[3:30 pm, Physical exam hall]

Oliver was awoken from his nap by the buzzing sound coming from one of the speakers. 

"Thank you for waiting, children... Our little problem has been cleared up, so our test will begin shortly. Once again, I'm terribly sorry for the wait...." Instructor Kiel said through the speakers.

Oliver rubbed his eyes, before stretching a bit. He was quite annoyed that it took 2 hours for their "technical issues" to be fixed, but as long as he got to be an investigator, he'd wait however long it would take. That being said, he still didn't know why he was so enthusiastic about it, considering the mostly cowardly life he had lived before this. Maybe he'd just figure it along the way. At least he hoped that'd work.

As the recruits waited for the gates to open, they all had the same expressions on their faces. Of course there were ones who were still groggy from just waking up, but everyone else shared the same passion in their eyes. A passion that screamed, "I will win". The gates opened, and after a countdown, courtesy of the F.A.T.E staff, the test commenced. The recruits all scrambled to complete the obstacle course as fast as possible. They shoved, pushed, pulled, anything to get them an advantage over the others. Oliver was no different, although he did make sure to apologize if he ever pushed them too hard. But to Oliver, the most important part of this section of the physical exam is to conserve as much energy as possible so he could tackle "that". Playing dirty was necessary for his plan... At least that's what he told himself. But unbeknownst to Oliver, he was being watched. Like a wolf hiding in the shadows, watching its prey hop about in the glade, Katherine observed every movement Oliver made. She wanted to understand what kind of man Oliver was, because to her, the most dangerous person here was him. The look in Oliver's eyes, the way he carried himself, it was all disgustingly fake. But yet it was so very interesting. Like a cuckoo bird invading a nest. It looks the same as any other bird, but it's a fake trying to reap the rewards of its lies. In other words, a parasite that doesn't belong. But to see how far a cuckoo bird can stay in the nest before it gets caught, well, isn't that more interesting then just taking it out? That's what Katherine thought. She wanted to see how far Oliver could go until his facade broke, until everyone could see the fraud he really was. Yes, because Katherine hated liars.

As Oliver made his way over the monkey bars, he made it to the first true obstacle of the course, the rock climbing test. This was the "thing" that Oliver has saved up all his stamina for, but he didn't expect it would be this intimidating. A thirty feet, narrow wall with soft padding and various staff members at bottom to catch anyone who had fallen.

"I remember the instructor talking about this while we were waiting. Apparently there are three "boss" obstacles in this course, and the rock climbing test is one of them. It isn't hard because of any special tricks... It's hard because of the limited amount of handles there are..." Oliver thinks to himself, making a few inferences before tackling the beast.

Compared to the other recruits, Oliver wasn't extraordinarily gifted with strength. Even as a child, he would have to rely on his sister's freakish strength to open things for him. So to make up for the gap in strength, Oliver had to use his brain and creativity. That's the only "special" talent he had. The only thing that separated him from all the other recruits.

Oliver looked up as the recruits climbed the wall. Those who weren't physically gifted, fell as expected, leaving only the strong left standing.

"I know it's a physical test... But this is just cruel." Oliver thought to himself as he continued to watch the others.

Olivia, who had already made it to the top, looked down at Oliver in confusion. She couldn't understand his reasoning for standing around doing nothing, so she only felt pity for him .

"Why the hell is he just standing there? Don't tell me he's scared... Maybe I should help" Olivia thought to herself.

Before Olivia could act on it, she felt someone purposely bump into her. The amount of force he used caused Olivia to fall down, even scraping her knee a little. She looked up to see who had pushed her, noticing him running away, as if he didn't just try to sabotage her. As she took a closer look at him, she realised he was the same person that yelled at her back in the waiting room. Her pride wouldn't let her ignore this, even if her brother was in trouble, this was more important. She got up and began chasing after him. 

"You better run! Cause when I catch you, you're dead meat!" Olivia shouted, sounding almost insane.

