In the days that followed, Raven and her friends became more and more immersed in Professor Lorry's assignment.
They collected various materials for their research project, from interviews to analyses of books that inevitably required them to return to the haunted library.
Every day, the atmosphere was full of anticipation. Raven and Meredith were already feeling the nerves building-the day of the project presentation was fast approaching.
That morning, Raven and Meredith sat in class, each holding a stack of notes. Lucas and Ben arrived with hurried steps and tense faces.
"Hey, I heard Professor Lorry is going to give us a mean grade if we can't answer all the questions," Lucas said as he sat next to Raven.
The young man's face looked panicked, it was only natural for Lucas to feel that way since their class was almost all upperclassmen repeating Professor Lorry's course just because they couldn't answer the killer lecturer's questions.
Raven bit her lip, unable to hide her worry. "Are you sure? I thought we were just going to present the report."
Maya, who was sitting in the front row, whispered along. "I've heard that professors usually start with trivial questions and suddenly lead to difficult things. If he asks about those weird symbols in the library, we'll-"
"It's over," Meredith cut in while closing her eyes as if imagining the worst.
The five young people looked at each other. They looked troubled at the thought that what they were worrying about would actually come true.
Their anxiety increased when they heard the bell ringing, signalling that the next lecture was about to begin.
The tension increased even more when Professor Lorry entered the classroom. All students looked down, even if possible the sound of their breathing should not be heard.
When the class started, there was a sudden silence. Professor Lorry entered with an expressionless face, carrying a folder that looked full of papers.
"Alright, today we'll be listening to the first group's presentation," she said in an almost flat tone as she placed her folder on the table.
Meredith swallowed hard as if a thorn had been stuck in her throat - and glanced at Raven with a meaningful look. "We're going to be the first trial, here," she whispered softly.
Raven tried to smile soothingly. "Relax, we can handle this," she said, more to herself than to her friends.
The four of them went to the front of the class, organising their equipment and preparing their presentation materials.
Raven opened the conversation by giving the background of their research, then Meredith took over to explain the methodology - alternating with Ben.
Maya and Lucas took turns explaining their findings section smoothly. All was going well until Professor Lorry spoke up.
"So," he said in a challenging-sounding voice, "are you sure you really understand the ancient symbols you found in the library?"
Lucas looked at Professor Lorry with a nervous expression, then glanced at Raven.
Raven took a deep breath, remembering everything she had learnt. "We've tried to trace the meaning of some of the symbols, sir. Based on the references we found, most of them are from ancient manuscripts related to mythology."
Professor Lorry looked at them without blinking, making the atmosphere even more tense. "Then, try to explain the meaning of the symbols on this page."
Cold sweat beaded on the foreheads of Maya, Lucas, Ben, and Meredith. They were pinning their hopes on Raven - hopefully the girl wouldn't give the wrong answer to the fierce professor.
Meanwhile, in front of them, with an expressionless face, Professor Lorry then took out a piece of paper from his folder, showing the symbol they had seen in the library.
It was a strange symbol in the shape of a circle with lines cutting diagonally, decorated with patterns resembling ancient writing.
Raven frowned, trying to unlock her memories of seeing that symbol.
"This symbol represents 'the journey' or 'the door to knowledge,'" she replied in a steady voice, trying to suppress her nervousness. "We found that it is related to spiritual beliefs."
Professor Lorry watched them, his gaze softening for a moment. "You guys did good research," she commented, though her face remained serious.
The Raven group breathed a sigh of relief, but it was only momentary.
"But," Professor Lorry continued in a teasing tone, "the symbol also has another side, a meaning that can only be discovered if we look at it from another angle. Have you considered that?"
Lucas swallowed, while Maya glanced at Raven, looking for help.
Meredith suddenly interjected in a loud voice, "We think each symbol has a different meaning, sir. Perhaps we could research it further if given an extra chance?"
The class was silent for a moment before Professor Lorry smiled slightly. "Well done, Miss Greenwood. Of course, your project can be enhanced. The additional task for you is to find out more about the meaning of the symbol and produce a new report next week."
"Yes, Prof. We'll be back with an updated report on the meaning of the symbol from the other side." Meredith quickly accepted Professor Lorry's challenge before he changed his mind. }
They returned to their seats with mixed feelings of relief and anxiety, while the class continued.
At the lunch bell, their group gathered in the campus park to discuss the extra assignment. Ben jumped onto a bench holding his head. "That extra assignment from Professor Lorry again! How are we going to get everything done?"
Maya laughed, "We have Raven the symbol hunter!"
Raven chuckled, although in her heart she still felt uneasy about the hidden meaning of the symbol. Suddenly, Meredith put her arm around her. "Relax, Raven. We've escaped the tough questions today. The rest? We can work on it together."
Everyone laughed uproariously. Raven knew that her friends always had her back, and she felt stronger.
Although this extra task was quite stressful, Raven promised herself that she would find all the answers they needed.
With renewed vigour, they continued their day-a day full of laughter, challenges, and friendship.
Amidst all the excitement, Raven felt like her life was becoming more meaningful. Yet, deep in the back of her mind, she still remembers the dreams and mysteries that are slowly revealing themselves. This time, however, she knows that she is not alone.