A/N- Biggest Chapter so far...Read with Patience ... Can cause severe painful flashbacks...😮💨
Chapter 93– "Exam Week: No Mercy Era"
The mansion had officially entered a new phase.
Not chaos.
Not romance.
Not drama.
---
Survival.
---
And survival had a strict schedule.
---
05:00 AM — Wake up
05:15 AM — Coffee
05:30 AM — Panic revision
06:00 AM — Existential crisis
---
The Teachers Were Already Dead Inside
Care walked into the kitchen first.
Hair tied up.
Eyes half open.
Holding coffee like it was life support.
---
Cole was already there.
Staring at a planner.
Not blinking.
---
Care looked at him.
"…you slept?"
---
Cole didn't look up.
"…no."
---
Pause.
---
"…me neither."
---
They both nodded like that was normal.
It wasn't.
---
Lyra entered next.
Calm face.
Dead soul.
---
"I think I forgot what sleep feels like."
---
Rhys followed immediately after.
"Sleep is a myth invented by people who don't study anatomy."
---
Alex entered last.
Looked at all of them.
"…why are we like this."
---
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
---
Meanwhile: The Students
Upstairs—
the real suffering began.
---
Percy fell out of bed.
Aries woke up already stressed.
Yuri was revising in his sleep somehow.
(a/n- I also do that 😅)
Felix just sat staring at notes like betrayal had taken physical form.
---
JJ was the only one who looked… slightly alive.
---
Keifer noticed immediately.
"…you slept."
---
JJ nodded.
"Barely."
---
Keifer:
"Lucky."
---
She smirked.
"…you look worse than me."
---
"I am worse than you."
---
That was the most honest thing anyone said all day.
---
Revision War Begins
06:00 AM.
Living room transformed into war zone.
---
Alex at the center.
Whiteboard behind him.
Corporate models everywhere.
---
Cole beside him.
Strategy notes.
No emotion.
Only destruction of ignorance.
---
"Focus," Alex said.
---
Percy raised hand instantly.
"…I can't focus."
---
"Correct answer."
---
Percy:
"WAIT WHAT?"
---
Care & Lyra – Silent Suffering
Care was sitting on the couch with medical charts.
Lyra beside her.
Both silent.
Both tired.
Both still teaching.
---
Care pointed at Cin.
"Cardiac cycle."
---
Cin answered.
Correct.
---
Care nodded slowly.
"…good."
Then whispered to Lyra:
"I want to die."
---
Lyra:
"Same."
---
Rhys from across the room:
"Medically speaking, you're both functional."
---
Care:
"I hate medicine."
---
Keifer vs Alex Round 2
Alex suddenly pointed at Keifer.
"Explain SWOT analysis."
---
Keifer answered immediately.
Perfectly.
---
Alex blinked.
"…you're not helping the morale."
---
Keifer:
"Not my problem."
---
Percy:
"IT SHOULD BE."
---
JJ Slowly Losing It
JJ leaned back.
Whispered:
"…why are exams like war?"
---
Yuri:
"Because education is pain disguised as growth."
---
Felix:
"I want to drop out emotionally."
---
Aries:
"You already did."
---
"HOROSCOPE," JJ said automatically.
---
Aries:
"DON'T START TODAY."
---
Afternoon Breakdown
By 2 PM—
everyone was cooked.
---
Coffee count: illegal
Sanity: expired
Brains: not responding
---
Cin called from AIIMS (where he later ran away giving excuses of lab classes, technically smart boy):
"I heard your suffering."
---
Percy screamed into phone:
"COME JOIN US."
---
Cin:
"NO THANK YOU."
---
Care Finally Collapses
Care closed her files slowly.
"…I'm done."
---
Lyra:
"…same."
---
Rhys:
"…same."
---
Alex:
"…same."
---
Cole:
"…same."
---
Silence.
---
Then JJ:
"…so who teaches us tomorrow?"
---
Everyone looked at each other.
---
Then slowly turned toward Alex.
---
Alex:
"…don't."
---
Night fell again.
Revision lights stayed on.
Books everywhere.
Faces half dead.
---
But somehow—
they were still together.
---
Percy leaned on Honey.
Aries arguing softly with Ella.