Oliver heard her insane shouting from the ground level, and quickly inferred the situation.

"Geez, she really can't let things go huh... Well whatever, I'd be better if she didn't see me fail... Cause in all honesty, I'm not entirely sure this will work!" Oliver thought to himself as he began running towards the wall. He jumped as high as he could then grabbed the first handle he could reach.

"Got it! Now then... The hard part" Oliver said to himself before pulling himself up. He grabbed the next handle, placing his feet on the handle below him. He took a deep breath before looking up. He had a solid 15 more feet ahead of him, he was starting to feel the pressure. But all the requirements were met for his victory. You see, Oliver had purposefully waited for the last moment to start climbing to avoid any people blocking his climb up. If he wanted to make a mad dash, any obstacle in his way would spell failure. So this was the only chance he had, and he would take it.

"All this time, I've been trying my best to conserve stamina on the other obstacles just for this... I hope... No; I know this will work!" Oliver thought to himself as he got ready. Using all his conserved stamina in one short burst. He climbed, and climbed, and climbed like it was the last thing he'd do. He was dripping with sweat; and his hands were starting to hurt, but his goal was so close. 

"I just need to grab the last-" he slipped. The sweat from his palm caused him to slip... His own bodily functions were his downfall. As he felt the weight of his body falling down, sadness overcame him. Feeling the weight of gravity pushing him down; it was as if the world itself was telling him, "you failed, give up". He put in all that effort just to fail at the last moment. Wasn't that just pathetic?

Closing his eyes, he accepted his fate.

"Oops, gotcha" a familiar voice said. They grabbed his arm, stopping his fall. Oliver opened his eyes to see it was Katherine. He smiled, and began laughing out of relief. Katherine saw his relief, causing her to smile as well.

"What if I let go?" Katherine asked, still smiling.

Oliver's face turned into that of horror. 

"E- excuse me..?" Oliver asked, laughing awkwardly to hide his fear. He could feel Katherine's hold becoming looser, and looser; she really meant it.

"What would happen if I let go, and let you fall? There's only half an hour left on the obstacle course, and you lack the energy to continue...." Katherine said, the smile on her face never waning for a second. At this point, Oliver knew he was at her mercy. His future as an investigator was in the hands of another. He felt worthless.

"Please.... Please, I really want to be an Investigator!" Oliver said, shouting with his entire heart and soul. The passion in those words struck Katherine's curiosity. She pulled him up and made a "guilty" expression.

"Sorry that was just a cruel prank on my part, I didn't mean to scare you or anything" Katherine said, clasping her hands together. 

Oliver was still in shock from the experience, all he could do was stare at her.

"Oh you know... I'd love to stay and watch you stare at me, but there's only 30 minutes left so.... See ya" Katherine said, running away as if she didn't just traumatize Oliver. 

Oliver held his face for a moment before remembering the amount of time he had left.

"Nope, get a hold of yourself. You can question her later... You have an exam to pass..." Oliver said, as he began running towards the next section.

Once she was far enough from Oliver, Katherine took a second to compose herself. She laid her back on a nearby wall as she continued to smile. A smile that hadn't disappeared since her interaction with Oliver. A joy born from a sense of curiosity and the embarrassment of being proven wrong.

"You really are interesting, Oliver Rand... I was wrong for thinking you were a cuckoo... It's clear to me now... You're a crow"

[4:00 pm, Physical exam hall]

Oliver had successfully made it to the final stretch of the physical exam, with 30 minutes to spare at that. From what he could tell, 98% of the recruits had already failed the exam, leaving only 15 recruits left. With those kinds of odds, he couldn't help but feel a little arrogant. After all, this proved that he was better than over a hundred people. Was it so bad he felt a bit proud? And he couldn't lie, the feeling of trampling over other people's hopes and dreams actually felt really good.

