Inside the examinations room all the candidates were present. This was their last exam and a very important one indeed. Nobody dared to fail to show up, if one wished to graduate. There would be greater benefits and a certainty of well paying government jobs.
The examining professor finished issuing his remarks and everyone opened the tablet before them.
Frank was determined to get past this exam as fast as he could so that he embarks on what his grandfather had told him. His words kept ringing in his ears and he found it hard concentrating in the exam.
"You must stop him before it is too late!" he clearly heard his grandfather's voice in his head.
"Nothing is okay from now onwards...he Who wants to reign forever is rising...!" he shivered as he recalled the tone with which the old man had said those words.
He looked at his tablet. There were only three questions each requiring him to write an essay to justify or describe certain phenomena.
"What good will it do passing this exam when the world is going to be toppled over?" he pondered.
He fixed his eyes on the student sitting two rows ahead of him. It was Noel! She too was fidgeting in her seat and her mind seemed to be wandering far and wide. She looked around the class. From behind her Frank tried to follow her gaze.
She seemed to be looking from one male student to the other. Her gaze would linger on someone for some moments then she would break and target another one. She even turned to look behind her. Her eyes locked with Frank's. He immediately went blank! He dropped his gaze!
Whenever Noel looked at him he felt jitters.
"Come on! This is not manly!" he reprimanded himself and lifted up his gaze to Noel. But she had already turned away to another student.
"Why didn't she stare at me long enough as with other students?"
He remembered that maintaining eye contact tactfully with a girl especially when she is stealing some glances your way usually communicated a lot more than words! The same was true to one who would quickly break that connection and look down or away. He would create an impression of not being interested.
Noel had not looked at Frank for even two seconds. She refused to acknowledge the nagging in her mind that he might be the one.
"He seems to know! He seems to expect me to do something! What should I do? No! I can't make the first move! I will just wait for him to," she concluded as she bent back to her tablet. Quickly she started typing in her answers for the exam. She did not look up again until when the lecturer came back in.
"We have thirty more minutes to go! But I see quite a number of you have emailed in your answer sheets. To those who are through you can quietly leave the exam hall," the lecturer spoke through his nasal accent as he sat down in front of the main hall.
A number of students heaved a sigh of relief and returned the tablets on the table where the lecturer was and they walked out. Among those who went out there was Noel. She held her head really high and straight and Frank was feeling that she was desperately trying not to turn to look at him!
He looked at the last question he was working on. His word count was at 1200 and he merely needed 600 more than he would be through as well.
"Just one last point, argue it out and conclude!" he said.
Ten minutes later, he literally ran out of the hall after submitting his answers. He was feeling a certain urgency in his heart that deprived him of all peace.
"I must find her! I just have to ask her directly! If she is the one she would just say yes! If No, well she might not even understand what I am talking about. But I must try!"
On the other hand, Noel had locked herself up in the ladies washroom, deeply thinking. She thought so hard about the words of the guest last night and a cold shiver ran down her spine.
"Listen, time is running out! You need to activate that medallion before it is too late! The fate of all the planets depends on that activation!"
His words pierced her heart. Many lives could be lost if she doesn't act immediately! Then where would she hide her face! Where would she go? She remembered the warning she was given last night.
"Listen! You need to activate that medallion as soon as possible. Remember, don't fail us! Don't fail your kingdom and your King!
Noel stood up and checked herself on the mirror. She wiped her tears away, straightened her hair and reapplied her make up. She then went out.
Frank roamed around the school trying to find Noel. He checked by her car, she was not there! He scanned the lawns and fields where various students stood or sat in groups and talked but there was no one like her.
"Hey man, what's up?" Steve, a friend of his met him and greeted. He was accompanied by other two make students.
"Frank man you look like shit what's up?" Mike also enquired before Frank had found his tongue.
"Am fine guys. Just looking for...ah never mind!" he suddenly stopped as his eyes found the prize he was looking for. He left the friends who stared at him in bewilderment and followed his gaze as he walked away.
"Oh shit! Is this guy hitting on that angel!? Come on man! That is far above your class!"
"But he has got taste man!"
"Oh come on! That lady is a no-nonsense. . I bet Frank will only get his balls kicked!
Noel was just coming from the direction of the exam hall. She had gone back to check if Frank was through with his exam.
She watched him coming over to her. She tensed.
Could he be the one?
"Excuse me Noel. I ...I ..." Frank again found his tongue getting glued on the walls of his mouth.
Noel's heart beat had also reached a crescendo as she waited for him to say the word she was so anxious to hear!
Seeing him stammer Noel couldn't restrain herself anymore and she suddenly blurted out.
"You are the one! Right?"
Frank's mouth fell open!