“Oh God.” Zara turned pale, swallowing thickly. “What if I fail?”
“Didn’t you go to Oxford?” I asked her, remembering a tidbit of information she’d given me the previous day.
“Yes,” she nodded, twisting her arms in her lap yet again. “I just hope it’s not an oral exam. I am so bad when it comes to answering questions in person. If it’s a written exam, I know I’ll do well.”
I was hoping for the opposite. While I knew my knowledge was adequate, if only above average, I sometimes struggled with grammar, and I hated the thought of my weaknesses being exposed during the exam.
The two of us were joined by another girl, the one whose name I recalled to be Safiya. She was strikingly beautiful, but she also had an air about her that suggested she didn’t take any nonsense, and I knew right away she was my kind of woman.
“Hey, girls,” she said, a shy smile lighting up her pretty face. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all,” I replied, though Zara seemed a bit more hesitant about having another girl at the table. “I didn’t see you earlier, Safiya.”
“I overslept,” she grimaced. “Barely made it out in time for the announcement. Is all the food gone?”
She glanced hopefully at the self-service breakfast, but the maids were already tidying it up.
“You can have my last croissant,” I offered, pushing my plate toward her. She gave me a grateful glance, and I only noticed then Zara still hadn’t said a word to her. I wondered whether there was animosity between the two of them, but I didn’t want to question my friend out loud.
The half hour passed in a flash, and as Safiya ate the flaky apricot-jam filled croissant, even Zara joined in the conversation. I found out a little more about both girls, like the fact that Safiya was interested in all kinds of art, and Zara hated how oppressive her parents were. But I deliberately kept information about myself sparse. After all, the two women were my competition… even though we were starting to build a friendship, I couldn’t let them see my weaknesses. They could so easily be turned against me.
Before we knew it, Melanie appeared in the common room again, ushering the twelve of us toward the east wing. We walked down beautiful arched hallways made of marble, and once again, I found myself marveling at the stunning architecture of the castle. And if I, a layman, was impressed by its beauty, Safiya must have loved it, knowing way more about architecture than I ever would.
We stopped in a large room with several sofas, couches and poofs. The girls settled on them, with Safiya, Zara and myself going for a velvet crimson loveseat and an accompanying armchair. I could feel my own nerves getting the better of me, but I did my best to quieten them and listen to what Melanie had to say.
She pointed to a door in the hallway, a little way off from where were sitting.
“You’ll be going in one by one,” she explained. “After you’re done, you’re free to go back to your rooms. Come on, Kendy, you’re going first.”
The African beauty got up and followed Melanie into the room. We all tried to glance inside, but apart from noticing the room was white and bright, I didn’t see much more.
“I’m so nervous,” Zara groaned, and I patted her hand in an effort to calm her down.
“Why?” Safiya asked, grinning at her. “I’m sure it’s nothing. You know how to answer questions, you’ll be just fine.”
“I guess,” Zara muttered, but her face was pale and she offered me a grateful look as I squeezed her hand. “I’m just panicking about what will happen if I don’t do well. Indian customs are so different to yours… if this is an etiquette challenge, I’m worried I don’t know enough.”
“Safiya, you’re not from Luxuria, are you?” I asked softly, and my new acquaintance shook her head.
“I’m Egyptian,” she replied, not offering much more information, but instead admiring the rosettes above the crystal chandelier hanging above us. “This place is exquisite. I wish they’d let us bring cameras. I would’ve made some astonishing shots, especially with this light pouring in through the windows.”
I had a feeling she was a little too distracted by the castle’s beauty, but figured it was just her way of calming down her nerves. My own were wreaking havoc on me, and I had to remind myself of the reason I was there – Olivier, and his money, the money that would change everything. It was worth it just for that.
Kendy left the room a few moments later, her head held high, but her eyes not meeting those of the other girls. We were all eager to ask her what happened, but she went straight back to the common room. When Freya tried to follow her, Melanie stepped in her path.
“You’re to remain here,” she reminded her. “Her Majesty’s orders.”
Freya balked at the maid, and sat down muttering something to herself. Those two did not get along, and I made a mental note of it. Perhaps I could eventually use it in my favor.
Safiya was called in soon after, and uneasiness twisted my stomach into knots. Her exam took about ten minutes, but when she reappeared, Freya was on her like a hawk. It made me even more scared. This time, Melanie didn’t object, though from what I overheard, Safiya wasn’t willing to share what happened in there.
The girls disappeared into the room one by one while I got more and more nervous. Marceline was the last one to walk into the all-white chamber, and I still had no idea what they were doing in there.
The door burst open moments later, and Marceline exited in tears.
I leaned over to whisper in Zara's ear.
"What's wrong with her?"
She shrugged, and we kept watching as Marceline ran down the hallway, only to be stopped by a tall ice-blonde. Freya. Again.
We watched the two girls talking, and saw Freya cover her mouth as Marceline launched in an explanation, crying even more. Whatever had happened in there had been bad. Now I was even more worried about what lay in store behind the doors of the room the girls kept disappearing into.
Freya gave the girl a brisk hug, and I was surprised by her sudden kindness. Maybe she didn't think Marceline was her competition. She sure as hell didn't feel the same way about me, and she ignored me completely as she made her way to the dwindling group of girls waiting outside the room. She started whispering something to the others, and Zara and I watched them all pale as Freya delivered the news, whatever it was.
"What do you think is happening?" I asked, and Zara shrugged again.
"I'll go find out," she finally whispered in response, winking and nudging me with a conspiratorial grin before walking over to the other girls.
I watched her talk to them out of the corner of my eyes, eager to find out what Marceline had said. Surely the exam couldn't have been that awful? Whatever could have happened to make her cry?
I imagined a room filled with old-fashioned desks and writing an essay like I had in school. Maybe they'd be testing us on our vocabulary, on our abilities to write. However, the tears I'd seen streaming down Marceline's cheeks, and the pale faces of the girls who'd gone in the room before her, spoke of something else happening in the room. Perhaps even something sinister... Whatever it was, it sent a shiver down my spine, and I realized I was trembling in anticipation.