7.2 The Quiz

The student standing next to the table raised his hand. The cheerings and the conversations suddenly dropped. There was complete silence as if the unruly noise earlier was just an illusion. One could hear the low steady breathing of the participants. Both of them had their eyes focused on the student holding the book.

"Which of the following muscle fibres are supplied with the autonomic nervous system, have a very rich blood supply and have the property of contraction, even when they are isolated from the body temporarily?" The book guy read the question loud and clear. None of the participants spoke up.

"Option one - Red skeletal muscle

Option two - White skeletal muscle

Option three - Smooth muscles

Option four - Cardiac muscles" he read out the options, once again in a loud and clear voice with a small pause between each of them.

The canteen was surrounded by a mysterious silence for a few seconds after he finished reading out the options. Neither of them answered immediately. The student on the left sat completely motionless while the student on the opposite side looked up at the ceiling. His eyes moved erratically along with his finger as if he was searching for the answer.

Slam! The student on the left banged his hand on the table. The question guy pointed at him, "Go"

"The fourth option - Cardiac muscles," he answered.

'....'

"That's…" there was a pause, as though he was building up the suspense up till the last moment, "...the correct answer!" Announced the question guy. He played his part like a professional.

The crowd burst into an uproar, cheering the winner with a round of applause.

"Damn it!" cursed the other guy, "My mind went completely blank."

Both of them got up from their chairs and shook hands. The winner put his hand over the other guy's shoulder and they headed towards the food counter.

"What should I order? How about I order the whole menu? Hehe" said the guy who won with a teasing tone.

"Please go easy on my poor wallet." whimpered the guy who lost.

With no idea of what was happening, I looked towards Rahul knowing that he would be more than happy to explain it to me.

"What?" Rahul looked startled seeing me rely on him, "I guess there's no helping it, looks like I will have to explain everything." A smile arose on Rahul's face as he ran his hands through his hair. He took the bait. He really took pride in explaining things. It was a good thing as it saved me time.

"The student standing next to the table is the 'Quiz master'. He picks up random questions for the quiz from all of the four subjects.

As soon as the question man finishes reading the question, the first one to tap on the table gets to answer first. The student who scores three right answers first wins the match.

The selection method for the questions and the number of questions depends on both the participant's choices. I guess the gamble in this quiz was to treat the winner to lunch." He enthusiastically explained about it, as if it was a game. This evoked some curiosity in me.

"Have you ever participated in the quiz? I asked him.

"Me? No no no. I wouldn't stand a chance against these monsters. Besides, I am not even done with the studying part yet." He denied as he shook his head.

But one thing bugged me. This many rules for a simple problem-solving game? I wonder who created this game. Maybe the rumour about the quiz being created by the teacher is true.

"Who's up for the next match?" asked the quizmaster, breaking my trance.

The students started chattering and discussing among themselves, waiting for someone to exchange bets and compete in the quiz.

"Abed" A sheepish feminine voice that I have never heard before, called him from behind.

All three of us turned around. A girl with short stature, with neck-long lavender hair and a cute face, stood in front of us. Her eyes were looking down shyly at the floor as she fidgeted her fingers. The sleeves of her uniform were unusually long compared to the other girls.

"Wou… Would you like to have a quiz with me?" She muttered, still staring at the floor.

Is this a challenge for a quiz or a confession? I wondered.

"Okay. Let's do it!" Abed replied immediately without a second of thought.

"Okay!?" Rahul exclaimed with surprise, "What are you doing, stupid? At least ask her what she wants as the gamble first."

"Ohh… I completely forgot about that." Abed laughed it off as usual.

"How can he be so carefree? Ahh… He gets on my nerves." Rahul grumbled.

I don't remember seeing her in the class. Maybe because of her timid nature she went unnoticed.

"What is your name? I don't recall seeing you in the class?" Rahul asked her. It looked like he had the same suspicions as me.

She appeared to be startled by Rahul's question, "I… I am Reyana Varghese from MR04, in the same batch as you all." She muttered slowly as if she was mustering up the courage to speak.

Why does this girl who is as shy as a mouse want to have a quiz with Abed? I think by now, almost everyone in the class knows that Abed is a genius and can solve questions that a normal student can only dream of solving.

"So what's the gamble?" Questioned Rahul.

She seemed to be hesitating for a second, but then she lifted her head for the first time during this whole conversation.

"If I win, I want you to kneel in front of me and acknowledge that I am better than you." She said in a raucous prideful voice which was completely different from her low timid voice from before.

The expression I saw on her face was something that even surprised me. Her big wide opened eyes glared at Abed with a fierce look in them. I could feel the envy and hatred in the air around her. I had seen this expression before, not in this human world but the demon realm.