Rosedale Academy

Entrance Test for Rosedale Academy

Cover credit to GiantessIsCool (deviantart)
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I was sitting in the kitchen opposite my mum. She was a businesswoman in every sense of the word. She had taken off her makeup and shimmied into a fluffy pink dressing gown. Her face bore the marks of staying up late answering emails and working from early in the morning without a lunch break. I could see the dark bags under her eyes and the wrinkles that were usually painted over to perfection with makeup.

We were eating supper in silence. She was reading the Sunday Times newspaper and she pushed the Finance section of the paper towards me, urging me to read an article about productivity and time management. Tomorrow she would miss work just to take me to an entrance test for the new school. Rosedale Academy.

I was her only child and adopted. She had some casual boyfriends since her last divorce but none of her relationships had lasted. Being adopted, we didn't look alike. I had my Russian birth mother's features: her long legs, pale grey eyes, light blonde thin hair and translucent skin, which contrasted starkly against my plum coloured lips. And my birth father? I knew and cared even less about him.

The next day we woke up and drove to the testing and interview centre of Rosedale Academy. The Academy was the only one of its type in the world. World leaders, genius scientists and the best engineers graduated from the Academy. It is said that even if you have no particular talent or intelligence, graduating from the academy alone was sufficient to pave the road to success. While what happened inside the academy was a secret one thing was sure, that Academy was a machine that took in only the most gifted children and spat out well-rounded, life prepared geniuses.  And so, it was every parent's dream to get their child into the Academy.

Once a year, Rosedale would open applications into their school. Anyone from anywhere in the world could apply. There were no requirements, apart from age and the rule that if you had failed once you could not apply again. Out of the tens of thousands that came to the testing centre, only a handful got accepted into the school. Most of the pupils Rosedale came to the from school invitation letters and academy teacher visits to the homes of the soon to be academy pupils.  

"They have to let someone in. It may as well be you." My mum smiled warmly at me as she released me into the centre to take my test. She promised to wait for me in the car in the carpark outside the gates.

The test centre was somewhat of a town with around fifty large multistory buildings and some food and souvenir shops. It was built in the valleys, sheltered from harsh weather and shadowed by the green mountains. On the outside, ran a tall golden fence and there were golden gates at the entrance. To open the gate I put my finger on the fingerprint scanner next to the gate. An automatic voice from the gate explained that it was to prevent card theft. The scanner printed a card, and the gate opened. I took a deep breath and went through. It really felt as if my whole life had led up to this moment. I had to pass no matter what.

The card was similar to a coffee shop loyalty card with 21 boxes on the front. I walked through the town and read the instructions on the back of my card:

" 1. There are testing stations at the large buildings in the town. There you are marked by your performance at that station. If all 20 stations are marked at C level or above you are granted an interview at the school.

2. You must go to every test station marked between 1 to 20 and no other stations unless told otherwise. Each station mark will be stamped onto your card.

3. If any of the test centres put a star on your card, you are to go to Testing Station 21 straight away. You do not need to go to this station if you do not have the star.