Page 34 of Monster's Baby

I was surprised to hear my name, even though I had managed to find the time to submit my name, and I knew my school records were impeccable.

Who knew what the Olympic committee was looking for?

My friends cheered for me.

“Paul Dunne.Shi-Yun Ellis.Trevor Emord.Brian Ertrung.Aiden Evans.”

Our table erupted in applause again.

“Is that everyone into our group who applied?”I asked.

Pierre raised his hand, but chuckled a little.“We have a long wait for my name to be called.My last name is Thoreau.”

I nodded my understanding.

“We’ll be encouraging you guys on from the stands,” Hazel said, hugging my arm.

“Someone has to be your cheerleaders,” Una added, batting her eyes at Pierre, who shrugged.Una frowned at his dismissal.

I wondered why she was continuing to pursue him.He had made it pretty clear that he wasn’t interested in her, in my opinion.Then I realized that I hadn’t seen her with any other man since she’d met Pierre two days prior.

That didn’t seem like a lot of time for most women, but this was Una.She was perpetually falling in love with a new man daily.

Perhaps it was because Pierre was a challenge.She’d never had a challenge before.

The names continued as I was thinking about my friends.I recognized a few here and there.They were my classmates, after all.

There was some confusion when the first Mohammad Mohammad was called, but the headmistress held up her hand and called Mohammed Mohammed immediately after.The two men, completely unrelated, got up from their separate tables and hugged, clapping each other on the back with wide smiles.

Several more names were called, and then the T’s started with Matthew Talon.

Pierre closed his eyes and crossed his fingers.

He was called next, and he visibly relaxed, all the tension gone from his shoulders.

A few more people were named, and then Headmistress Blackthorn rolled up the scroll and tucked it away.“There will be a meeting for the successful Olympians tonight after dinner in the first lecture hall.You will decide which events you wish to participate in and mingle with your fellow teammates.The opening ceremonies are this Saturday, where you will meet the rest of the European contingent.Everyone is invited to attend to support our team.”

The mess hall erupted in cheers, which made the headmistress smile.

“I’m excited to be a part of this!”I exclaimed, bouncing a little in my seat.“We’ll get to meet so many people.”

“You want to meet people?”Hazel said skeptically.

“I like meeting people,” I replied.

“Not really.You have your close friends, and that’s pretty much it,” Rhiannon said quietly.

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh.“That’s because you’re the only ones worth being friends with at the academy.”

“Other people are fair game?”Aiden suggested.

“I think of it as networking,” I said cheerfully.“It’s possible that someone we’ll meet could have a suggestion for my thesis.”

“Ah, there it is,” Una said with a chuckle.“I knew it had to have something to do with knowledge.”

I nodded.“I’ve got all the friendship I need right here.Knowledge, however...”I trailed off meaningfully.

“It is an honor to be considered your friend after only knowing you for a few days,” Pierre said, bowing slightly in his seat.

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