The smile that lit up her face was like watching the sun rise – genuine, warm, and completely unguarded.
I looked over at Jacob, who was still on his knees trying to collect himself, his breathing gradually slowing from panic to merely anxious. "Jacob, wake up. The test is over. You survived."
He flinched at the sound of his name, then nodded frantically, adjusting his glasses with shaking hands. "Y-yes! Of course! I'm awake! I'm good! Totally good! That was... that was..." His words tumbled over each other in his haste to respond.
"You're welcome," I said quietly, letting the implication hang in the air. His eyes widened further as understanding dawned on him – I'd saved his life. Or at least, what would have been his life in a real situation.
"T-thank you," he stammered, looking at me with a new expression – not just fear or anxiety, but something closer to awe.
