IRENE
“Your exam begins…now.”
The boy standing at the center of the room let out a shaky breath. His eyes scanned the rest of the classroom, terror etched onto his face as he took in the rows upon rows of students looming in front of him, waiting. A cloud of tension permeated the air. A heaviness that seemed to linger over the anxiety-riddled students like a storm cloud. Some of them wanted him to succeed. Most wanted him to fail.
Irene Manette Bamford, however, mainly wanted him to hurry the fuck up.
She glanced over at the grandfather clock on the other side of the room.Tick. Tick. Tick.She shifted uncomfortably in her seat next to Housemaster Marigold, crossing her legs with an impatient huff. The boy was moving at a glacial pace, hands shaking as he raised his palms in front of him.
Irene groaned.
Honestly, Marigold should just fail him now and get it overwith.
The boy shut his eyes, grimacing, and the faintest gust of wind flickered in his palm, an almost indiscernible vortex materializing in his hands. He gritted his teeth, sweat dampening his temples, and the swirling gust of wind grew in intensity, transforming into what almost appeared to be a miniature tornado.
Irene snorted. Marigold shot her a quick glance, clearly biting back her own smile.
The boy’s eyes snapped open and the swirling air in his palms vanished. A few students seated in the front row snickered into their notes. Others looked on with palpable pity, faces pulled into apologetic smiles.
Marigold cleared her throat.
“That’ll do, Tao.”
A deep blush bloomed on the boy’s pale cheeks. He tugged at the hem of his olive wool sweater, feet still firmly planted on the ground.
“Wait…I—I can do it again.” He peered over his shoulder, looking between Irene and Marigold with pleading eyes. “Let me try again. Please.”
Marigold pushed the sleeves of her lace blouse over her elbows.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I can do better. I can prove it to you.” He raised his hands once more and the air around him barely moved—just the faintest flicker of wind, which sent a pathetic little wisp of air floating over his palm.
“Tao.” Marigold spoke his name with a bit more force this time. “I said that’s enough. You know you cannot retake an exam. Your grade is final.”
But Tao was proving to be a bit more stubborn than either of them had anticipated.
“No,” he choked out, desperate, face turning beet red from effort. “I can—I can do this. I just need…a few more…seconds.” The veins running along his neck bulged as he pushed harder, his entire body trembling as the faint wisp of air began to swirl faster.
Jesus Christ. He’s going to knock himself out cold.
Marigold leaned in toward Irene, dipping her voice lower. “Do you mind taking care of this?”
Irene smirked. “Oh…it would be mypleasure.”
As Tao continued to ignore Marigold’s instructions, resolute about making an absolute fool of himself, Irene stood up from her chair, dusting her hands along the sides of her silk dress. She stepped forward, her heeled boots echoing against the floorboards. As soon as she stood up, the other students straightened in their chairs, clearly sensing what would happen next. Some of their faces blanched in fear. Others leaned in closer, eager to see how the scene would unfold. Tao, however, was too busy casting the world’s most pathetic air manipulation spell to notice Irene standing behind him.
That was, of course, until she’d sent him flying across the room with nothing but a flick of her wrist.
Tao hit the eastern wall of the classroom with a loud and echoing thud. He let out a strangled cry of surprise, the noise garbling in his throat as he scrambled to push himself onto his feet.
“Your time is up.” Irene’s lips curved into a smile. “You can leave now. Unless you’d like to spend the next month locked in reformatory.”
Tao hesitated for a moment, eyes flitting across the other students. But nobody was coming to his rescue. He dragged his gaze back to Irene, sheepishly nodding his head before skulking out of the classroom.
Honestly, the boy should be thanking her for not snapping his neck out of sheer annoyance.
“Thank you, Irene.” Marigold turned to address the rest of the class. “And a reminder to all of you that there are no redos in this classroom. You have one chance to take your exam. No exceptions.”
