Ordained

Chapter Four

The tea at least was good. Emmeline sipped on her cup, holding tightly like a lifeline.

"First there will be a physical examination to determine if you are in good health, and if you can have children." In contrast to Emmeline's aghast look, Mellissa was positively serene as she explained.

"And if I can't?"
Mellissa remained unconcerned. "It is no importance. If you are of poor health, then we are more likely to pair you with someone who is disposed to caring for others. If you cannot bear children, then your pair is likely to be someone who doesn't want or may already have children."

Emmeline mulled that over. Was it really so simple? She had entered the pairing hall thinking that she had to be perfect in order to be given a match, but perhaps the process was more about finding someone who fit her weaknesses as well as her strengths. The thought warmed her. "What then?" She asked, more enthusiastically than before.

Mellissa raised her fingers, ticking them off one at a time. "Written tests to assess your intelligence and education; problem solving tests; a social setting to gauge how you deal with others; a strategy game to judge how you perform under stress and how strategic and ambitious you are; and finally an etiquette test."

The list washed over her, overwhelming her at once. Her brain began to overthink each thing immediately, what would the intelligence test be; what kind of game tested both stress and strategy; why were they testing etiquette when most of the entries had never had to worry about such things'; what if she failed a test? On and on, her thoughts chased each other around until Mellissa brought her back to earth with a bump.

"I am afraid the physical exam is the most unpleasant, which is why we do it first. Once you have settled in a little, a doctor will be along shortly."

Fear cleared away her mess of thoughts till one remained, her anxiety surrounding the first, very imminent test.

Despite all of Mellissa's reassurances, Emmeline couldn't help but cry when she was asked to strip. A silent tear escaped her as she removed her clothes and covered herself with the paper sheet. The doctor was a kindly lined man who apologised but still made her lay down on the medical bed that had replaced the table and chairs where she and Mellissa had drunk tea hours earlier. She was prodded, poked, and examined all over, not a single inch of her left unviolated. The doctor really was very gentle but that did little to combat the swirl of hurt in Emmeline's brain as she cringed away from him. She answered his questions, about things far too personal to share, with a croaky voice as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

After she had redressed in the simple cotton pyjamas they gave her, she had retreated to her bed and refused to come out again till the next morning. No one had ever touched her in the places that the doctor had, and she felt assaulted and defiled. Mellissa had tried to coax her out, but she had ignored her. Bringing her knees up to her chest, holding herself tightly, she lay on her cot and let herself question if this whole ordeal was worth it. What kind of partner was waiting for her at the end of this process to be worth this humiliation? She wondered if there would be any man in the world that would be wonderful enough to erase the way she felt right then.

.

She was awoken abruptly by a sharp knocking on her bedroom door. Hardly having time to open her eyes the door was opened, her examiner Mellissa leaning her head in to say. "We are behind schedule given yesterday, so we will need to start earlier today if we are to catch up. I would like you to join me in five minutes, your ladyship."

She didn't feel like a lady right now, she felt like a doll being moved around against her will as she regretfully left the warmth of her bed and padded out bare foot into the exam room. There was little point in grooming herself just for this woman, she had seen all there was to see of her yesterday, brushing her hair felt pointless after that.

The doctors' bed had been switched back to a small table and chairs. She vaguely wondered when this had happened, her not hearing a thing despite only being next door.

Mellissa was waiting for her, sharpening a pencil delicately.

Emmeline cleared her throat and sat down. "I am sorry for my behaviour yesterday. I know it isn't your fault." She murmured in a hushed voice, embarrassed. In any other situation she probably wouldn't have apologised but she needed her examiner to like her if she was to report about her favourably.

The woman smiled, happy ceased appearing around her eyes. "There is nothing to be sorry for. It is an awful test. You are not the first to react this way and I am sure you will not be the last." She patted the back of her hand, reminding her forcefully of Atticus from just the day before. Swallowing the lump in her throat she just nodded, taking the plate Mellissa pushed in front of her and eating obediently.

"Right." Mellissa began, pushing a stack of papers in front of her and handing her the pencil. "As promised, today is the intelligence tests. We should have started yesterday, so if you finish early, we will just move onto the next exam rather than having a break between each. Sound good?"

Emmeline felt a twang of guilt for causing them to run behind, so she nodded determinedly. She could definitely finish at least a few exams early she hoped. She liked to think she was clever, today would tell her whether she was right.

Opening the first test, a stack of pages clipped together, Emmeline almost smiled. Mathematics. It was a topic she had struggled with as a child, until her harsh teacher had been replaced with her brother Finneas' tutor after he had finished his education. Under the kinder teacher she had found that she could grasp the concepts quite quickly without the fear of punishment hanging over her head. Enjoying the feeling of flexing her mental muscles, Emmeline flew through the paper, only stalling for a short while on the questions regarding shapes and working out their masses. With a great sense of satisfaction she shut the final page and pushed it towards Mellissa, her smile quirking at the examiner's surprised face. "I know I said we were behind, but you mustn't rush through these questions carelessly." She warned, flicking through the pages with a mild frown.

"I didn't. I feel confident I've done my best."

There were an additional four papers, and while she began to lag a little through the third paper, she pushed herself onwards to complete in record time. She was tested on her ability to solve problems, on how she would react morally in situations, and her comprehension skills. The final paper, however, was her favourite, which was just as well as she could feel her energy levels dropping. Literature. She loved to read, truly, visiting the Capital's many libraries often with her friend Lavender. The paper asked questions about books she had read, what she liked about them and why. It didn't feel like an exam, in so much as it felt like she was just discussing her reading with her friend. Emmeline treated the paper as such, taking her time to explain and elaborate on what she did and didn't enjoy and why, what inspired her and so on. By the time she had reached the end of the questions, it was almost with a note of sadness that she shut the page and handed it to Mellissa.

It felt strange to eat dinner alone in her small quarters. The exam table was also her dining table as she tucked into the bowl of stew and bread she was given. With a sense of curiosity she thought of the other rooms within the pairing hall. Each year, there was a maximum of 200 people accepted, hopefully producing 100 couples. Were all of them sitting like her, mulling over their food alone and wondering about each other? What was her pair doing right now? How had they found the tests? What had their reaction been to the physical exam? It was these questions that kept her mind occupied as she sat alone.  

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Author's Note:

A longer chapter to make up for the previous one being so short. 

I felt so bad for Emmeline in the first half. I don't like being mean to my characters.

Don't forget to vote! 

Thanks guys,

Sophie.