Mica asleep on Calix's shoulder.
Freya whispering answers to Edrix.
Rakhi hitting Cin for overstudying.
---
Keifer sitting beside JJ.
Quiet.
Present.
---
JJ whispered:
"…this feels like forever."
---
Keifer:
"…it's just exams."
---
JJ:
"…it feels worse."
---
Keifer smiled faintly.
"…yeah."
---
Upstairs—
Care looked at Cole.
---
"…we survived today."
---
Cole nodded.
"…barely."
---
And for once—
no one argued.
Because exam week had one universal truth.
---
Nobody survives it.
They just… endure it together.
---
Exam weak schedule.
"Paper, Panic, Repeat"
---
Exam day didn't arrive.
It attacked.
---
6:30 AM.
The mansion was already on fire emotionally.
Not literally.
Worse.
---
Silence before disaster.
---
First Exam – Corporate Management (IIM Bangalore)
The entire group moved like prisoners heading to court.
Keifer walked beside JJ.
Aries walked behind them like a bodyguard who didn't trust physics.
Percy was praying.
Nobody knew to whom.
---
Care's voice from the gate:
"Eat something before you go."
---
JJ:
"I can't feel my stomach."
---
"Good," Care replied.
"Means it's working."
---
Cole passed by.
"…good luck."
---
Percy stared at him.
"That sounded like a threat."
---
"It wasn't."
---
"That makes it worse."
---
Exam Hall – Silence War
Inside:
Absolute silence.
Absolute tension.
Absolute regret.
---
JJ opened paper.
Paused.
Blink.
---
"…this is easier than Alex's revision."
---
Across the city:
Alex sneezed somewhere in the universe.
---
Keifer glanced at her.
"…don't get confident."
---
JJ smirked.
"…I was born confident."
---
Keifer:
"…that explains a lot."
---
First Exam Ends
Exit doors opened.
Chaos exploded.
---
Percy:
"I ALMOST DIED IN QUESTION 3."
---
Aries:
"YOU DID DIE. YOU JUST DIDN'T NOTICE."
---
Yuri:
"I am spiritually unemployed now."
---
Felix:
"I want refund for my brain."
---
JJ walked out calmly.
Keifer immediately:
"…how was it?"
---
JJ:
"…fine."
---
Keifer:
"…that's suspicious."
---
Second Exam – Business Analytics
Less talking.
More suffering.
---
Alex personally supervised revision beforehand.
Big mistake.
---
Alex:
"If you fail this, it's not the system's fault."
---
Percy:
"…it feels like it is."
---
Care from behind:
"It is not."
---
Percy:
"…she's worse than Alex."
---
Exam Hall – Breakdown Arc
Question paper arrives.
---
Yuri flips page.
Pauses.
"…this is illegal."
---
Aries:
"…I agree emotionally."
---
JJ starts writing immediately.
Keifer watches.
---
"…you're fast."
---
JJ:
"…you're slow."
---
Keifer:
"…I'm strategic."
---
JJ:
"…you're stressed."
---
Silence.
---
Second Exam Ends
Everyone exits slower.
Mentally damaged.
---
Mica:
"I saw my childhood flash before me."
---
Calix:
"I saw my retirement."
---
Edrix:
"I saw nothing. I am nothing."
---
Third Exam – Finance / Elective Hell
By now—
everyone accepted fate.
---
No hope.
Only survival.
---
Cole walking beside Alex:
"…this is your fault."
---
Alex:
"…how."
---
"You exist. You were the one who gave the idea of teaching them all."
---
Fair point.
---
Exam Hall – Final Phase
JJ sits.
Looks at paper.
Laughs once.
---
Keifer:
"…why are you laughing."
---
JJ:
"…because this is ridiculous."
---
Keifer:
"…focus."
---
JJ:
"…I am focused."
---
Keifer:
"…you're smiling."
---
JJ:
"…I'm coping."
---
Exam 3 Ends
Silence.
Then explosion of relief.
---
Percy:
"I AM NEVER STUDYING AGAIN."
---
Aries:
"You will study tomorrow."
---
Percy:
"…I hate you."
---
Evening – Return to Mansion
Everyone collapses.
