There are rows upon rows of examination tables, and seeing everyone seated and ready for the test increases my anxiety. I have studied for so long for this… Ifeelprepared. And yet I can’t discount the fact that some people may just be more prepared than me.
When everyone’s been seated, Jacobo resumes his place in front of the examinees and says a few more words.
“There are forty-eight positions available at this time, in all areas of the Central Administration.”
Murmurs echo in the hall. There are at least a thousand people present here, so the odds arenotin our favor.
“Although this is a general examination, it covers all areas of interest. The highest scores will have the chance to choose their positions while the lower scores will get what is left over. Good luck.”
With that, he’s gone. Seconds after, a booklet appears in front of each examinee, and a gong’s sound reverberates through the hall.
The exam begins.
Knowing there is a time constraint, I do my best to read the questions all at once, then answer the ones I am sure about. A few questions pose some difficulty, mainly in the way they are framed, and I realize they are meant to obfuscate.
I do everything to the best of my ability, and once I’m down to three questions I am not sure about, I stop and take a deep breath.
Everything hinges on this… Instead of overthinking it, I calm myself and let my intuition take over. Scribbling all the remaining answers, I finish just as the gong resounds again.
Jacobo reappears to announce the end of the examination.
“Everyone, please head back to the hallway. Keep your runes with you. Within an hour, if you’ve passed, your rune will start emitting a blue light. We invite everyone who doesnotpass to leave the premises. When only the examinees who’ve passed remain, I will join you and announce the hierarchy of scores, after which you can choose your positions. Thank you.”
Everyone exits clutching their runes and saying small prayers.
Although I’ve done my best, I know there is a chance I won’t make it. Especially with so many contenders. And if that happens… I don’t know how I will survive. Perhaps I can try and do some odd jobs around? Yet who will hire me? I can’t divulge my identity and it’s not like I have any other skills.
The minutes pass with grueling slowness, so much so that when Jacobo reappears it feels as if an eternity has gone by.
I swallow hard as the male smiles and decrees that the results will now be announced.
Clutching the rune in my hand, I don’t even dare to look at it. Around me, screams of joy and sighs of disappointment fill the enclosure.
Already, people are lining up to exit the courtyard because they have not passed.
Someone bumps into me, and that action jolts me back to the present. Still unprepared to look at the decision, I see a stream of light coming from the rune.
I…passed?
I sigh in relief, my knees buckling under me.
Now, it does not even matter what place I got. I made it. I will have a job, a salary… I won’t starve.
Praise the Seven, I whisper to myself, promising that I will do my best at this job and I will be worthy of the opportunity.
When only the forty-eight people who passed remain inside the courtyard, Jacobo recites the hierarchy. After each name, those called choose their profession.
To my surprise, my name is called in the tenth position. It feels so surreal that I don’t even realize as my feet carry me toward the stage where Jacobo is.
“Please make your choice,” he says. I nod, unable to form the words.
He points me to a table that has the remaining positions.
The highest one still available is within the War Department—a strategy consultant. But there is also a supervisor position within the Archives.
I stare at the two. A position within the Archives would allow me to live undetected. And though I love books and learning, I can’t help but longingly glance at the other option.
The War Department…
