Tulips of Truth [Ⓗⓤⓝⓣⓔⓡ Ⓧ Ⓗⓤⓝⓣⓔⓡ]

Chapter 3: Friend x of x Friends

The applicants had traveled over thirty kilometers from the start. None of them knew how far they must go. They were forced to run at the leader's pace, with no goal specified. It was a monotonous course with no end in sight. And many applicants had already dropped out. Cassandra had run many kilometers at the orphanage when she was young; all she had to do was breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth. No one tried to strike up a conversation with her as she continued running. It was like a straight line for most of the time. The redhead could only watch as people fell with exhaustion left and right, and soon, her breath became shorter. "What the... I don't understand. Why am I losing stamina? I've run longer than this back at the orphanage!" Cassandra thought.

She could stop herself from tripping over nothing and falling to her knees, scratching them a small bit. "Ow–"

Sweat dripped onto the dirt as she looked up from her slanted glasses. Her vision was blurry when her glasses weren't on her face properly. Her breath came out in short huffs as she watched people run past her. That's when... "Hey, miss!"

Standing far in front was a little boy with spiky green hair and big brown eyes. Beside him was a boy with white hair and cat-like blue eyes. He held a skateboard while the green-haired boy held a fishing rod and backpack. "Come on! You can do it!!" he called.

Cassandra struggled to her feet but soon got to them as she stumbled forward, catching up to the children. "We'll run with you," the green-haired boy said.

"But... you don't have to..." Cassandra breathed.

"Still. It seems that Gon won't change his mind. So you're now running with us. Got it?" the white-haired boy asked.

Reluctant, Cassandra nodded and began to do a light jog with the two boys. She learned that the one with green hair was Gon, and the white-haired boy was Killua. Slowly, the redhead was gaining her stamina back. "Did you bring water?" Gon asked.

"No..." Cassandra breathed.

"We can find a lake of fresh water and get some when we're finished running. Does that sound good?"

It was a sound idea. The three of them continued running, seeing some of the Hunter Exam applicants up ahead. A feeling of relief washed over Cassandra's sweat-drenched body, but that feeling was soon replaced upon seeing a long flight of stairs. Killua nudged her and gave her a look, saying that they, meaning he and Gon, believed she could do it. And so the redhead nodded and followed the two boys up the many stairs as more applicants fell left and right. "So, miss. Wanna tell us a bit about yourself?" Gon asked.

Cassandra glanced at them from the corner of her eyes. At first, she was hesitant. What if they used her information against her? What if they found out about her traumatizing life and contacted the person who kept her away for 5 years? But she threw caution to the wind and explained in minor detail. "Well... I'm an orphan," she replied.

Killua picked up the pace, as did Gon and Cassandra. "I was raised by people in the orphanage to write stories and become a strong young lady," she added.

Gon listened with amazement as Killua nodded. "I bet the other kids were super excited to hear you were going to take the Hunter Exam!!" the green-haired boy exclaimed.

The memory flashed in her head. Ashlynn hadn't been there to wave her off. Mael begged her not to take the Exam. Some of the other children didn't want her to become a caretaker like Madam Charanet and Madam Capucine. "Do you speak another language?" Killua asked.

This was an easy question to answer. "Oui je le fais," she replied.

Gon and Killua were left in astonishment. She spoke French?! No way!!! Sure, Mael would curse at the kids when they didn't follow rules in French, but Cassandra's people taught her French before the "event" happened. That's when something could be seen up ahead. A source of light. The two boys sped up while Cassandra kept steadily jogging, lightly breathing in through her nose and slowly out of her mouth. When she reached the top, she stopped outside, finally taking in the... light. The sky was covered with clouds. "What the... Where are we?" she thought.

As if he saw her, Gon ran to Cassandra, hugging her eagerly. "WE DID IT!!!" he shouted.

Killua snickered as Cassandra giggled, hugging back. Other applicants reached the top, and to their misfortune, they saw one person beg for help as the metal door closed behind them. Shivers crawled up and down the redhead's spine as she shuddered. She watched as Gon and Killua went to two other people; one with blonde hair that went to his neck and a tall man with black hair and no shirt. How did his badge stick to his chest? "Hey, miss! Come meet my friends!" Gon called.

Cassandra's eyes widened as she timidly walked to them, looking at her feet. "So... uh... What are your names?" she quietly asked.

"What was that? What did she say–"

"Leorio, don't be rude. ... Apologies. My name is Kurapika, and this is Leorio," the blonde-haired boy replied.

Cassandra curtsied before Satotz, who made it to the front of the crowd, spoke once more. "This is the Misty Wetlands, also known as Swindler's Swamp. Follow me closely so you can't be deceived," he said.

Leorio got up and sneered. "What a joke. How can they expect us to be fooled?" he mumbled.

All of a sudden, someone came out from behind the wall where the metal door shut on that poor man. He was beat up and had a sleeve torn. "He's lying to you! He's an imposter!" he exclaimed, pointing at Satotz.

Everyone looked at the man in shock, then at Satotz. Gon and Killua arched a brow as Leorio and Kurapika blinked. Cassandra, on the other hand, tilted her head to the side, muttering to herself in French. "He isn't an examiner... I'm the real examiner," the man said.

"Says the dude who looks like every other basic chienne," Cassandra grumbled.

Kurapika, who stood beside her, sneered. That's when the man pulled out a monkey; he was the size of a human and looked almost like Satotz. A majority of the applicants' eyes widened as they exclaimed in shock. But the redhead knew this was a fake. "It's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Misty Wetlands! Man-faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them. He intends to sweep up the entire Hunter Applicant Pool!" the man explained, pointing at Satotz again.

It appeared that he had some people fooled. People were already plotting Satotz's death, saying he didn't walk like a human. Cassandra checked her tote bag and, while no one paid attention, slipped the shorts on and under her dress, knowing there would most likely be some more running toll of a sudden, three cards flew to the "examiner's" face and chest, while three other cards flew to Satotz, who caught them with ease. Cassandra's eyes widened as the fake examiner's body fell to the ground with the Man-Faced Ape. It was one of the applicants who threw the cards; a man with pale skin and red hair with two icons; one under each eye. Tonpa hadn't told Cassandra about all of the other applicants, but this one was a major red flag. He screamed "Danger." "I see, I see... That settles it... You're the real one. Examiners are Hunters selected by the Committee to perform this duty without pay. A simple Hunter, which we aspire to be... would have been able to block my attack," he said, looking at Satotz.

Goosebumps formed on the redhead's arms as she looked at him. He looked and sounded scary. "Who is that?" Cassandra asked, nudging Kurapika.

"Tonpa told us his name was Hisoka."

That settled it. He was to be avoided at all costs. "I'll take that as a compliment. However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for attacking an examiner," Satotz responded.

He then began to walk through the crowd of people, saying that they would encounter deception regularly. This was why he wanted the applicants to stay close to him throughout this part of the Exam. "Let us be on our way."