author note: here's the next chapter!! I hope you all enjoy it!!

hiro's pov

     hiro hated this. he hated not knowing things. he was trapped in a room, with two teenagers he didn't know. hiro tried to open the door but without any equipment, it was harder. the only thing in the room beside the three of them was a single lightbulb and a speaker, which was now making noise.

     "who was this guy?" hiro thought, "he's speaking about tests but what tests?"

     varian had asked that question right away.

     "What tests?" varian asked.

     "to see who's the smartest!" the voice answered, "I have come with numerous tests to see whos the smartest out of you three!"

     "Why?" hiro asked, "what is the whole point of this?"

     "I just told you, to see who's the smartest." the voice replied.

     "what's the first test?" leo questioned.

     both varian and hiro stared at leo. He seemed calm. hiro thought that was weird. how could this leo boy be so calm?

     "of course, it would be you to want to get straight into the tests." the voice said, "but first you need to learn the rules."

     "what rules?" varian asked.

     "rule number 1. You will speak only when spoken to or I give you permission to. rule 2. You will do as I say when I say. that's all the rules."

     "ka, cool. can we start now?" hiro questioned. he was getting tired of this.

     "yes." the voice answered, "all of you will head out into the hall. there are three doors. they have your names on them. go into the room with your name on it. in there will be a quiz. the first person to solve it wins, the other two, a punishment."

     varian and leo looked at each other.

     "what if we refuse to do it?" hiro asked.

     "then you all will get a punishment. you all must try your hardest in these tests or soon not only will you be getting hurt. others will too."

     hiro just nodded his head at this. their cell door then opened. the boys did as they were told and entered the hall.

     hiro entered the room with his name on it. the door then slammed shut. hiro turned to the door and tried opening it. it was no use.

     hiro looked around the room, there was a table in the middle of the room. on the table was what looked like a sheet of paper. hiro was curious and wanted to look at the paper but he remembered the rules, he wasn't told to go look at the paper, although, he wasn't told not to.

     hiro let his curiosity get the better of him and walked up to the paper, before he could get a good look the voice returned and screamed at him.

     "I did not tell you to look at the paper!" the voice yelled.

     "Sorry." hiro said putting his arms up in surrender, "but you also didn't say I couldn't."

     hiro put on a smug smile and looked directly at the speaker in the room, who most likely also have a camera.

     "all of you go stand by the door." the voice ordered.

     hiro complied hoping leo and varian would too.

     "Excellent." the voice said, hiro couldn't wait to get out of there and put this man in jail, "now, when I say go. you all will run to the paper and solve it, you will then say the answer aloud, if its correct you win. if wrong you'll have to try to solve it again. I've already said what happens when you win and when you lose so we won't go over that again. go."

     hiro ran to the paper, looked at it, and instantly knew the answer, but should he say it? it would hurt the others, he didn't want them to get hurt. but he was told if he didn't try then all of them, and the one they love would get hurt. hiro made up his mind, he would solve the question. he feels bad that leo and varian are going to get hurt, but he doesn't want to hurt aunt cass or his friends, and he's sure leo and varian would not want their loved ones to get hurt there.

     the equation is 2+25 − 47−2 = −8 −3- 53/ 2 is true for all values of ≠ 2/, where is a constant?

     "the answer is -3." hiro said.

     "correct, the voice said. only took you fifteen seconds. I'm impressed." the voice replied, "hiro, you can head back to the starting room."

     the door opened and hiro walked back to the room before and it closed behind him.

     hiro was worried about varian and leo, did hiro answering the question sign their death warrants? hiro heard screaming from the hall. 'oh god what did I do?!' hiro thought grabbing his hair in stress.

     suddenly there was quiet. hiro waited, it seemed forever, suddenly the door opened and in walked leo and varian, they had cuts all over them.

     "What happened to you guys?!" hiro exclaimed.

     "glass shards, they came out of the wall." varian answered.

     "I am so sorry!" hiro said, "I shouldn't have answered the question!"

     "no," leo said, "it's okay that you answered the question."

     "yea, id rather you answer it." varian replied, "You're like nine aren't you?"

     "I'm fourteen!" hiro exclaimed.

     "Oh." varian said.

     suddenly three holes in the wall opened, and there were three sandwiches and three glasses of water.

     "take the food and eat it. then sleep." the voice ordered."

     all three boys agreed, they took the food and ate it. the lights then were turned off. it was pitch black in the room. hiro knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep. but he tried anyways.

author note: that's the end of chapter two!! I hope you all enjoyed it!! see you in the next one!! also, yes I did copy and paste the math question, I'm horrible at math 🤣🤣