Academy of Blood and Magic

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"Pencil's down!" the test proctor shouted sharply, her voice cracking the air like a whip and echoing on the closed-in walls in the cramped testing room, causing me to jump and drop my pencil obediently.

"Close your test booklets," the test proctor ordered and I along with the other fifteen students did as she said, closing the long, thick, paper booklet that held seventy-five questions that we spent two and half hours working on.

As I closed my test booklet, my eyes quickly scanned the answers I had marked down once more before finally and reluctantly closing it for good. The test proctor walked by our desks and snatched the booklets in quick, sharp motions.

I watched her as she passed by my desk and felt the knot in my stomach that I had felt these past three months grow again, this time triple its usual size. I'd been studying for this exam for three months, had stayed up all night several times to study and review, pretty much sacrificing my sleep, well-being, and social life so I could jam all the information I could in.

East Haven's Academy of Magic only selected twenty students each year. It was the most prestigious school of magic in the country and the chances of making it in were one in one hundred. Only the most elite sorcerers and sorceresses made it in, and one in one thousand actually made it in and graduated.

I smoothed my sweaty palms over my jeans nervously, my anxiety building up tenfold as the test proctor picked up the last booklet.

"We will grade these shortly," she said briskly, her voice as hard and prickly as a cactus, just like her personality. I had only known the woman for a few hours and hoped and prayed I'd never had to interact with her again. "Come back next week to get your test results. You are dismissed."

We all surged to our feet, relieved to finally be out of that sitting position and able to stretch. I along with another girl quickly gathered our stuff and rushed out of the room to the nearest restroom we could find. We weren't allowed bathroom breaks during the test and I'd, unfortunately, drank a full bottle of water before coming into the testing room.

We barrelled inside, startling two women who were standing in front of the sinks applying makeup. I sent them an apologetic smile before dashing inside the nearest stall. As I locked the door behind me, I heard the women muttering about juvenile delinquents and storming out of the restroom. Gee.

I quickly did my business before stepping out of the stall, walking over to the sinks, and washing my hands. I peered at my reflection; my skin was pale and shiny with sweat, my multi-colored hair tangled and sticking to my damp skin, my blue eyes wide with anxiety. Yep, I definitely looked like the nervous wreck I was.

I turned the sink off and dried my hands off with one of the paper towels. I thought back to the test and tried to memorize every single answer I'd done, trying to see if I'd answered them correctly or not. Nothing clear was coming back to me and I cursed, wishing I'd been more attentive, hadn't rushed when trying to complete the test, but it seemed like the clock had been going faster and faster by the second, not giving me a chance to pause and take a breath.

At least I'd gotten that far. At least I'd qualified to even take the test in the first place. Most sorcerers and sorceresses didn't even make it that far.

I tried to tell myself that at least I did my best, but it didn't cut it. The whispers of self-doubt in my head told me that I should have paid better attention, should have studied more. I had failed at this, just like I had failed at everything else.

The stall door opened and the girl who'd rushed inside the restroom with me walked out and headed over to the sink I'd been washing my hands in a few minutes before. Her auburn hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and had chocolate brown eyes with freckles brushing over the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I knew her from.