Sam had missed most of the match, though Hansel and Victor recounted it in detail over lunch just a few hours later. That was hardly the main topic of conversation, however, as after the match they had returned to their dorms to find letters notifying them of their exam scores, as well as whether or not they would be appointed with officer ranks. Victor was pleased to know that while his score was average (79.2) he had still been accepted.
Sam was particularly joyful during lunch, no doubt she was pleased with her results. For her entire meal she was secretly staring Gretel down, as though they were having some telepathic battle from across the hall. Hansel found it distracting. “Why don’t you just walk over and hit her with a chair or something. At least one of you should make the first move. I take it you’re pleased with your score.”
“I am,” Sam replied. “There’s no way she beat me. But c’mon, I’m not that competitive.” She folded her arms. “I couldn’t care less what score Gretel got.”
“Alright,” said Victor. “Well what did you get?”
She answered him proudly. “97.8.” Victor and Hansel looked at each other and it filled her with panic. “Oh dear! What did she get?”
“98.1.”
There was a loud thump as Sam stabbed her fork into the table. “Ugh! I’m going to destroy her!”
“You literally just said you didn’t care!” Vic argued.
“That was different.”
Vic’s gesture of confusion was interrupted by a stout voice at the end of their table. A man in a black coat had appeared. “Are you three Victor, Hansel and Samantha?”
They answered “Yes” in unison and the man went on, “Mr. Silver has summoned you. I’ll have to ask you to come with me.”
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