Page 64 of Tempest Awakening

But as the minutes ticked by, my confidence began to waver. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my legs felt like lead. All around me, the other applicants moved with supernatural grace and speed, their forms blurring as they lapped me.

"You can do this, Tess," I muttered to myself, but the words rang hollow in my ears. With each labored step, the gap between me and the others widened, a stark reminder of just how out of place I was.

As I rounded a bend, I noticed a petite young woman with long, jet-black hair also struggling to keep up. Unlike the others in their sleek, colorful athletic wear, she was dressed in all black, her outfit adorned with what looked like small, metallic charms.

My heart lifted a little. Maybe not all the applicants were superhuman athletes or hostile to newcomers. Taking a chance, I pushed myself to catch up to her.

"Mind if I join you?" I panted as I fell into step beside her.

She glanced at me, surprise evident in her striking violet eyes. For a moment, I worried she'd brush me off, but then her expression softened. "Be my guest," she replied, her voice soft.

Relief washed over me. At least one person here didn't seem to mind my presence. "I'm Tess," I managed between breaths.

"Anya," she responded with a small nod.

We fell into a companionable silence after that, both of us too focused on breathing and keeping our pace to attempt much conversation. But there was comfort in not being alone, in struggling alongside someone else who seemed to find this just as challenging as I did.

As we neared the end of our second lap, I could see Instructor Alvarez watching us with an unreadable expression. My legs feltlike lead, and my lungs burned, but I forced myself to keep going.

Finally, mercifully, we crossed the finish line. I bent over, hands on my knees, gulping in air. Beside me, Anya didn't look much better off.

"Nice... job," she wheezed, offering me a tired smile.

I managed to return the smile between gasps. "You... too."

"Tess!" Mason's voice cut through my exhaustion. He jogged over, concern etched on his face. "Are you okay? That looked rough."

I straightened up, trying to hide how winded I was. "I'm fine," I said, not entirely convincingly. "Just... getting warmed up."

Mason's brow furrowed, clearly not buying it. But before he could say more, Instructor Alvarez's voice rang out.

"Alright, everyone! Refreshing warm-up, wasn't it? Now for the real challenge."

My heart sank. If that was just the warm-up, how could I possibly handle what came next? The doubt that had been creeping in during the run now threatened to overwhelm me.

Alvarez began explaining the next exercise. "This course is designed to test your ability to work with a partner and your individual skills. You'll navigate the first half with your assigned partner, then split up for the individual section."

As her words sank in, I found myself scanning the crowd of applicants. Selena and Valen were staring at me with predatory grins, and they weren't alone. Several other applicants were eyeing me with curiosity and disdain.

"Whittaker and Selena Nightshade!" Alvarez barked.

My heart plummeted. Of course. Because the universe clearly had it out for me today.

As Selena sauntered over, a smirk playing on her lips, I felt the last shreds of my confidence slipping away. How could I possibly keep up with her? How could I prove I belonged here when every moment only seemed to highlight how different, how inadequate I was?

"Try not to slow me down too much, human," Selena said, voice dripping with disdain.

I opened my mouth to retort, but no words came out. What could I say? She was right. I was going to slow her down. I was going to fail, and everyone would see it.

Alvarez raised her whistle, her amber eyes scanning the group. "We'll start in pairs, with ten seconds between each. When you hear the whistle, go."

As the first shrill blast sent two applicants sprinting towards the course, I closed my eyes, trying to center myself. But all I could hear was my own ragged breathing and the pounding of my heart, each beat seeming to whisper: You don't belong here. You don't belong here. You don't belong here.

Suddenly we were off. The first obstacle loomed before us—a twelve-foot wall with a single rope dangling from the top. My heart raced, not just from exertion but from the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy that threatened to paralyze me.

Selena sneered at me. "Try to keep up, human. I'll go first."

She gracefully leapt, catching the rope midway and scaling the wall with ease. Once at the top, she glared down at me. "Hurry up! I'm not losing because you can't climb a simple wall."

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