The Fifth

Willow

The room isn't huge: just pale and narrow and white. It has a cold, sterile feeling, like a hospital. But it is very tall, which is rather suffocating, like being trapped at the bottom of a well. I can only see as far as the light reaches; but there is definitely far more space up there. They are probably watching me take the test.  

I sit down at a small pale desk in the centre of the room, waiting for them to initiate the test. Finally, I hear the clicking of high heels coming closer. A tall woman with pursed lips, short silvery hair, and a deep blue suit with yellow lining comes with a towering stack of papers. The only way I know what she looks like is because she staggered a little and the papers shifted to the side. But the stack is about two feet high. I can only just see her forehead poking out at the top, sweat beading on her brow from carrying the massive pile.

So this is it. My test. The fourth round.
What if Delphi passes with flying colors and I don't pass at all? What if they laugh at me while they look at my unfortunate situation of being the less intelligent twin? I really don't want to do this.

My heartbeat quickens as I try to calm myself down.
The woman grudgingly slams the papers on my desk.
"You have three hours. Use them wisely. I wish you best of luck."
She coughs. Then glances at the clock on the wall.
"You can start... now."
She walks out and I can feel a whole horde of butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

I look down at the first page of the packet. But it's all blurry and scribbly and I don't understand anything. I feel my stomach drop. No matter how hard I try, I can't understand the test. My head begins to pound and my eyes sting with tears. The tears start to come which just makes it even blurrier. I'm terrified and panicked and I feel stupid.
Above my head, I hear roaring laughter. The lights come on and I can see dozens of officials sitting down in a structure like a courtroom, or an arena. They are the spectators, I am the entertainment.

The woman who handed me the packet walks in on the upper floor and whispers to one of the spectators.
He guffaws and cries,
"Ha! This girl is an idiot! In the next room over, Delphinium is already done! Fifteen minutes! And she has a perfect score! I say give up on this buffoon! She hasn't answered one!"
They jeer and point fingers and laugh at me. My heart aches from their cruel derision. I want to curl up and disappear. The worst I could have imagined has happened.
Then the woman leaves and is back a moment later with Delphi in tow. She glances at me.
"Don't mind her," Delphi chuckles to the woman. "She's just stupid. Always was the disappointment of the family. I mean, come on, this test was easy! She does have some attributes though. She's pretty."
Great. My twin sister says I'm pretty. I'm flattered.
They keep laughing at me. I try to force back the tears but my words come out choked and frantic.
"No! No! I swear! I'm not that bad! Just let me calm down and I'll try again! Please!"

The the whole world turns into a blurry haze and I wake up crying, tangled in my blankets.

Hey, everyone! So we (mc2) are working on a new and updated version of this. It is scheduled to come out February 1st. One of the problems we are running into is the title for the book. Here are some of our ideas so far, feel free to elaborate:
The Shadowed Sun
The Glass Box
Under the Willow Tree
The Fractured Reflection
The person with the best title gets full credits and a shoutout. Have fun, and thanks for reading our story!