Things were done a little differently than we all thought.
While we had assumed the various classes would sort students based on their individual skill levels, it was actually that we were placed in one of three distinct groups.
Our academic destiny, it seemed, was determined by a cumulative score out of an overall one hundred, with each of the five assessment phases carrying twenty points.
Each of the four teachers could award a total of five points or less in each round, depending on how impressed they were by a student’s performance.
The headmaster’s role was crucial: he was there to determine if a score was being given fairly or, in my particular case, if any score should be given at all for certain…unconventional displays.
A score anywhere between one and fifty meant you were placed in the Pegasus group, the foundational tier.
Anywhere between fifty-one and seventy-five, and the group called Hippogriff was for you, indicating a solid, but not exceptional, grasp of magic.
The final, most elite group, needed a score between seventy-six and one hundred.
That group was the Wyvern group.
I was a tiny bit disappointed, knowing that I had completely messed up on the manipulation test.
There was no way I scored well enough for the coveted Wyvern group, especially after that tunneling snafu.
While I was agonizing over my fate, consumed by self-doubt, I felt a sharp tinge of jealousy mixed with anger.
The purebloods, like Asher and Echo, didn’t have to guess their placement.
Everyone knew they would end up in Wyvern, regardless of how poorly they supposedly did in the tests.
Let’s face it though, they did pretty well, showcasing their inherent power with effortless grace.
It was just another reminder of the inherent advantages they had been born with.
Calling for our attention, the professors and Headmaster Cree stood on the stage, their presence commanding.
Headmaster Cree announced they had finished with the placements, his voice resonating through the gymnasium.
They started with the Pegasus group, which only consisted of about ten kids, none of whom I knew.
I mean, I didn’t know a lot of kids here yet, but the few I had met at the fundraiser, I was definitely listening for.
The Hippogriff group was up next, and I simultaneously listened for my name along with any one else I may have recognized.
Unfortunately, Melody made the Hippogriff group, unlike her sister Lyric, who was still waiting.
You could tell they weren’t happy to be split up, their expressions reflecting a shared disappointment.
Asher’s friend Dave, as well as Etenia and Dennis, all made the Hippogriff group.
After about twenty or so names, my name still wasn’t called, and my palms started sweating, a cold clamminess creeping over them.
The suspense was killing me, stretching taut.
Farrah, sensing my escalating anxiety, took my hand in hers and squeezed firmly, a silent reassurance.
The Headmaster took a deep breath, building the anticipation, and then I heard the sweetest words I’d ever heard, a pronouncement that sent a jolt through me.
“All other students are now a part of the Wyvern group.
Congratulations, everyone, I expect nothing but great things from you all.”
Farrah immediately started jumping in place beside me, a whirlwind of elation, and pulled me in for a celebratory hug, but I was only able to stay frozen in place, my mind struggling to process the news.
How was that even possible?
My manipulation test had been a disaster.
“Please go to the respective desks placed at the back to receive your class schedules, after which you are free for the rest of the day,” Headmaster Cree concluded, his voice laced with pride.
I numbly followed behind Farrah as she dragged me along, with Lyric now beside her, her face beaming at being included in the Wyvern group.
We collected our schedules from the designated desks, the paper feeling strangely heavy in my hand, and said goodbye to the twins, promising to catch up later.
Then, we stopped by the cafeteria to grab some snacks and drinks, our bodies craving comfort food, before making a bee-line to our room, intent on holing up and processing the day.
The day was just one of utter exhaustion, a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected revelations.
As we were exiting the cafeteria, laden with bags of chips and bottles of juice, I spotted Asher, sitting at a table with Drew and Dave and a couple girls I didn’t know, their laughter echoing in the spacious room.
Clearly, he was still avoiding me if the way he quickly looked away, his gaze darting as soon as our eyes met, was any indication.
If that’s how he wanted to be, then fine.
I wasn’t going to press it.
I had more important things to think about, like the unsettling questions swirling in my head.
No sooner did we make it back to the room, than Farrah locked the door with a definitive click and sprang on me, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“Okay, spill.
What did you see?” Ah, no wonder she turned down hanging out in the cafeteria with the twins.
She wanted to get me alone, to grill me on everything that had happened, to pry into my recent revelations.
I sighed dramatically as I plopped down onto my bed, flinging myself back until my back hit the mattress with a soft thump, ready to evade.
“Not now, Farr, today has been a day,” I groaned, pulling a pillow over my face.
One that had left me utterly exhausted and in no mood to rehash it, to relive the panic and confusion.
“Nope, no.
You’re going to sit here with me and eat all this junk and tell me what’s bugging you,” she declared, her voice firm, leaving no room for argument.
She patted the floor next to her after she placed herself on the giant rug, feet crossed Indian style, snacks and drinks scattered invitingly in the middle.
I dragged myself off the bed and slid down onto the plush rug opposite her, succumbing to her persistent gaze.
I think I broke Farrah.
It’s been a full five minutes since I told her everything, a torrent of words pouring out of me.
From the intensely personal memory the Headmaster had of my mom, to invisible Echo and the surprise kiss, I left nothing out.
She hadn’t said a word, hadn’t even moved.
She just sat there with a potato chip dangling from her mouth, her eyes wide and unblinking, her expression one of utter shock.
“He kissed you?” she finally sputtered, her voice rising in disbelief.
“How could he kiss you?
He has a girlfriend, for crying out loud.
Forget girlfriend, in their world, he’s practically engaged!”
“That’s your takeaway from everything I just said?” I asked incredulously, my jaw dropping.
“Not why would Cree have a memory of my mom, or why it seemed like they were in love?
But Echo kissing me?
Really?”
“Well, yeah, but…” she began, her shoulders slumping.
“But what?” I pressed, my patience wearing thin.
She shrugged her shoulders, a helpless gesture.
“Maybe he’s your dad.
And maybe he was in love with your mom, I don’t know, that’s wild, but Echo, now that’s news.”
With all the thoughts and questions that were swirling around in my head, him being my father was not one of them.
The idea struck me as utterly foreign, impossible almost.
“Do you really think he could be my dad?” I asked, the words sounding strange, foreign on my tongue.
“Why not?” Farrah countered, her eyes bright with speculation.
“I didn’t see what you saw, or felt what you felt, but from what you tell me, it was legit feelings you felt.
It would also explain why his eyes kind of low-key remind me of yours.
Or is it that yours remind me of his?
You know, since he’s the one who had them the longest and—”
“Farrah!
I’m serious right now.” She quieted instantly, her usual bubbly demeanor replaced with a more serious expression, and looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
“Do you really think he could be my dad?”
“I don’t know.
Maybe,” she conceded, a thoughtful frown on her face.
“I mean, stranger things have happened, like say, a tribrid.” She laughed, a soft, encouraging sound, and nudged my knee with her toes, but I couldn’t find it in me to play along, the seriousness of the topic weighing heavily.
“Look, if he is, we’ll find out, okay?
It’ll take some major sleuthing skills and sneaking around, but I’m for it if you are.” She looked to me hopefully, her eyes full of adventure, and I forced a smile, nodding my head slowly.
I guess it wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world.
Jacob Cree, my dad.
The thought settled in my mind, a strange, unexpected possibility that would undoubtedly complicate everything.