Chapter 80: preliminary exams week

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: preliminary exams week

Almost overnight...

St. Albion University changed.

The lively conversations that had filled the corridors only days before gradually disappeared.

Students no longer spoke excitedly about Foundation projects.

Or upcoming club activities.

Even the Founder’s Ball—which had dominated countless conversations throughout the week—was quietly pushed aside.

Instead...

Everywhere one looked...

There were books.

Review notes.

Formula sheets.

Flash cards.

Students walked across campus with open textbooks in their hands.

The university library remained full from morning until closing.

Even the Student Reading Lounge, usually relaxed enough for conversation, had become noticeably quieter.

Everyone understood what was coming.

At St. Albion...

The preliminary examinations were more than another set of tests.

Academic standards were uncompromising.

Students who consistently failed to meet the University’s required academic standing simply did not remain at St. Albion for long.

No one needed to be reminded.

The pressure lingered quietly in every classroom.

—

Monday passed in a blur.

Lectures continued as usual.

Professors hurried to finish the last remaining topics before the examinations.

Questions became more frequent.

Not because the material had suddenly grown more difficult...

But because everyone wanted reassurance.

Tuesday...

Was somehow even quieter.

Between classes...

Students reviewed notes beneath the old oak trees.

Others filled every available table inside the library.

Some even stood outside lecture halls quizzing one another minutes before class began.

When lectures finally ended that afternoon...

No one seemed eager to linger.

The campus emptied unusually early.

Everyone had the same destination.

Their books.

—

Wednesday arrived.

The first day of the preliminary examinations.

Vivienne, Claire, Amelia, and Eleanor met in the dormitory lobby shortly before eight.

Each carried considerably more books than they would actually need.

Perhaps...

Simply holding them made everyone feel a little more prepared.

For a brief moment...

No one spoke.

Then Claire broke the silence.

"I’ve reached a conclusion."

Amelia looked over.

"Oh?"

Claire folded her arms with exaggerated seriousness.

"I’ve decided..."

"...that I’d quite like to remain a student at St. Albion."

Amelia laughed.

"I was hoping for the same."

Eleanor smiled.

"Then I suggest we all pass."

The four laughed.

The tension eased.

If only for a moment.

Together...

They walked toward the Academic Hall.

The closer they came...

The more crowded the paths became.

Students clustered around bulletin boards displaying examination rooms.

Others quietly reviewed handwritten summaries one last time.

A few simply stood with their eyes closed, silently reciting definitions beneath their breath.

Vivienne watched them with quiet amusement.

Some things...

Apparently...

Never changed.

Whether it was the Ivy League university she had attended in her previous life...

Or St. Albion...

Students everywhere looked exactly the same during examination week.

After finding their assigned rooms, the four wished one another good luck before separating.

"See you after the exam," Claire said.

"Good luck," Amelia added.

Vivienne smiled.

"You too."

--

The examination hall gradually fell silent.

The invigilator distributed the papers one row at a time.

"Begin."

Vivienne resisted the urge to start writing immediately.

Instead...

She read every question first.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Governance & Political Institutions.

Compared with the amount of revision she had done over the past several days...

The examination felt demanding.

But fair.

The multiple-choice questions tested understanding rather than simple memorization.

The essay required students to defend their reasoning with clear arguments.

Vivienne found herself relaxing ever so slightly.

Essays...

She could manage.

Memorization had never been her greatest strength.

Understanding ideas...

That came more naturally.

Even so...

She remained careful.

She had graduated from an Ivy League university in her previous life.

But she had never been the student who effortlessly topped every examination.

She had done well.

Above average.

Consistently.

But never exceptional.

And that had been nearly seven years ago.

She was still recovering study habits she hadn’t needed in years.

So she answered patiently.

One question at a time.

--

When the final bell rang...

Pens were set down throughout the room.

"...Finally."

The word escaped almost unconsciously.

Her shoulders relaxed.

Then almost immediately...

Another thought followed.

...Wait.

Did I answer the essay correctly?

Now that the paper had been collected...

Every answer that had seemed reasonable half an hour earlier suddenly felt uncertain.

She sighed inwardly.

Too late now.

Outside the hall...

Claire, Amelia, and Eleanor were already waiting.

Claire stretched both arms above her head.

"I’d forgotten how exhausting three hours of thinking could be."

Amelia laughed.

"My hand is more tired than my brain."

