Two

I did follow the instruction carefully and I found myself at the place where the headmaster said, before the stairs, they were labelled, the highest was thirty five which was strange because with the way he was going on about me not being able to finish climbing was strange, like they were in hundreds or something but it was just thirty five and like he also said, there were people milling about, some were sitting on the stairs and laughing while others stared at them with envy. I drew my conclusion that those sitting on the stairs were regarded as the cool kids. 

I was tempted, seriously tempted to ask one of the others milling about what the stairs were for but something told me that I would incur the wrath of my dad who was watching.

With a sigh, I started the journey, with my first step on the stairs, I understood why the principal did what he did. This was indeed a test. A test to see if I would survive I assumed because the shock that went through me was freezing, I was stuck. I could not step down, something kept pushing me to go forward and I knew that I would be receiving another shock just like the first. 

The noise calmed down and I realized that everybody was looking at me. The new kid taking the test. I sighed and I placed my leg on the second stair and the shock came once more. I breathed through it, seriously thinking of pushing against the force taking me forward and go back down until I heard a laughter from the clique of the three girls sitting on the second stairs. They were higher than other sitting on the first. 

“She is not worth our attention, I think she will reach ten before passing out with the way she is going.” One said as the other two laughed again. 

I frowned at the words and laughter, hearing the dismissal in their tone. I never backed down from a challenged, that was what my father taught me and with the way they dismissed me like I was unimportant, I felt challenged to prove them wrong. It felt like shackles were coming off as I shrugged off my discomfort and stepped on the third stair, I shrugged off the shock the minute it started and to distract myself from feeling it too much, I placed my foot on the next one. And that was how I progressed, one step at a time, never dwelling long on one. The whispers and cheers increased when I passed the twenty-fifth one but that was when I started to sweat. I tried my best to continue going. Gasps sounded when I stepped on another milestone but all my energy was focused at taking the next step forward so I could not check which. Three steps to go when I felt an extremely high pressure on me. I had lifted one leg to step on the thirty-third step but instead the leg landed on the same step as my other leg. I spun around when I started to get dizzy, trying to push the pressure. Me taking another step was not worth fainting in front of everybody watching. I would never be able to live it down, no matter if I reached the very first step, after all, this is high school and teenagers were the worst set of people to make a mistake in front of. 

I turned to see everybody cheering me, except the three girls who were standing on the floor, staring at me slack jawed, it was a good look on them. I walked down the stairs, bracing myself for another torturous shocking but it didn’t come. Thinking that I would have a few minutes of reprieve before it started once more, I quickly rush down the stairs before it would change its mind to shock the hell out of me. 

As I stepped off the deathtrap, the cheering reduced as people waved at me with smiles while the three girls glared at me then stomped off, swearing angrily. I already knew that they would be a problem. 

“H- hi-i.” A girl, a little shorter than me, stuttered. “I am your guide but I am sure they made a mistake, please follow me Miss as I take you to someone more appropriate to show you around.” 

I frowned at her words but still followed her as she started moving, knowing that it was best I kept my mouth shut and hoped that I would understand everything that was happening in time. 

She took me to an office by the side of the building which I discovered was not really an office but rather an elevator. The stairs were just for that stupid test and nothing more I believed. 

When the elevator stopped at the top floor, she smiled at me tentatively. “Welcome to ATI. We would stop first and the Student guide office and then you will be given someone better.” She stated. 

“Why are you not enough?” I asked, unable to hold my curiosity much longer. 

She jerked at my question, frowning before her expression cleared. “I guess, you cannot feel others power levels yet. Most school teach that first but a few school around Faery still believe that ignorance is bliss. I guess you must have attended one of those.” She stated with a scrunch of her nose like she did not like the idea. She seemed funny and interesting and I knew that she was one of those people who were real. 

“Anyway.” She continued. “I am one of the lowest leveled powered individual around, I could only get up to eight but it is okay though. I guess Cirdan saw you struggling on step two and thought that I was more of your level but he is known to make mistakes, especially since he has been distracted lately. Don’t think that he was being an asshole on purpose, he usually is but not when it comes to guide for new students. He takes that seriously.”

I nodded like I was following her words when I did not know anything that she meant. 

She took me to a room where someone was making a call, the person was alone inside. She wanted to knock when the person let out a growl of anger like he was a shifter, one of the five prominent group. He wasn’t. He had that glow around him which reminded me of my father and that told me that he was a Folk. 

“How would you know how they would treat me like when you are not even here? They already treat me like some kind of king which is annoying since all I want to do is to be left alone.” He said into the phone. The person on the other end seemed to say something that made him more incensed. “No, don’t make a public announcement that would make things worse.”

My guide cleared her throat and the boy stiffened before he let out a sigh. “I have to go father, someone is at the door. Yeah. One of my guides, I feel like a mistake has been made again. Just don’t do anything about the situation. I have a feeling that I would have more time to myself than if you do do anything, Okay bye Old man.” 

He let the phone down before he turned to look at us, already berating the girl I was with but he stopped when he saw me, just like I did when I saw him. 

And I kid you not, I am not making anything up but it felt like the world stopped when I stared into his eyes. 

And I knew that he felt it too.