"What the hell am I thinking? Ugh... I think all this running is messing with my brain..." Oliver thought, feeling a bit disappointed in himself . However before he could question his morals, he had reached the final obstacle. A sadistic dash to the finish line with sprinklings of every single obstacle, trap and trick that came before it. A final test of stamina. This was the part Oliver dreaded the most. Sure the rock climbing wall was hard, but at least he had a plan for it. However, something of this nature, is something you can't use your brain for. Only your raw skill and physical prowess. 

In the distance, Oliver could see Olivia who had already crossed the finish line. She was making some kind of gesture to him, and at first he believed she was trying to encourage him, but after re-evaluation, it was clear she was flipping him off.

"Heheh suck it loser... Actually I probably shouldn't antagonize him. If he makes it over to this side I'm screwed..." Olivia thought to herself. Still, bothering Oliver was very much worth it to her. 

Oliver looked at Olivia in disbelief. How could someone so childish be so much better than him? This fact annoyed him.

“Stupid Olivia… I'm going to prove you wrong. Cause I'm just better!” Oliver thought to himself.

He did a few extra stretches, before getting into a sprinting position. He had used most of his conserved stamina during the rock climbing test, but he only had to run about 150 meters. Besides, he had one extra card up his sleeve. Due to the nature of this obstacle course, all the recruits are forced to sabotage each other to get an edge, more so than the others. That fact gave Oliver some hope. Because Oliver could read the desires and intentions of a person just by how they looked at him, so all he had to do was react accordingly.

"It's kinda like a real life quick time event..." Oliver thought to himself, chuckling a bit. Oliver waited for the recruit beside him to start running slightly ahead of him before he started his sprint. He did this to avoid any unwanted collision that might cause him to slip. However he also had a slightly more sly reason for his approach. Since the person in front of him was about two steps ahead of him, the delay between each mechanism is large. Once the person in front of him triggered a trap or obstacle, Oliver had a split second of grace. And since he was in the middle ground between each trap, the recruit behind him will surely be hit. It was a nasty tactic, but it was the only option he had, and he was going to use it until it had run its course. Dodge, run, dodge, run, dodge run. Over and over again. The repetitiveness of his actions was exhausting. He could feel his stamina running thin, but he couldn't just stop now, he was so close to the finish line. Just a few more steps. That's all he needed.

"Go.... Go.... Just... Just go..." His body reached its limits. Oliver collapsed on the ground, his body unable to move. Despite being inches away from victory, he wasn't able to make it.

"Just like back at the rock climbing wall... I failed right at the last moment... But this time I don't have Katherine to pull me up... Huh. Even now, I still rely on others to achieve my victory..." Oliver thought to himself. He wondered if this is what everyone else felt when they failed the test. He felt stupid for being so arrogant just now. He was no different from anyone else. He looked at those who had crossed the finish line with pure envy. No, it wasn't envy. It was embarrassment. These people were either born talented, or worked hard to get where they are.

"I think I get what Katherine was trying to say just now... She wasn't asking me which one I thought was stronger, she wanted to know why a talentless loser like me, wanted to try to compete with them... Maybe she should've just let me fall. That'd at least save me some embarrassment..." Oliver thought as he lay on the ground. The timer counted down slowly from 10. Each second that passed felt like an eternity for Oliver. Why couldn't it just go faster? Was it trying to mock him? He had already given up, so why did it still taunt him. He knew he was stupid for trying to become something greater, so just reach zero, you stupid clock!

[4:30]

The timer hit zero, the test was over. Oliver got up from the floor, he felt slightly relieved. Now he could go home, eat a warm meal, and sleep in his comfy bed. I mean, that's what he wanted in the first place! Who cares about being an investigator anyways? He'd probably have to work day in and day out with no rest in between. He'd probably also get a lot of injuries. He didn't want that life. Of course he didn't want it. He didn't want it. Yet the wetness on his cheeks said otherwise. Oliver touched his face, then stared blankly at the slight wetness on his fingertips. He wondered why he was crying. He didn't want to be a cadet. His enthusiasm, his love for the cadets, his desire to become one himself, It was all just lies he told himself so he could feel better about being such a loser compared to his sister. So why? Why did he feel so bad? Why did he feel so sick in his stomach? 

