Chapter 18

Daniel was stunned. He took over the exam papers. The math and Terranish papers were completed. Hera was currently a quarter through the comprehensive exam paper. She had actually done over two papers on different subjects in one exam session. Was it something anyone could do? She had to be fooling around! Daniel had seen many such students who entered the academy through the back door. They would pretend to do the exam papers confidently but end up in Class K. With such a thought in mind, Daniel glanced contemptuously at the multiple-choice questions on Hera's math paper. Although he only taught physical education, he was still familiar with the math syllabus taught in high school. For the first question, option C was selected. It was correct. It had to be dumb luck! She chose option A for the second question, and that was correct too! Was Hera so lucky? As for the third question, she got it right again! Daniel was getting anxious as he went through the paper. The answers for the first third of the multiple-choice questions were correct. As for the rest, he couldn't be sure. "You wait for me." With that, he went to look for the math teacher with the exam paper. At this time, morning classes ended. Teachers and students were all heading for lunch. When Daniel came to the teacher's office, the math teacher of junior year Class A, Yuliana Jenkins, was locking the door. "Ms. Jenkins, I have a favor to ask of you. Can you please help me check this entrance exam paper?" Daniel handed the paper to Yuliana. Yuliana graduated from the world's top university, Vardhar University. She had been a teacher at Cavenridge for ten years. She was a widely known workaholic. She got excited when she heard about marking papers and pushed open the office door she was about to lock. "Alright. I heard the entrance exam this semester is more challenging than before. Dean Ludden's purpose is to raise the admission threshold of Cavenridge." Yuliana went to her workstation, pushed up her thick glasses, and started marking the paper. As she continued to tick the exam paper with the red pen, Daniel's face became redder and hotter as if he had been slapped. "The answer to this last question is novel. It's similar to Christopher's. Not bad!" Yuliana praised, her eyes shining. "Which school did this student called Hera attend before? Is she still here? I'd like to meet her." She specifically took a look at the name on the exam paper. Yuliana turned to Daniel, only to see a strange look on his face. "Mr. Chapman, are you okay? You don't look well." "I-I'm okay. So, what's the score for this exam paper?" Daniel gulped. "Full marks!" Yuliana generously marked the score on the paper. Daniel couldn't believe Hera got full marks when she did the paper in half the exam time. What an impressive student! Even Christopher couldn't do it while she just did it casually. He regretted being harsh to her earlier. Daniel's legs suddenly went weak. "I see. This student is still taking the exam. I have to go back and check on her." Yuliana's eyes lit up. "Is she still there? Hurry and let's go! I'd like to know her." Hera was no longer in the classroom when Daniel returned with Yuliana. There were only two completed papers with a pen on them. Yuliana carefully picked up the exam papers and took a look at them. The papers were neat, the handwriting was elegant, and the ideas were novel. "Hurry and send the papers to the teachers of each subject for marking. I have a hunch that she'll become the next academic prodigy of Cavenridge." … Hera returned to the Everett residence, only to see James sitting in the living room with a grim face while Lilith was kneeling on the carpet like a sinner. Giselle stood aside, looking distressed but actually gloating over the drama. On the carpet were broken glass shards. The atmosphere was tense. "You still have the nerve to come home. How dare you skip the exam? Kneel down!" Seeing Hera, James became angry again. He grabbed the ashtray on the coffee table and threw it at her.