Once the students were handed over the basic necessities, they lined up to enter the portals. Each student was given a flare torch just before they entered different portals.

Adrianna took the flare torch from Professor Ziu. Just before she entered, he cautioned her, "Be careful." Adrianna nodded enthusiastically and entered the portal. What she stepped out into was unimaginable. There were snow covered mountains everywhere. It was a dessert of snow. She looked around in all directions. Except her there was no one. She spotted some pine trees that were covered in snow that looked like tiny dots from where she was. Their green spiky leaves were trying to poke their way out of snow.

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Adrianna started walking towards them. The snow was soft and so every step she took went deep inside. "This is going to take forever," she thought and once again looked around for hard snow but there was none. She had to reach that place somehow for shelter. The descent was pretty steep. Adrianna knew that if she hurried, she might fall. So the first thing she did was to face outward from the slope. Then she rammed her heal into the snow as she pointed her toes to the sky. That ways, she walked safely down the slope. She was just a few meters away from the trees that she heard a loud scream coming from behind.

"Heeelllppp!" A student was shouting as he was wrapped in snow all around him with his feet and head protruding out. He looked like a live giant snowball. The giant snowball hit the trees in front with a huge impact. The student fell out of it far away as Adrianna noticed him with fear in her eyes. Had he hit his head first, he would have died. He laid there on snow with eyes closed.

Adrinna managed to to walk to him. She bent down to check his breath. "She slapped him lightly on cheeks and asked, "Are you okay?"

The student opened his eyes and asked, "Am I dead?"

Adrianna got up from there shaking her head. She said, "No," and walked away from there.

The boy got up from his place shakily. "That was a stupid move," he said scratching his head. He stood from his place and started following Adrianna.

"Hi! My name is Raz."

"Hello Raz," replied Adrianna nonchalantly started picking the twigs and large leafy branches from the ground.

"I know you Adrianna!" Said Raz excited to find someone and that too winner of the first stage of the competition. He also started picking the branches after keeping his backpack nearby.

When they had a lot of branches, Adrianna took her knife out and shaped them one after the other. "Hey Adrianna, I know how to build a good shelter. Leave it to me." Said Raz wanting to show his skill.

"If only you will build it, you will soon tire out. Together we will build it," she said firmly.

In the next one hour, the two of them had built a fantastic shelter. It was big enough for 4 to sleep inside. Feeling happy at his creation Raz sat down on a rocky outcrop and grinned. Exhausted, Adrianna sat inside the shelter and took out the meal that was given to them. She had to ration it.

As soon as she opened it, Raz came inside the shelter. "Adrianna, don't eat that!" He stopped her.

"Raz, I am hungry," she replied irritated by him.

"Wait! I sneaked in some biscuits and cake!" He said excited like a child.

Adrianna gaped at him.

"Oh, stop judging me! All of my friends sneaked in some or the other snacks, just ended not to get caught," said Raz with a smile as he opened the backpack and took out punch cake. Adrianna laughed as she accepted cake from him.

Raz shrugged his his shoulders and laughed along with her.

After they had had two or three sumptuous helping, they felt relaxed and Raz slept rolling off in a corner. Adrianna looked at him and felt sleepy. She had to find the inn as soon as possible. She decided to sleep a little and then take off.

She he woke up an hour later and saw that Raz was still sleeping. The sun had come overhead. Quietly she collected her belongings from there and came out of the shelter. She went to the trees and marked them with her knife. As soon as she started to go, Raz woke up.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

she didn't reply and walked. "Don't go Adrianna. According to the notice we need to hunt for our food here... our stock won't last long. Let's hunt together.

"Can't you do it on your own? Why are you clinging to me?" Adrianna started walking away.

"I can do it on my own, but the two of us will do it quickly."

"You are saying as though there is something to hunt on a platter."

"And if there is?"

Adriannna frowned upon him.

"While I was rolling down, I saw a pair of deer just a few meters away."

"They must have galloped away by now!"

"Impossible!" He said as he picked a long sleek branch to make a bow.