This is probably some sort of a test, Kitty thought. A test of bravery. Perhaps everyone who studies law will be put through it. So why is Kate here? Maybe we were sent here because we’re<i>special</i>—<i>helpless and unclothed</i>, Kate’s words gave her the chills. What kind of special? Could it be that this is just a trial to see if we are fit to study in the university to begin with? What if all female students have to go through it? To prove we’re worthy? At the end of this, there’s likely some agreement, a contract, not to speak of it to anyone, ever. No one ever has, so it must be some well-guarded secret. No matter. Kitty took a deep breath, the dampness of her undershirt icky on her skin. We must go on.<br/><br/>“I heard it, too,” Kitty whispered a reply. A few steps further the sisters came across a small porch of a wooden house sunken into the soil of the tunnel wall. There was no question that the voice had come from inside, and as the scent of flowers was overcome by the strong aroma of a mushroom stew, Kitty could already picture the woman’s appearance in her mind; a hunched, old hag with messy hair and a long nose, stirring a pot in the kitchen with an overly large, wooden ladle, occasionally reaching for her collection of various glass jars on a crooked shelf. Maybe this is a fairy tale, Kitty considered. It had been years since she last read one, her books now replaced with textbooks of law and of other miscellaneous subjects she had tried to get into during the first year of her studies.<br/><br/>“Should we knock?” Kitty asked quietly, and noticed the door was ajar. Perhaps it was a better idea to first take a peek and see if the woman in the cabin was in fact a harmless old lady—or a witch.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>