I once asked my father
'what type of surprise is the best?'
He grinned at me, and answered,
'The shocking and unexpected ones."
I handed Kemi the leaflet back.
The summoning is like a game, but in this game, you don't choose to play, the quintessence, which was where every supernatural's get their power from, chooses you.
It was a game of death, as I choose to call it, a game played just for the sake of choosing a befitting consort for the ice prince.
The game consisted of five levels, each level consists of three trials, five deadly trials that is.
The summoning only happens once in three hundred years and considering the prince is millennial years old and still hasn't found a consort you can imagine how many women has died, how many went crazy when the quintessence released it's hold on them after completing the levels and still yet, the ice prince hasn't choose one.
The nobles who knew him and live in the palace with him call him a psychopath, and according to them he doesn't have the capability to feel anything.
"Who did you bet on?" I asked Kemi.
"The best of course, Victoria and Genevieve."
I snickered, "why was that so obvious?"
"Because they're rich and their family won't let them participate in the summoning without providing suitable materials to at least reach the final levels." Johnson answered.
"Yes, it's a question of honor, every family want their daughters to at least reach the final level." Kemi added.
"I bet your dad was elated that you're a year younger?" I smiled.
"He was, can't you see I'm also happy?."
I squinted at her, "no I can't see it, you're always scowling so I don't know when you're happy—."
She huffed, and made a sound for me to stop talking but I continued.
"—And I guess that's why Johnson hasn't summoned the courage to ask you—hmph!" Johnson leapt from the other side of the table and sealed my mouth with his hand.
Kemi pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at us. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing!" Johnson answered too quickly which made Kemi raise an eyebrow.
"If it's nothing why did you stop him from talking...hmm?"
Johnson breathed in and released his hold on my mouth. "It's nothing, right Raven?"
"Right." I nodded
"Johnson dear." Johnson made a sound like he was choking as Kemi batted her long eyelashes at him.
"Won't you tell me what you're hiding?"
Johnson coughed and looked at me, I took pity on him.
"I had sex last night."
"What." Kemi said.
"What." Johnson said.
"What!." The whole table surrounding ours shouted.
"What the fuck!" I gasped looking around, "is there no privacy in here?"
Patricia scoffed. "Aren't you underage?"
I was really starting to regret helping Johnson.
"I didn't have sex." I scowled.
"But you just said you did." Johnson frowned.
I groaned low. "Oh Laeta, you idiot, I just said it to divert Kemi's attention to m—"
I stopped and palmed my face when I realized what I'd said.
Kemi turned her focus back to Johnson. "And now I'm really curious."
"What happened." A new arrival asked, staring at everyone who was staring at our table.
"Raven had sex." Patricia answered Cari, my roommate.
She gasped. "She did? Isn't she underage?"
"Oh Laeta!, I didn't have sex, would you guys stop making a mountain out of a mole hill."
"What happened to "I'm underaged, I can't have sex yet"?" Cari asked, mockingly.
I scoffed, "like I'll tell anyone when I start having sex." I realized that was the wrong thing to say when Kemi and Johnson gasped.
"We're your best friends, we're supposed to know everything in your life!" Said Johnson, glaring at me.
"Like you told me when you lost your Virginity." I countered.
The glare somehow became more heated. "I'm still underage you idiot, I still have two months to go before I think about loosing it!"
I sighed, giving up on the topic. The whole supernatural body took virginity seriously because they believed once you loose it, you're technically an adult and since the supernatural body recognized only eighteen years old and above as adults, loosing your virginity or being exposed to sex below the age was considered a grievous offense.
"I'm sorry." I told Johnson who was still glaring at me. "I just wanted to divert the attention away from my self so I said the first thing that came out of my mouth."
He also sighed, smiling as little. "Apology accepted."
"What the fuck is that!?" Someone yelled.
We both turned to look at what Carson was pointing out and we gasped.
In the middle of the cafeteria was a whirlwind of sparkling dust. It seemed to be coming out of everywhere.
Our clothes, our skin, the tables, the ceiling, the floor, and the silvery dust was forming one giant shaped.....man?
The cafeteria doors jerked open and teachers poured inside and stopped transfixed at the sight.
The silvery man smiled at all of us before glancing down to stare directly at me.
I became self conscious as everybody followed his line of sight. A silvery hand materialized and in the hand was a big envelope and it stretched it toward me.
I stared at the envelope then back at the man, feeling reluctant to collect it. Who knew what would happen when I did?
A shove from Kemi made me stretch my arm to collect it and when I touched it I was surprised at how warm and cold it felt at the same time, like it couldn't pick a balance.
"Open it." I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one who jolted in surprise. The sound of the silvery man's voice sounded like the whisperings of a summer breeze when it ruffled your hair.
My hands trembled as I opened it, my classmates and teachers leaned in to see what I would open.
'It could be a letter bomb, it goes boom! you die!.'
'shut up.' I told the voice in my head. 'it can't be a letter bomb.'
Who would want to kill me?
I brought out an invitation letter.
"Read it aloud." Kemi whispered.
"To Raven Kharhahlac
You are hereby invited to participate in the summoning concerning the act of choosing a consort for the crowned prince of Caravia.
Your participation will be highly appreciated.
Courtesy: The Quintessence
"Holy shit!" I didn't know who said it but "Holy shit indeed."
I don't know who was more shocked, my best friends? The teachers? The spectators? (my school mates) or me.
Did I read it right?
I guess I wasn't the only one who thought I might have read it wrongly because Kemi snatched the letter from my hand and read it herself.
She gazed at me, then back at the paper before looking back at me and repeating what it thought about it.
"Holy shit!"
It was like the room was paused before and then someone pressed play because the room suddenly erupted as everyone talked at the same time.
But the only voice I could hear was the one cackling evil in my head.
I guess it was close to a letter bomb, because it surely blew my mind.