CHAPTER NINE
Astra and Izuku made their way into the stadium and sat in one of the available seats. It was dark so she had to guide Izuku to the seats so the boy didn't trip. Knowing him, he'd trip over someone's shoes and cause a mess.
Laughing softly she pushed him into a seat," This will do. Let's watch from here."
" Now remember Astra," Sage's voice peeked out of Astras hoodie. The dragon slayer had decided to wear one just so her friend could go to the exam with her.
" Remember what?"
" Not to destroy the building!"
"..."
Rolling her eyes playfully she tapped the vixen's nose," Hush now. It's starting.."
A man with blonde hair spiked so high it must have added a few feet to his height strided centre stage. He wore leather pants and a leather jacket, leather fingerless gloves and leather knee length boots. He even has a peer of headphones on. This man was practically made out of leather with the way he wore it.
" Hey everyone!!!" The man shouted and Astra wanted to respond in kind but was shut up when she heard her little friend Izuku rambling about some hero.
" Oh my god! Do you know who he is? He's-" Izuku murmured quietly next to her in amazement and Astra promptly tuned him out.
" I hope you're all excited! Today's exam is going to be a blast!! Look what we have here!"
Behind him a screen lit up and showed everyone some robots," You're task will be to defeat as many robots as humanly possible and get the best score possible! Points per robot range from 0-3!"
A boy raised his hand," Yes young man! I'm so glad we have questions!!"
A boy with glasses and dark blue hair spoke up," Ahem, excuse me for saying so, but is there a robot worth zero point? And you!" He pointed in my direction.
Astra pointed to herself," You talking to me." With a raised brow she watched him stutter.
" N-no! The stuttering fool beside you be quite! Some of us are trying are actually trying to listen!"
Izuku promptly said," S-sorry!" And shut up.
Angry Astra glared at the guy who just said that. Izuku may be annoying some times but he's trying his dames hardest here too," Why you-" But Izuku's tug on her arm pulled her away. Shyly he turned away and Astra got the message, after shooting another glare that guys way she turned to the mic.
Having not heard the commotion he was busing answer the guys question," Great you asked! There is one robot worth zero points so I recommend you steer clear of that one! Now, you'll all be given a card. It's placed under your seats. On it is a letter. That letter points to what group you'll be in for the exam since there's so many of you we needed to split you up!"
The whole auditorium made a shuffling sound as students grabbed their cards. Astra grabbed hers," A. What's yours Izuku?"
He pouted," I got G."
" Looks like they don't want friends to be seperated," Astra concluded," makes sense I suppose."
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Group A was first. We gathered around and waited for the teacher to I trust us. Astra yawned, she'd been up since early in the morning. Running her neck she tried and failed to get rid of the sleep.
A girl next to her smiled," You seem tired."
Smiling at her, Astra responded," Oh you have no idea."
" Alright now students! It's time to start at 3! 2! 1! GO!"
The exam has officially started and all of group A started running. All of them, except for Astra. Plastering on a big smile she walked leisurely into the arena. Stretching for a few minutes she finally decided it was time to kick some robot ass.
They were all gigantic and Astra licked her lips," Time to die bitch! "
Perhaps the professors wished they had their screen on another student because they all visibly flinched at her crude words. All except (professor love girl], she grinned and whilsted low.
" Let's watch this one for a bit longer."
So they watched from drones flying high, overlooking the arena. Astra bounded and jumped, she didn't even have to use a spell — her abnormal strength was enough to smash the metal abominations into smithereens.
Aren't these meant to be difficult?
Aster had heard from others in the crowd today that the exam was supposed to be hard..
" Perhaps its the written exam that's supposed to be hard.." Astra mumbled her thoughts out loud thought this practice exam, not really focusing on anything. Her mind was blank, her fist doing all the work. She mindlessly punched anything that got in her way, anything metal.
People would sometimes sweep past but she'd just bound and jump the other way. The robots were becoming increasingly hard to find, but she knew that metallic scent now. She could no any of those metal contraptions as long as their scent didn't change.
Astra landed on the roof of a pipe that was looping over top the arena and she just watched, sitting down and legs swinging. Sighing she rested a hand under her chin," How boring." This exam was painfully boring and she so she just rested for the rest of the exam.
Surely i took down enough.
The teachers watching her all sweat dropped. Exasperation laced some of their complaints as they watched her sitting, not doing anything. Izuku also watched the screens and was shocked to find that Astra was not participating but instead sitting on a pipe! Watching others fight! He worried his bottom lip, hoping she got enough robots.
