The five young geniuses finally left the palace, hearts still thundering in their chests. Once they were safely outside, they found a low marble step right in front of the grand palace gates. They dropped their backpacks with a loud sigh and sank down onto the stone, trying to catch their breath.
People passing by glanced at them curiously. Some hurried past, while others slowed down, openly staring at this strange group sitting so casually in front of the king's palace.
Then, out of nowhere, a teenage girl about their age walked past. She wore a simple but elegant tunic that shimmered slightly in the sunlight. Her hair was tied up neatly, her eyes bright and curious as they briefly met Vinci's before she looked away with a shy smile.
Vinci's jaw dropped.
"Heyyy Vinci! There's your girlfriend," Hawkings teased, elbowing him so hard Vinci almost fell off the step.Vinci sputtered, his face turning red. "Stop it! Are you crazy?"
Einstein leaned forward, squinting dramatically after the girl. "She's beautiful, right? Just... you know... she lives in 336 BC," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
The whole group burst into loud, unstoppable laughter. Vinci tried to hide his face in his hands, but it was too late. Maria and Eliza exchanged a look, somewhere between annoyed and amused, before Maria snorted and joined in the laughter.
"Guess you won't be asking her for her number, huh?" Einstein added, still laughing.
Vinci glared at him. "Keep it up, genius. I'll definitely get you ."Maria finally calmed down and cleared her throat. "Alright, enough love stories. Focus."
She pulled her backpack closer and sat up straighter. "What do you think Aristotle might ask us? We need to plan carefully. We can't mess this up."
They all leaned in, huddling as if they were plotting a top-secret mission. They started tossing out wild guesses, listing Aristotle's theories, logical puzzles, his ideas on ethics and nature. Vinci gestured so wildly he almost smacked Hawkings in the face.
"We can't just go full science," Hawkings said seriously. "We need to mix philosophy with practical thinking. He loved simple logic, remember."
"Exactly," Eliza nodded thoughtfully. "If he asks about virtue or ethics, we tie it back to his golden mean or natural philosophy. We can't sound like robots."
They kept throwing out ideas, voices rising, hands flying as if they were drawing invisible diagrams in the air.
People passing by gave them even stranger looks now, whispering and pointing at the animated group of foreign kids arguing in rapid English right in front of the palace gates."At least we aren't in jail," Vinci suddenly joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yet," Hawkings muttered, rolling his eyes.
Just then, they noticed a guard approaching, his armor catching the fading sunlight.
"The king requests your presence," the guard announced, his deep voice slicing through the chatter.
They all stiffened.
Maria stood first, smoothing her hair nervously. "Okay... showtime."
They grabbed their backpacks quickly and fell into line behind the guard, exchanging nervous glances but trying to look calm.
As they were led inside, Vinci took one last long look down the street, half hoping to catch another glimpse of the girl.
This time, they were led deeper into the palace, into Alexander's private quarters.
The hall shimmered like something from a dream. Sunlight poured through tall windows, catching on polished bronze statues of lions and eagles. Painted columns lined the walkway, each covered in scenes of battles and grand feasts. Marble fountains bubbled softly, and golden vases overflowed with fresh flowers. The mosaic floors looked like colorful carpets made from tiny stones.
A servant guided them to a massive doorway and bowed slightly. "Here."
They stepped inside and froze.
It was a guest room, but like nothing they had ever seen. Five huge beds draped in fine linen softer than clouds stood waiting. Golden trays overflowed with fruits and fresh bread. Jars of honey, nuts, and wine glimmered on a carved wooden table. The air smelled sweet, like lavender and warm oils.
Maria's eyes widened. She dashed to a bed and flopped down, sinking deep into the softness. "We're basically besties with Alexander the Great now!" she giggled.
Each bed even had their names embroidered on the headrests, as if the king had prepared it personally.
Vinci sat on the edge of his bed, wide-eyed. "I can't believe this," he whispered. "This is insane."
Eliza walked to the window, running her fingers along the silk curtains. "It feels like we're in a dream... or a movie," she said softly."Forget sleeping," Maria shouted, bouncing upright. "Let's take pictures! We have to document this."
They all grabbed their phones immediately. Even without signal, the offline filters and cameras still worked. They ran around snapping silly poses, duck faces, fake sword fights with fruit skewers, group hugs on the beds.
"Snapchat time!" Vinci yelled, jumping into a frame beside Einstein, who nearly dropped his phone laughing.
Vinci wiped imaginary tears from his eyes. "Look at us... ancient guest room, but we still flex for the 'Gram."
"Hey, let's write our journal too," Vinci suggested when he finally stopped laughing, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Journal? Who's thinking of writing when I'm busy taking pictures of this antique gold bowl?!" Einstein shouted, his face half-hidden behind his phone camera.
Maria narrowed her eyes at him, then grinned slyly. "Hey Einstein... let's play a game."
"What game now, girl?" he asked, rolling his eyes but already smiling.
"Truth or dare," she sang, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Ughhh... fine. One round only," he grumbled, giving in.
"Truth or dare?" she asked, leaning forward.
"I'll go for truth," he said quickly.
Maria's grin widened. "Who's your girlfriend here?"
Einstein's eyes shot wide open. He stammered, glanced at Vinci and Hawkings, then back at Maria. "Uh— wait! I'll change! Dare! Yeah... dare!"
Everyone roared with laughter. Vinci rolled off the bed, clutching his stomach. Eliza shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Maria finally caught her breath and leaned back. "Fine... your dare is to write the journal tonight. Every detail."
Einstein slapped his forehead dramatically, then threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine! You win!"
He shuffled to the table, picked up his notebook, and started scribbling, muttering under his breath.
The others lay back on their beds, still giggling, their laughter echoing around the luxurious room.In that moment, surrounded by soft beds, golden trays of fruit, and the sweet scent of lavender, they almost forgot the test waiting for them in the morning.
Just Then
A faint knock echoed at the door.
They froze, glancing at each other.
Then the door creaked open ; and a shadow slipped inside.
They all held their breath.Was it a servant? Another guard? Or something... else..
"Who's That "...