This chapter is dedicated to @Floor_Ooms for making this beautiful cover for me! 

Hoi hoi!
Here is a new chapter for all of you, I hope you'll like it! I updated this during a lecture, so that proves how important I think updating on time is, right?
Enjoy!
Love, Sanne

***

He was considered the smartest person in the Pack, or the world, considering the Pack he lived in.

"I still can't believe we actually won this thing." Allison sat on my bed, twirling her long, platinum blond hair around her fingers. "I'm kind of jealous that you get to go to Sapientiae and I can't, though. How long will you be gone again?" 

I sighed as I put another pair of black skinny jeans in my trunk. "I offered you to be the literal head of our operation." 

"I know, I know," Allison grinned widely and let herself fall on the bed. "I would never have been able to remain calm if I had to stand there, in the lights, lying my ass off. You were, and we won, so yay!" 

Rolling around so she lay on her stomach, she looked up to meet my eyes. "I'm just jealous that you can go on a plane. You get to leave this pack, you get to see the world outside of the walls. How awesome is that?"

"Pretty awesome right? But don't worry," I said teasingly. "The programme there is on a tight schedule, with lots of smart people conferences, lectures and discussions throughout the week. You wouldn't understand a thing of it anyway."

"And you would?"

I winked. "I'm officially the smartest person in the Fortis pack, mind you."

A second later I received a pillow in my face. "Gee thanks."  

"You are welcome, darling. Will you help me pack now? We can go for a drink right after."

She answered with a devious smile that made me cringe slightly and almost regret my question. "Of course."

***

"Promise me you make a lot of pictures, alright?" My mum had watery eyes as she hugged me tightly to her chest. "I will miss you, honey."

I laughed at her quietly.  "I'll only be gone for a week you know. I'll be back before you know it! You'll probably enjoy some time alone without me to bug you constantly." 

I would miss her too. Since dad had died, we were never apart for more than two days. And when we were, I was close by. Now I would be gone for a week, in another pack. 

"This is the final boarding call for passenger Livia Devoe booked on flight 12A to Sapientiae. Please proceed to gate 1 immediately. The captain will order for the doors to be closed in five minutes. I repeat, this is the final boarding call for Livia Devoe. Please have your identification card and boarding pass ready. Thank you." A woman's voice sounded hollow in the departure hall of the small airport. The sound of her words that called me to the aeroplane resonated throughout the room while I hugged Allison and my mum one last time before my departure. "I love you mum, see you next week!"

"Until next week, my little flower. I love you too." After this lovely goodbye from my mum, I decided to get my backpack and make my way to the gate to start my journey to another pack.

***

I had to admit, I was nervous for my first flight. 

It wasn't a big plane, obviously, as it was only me and a small flight crew, but it was still scary. Maybe it was even scarier than when I would have flown in a big plane with a lot of other persons who weren't as nervous as me, so I could just copy their behaviour. 

However, when the plane took off and we started flying the first few meters above the ground, I felt a huge burst of adrenaline go through me. It felt like a pleasant liquid fire that made my heart beat twice as fast, and made my breathing sound ragged. 

It was amazing, and excitedly I stared through the window, watching as the people walking on the street grew as small as ants, the houses little as mushrooms and the roads as thin as the thread of a ball of wool. 

We flew over mountains, lakes, forests, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. It barely gave me time to think about my appearance at the Sapientiae pack, both mentally and physically. 

It just took us a little over an hour before we landed in the capital city of the Intelligence pack. This again was scary, watching the ant-like people, mushroom-like houses and wool-like roads grow bigger and bigger. For a few seconds I was afraid we would hit the ground with a huge impact, but in the end, it wasn't as bad as I'd expected.

After picking up my luggage at the small airport, I was brought to a room with all the other winners of the intelligence competitions of this year. 

Every pack on the continent had a representative to show off their intelligence. There was one from the Sensus pack, Commutatio, Iustitia, Tempus, Fidem, Pulchritudo, Ordinem and me, from the Fortis pack. 

While I only had to fly for an hour, the Commutatio representative had to travel for more than five hours this time. As the Commutatio pack was the Pack of change, they often changed everything, including their location. 

Right now they lived at the border of the continent, near the ocean, which was very far away from the Sapientiae pack.

Almost all the representatives were at least twice or thrice my age. 

They were talking amongst themselves in an annoying manner, with rich and difficult words. I had seen some disapproving glares pointing at my dark navy dyed hair, but at the same time, their eyes shone with respect at me being able to win the competition at my age.

Ha. They should've known how I won, then they would've glared at me with disgust only. 

The only person who looked even remotely close to my age wasn't exactly someone I would like to be associated with. 

Some people were the cute kind of nerds, with dorky glasses, a shy look in their eyes and secretly quite handsome. This guy, who looked like he was from Ordinem, the Pack of Order, was the exact opposite of cute. 

He was on the chubby side, which wasn't necessarily bad, but with the clothes he was wearing, it was. His face was bloated and covered with acne, while he wore glasses that were one size too small. 

And what was the worst of all, he looked around him, silently checking if anyone was watching him, before he picked his nose quite grossly and ate whatever he had dug out. 

I cringed and sneakily snapped a picture of the dude for Allison and me to laugh at when I got home again. Then I decided to just keep to myself until someone would call us to bring us to the Sapientiae fortress.

Or wait no, I supposed they called it headquarters here. 

Why couldn't they just call the centre of the Pack, where the Alpha resided, a fortress in every pack? 

No, Sapientiae had to call it headquarters, Sensus had to call it Castle. So confusing for someone who wasn't super smart.

***

We had to wait incredibly long before someone came to us. They apologised for the long wait, saying something had gone wrong, that the bus that was supposed to pick us up wasn't there yet. Another one would arrive in a few minutes, so we could grab our luggage already and get in line.

My stomach roared loudly as everyone got into a queue in a manner that was even more ordered than the soldiers in the Fortis pack did. When the bus was finally there to drive us to the headquarters, I grumbled quietly to myself in chagrin. "I better get the best freaking dinner I have ever had, jeez."