Chapter 4 The shock

~Emily~

"Huh?" I muttered, my eyes widened in shock. "What do they mean by no humans allowed?" I thought, my heart pounding in my chest.

Scarlett's words echoed in my head immediately. "No matter what you do, make sure you pass the test, your life depends on it."

"Every human in our midst should step back immediately, the guards will lead you back to your cage," Crystal's voice boomed in the speakers.

"What do we do now?" Steph asked, holding my hand slowly. I could see the fear in her eyes, her face clouded in mysery.

She was usually the stronger and fearless one, but seeing her panic sent a cold shiver down my back.

"What do I do now?" I wondered. 'Do I ignore the rules and participate? Or do I step out and head back to those filthy cages?"

These thoughts filled my mind as I contemplated on my next course of action. As much as I hated being a slave, pretending to be a lycan was more than suicide.

Apart from their striking physical features, lycans were also known to have blue blood, humans don't.

"Let's do this, Ema," Steph said, squeezing my palms tightly. "I can't go back to those cages," she added.

"Are you sure you can do this?" I asked, my eyes fixed on her. "You know we would be killed if caught right?" I added.

My last words seemed to hit her, as her once hopeful face turned pale immediately. Her eyes drooped and her shoulders dropped.

"Where are you Scarlett?" I whispered, my eyes darting back and forth. She would have come up with an idea if she was still here.

"Ema," Steph called, her voice low and even. "Let's do this," she muttered, nodding slowly. "I don't want to die a slave."

"Phew!" I exhaled, caressing her cheeks softly as a tear dropped from my eyes. The thoughts of losing my sister and only surviving family struck me. I didn't even try to imagine it.

Just a while ago, I was back home, in my village, happy and fulfilled but here I am now, about to make the biggest decision of my life. A decision that could lead to my death.

"I love you, Steph, I really do," I muttered, my gaze fixed on her one last time. "Please be safe," I added.

Suddenly the speakers blared again, followed by the clanking of Crystal's heels as she scurried to the podium.

"Attention maidens, it's time for the test," she said. "Split yourself into two while you await orders.

I immediately grabbed Steph's arm, "Stay close," I muttered.

After pairing ourselves two by two, we were given tags and numbers each. A bowl was set in front of us, with a heater but the contents in the bowl still remained concealed.

"Can I have your attention please," Crystal boomed, disrupting the dilemma that was about to spike.

"The bowls in front of you contain everything you need to make unleavened bread except for one thing, flour."

"Huh! How do we make bread without flour?" A certain maiden sparked, causing the crowd to follow suit.

In a short while, the whole crowd was disrupted as the maidens began murmuring within themselves.

"Silence!" Thorn sparked, his eyes blazing in a fit of rage. "Your time starts now, you have thirty minutes left," Crystal said before walking away.

"Thirty minutes, Steph, let's get to work," I said, opening the bowl in front of us. True to her words, the bowl was actually filled with everything needed to make bread except for the flour itself.

"What do we do now, Ema, this is impossible," Steph muttered, her face twisted in a frown.

"Wait, let me think," I replied, rubbing my eyes in frustration. "Think Ema, think," I muttered, rubbing my hair.

"You have five minutes left," Crystal's voice blared through the speakers causing an uproar among the maids as everyone scampered up and down.

The task set before me seemed impossible but I had to do something and it had to be fast.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind, we hadn't even gone through the whole contents in the bowl.

"Steph, bring out everything in the bowl," I muttered, wriggling my fingers as I stared at the bowl keenly.

"What are you unto?" Steph asked, her brows creased as she stared at me. "Just do it!" I snapped, my voice firm and urgent.

She quickly turned the bowl upside down, pouring the whole content on the flour. A black bag fell from it, with rice grains scattering all over the floor.

"Ema, rice," Steph muttered, her eyes dancing in excitement. "Let's get to it then," I replied, a small smile on my face.

With a quick dash, we immediately turned the grains into powder before using it to form the dough for the bread.

"Two more minutes left," Crystal's voice blared again. "Faster," I shouted to Steph as we increased our place kneading the dough.

"One more minute," Crystal boomed.

"We are not gonna make it, Ema," Steph said, tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry," I mouthed, my eyes speaking comfort.

"Time up, stop whatever you are doing," Crystal ordered, her voice laced with urgency. She stepped down from the podium, her hands behind her back as she went round every table, taking notes.

Finally, she was at our table, her strawberry scent filling our nostrils. "Pfft, it's not complete," she scoffed, her face showing dissatisfaction.

After going through everyone's work, she was back on the podium, her face twisted in her usual frown. "We have only six winners, listen to your names."

"Elena wigglesworth, Selena Charles, Scarlett Jones, Renice Jakes and....."

She immediately stopped, her eyes scanning our faces as though she was looking for someone.

She already called four names but surprisingly, only three ladies were outside, grinning from ear to ear.

"You two, come outside," she muttered, her eyes fixed on us. The whole crowd fell silent as they watched us walk to the podium.

I could literally feel their eyes boring into my back, their dissatisfaction was evident by the looks on their faces but I paid no heed to them.

Crystal was no exception, the disgust on her face was also obvious and she made no effort to hide it.

"Now that we have all six winners, it's time for the final test," her voice boomed as she fished out a knife. "Stretch forth your hands," she muttered.

"Ema, our blood," Steph whispered, her eyes reeled in shock. "Be calm," I mouthed, trying to reassure her but my quivering lips said otherwise.

The first three ladies were all pierced, with their blue blood signifying their lycan heritage.

With only I and Steph left, I couldn't help but tremble at the thought of what could befall us. I gulped down an invisible lump in my throat as beads of sweat trickled down my face.

"Stretch forth your hand," Crystal muttered, her eyes glaring daggers at me. With my eyes filled with sorrow, I weakly stretched forth my hand as Crystal's knife pierced it.

There it was, my blood, dripping from my arm, only that it sent a wild uproar in the crowd.

"You are human?" Crystal shrieked, her eyes blazing like primal fire. "How dare you?" She barked, her voice filled with rage.

I couldn't utter a word, tears just flowed freely from my eyes. "Guards, seize her," She barked, her voice dripping with venom.

But just as all hope seems lost, the door suddenly burst open. "Let them go, they won," a baritone voice thundered.

"Huh?"