Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Chapter 680

Next to them, Slater, grinning like he was up to no good, was holding a water bottle, with Arkle trailing behind, arms full of gear and snacks.

Roseanne looked away.

She wasn't exactly close with Grace.

"Roseanne!" Mamie called out from a distance, waving at her as she jogged over, a hefty backpack strapped to her back, bulging at the seams. It was stuffed with sunscreen, insect repellent, a hat, water bottles, and of course, a stash of snacks.

"I've packed a bunch, we can share later!" Mamie beamed.

"Sounds good," Roseanne replied.

"Hey, where's Scales? Hasn't he shown up yet?" Worrying about being late, Mamie had sprinted the whole way, even arriving five minutes early.

Scales, who was there before her, quipped, "Where did you get the confidence that I'd be later than you?" Mamie pouted, "So what if you're two minutes early? I just hit the snooze button one too many times. But... why do you guys have such small bags?"

Roseanne didn't need to say anything, and even Scales had only a small backpack that looked nearly empty, hardly weighing anything.

"We heard the botanical facility we're visiting is pretty well-equipped, so I just brought the essentials," Roseanne explained.

Scales nodded in agreement.

Mamie was speechless.

who packed a giant bag,

school teacher checked off everyone's names, and

facility located in the

and Roseanne sat together, with Scales in the row behind

a winding mountain road en route, where

out his Kindle to catch

being quite sociable, struck up conversations with everyone around her, diving into the

to do, leaned back and enjoyed the view

dotted with mountains, and since it was winter, the sun rose late. Despite the early start, daylight

hung around the mountainsides, like a white shawl draped over

about to peek through, promising a clear day

for as long

morning, they arrived at the

facility was divided

sectors, A

further segmented intohet

with different

at the main entrance, the groups went to check in and drop off their luggage. The exam would last two days

final grade. Finding rare specimens would earn them bonus points, with each discovery worth an additional 20%. It was a

Completing the mandatory tasks

were a chance to score extra points. Either way

the trio

we head to first?" Mamie