Eleanor smiled.

"You wrote quite a lot."

"I always do."

Claire replied without the slightest embarrassment.

The four began walking toward the dining hall.

Around them...

The campus buzzed with the same conversations.

"What did you write for the essay?"

"I nearly ran out of time."

"I changed my answer twice."

Vivienne smiled.

Some traditions truly were universal.

Claire looked around.

"...Should we compare answers?"

Vivienne immediately groaned.

"Isn’t everyone always told not to do that?"

Amelia laughed.

"They are."

Claire smiled innocently.

"...We’re probably going to anyway."

Despite herself...

Vivienne laughed.

Claire spoke first.

"For the essay..."

"I focused on institutional legitimacy."

Eleanor nodded.

"I approached it similarly."

Amelia smiled.

"So did I."

Vivienne blinked.

"...Mine was different."

Three pairs of eyes turned toward her.

"I focused more on civic participation."

"And public trust."

Claire considered it for a moment.

"I don’t think that’s wrong."

Eleanor nodded.

"The question allowed more than one defensible argument."

Amelia smiled reassuringly.

"As long as you supported it well."

Vivienne smiled.

"...I hope I did."

Claire closed her notebook.

"All right."

"We’re stopping before we make ourselves unnecessarily anxious."

"I support that motion," Eleanor said.

"I second it," Amelia added.

Vivienne laughed.

"Motion carried."

The conversation drifted elsewhere.

For a while...

They simply enjoyed the rare feeling of being finished.

At least until the afternoon papers.

Then Amelia glanced sideways at Claire.

"You know..."

"You still answer exams exactly the same way."

Claire looked at her.

"What does that mean?"

"You always write far more than everyone else."

Claire smiled.

"It worked before."

"It still seems to."

Amelia laughed.

"It was also rather annoying."

Eleanor looked between the two.

"...Before?"

Claire blinked.

"Oh."

"I never mentioned it?"

Amelia smiled.

"I don’t think either of us did."

Vivienne looked at them curiously.

Claire laughed, looking almost embarrassed.

"I graduated as valedictorian."

Amelia shrugged with an easy smile.

"And I was salutatorian."

For a brief moment...

Neither Vivienne nor Eleanor spoke.

Then Eleanor laughed softly.

"That explains quite a few things."

Claire tilted her head.

"Does it?"

"The way the two of you discuss questions."

"I’ve been wondering."

Amelia smiled.

"We’ve been competing since secondary school."

Claire nodded.

"Friendly competition."

"Very friendly."

Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"You cried when I beat you in Chemistry."

Claire looked horrified.

"I did not cry."

"You absolutely did."

"I was merely..."

Claire searched for a suitably dignified explanation.

"...emotionally invested."

The table erupted into laughter.

Even Eleanor couldn’t hide her smile.

"And you?" Claire asked, turning to Eleanor.

"Were you top of your class too?"

Eleanor shook her head modestly.

"Not quite."

"I graduated with honors."

Claire nodded approvingly.

"I thought so."

Then...

Almost together...

The three looked toward Vivienne.

"What about you?"

Vivienne smiled sheepishly.

"I wasn’t nearly as impressive."

"I was admitted from the waitlist."

Claire blinked.

"Really?"

Vivienne nodded.

"I worked hard."

"But there were always students who learned faster than I did."

She laughed lightly.

"I’ve made peace with that."

No one spoke for a moment.

As they continued walking...

Vivienne found herself glancing quietly at her friends.

Claire.

Amelia.

Eleanor.

They really were remarkable.

Academically...

They were stronger than she was.

She had already begun noticing it during their study sessions.

Today had simply confirmed it.

But strangely...

The realization didn’t discourage her.

It simply reminded her that everyone excelled differently.

The Foundation meeting had taught her that much.

She might not absorb information as quickly.

Or analyze examinations as effortlessly.

But she had something else.

Years of practical experience.

Patience.

Perspective.

An understanding of people that only time could teach.

Perhaps...

There was room for all kinds of intelligence.

Claire nudged her shoulder gently.

"Don’t overthink today’s paper."

Vivienne smiled.

"I’m trying not to."

Claire grinned.

"Good."

"You’ll need the energy."

She pointed toward the afternoon schedule posted outside the hall.

"We’re only halfway through today."

Vivienne looked at it.

Mathematics.

Biology.

Geography.

She let out a long sigh.

--