Literally.
---
Care drops keys.
Lyra sits on stairs.
Rhys just stares at ceiling.
Alex doesn't speak.
Cole doesn't move.
---
Keifer carries JJ inside.
No drama.
No argument.
Just exhaustion.
---
JJ leans on him.
"…we survived?"
---
Keifer:
"…barely."
---
JJ:
"…I want sleep for 10 years."
---
Keifer:
"…agreed."
---
Mansion lights dim.
Students scattered.
Friends half-dead.
Love stories paused.
---
Percy asleep on Honey.
Aries arguing in sleep.
Mica and Calix gone.
Freya laughing weakly.
Cin texting "I survived too 😭"
---
Care watching everyone quietly.
Cole beside her.
---
Care:
"…they're alive."
---
Cole:
"…so are we."
---
Upstairs—
Keifer places blanket over JJ.
She holds his sleeve instinctively.
---
JJ whispers:
"…don't leave."
---
Keifer pauses.
Then softly:
"…never again."
---
And for the first time in exam week—
the mansion finally stopped screaming.
---
"Final Paper, Final Nerve"
The last exam didn't feel like relief.
It felt like the final boss.
---
Everyone knew one thing:
If they survived today—
they survived everything.
---
Morning – The Mansion Before War
Cin was already sitting at the breakfast table looking spiritually detached from reality.
Dark circles.
Dead eyes.
Empty soul.
---
Percy looked at him.
"…you okay?"
---
Cin slowly turned.
"…I have seen things."
---
Aries:
"You mean studied?"
---
Cin:
"No."
Pause.
"…I mean suffered."
---
Flashback: Cin vs The Three Doctors
Because Cin's exam prep had not been normal.
It had been:
Care. Lyra. Rhys.
---
Three specialists.
One student.
No mercy.
---
Day 1
Care:
"Cardiology basics."
Cin:
"…okay."
---
Day 2
Lyra:
"Neurological pathways."
Cin:
"…I'm listening."
---
Day 3
Rhys:
"Full anesthesia protocol simulation."
Cin:
"…I want to die."
---
Day 4
All three together:
"Rapid revision."
Cin:
"…I have no rights anymore."
---
Present – Mansion Chaos
Cin whispered:
"…they don't sleep."
---
Percy nodded.
"Same."
---
Cin:
"No, you don't understand."
Pause.
"They rotate."
---
Aries:
"…that's illegal."
---
Cin:
"I think I'm part of the curriculum now."
---
Final Exam Day – IIM + IIM Trauma Mode
Keifer stood outside JJ's room.
"…you ready?"
---
JJ:
"…no."
---
Keifer:
"…same."
---
Percy from hallway:
"WE'RE ALL NOT READY."
---
Aries:
"WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING."
---
Percy:
"BECAUSE I'M ALIVE."
---
Exam Hall – Final Paper
Absolute silence.
But different kind.
Not panic.
Not confusion.
---
Acceptance.
---
JJ opened paper.
Paused.
"…this is actually fine."
---
Keifer:
"…don't jinx it."
---
JJ:
"I've suffered enough to be qualified for optimism."
---
Across Hall
Alex had personally supervised revision.
Cole had mentally prepared them.
Care had emotionally broken them.
Lyra had clinically analyzed their stress.
Rhys had calculated their burnout probability.
---
Now they were just… done.
---
Cin's Final Breakdown Arc (Medical Hall)
Cin sitting between Care, Lyra, Rhys.
Exam papers still not opened.
Last quick revision.
---
Care:
"Answer properly."
---
Cin:
"…I will try."
---
Lyra:
"Don't panic."
---
Cin:
"I stopped panicking last Tuesday."
---
Rhys:
"Good. Now perform."
---
Cin:
"…I hate all three of you equally."
---
Care:
"Fair."
---
Final Exam Ends
Time ends.
Pens drop.
Silence.
Then—
CHAOS.
---
Percy:
"IT'S OVER."
---
Aries:
"WE SURVIVED."
---
Felix:
"NEVER AGAIN."
---
Yuri:
"I am reborn."
---
JJ leaned back slowly.
"…I think my brain left my body."
---
Keifer:
"…mine too."
