Page 13 of Akarnae

She frowned slightly when Bear smirked and nodded his agreement. What was up with them? She turned back to Jarvis to see his countenance still unchanged from before. “Why do you look so… apprehensive?”

“I’m just surprised by your results,” he said again. “Particularly for Combat.”

“Why?” Alex asked. “Epsilon is the lowest grade, right?”

The three of them stared at her with varying degrees of pity.

“Epsilon is our most advanced ranking, Alex,” Jarvis corrected. “It’s the highest level of training we have on offer here. Despite all our students being re-tested each year, very few manage to rate at an Epsilon level for anything. Ever. Often the students in Epsilon classes are the apprentices who have been chosen to remain behind for specialised training, or those students who have the aptitude to become apprentices after their fifth year.”

Alex felt the blood drain from her face. That couldn’t be right.

“At present,” Jarvis continued, “I believe there are only five other students in the Epsilon class for Combat, all of whom are at least a year older than you. As for Equestrian Skills, there are only six other students in your Epsilon class. One of them is your age, but the rest are older again.”

Alex considered his words before finally saying, “Perhaps the lollipop was wrong?”

Jarvis shook his head. “The testing is foolproof, I’m afraid.”

“You can change it though, right? You can put me in a lower level?” Seeing his regretful look, she cried, “No way—I don’t know the first thing about offensive fighting!”

“I understand your unease,” Jarvis said soothingly, “but if the results say you’re at this level, then that’s what you are. The testing doesn’t ascertain how capable you are at the subjects, but rather, it judges how good you’ll be if you apply yourself to the training. According to your results, you have a tremendously high level of potential for these subjects.”

Alex scowled at the piece of paper. “Lucky me.”

“Hey, at least you’ll have Bear and me in PE,” Jordan said, reading her results again. “And me again in Chemistry. That’s something to look forward to. We can blow stuff up together.”

“Whoopee,” she responded dryly.

He nudged her playfully and she smiled despite herself.

“It’s getting late. I think we’ve all had enough for the night,” Jarvis said, covering a yawn. “Unless you have any other questions?”

“Dozens, but none I can articulate right now,” Alex admitted.

Jarvis looked at her with understanding. “My office is always open if you need to talk. Rest assured, everything you require for your stay will be provided for you. Your dorm room is ready and waiting, and your classes will begin first thing in the morning.”

He handed her a new sheet of paper which showed her class schedule.

“Any problems, you know where to find me,” Jarvis said, before turning to Jordan and Bear. “Do you mind showing Alex to the dorm building since you’re going there anyway? She’s on the third floor, room seven.”

Jordan made a choking noise. “Are you serious? Room seven?”

Jarvis appeared puzzled. “Is there a problem?”

“You’ve put her in with D.C.?” Bear asked, his eyes wide. “Is that… wise?”

“I’m sure they’ll get along splendidly.” Jarvis covered another yawn with his hand. “Eventually.”

Jordan snorted. “If you say so.”

Alex wasn’t sure what to make of their reactions. What was wrong with her roommate?

“Oh, and one more thing before you go,” Jarvis said. “It’s probably best if you keep where you’re from and how you came to be here between us.”

“Why?” Alex asked.

“Being from another world is quite the anomaly. There could be… certain complications if your story was to become well known. Only tell those whom you trust will keep your secret.”

“All right,” Alex said, accepting his judgement on the matter.

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