Chapter 41: Let’s Go Check Things Out
Evelyn’s POV
“What?” I bolted upright. “What do you mean? Who’s gone?”
Nadia’s face was white as a sheet, hands shaking. “I got up around dawn to use the bathroom. All the boys’ doors were wide open. Like
something out of a horror movie.”
My heart hammered, but I forced myself to stay calm. “And then?”
“I checked every room – Elliot, Milo, the triplets… gone! Luna Isabella, Dora, the whole pack house…” Her voice cracked. “It’s just us!”
Orion’s words from last night hit me
–
“Whatever happens, stay calm.”
I gripped Nadia’s shoulders. “Remember what Orion said? Don’t panic, whatever happens.”
Nadia followed my breathing until color returned to her face. “Right… stay calm.”
“I think this might be part of the selection.”
“What?” Her eyes went wide.
“Think about it. Yesterday Sentinel Conrad said there was a final test but didn’t explain what. Now everyone disappears except the participants…” I jumped out of bed, grabbing my training clothes. “This could be the test starting.”
Minutes later, we stood in the empty dining room. Usually Dora would have breakfast ready and Luna Isabella would be sipping tea. Now
there was only silence.
We grabbed bread from the kitchen and pushed through the front doors. Polaris was dead quiet no voices, no footsteps, just wind
through the leaves.
“This is way too quiet,’ Nadia moved closer to me.
BOOM!
The massive sound made us both jump. On the mountain peak outside Polaris, an enormous screen had appeared, glowing with blue light
and visible from everywhere in the city.
The screen flickered to life, showing rows of names. I quickly found mine and Nadia’s.
A cold, electronic female voice echoed from all directions: “Sentinel Selection officially begins. Rules: Acquire as many points as possible!’
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Chapter 41: Let’s Go Check Things Out
Then silence.
“Acquire points? Nadia looked down. “Hey, my wrist…”
I followed her gaze and my heart jumped. We both wore sleek, high-tech bracelets that were so light I hadn’t noticed them. They found with faint blue light, displaying: 0.
Every name on the screen showed 0 points. While we watched, several jumped to 2 points, moving to the top.
“Someone’s already started,” I muttered.
“So we have to beat other people? But how do we find anyone in a city this big?”
More scores changed on the screen. Some gained points while others dropped from 1 back to 0, their names dimming,
“The rules are clear now.” I took a deep breath. “Beat others, take their points. Highest scores win.”
Nadia’s expression turned serious. “So we don’t just have to beat people – we have to protect ourselves.”
“Exactly.” I scanned our surroundings. The empty streets suddenly felt dangerous. “All of Polaris is the arena. Everyone’s either hiding or
already fighting.”
“We should find somewhere to hide and – ”
Movement in my peripheral vision cut her off. A shadow shift at the alley behind Nadia.
Time slowed.
A figure ghosted out, lunging straight for Nadia’s back! My wolf instincts screamed danger as I saw his hand reaching for her.
No time to think.
I shoved Nadia’s shoulder hard, sending her stumbling sideways while my leg shot up with all my weight behind it.
The attacker hadn’t expected my reaction time. He froze mid-air for a fatal instant – just long enough for my foot to connect with his
chest.
THUMP!
The impact echoed with a pained grunt. The figure flew backward, hitting the ground five meters away.
“Damn it!” Nadia steadied herself, fury lighting up her eyes. “A sneak attack! What a coward!”
She charged the struggling figure and unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks.
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Chapter 41: Let’s Go Check Things Out
“That’s for the ambush! That’s for being a piece of shit! Each word came with another hit.
I watched her vent before pulling her back. “Okay, chill. It’s just the selection. He’s had enough.”
Nadia finally stopped, breathing hard. “That felt good!”
I looked down at our unconscious attacker – an upperclassman from school. His face was swollen and bruised, looking pretty pathetic.
“So how do we get points?” Nadia panted. “We beat him, but now what?”
I noticed the bracelet around his wrist same as ours, glowing faintly, showing 0.
“Weird, he’s also at zero?” Nadia frowned. “Poor guy. First thing he runs into is you.”
I studied the bracelet thoughtfully. “Has to be this thing. Let me try something.”
I crouched down and touched his bracelet lightly.
The moment of contact, gentle blue light flowed from his bracelet into ours like liquid. Warm energy coursed through my body, washing
away the fatigue from our fight.
Our bracelets changed from 0 to 1. His went completely dark, turning ashen gray.
“Whoa!” Nadia stared at her bracelet, then at me. “This feeling… it’s incredible! Like being instantly recharged!”
I stood up, flexing my hands. The fatigue was completely gone – I felt like I’d just had a full night’s sleep.
“Has to be witch magic,” Nadia said excitedly. “This is so cool! But does beating one person completely restore stamina? Or is there some
pattern?”
I glanced back at the big screen. “There’s definitely a pattern. If beating one person fully restored you, people would fight continuously for points. But the current leader only has 3 points, which suggests not every fight gives full recovery.”
‘Makes sense.” Nadia nodded. “So now what?”
“We get out of here.’ I scanned the area warily. “That noise might attract others. We need somewhere safer to figure out the rules.”
We quickly left the main street, ducking into a narrow alley. Polaris’s alleys were a maze – perfect cover now that they were usually just
confusing.
After about ten minutes, we reached a small plaza surrounded by buildings with only two entrances. Easy to defend.
“This looks good, I’d barely finished speaking when Nadia grabbed my arm.
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