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31
Harper
Final exams are usually donewith little blue books I buy at the bookstore and a black ballpoint pen.
They aren’t usually done with you in a gymnasium in front of five teachers. Oh yeah, and you’re usually sitting with your classmates. Not alone.
Final exams here suck.
I bounce my knees as I sit in the hallway waiting for my name to be called. It’s unusually quiet despite the number of students waiting. I’m in the morning session, first half of the alphabet and all.
I glance over at Liam who is sitting across the hall from me. He’s got his eyes closed and his head leaned back against the wall as if the exams bore him.
Maybe they do.
“Liam Drake,” the proctor calls.
Liam stands and he looks over at me for a second. His expression is cold and unforgiving. A single look that sends a rush of guilt though me.
I can’t hold his gaze and I make myself look away.
I am the asshole today.
The minutes drag by slowly as I wait for my turn. More names are called and the hallway empties.
It’s one of the longest mornings of my life.
“Harper Love.”
My heartbeat skyrockets and my pulse seems to flood into my ears. I rise from my seat and force a smile on my face as I walk to the nameless proctor. Apparently, we’ll have a few teachers and a few proctors from the board that governs supernatural schools. Who knew there was such a thing?
The woman who leads me into the gym is wearing black slacks and a black shirt. Her brown hair is pinned into a neat bun and her thin lips and painted on eyebrows give her a severe expression. She doesn’t strike me as someone that has a sense of humor at all.
The heavy door closes behind us and I’m standing in a room with stations set up, very much like we’ve been practicing inmagic for non-demons.At least I have that going for me.
The woman who called me in takes an empty chair in a row of five seats. Professor Perry, Dr. Wilcox, and Professor Lee are the faces I recognize. In addition to the woman with the painted eyebrows there’s another man.
I gasp when I realize the fifth proctor is none other than Prince Alastor himself.Oh shit.
My mind races and a million questions flood through me at once. Is he normally here for this? Or is he here for me? Does this change my strategy? Should I hold back a little and not show him how much I can do?
“Ms. Love, take a step forward please,” Professor Lee says.
I swallow hard and try to quiet my mind as I walk toward the proctors.
“You’ll be presenting your practical skills today for us,” she says. “You may use any magic you feel is effective for each of the stations but you will have no direction from us nor can you ask any questions. Do you understand?”
I nod. Adrian’s set up makes even more sense now. He never explained any of it other than what each station was. We could ask classmates for help, but he tried to get us to come up with it on our own. The gratitude for him made me feel a little queasy. If I do this well, I’m leaving him for good.
“You have ten minutes, Ms. Love,” Dr. Wilcox says. “Your time starts now.”
I suck in a breath and turn away from the proctors. Now is not the time to panic. I’ve come this far and I have to finish this. Otherwise nothing I did was worth it. This is my only shot.
I walk to the first station, a climbing wall that goes up to the top of the gym. A bell hangs at the ceiling. It’s probably three stories high. Where’s a pixie to borrow powers from when you need her?
The only magic I have access to is my own, which I can’t use. Or the magic the proctors have.
Professor Lee. She mentioned that she was a faerie. I’m not sure if she can fly, but her magic has to be strong.