---
Cin – Post Trauma
Cin walking out slowly.
Eyes blank.
---
Percy:
"BRO YOU MADE IT."
---
Cin:
"…did I?"
---
Aries:
"Barely."
---
Cin:
"…I need therapy."
---
Care (from behind):
"I heard that."
---
Cin:
"…I regret existing in this group."
---
Lyra:
"You passed."
---
Cin:
"…I did?"
---
Rhys:
"You did."
---
Cin:
"…oh."
Pause.
"…nice."
---
Evening – Aftermath
Mansion again.
But this time—
quiet relief.
---
People collapsing everywhere.
Laughing.
Crying.
Sleeping.
---
Percy on the floor.
Aries leaning on wall.
Mica and Calix asleep.
Freya smiling tiredly.
Edrix half-dead.
Rory lying dramatically.
Eman silent victory.
---
Cin sitting with a cup of water.
Staring into space.
---
JJ sitting beside Keifer.
Leaning on him.
---
"…it's over."
---
Keifer:
"…finally."
---
JJ:
"…what now?"
---
Keifer looks at her.
Soft.
Quiet.
---
"…we live."
---
JJ smiles faintly.
"…that sounds harder."
---
Keifer:
"…yeah."
---
Upstairs—
Care, Lyra, Rhys, Alex, Cole.
All exhausted.
All finally still.
---
Care:
"…we did it."
---
Cole:
"…never again."
---
Alex:
"…I need a year off reality."
---
Lyra:
"…same."
---
Rhys:
"…agreed."
---
Night falls.
No exams.
No revision.
No panic.
---
Just life again.
---
JJ holds Keifer's hand slightly tighter.
---
"…don't disappear again."
---
Keifer:
"…not even if I want to."
---
And for the first time in weeks—
the mansion didn't feel like survival.
---
It felt like home again.
---
"After Exams, Hearts Loud Again"
---
The mansion finally exhaled.
Not a tired breath.
A free one.
---
For the first morning in days—
no alarms screamed.
No books were open.
No panic revision was happening in corners.
---
Just… people.
Alive again.
---
Freya's First Complaint of Peace
Freya walked into the living room, looked at everyone, and immediately pointed at her reflection in a spoon.
---
"My dark circles have dark circles."
---
Silence.
---
Mica blinked.
"…you're dramatic."
---
Freya gasped.
"This is not drama. This is trauma with skincare consequences."
---
Percy from the floor:
"Same. My Handsome face is completely ruined."
---
Freya:
"You don't even sleep properly, shut up."
---
Percy:
"I suffer emotionally."
---
Aries:
"So do we all. Sit down."
---
Freya dramatically flopped onto the couch.
"…exams ruined my beauty sleep schedule."
---
Percy:
"I literally missed my skincare schedules everyday for ONE weak."
JJ, laughing softly:
"…you had a schedule?"
---
Percy:
"I had a LIFE."
---
---
JJ & Keifer – Quiet Chaos of Love
Upstairs balcony.
Morning light soft.
Wind slow.
Everything finally still.
---
JJ leaned on the railing.
Keifer stood beside her.
Not touching at first.
Just present.
---
JJ spoke first.
"…you stayed with me the whole time."
---
Keifer:
"…I always do."
---
JJ glanced at him.
"…even when I don't deserve it?"
---
That made him pause.
---
Then he stepped closer.
Finally.
---
"You don't get to decide that."
---
Silence.
---
JJ's voice softened.
"…you're still stubborn."
---
Keifer:
"…you're still running in my head."
---
JJ smiled faintly.
"…sounds exhausting."
---
"…it is."
---
A pause.
Then JJ turned slightly toward him.
---
"…Keifer."
---
He looked at her instantly.
---
And JJ didn't hesitate this time.
She reached up—
grabbed his collar lightly—
and pulled him down.
---
A kiss.
Soft.
Unrushed.
Not desperate like before.
Not chaotic.
Just… sure.
---
When she pulled away—
Keifer didn't move.
Just rested his forehead against hers.
---
"…you're back," he whispered.
---
JJ:
"…I never really left."
---
---
Lyra & Alex – Denial Mode Romance™
Kitchen.
Early morning.
