Among the crowd of jittery youngsters is a young lad sitting calmly as he takes in his surroundings. Lara's eyes flash with a glint as soon as she spots him and she straightens her back with a smile.
'There's someone interesting this time. Nice!' Lara thinks as she looks him up and down.
The boy is probably six or seven but he looks around calmly as if sitting at home, not nervous in the least.
Finished analyzing him, Lara looks away and crosses her arms once again, disinterested.
A while later two middle-aged men walk into the arena, one in front of the other. The one in front walks up to the center of the arena. When Lara looks at this middle-aged man, her gaze goes soft and the edges of her lips lift slightly.
Then suddenly her eyes go wide. She looks at the man and then at the little boy sitting amongst the crowd. Brown hair of the same shade, green eyes of the same shade, and same sharp nose and same shape of the face... She glares at the middle-aged man, annoyed. 'This old man! Why didn't he tell me?!'
The middle-aged man opens his mouth and coughs lightly to attract everyone's attention. "Hello, children. I am the Head Master of this Academy, William Greene. Today is the day that you finally take a step into the academy. I hope all of you succeed in passing the tests. But... We do not tolerate cheating." He smiles brightly. "It's not like you'll be able to cheat with us watching. In any case, those that are worthy will pass and those that are not will not. Understood?"
'Cocky old man.' Lara smirks.
The newcomers all let out a 'Yes'.
"Well then, let the tests begin. The one who will be the examiner is this teacher here." He points to the other middle-aged man. "He is Teacher Henry."
The other man walks forward. "Hello, everyone. I will be your examiner for today."
Without wasting any time, he steps forward and says. "Let's begin, then. The practical test includes a one-vs-one fighting tournament with one of our first-year students. If the examinee wins he/she will pass the test. But that doesn't mean that winning is necessary. As long as we find you capable, even if you lose, you can pass. And so, whenever I call your name, step into the stage and chose an opponent from the first years to fight with."
He pauses to see if everybody understands and continues. " Then we will go by the order of age. First examinee, Brendon Greene. Six years old. Six?!" His eyes go wide from shock. Then he clears his throat. " Brendon Greene. Step down onto the stage, please."
Lara looks blankly at the boy as the words 'Brendon Greene' echo in her head. 'So he is! He is the old man's grandson, isn't he?!' She looks at the Head Master and he seemed to be looking at her at the same time. He slowly nods his head in confirmation.
'You old fox! You could have told me before!... Brendon Greene, huh? I look forward to a fight with you. You have to pass the exam!' Her eyes glow excitedly as she grins.