Chapter 02: The Test

(Pages 04-07)

The bell rang, signaling everyone that it is time to go, Davis Looked to his left but Lain wasn't there.

The door to the roof top opened and 3 chosen children came out. They were Kari, Davis and Tk.

Lain was peering down the railing and without looking back at them, she asked, "where's Coby and Yoli?"

Tk explained that Coby and Yoli have more important things to do.

"I see," she replied, then turned to face them, "I have some important questions for the 3 of you, so which of you want to be the first?"

"I am." Answered Davis.

"Alright, what if all of your friends have been captured and you are given a choice."

Davis swallowed hard at the first part of the question, "and what is that choice?"

Lain replied, "the choices are, if you kill yourself your friends will be freed and if you don't they will be executed."

Davis felt his heart skipped a beat. How can ha answer her?

"You have 5 seconds," Lain started to count, "5…4…3…"

"Hey, wait!" Davis' mind raced

"2…1…"

"Alright, already!" Davis shouted in the still air.

"What is your answer?"

"I'll… I'll…kill myself" Davis answered with a frown

Both Tk and Kari gasped at his answer

Lain placed a disappointed look on his face, "You have failed."

"Wha…what!"

"I'll tell you later why…" then she looked at Tk and gave an evil grin, "I have a different question for you."

Tk started to sweat, "then what is it?"

"You are in a war…and you and your team are parachuted behind enemy lines and when you landed on the ground and searched for your team, you found out that you are left with only 3 members, what are you going to do? Are you going to fight or surrender? You have 5 seconds."

Tk answered before Lain begun to count, " I will keep on fighting."

"Why?"

"Because…there is still hope."

"How can you'd be so sure?"

"Because surrendering when there is still hope is like taking a suicide when you have a purpose to live." Tk said these words stiffly while Davis punched the ground to release his anger.

Lain smiled at Tk's words, "Just like what I have expected, you have passed."

Tk's anxiety turned to nothing as his face gave out a smile.

'What a stupid question when even I can answer that easily. So why does mine have to be so hard?' Davis thought as he saw Tk holding Kari's hands in relief

"I already told you that I will answer you question later Davis." Lain said as she stared at him.

'What the…how does she know what was I thinking?' Davis thought, stunned, "I haven't even said a word yet!"

Lain Just stared back, "I can read your mind." She said

"What?" Tk can't grasp the situation yet.

"That's impossible!" Kari said, "and if you can that will be immoral and…"

Lain interrupted her, saying "It's your turn now Kari."

"But…" Kari tried to stop her.

"What if you're a goddess," Lain turned to look down at the railing again, "and you have no followers and no one even knows that you exist," she then turned around to face them, to face Kari, "you are lonely, desperate and afraid… and you also feel like you wanted to kill yourself… instead you turned yourself into a human to be happy but you only caused DARKNESS, DEATH and DESTRUCTION," she sigh a little, "What are you going to do? Are you going to be lonely forever or are you going to be a human and create chaos?"

"I…" Kari's only word

"You have 5 seconds."

"You no linger have to count Lain… because I already know the answer."

"And what is that?" Lain looked down

"I'll stay…"

Suddenly Lain's mood changed from a sad to and angry one, "But why?" Lain shouted at her angrily, "Are you telling me that you would rather feel dead than alive?"

"No…" Kari said without changing her behavior, "I will stay, because I will absolutely feel a lot much more worse when I realized that I am just creating enemies instead of friends and it always happen when it's too late."

Lain's anger disappeared as she gave out a smile, "You have passed."