"Just stop! Just stop! Just stop! Just stop!" Those words repeated in his head over and over again. He hated feeling so worthless, he just wanted to stop feeling entirely. Maybe then. Maybe then. Maybe then he wouldn't feel so bad about being inferior to Olivia. As Oliver stood frozen in his depression and frustration, he felt a flick hit his forehead.

"Yo... Why the hell are you crying? Did that fall really hurt that much?" Olivia asked, trying to sound tough, but it's obvious that she's concerned. Oliver lifted his head up, staring into her concerned eyes. Even though he felt so much hatred and jealousy towards Olivia, she didn't harbor any of those same feelings. All she felt was concern for her younger brother. As Oliver continued to stare into her eyes, he realised why he felt so bad. He wasn't disappointed that he couldn't become a cadet, nor was he angry at Olivia for being so much better than him. The true reason he felt such despair was because what he truly wanted was to be recognised by his sister. This was his chance to prove to her he was worthy of being her twin brother. But he failed.

"Olivia... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for being such a horrible person..." Oliver said, his voice was shaky. Olivia was confused by his sudden apology. All she could do was laugh awkwardly.

"The heck you mean sorry? And what's this about being a horrible person? Yeah sure you're an ass sometimes... But you're like one of the best people I know! Which is impressive since I know myself" Olivia said, trying to cheer him up. Oliver chuckled a bit, but his sadness quickly took hold of him again.

"You... Think I'm a burden don't you?" Oliver asked. Olivia slapped Oliver across his face.

"Don't you ever say that dipshit..." Olivia said, sounding extremely frustrated with Oliver. Oliver held his cheek, but he didn't really care that she slapped him. In fact, he felt like he deserved it.

"... Back in grade school, I always clung by your side. I knew that if I was with you, nobody would make fun of me, or try to pick on me... So in a way, I've always used you for my own benefit... Heh, I always called you a parasite, but it turns out I was the real one" Oliver said, staring at the ground.

"Just... Just what are you trying to say huh? That you're a pitiful little boy that doesn't deserve me or something? God I hate this about you... You always see yourself as lesser than dirt, when clearly you're more capable than most people!" Olivia said, pointing at his chest. Her words struck a chord in Oliver's heart.

"W- what no that's not wha-" but before he could finish his sentence, Olivia cut him off.

"I don't need your excuses... They're way too easy to come by anyway..." Olivia said, walking off.

Oliver didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to tell her off. Even though he was in the wrong, he felt like he had to fight back. He didn't want to just accept everything as is anymore. For once in his life, he wanted to do something about his situation.

"Just what do you know huh? I was this close to becoming a cadet, yet I failed at the very last second! If that's not pathetic, I don't know what is!" Oliver yelled back at her. Olivia turned around and glared at him. Oliver felt a bit scared, but he stood his ground.

"What the hell do you mean about failing? Look where the finish line is, idiot..." Olivia said.

Oliver turned around, realising that he had already crossed the finish line.

"W- wait... What?" Oliver said, sounding confused. Olivia shook her head as she held her face in her hand.

"Why the hell are you so stupid sometimes? Geez I wonder if you're really my brother..." Olivia said, sighing audibly.

"How the hell was I supposed to know that !" Oliver shouted, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"When you fell, you fell forward. You were already inches away from the finish line, so the fall actually helped you cross it. Call it dumb luck or divine intervention, but you passed..." Olivia said, chuckling to herself as she began walking away. Oliver couldn't believe it. He actually crossed the finish line. At that moment, there was only one thing Oliver felt. A rush of pure satisfaction.