Lydia said quietly, sliding into the seat beside Lucas. "Is Celeste okay? She's been really quiet since we left the forest."
"We had a... conversation." Lucas said.
"About her feelings for you?" Lydia said.
"You knew?"
"Everyone knew, Lucas. She wasn't exactly subtle." Lydia smiled sadly. "What did you tell her?"
"The truth. That we hardly even know each other." Lucas said.