Coffee.
Too quiet.
Too suspicious.
---
Lyra was pouring coffee when Alex reached beside her at the same time.
Their hands touched.
Both froze.
---
"…sorry," Lyra said immediately.
---
"…it's fine," Alex replied instantly.
Too fast.
Too rehearsed.
---
Silence.
---
They both didn't move away.
That was the problem.
---
From behind—
Rhys walked in.
Stopped.
Looked at them.
---
"…are you two done pretending or should I come back after your emotional breakthrough?"
---
Lyra choked slightly.
"Rhys—!"
---
Alex straightened immediately.
"It's not what it looks like."
---
Rhys:
"It looks like two emotionally avoidant adults holding hands in a kitchen."
---
Silence.
---
Alex and Lyra both let go instantly.
At the exact same time.
Too synchronized.
---
Rhys nodded.
"…confirmed."
Then walked away.
---
Lyra whispered:
"…we're not holding hands."
---
Alex:
"…obviously."
---
Pause.
---
Both:
"…we were just—"
---
Rhys from hallway:
"Don't finish that sentence."
---
---
Care & Cole
Garden.
Afternoon.
Warm sun.
No urgency.
---
Care was sitting on the steps, scrolling through hospital updates.
Cole stood beside her.
Not talking.
Just there.
---
Care didn't look up.
"…you're quiet today."
---
Cole:
"…so are you."
---
Pause.
---
Care finally looked at him.
"…you stayed through everything."
---
Cole:
"…someone had to."
---
Care smiled slightly.
"…you always act like you don't care."
---
Cole glanced at her.
"…and you always act like you don't notice."
---
That landed.
Quietly.
Softly.
---
Care looked away first.
"…you're annoying."
---
Cole:
"…you're exhausted."
---
She laughed once under her breath.
"…yeah."
---
A pause.
Then Cole sat beside her.
Not too close.
Just enough.
---
And Care didn't move away.
---
That was enough.
---
---
Chaos Returns (Because It Always Does)
Downstairs—
Percy was trying to cook.
Which was already a mistake.
---
Aries was supervising.
Which made it worse.
---
"This is not how fire safety works," Aries said.
---
Percy:
"I AM THE FIRE SAFETY."
---
The stove beeped aggressively.
---
JJ walked in just in time.
"…why does it smell like emergency?"
---
Percy:
"It's breakfast."
---
JJ:
"…that doesn't answer anything."
---
---
Soft Moment
Night came again.
But it wasn't heavy anymore.
---
It was calm.
---
JJ and Keifer sat on the rooftop.
No crowd.
No noise.
Just wind.
---
JJ leaned her head on his shoulder.
---
"…we survived exams."
---
Keifer:
"…barely."
---
JJ smiled.
"…we survived everything, actually."
---
Keifer didn't answer immediately.
Then quietly:
"…not everything."
---
JJ looked up.
---
He turned slightly toward her.
---
"…we still have a lot to live for."
---
JJ smiled softly.
"…sounds scary."
---
Keifer:
"…I'll stay anyway."
---
And this time—
JJ didn't doubt it even for a second.
---
Because after everything broken and rebuilt—
love wasn't loud anymore.
---
It was just… staying.
-----------------🩷🧿
Hey cuties 🥰,
How are you all?
I know I haven't been posting regularly but what else can do, I have literally 6 hours of tuition classes...😭. And my school starts from Monday.
I am so excited to go to school, because in 11th many of the students change schools, so many new students will come, and i guess I am curious to know if that one person who always challenges me is he still in same school or not...? Some of you already know who I am talking about...😁
I will only post one chapter daily in this book from Monday and Tomorrow, I mean Today 5th June I will upload two more chapters...
So stay tuned...
Because this is definitely not the end...
New and most unique arc upcoming and no one would have ever thought about it...
Deaths of loved ones too...
So rn gather the moments maybe they will become a memory tomorrow...you never know
...
Good night, I am finally going to sleep at 2am 🥱... Because I am an Night owl...But I don't know that once my school starts it will be from 7 in morning that will be literally a torture for me to wake up at 5:30 am...
---
Regards,
Yours Lovingly,
Author ~CARE...💖✨🫶🏻