Without answering, he hands me the folded sheet. He wants me to look at it. Maybe it's time, indeed. I take the paper and turn away, facing my back toward Josh.
With trembling fingers, I unfold the sheet.
Not sufficient.
The two words stand out in bold capital letters amid the text. I don't care about what else it says. Nothing interests me anymore. I inhale heavily, crumpling the sheet into a ball. I press the paper tightly in my palm until my knuckles turn white.
It was so clear. How could I be so foolish to think I could pass the exam?
Suddenly, a tremor courses through my entire body. Not even Josh's hand, resting comfortably on my shoulder, can change that.
My world is crumbling with a bang and a crash.
"You can try again," Josh says.
Certainly not. I spin around uncontrollably. Then I hurriedly push past him. In my peripheral vision, I see Sophia, once again fiddling with my bag. She pulls out the music box.
She better stop that right now.
Her fingers find the latch.
No. She can't!
I rush toward her, to save the box. To savemyself.
The distance is too far. Sophia curiously lifts the lid. A dark gap appears. It widens.
It's about to happen.
"Stop!" I scream loudly. "Let go of that immediately." I practically throw myself at her and snatch the music box from her hand.
Gasping, I hold it tightly against my chest. Sophia looks at me in horror. And Josh's expression tells me that he's wondering who the hell I even am.
I need to get away. I don't know where. Just away.
I start running immediately, but my legs move too slowly. The checkered tiles on the floor suddenly turn slippery. As I slide uncontrollably through the hallway, I notice that Josh is chasing me.
"Give her some time. She needs to calm down," I hear Jasmin say, and I completely agree. He should definitely leave me alone.
I hurry down the entrance stairs and dash toward the rose garden. But no matter how fast I sprint, he's getting closer with every second.