Minuets past and Astra hummed a tune looking down at participants fighting. Then something strange happened, one person was about to be crushed by the metal beasts. Astra shouted at them to move but they just stood still.
Fear.
She could smell it.
It was practically dripping off of this student as though they'd just stepped out of the rain. Not hesitating Astra pushed off the pipe and landed on the metal contraptions head. Her landing was so forceful that the metal crumbled under her weight. And when she landed on the ground she was surprised to find the metal had been crushed and even left a crater in the arena where it now lay, lifeless.
Though Astra doubted there was any life in them to begin with.
There was a girl that lay sprawled on the ground a few feet from the crater and Astra wondered why she hadn't gone already. Surely she had enough sense to flee.
The girl spotted me looking at her with a blank expression and she suddenly jumped down gripping Astra's hand hard.
" Thank you! You have no idea how scared I was. I was certain that thing would have crushed me. I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes!! Thanks so much!!"
Astra smiled widely and shook her hand just as vigorously," No problem! I'm Astra, what's your name?"
" Mina Ashido! Nice to meet you!"
Astra tok the girls appearance in with slight confusion. She'd seen a lot in her lifetime but never a girl with pink skin. Literal pink skin. She had curly pink hair cut to the shoulders and two small enmetena pocked out from the top of her head. Her eyes were the most disconcerting thing about her — where the white of her eyes should be there was black and she had pink irises. The most normal thing about her was her smile.
She beamed, showing her straight white teeth and she supposed that Astra had indeed seen much stranger things then this. Nodding to herself she asked her new friend," How are you finding the exam?"
Mina's eyes went wide," Oh! I completely forgot about that! So sorry, I'll talk to you later and thanks again."
We waved to each other before leaving and Astra made sure to step over the metal behind her. Her footfalls left clouds of dust in their wake and she vowed to spend the rest of the practical exam sleeping on some pipe far above all this commotion.
A few of the teachers watching the exam let out exasperated sighs.
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Astra was right about one thing that day.
The written exam was a nightmare and she strived to do her best but no matter how she looked at the questions they all seemed too simple.
Ie. In the event an attack by civilians takes place in the town square how do you handle it?
Ie. Should you come across a villain what is the oust thing you do?
Ie. x3+y3+z3=k,
Ie. 3 + 2(x + 5) = 3 - (2x - 1)
There were questions about historical events she knew nothing about. Her brain was swamped with endless questions but when it came time to figure out the answer her brain was surprisingly blank. As though someone had just leached all her thoughts out of her.
Dread laced through her veins as she came to a depressing realisation.
I'm stupid!!
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By the time the day was over Astra and Izuku were walking out arm in arm. Astra smiling carefree about the situation and Izuku straining to keep his positive dementor intact.
By the time they reached his house Izuku was crouching by the fireplace, looking at the fire flickering in the hearth with an abnormal amount of focus. As though all his answers lay in the smouldering wood.
Astra plopped down on the beanbag next to him and watched his face flicker in the firelight. Izuku was cute in that brotherly kind of way and she smiled at his obvious inner turmoil.
I could be an ass and tease him.
Perhaps it would be better than addressing his problems head on.
In the short time she had come to know this boy she knew he hated confrontation. And he looked partially fragil tonight and she didn't want to be the straw that broke his back.
Head on hand she gave him a toothy smile," Stop making googly eyes at the fire Izuku it won't date you." She chuckled but he wasn't listening so she changed tactics. Astra stood behind him, bending down and wrapping her arms around the boy's neck. Resting her head on top of his curly locks she sighed.
" We're going to rock that school. You'll see." He stiffened and she could feel the heat at the base of his neck. She knew that he must be very red right about now.
He nodded noiselessly and they stayed like that for quite some time before he started talking," What if I don't get in?"
" You will."
" But what if-"
She shook her head and squeezed him tighter," No what ifs Izuku. You're getting in. You deserve to be in that school. They know it. I know it. The only one that doesn't know that seems to be you."
He looked down, staring at his empty hands and she felt something ominous.
" And if you're wrong?" The room grew darker as the embers grew dimmer.
" We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then," She stood up and held his hand, pulling him up with her," we need to get to bed. It's late and your mums already asleep."
She pulled him out of the darkening room and when Izuku closed his door she went back to the living room and stared at the dying embers. With a sigh she flicked her hand and a spark of light lit the fire up with a low humming roar. And with a final look behind her she swayed to her room.
Sleep was hard to find that night.
" Tomorrow, we'll have to wait for tomorrow..."
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Authors Note
So this chapters shorter but dont worry the next one will be much longer :)
Words : 1,985
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