I've never liked exams. No one does, sure. But me? A failed exam could mean I was sending my planet into destruction.
So I did more than my best. Studying for weeks. Ingesting every "brain booster" under the moons and sun. I also had to deal with the constant presence of tutors, making my stomach churn with stress.
For as long as I could remember, I knew my life wasn't just mine. I was a tool - a service.
I represented Martian pride. Our successes. My failures.
And now, as I sat in the hard chair, hands sweaty, heart pumping out of my chest. I couldn't shake this ball and chain weighing me down.
If I had my way, I'd be travelling across the galaxy just exploring what it offered.
No titles, no legacy, no expectations. But normalcy was never on the table for me.
I sat in the crowded, hushed exam room. With sideways glances, my eyes bounced about the room. The silent panic choked me, a sensation that was sickening and thick.
I lift my fingers to type in my name and credentials. The hologram, only visible to me, sounded with each touch.
I wondered if it had been the same in previous years. Or was this just the territory that came with making a past privilege open to all?
House of Aegis was an intergalactic college that nurtured the galaxy's greatest minds. Almost all the graduates secured high-level sector jobs, such as in galaxy protection or governance. Granted, they would have got those spots anyway. House of Aegis on their resumes screamed privileged. Old money. Generations of wealth and influence.
It was the biggest form of networking in the galaxy. This year, however, they granted access to others besides the usual nobles and royals.
While the rich could live a fairly comfortable high-society life even without passing this exam, commoners could not. For them, this was a jackpot.
I wonder what the principal was thinking when she made the suggestion.
Or, even more pressing, what my father was thinking when he gave his approval.
I dragged my eyes over every face in my peripheral view with the full intention of returning to my test when someone caught my eye.
A guy three rows over. Green hair braided, cascading down past his nape, wooden beads clicking at the ends. His green eyes are familiar. A gold bracelet hugs his forearm, two more stacked on his wrist, nearly identical to mine.
And yet, I didn't know him.
Which was strange, as I know every noble kid on this planet.
And let's say I missed a couple of noble kid introductions
(some of them were a drag) what's with the wooden beads?
How unbecoming of a noble.
Our eyes lock. He doesn't look away. The corners of his mouth lift into the tiniest half-smile.
I arched an eyebrow.
He tilted his head.
Is he really engaging me in this silent duel right now?
I roll my eyes first, breaking his gaze. I've got enough to deal with without decoding mysterious wood-beaded pretty boys.
Within two and a half hours, the holograms disintegrated with a small pop. Leaving many hesitant test takers with unanswered questions.
A collective sigh whipped through the room like a sandstorm across the outer ridge. Finally, the test that I had spent my whole life preparing for had passed.
I stood, stretching my body, which had grown quite numb from sitting in the same spot. I wiggled my fingers.
Yes! I can go home and rest for the first time in a while.
In the hall just outside the exam room, I spotted wooden-bead boy again. This time he spoke with a tall woman draped in a brown robe with copper embroidery woven through it. Her green locs crowned her head, and her skin was the same warm reddish-brown as his.
She was beautiful, really, but it was her presence that parted the crowd.
Nobles glanced at her, eyes narrowed. Their mouths set in a deep frown, jaws and lips tight. She doesn't even blink.
As I passed her, slowing down. She was even more beautiful up close.
The wooden-bead guy noticed me first. His head tilted. Again.
Amused?
"You're staring," he says casually.
"Well, it's hard not to. She is truly breathtaking."
I smiled from ear to ear. Eyes closed just like I practiced.
The lady turned her attention to me. He must have got most of his features from her; they looked strikingly alike. Her eyes scanned me up and down.
"Princess Ka'laniyah," she politely bowed. "Did you find the exam too easy?"
"It wasn't much of a challenge, yes, but I do owe it to my parents' diligence with my studies."
Smile.
Her mouth twitched, then formed a smile quite like mine.
"Indeed. We must be grateful for our ruler's parental benevolence, as the cost of your failure is a little steeper than disappointment. Don't you think?"
Huh? Was that supposed to be an insult?
I brushed it off.
"Well, I–"
She turns to the guy. "Son, let's not bother the princess anymore." She bowed once again. "Thank you for humouring me, Your Highness; it's been my honour."
I could feel the heat rising in my chest. My fist balled at my side.
That–
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.
Kay, please calm down. It's not cute to be angry. Breathe.
As they strutted away, the wooden bead boy spared me one last look, a half-smile.
I wanted to spare him a look, too, by raising my balled fist high enough that he could see it. A promise to beat his ass the next time I see him for his and his mother's rudeness.
However, I contained myself.
I'll leave it up to fate for us to meet again. Then I'll know what to do about that wooden-bead boy.