Cardinal Tower (Trinity Central Book #1)

Chapter 23

Rank 30? I received the lowest scores in both fields despite my clearly outstanding performances, and Jacoby had the audacity to rank me last. I think back to what Silas said, that the initial rank decides your entire future in the Trinity Guard, does that mean that Jacoby has already decided to end my career and deliver me to Kai as a prisoner? There is a possibility that the sentence he chooses for me might result in a demise similar to Monica's. Did my performance fail to impress him? I look back up the list, and find that no other person received more than 1700, yet I'm confident that I couldn't have received anything less than 2000.

Cynthia runs up to me, excitement spotting her features before her smile falls when she sees my confused expression. She starts to ask me what's wrong, but I walk past her into the training facility. It's relatively empty give or take a student every now and then who have already been worn down from the chaos unveiling outside.

I see Silas and Kent in front of the repaired sparring square, talking about something seemingly amusing. I want to wave to them, but I stop myself when I catch Jacoby walking past them. I sort of half sprint towards him, catching him in front of one of the shooting stalls.

"What the hell?" I ask, "The list out there says I'm worse than everyone else. Actions don't lie, but you dropped my rank so low it's laughable." I gesture towards the door, threatening the broad man with my eyes. His face remains placid, unfazed by my sudden outburst. Instead he just nonchalantly crosses his arms and waits for me to calm down. I've never felt this insurmountable amount of anxiety before, it folds over me like a tidal wave of doubt and inadequacy. I do remember the one fear that I have: failure.

"Maybe your scores weren't as exceptional as you believed Ms.Berkeley, I ranked you how I found fit." His voice is monotonous in a tone slightly higher than his own, he's making an uncomfortable amount of eye contact, and his jaw tightens when he speaks. He's lying. "Maybe focus on your training a bit more, it seems like your ego is getting in the way of your improvement. Now if you excuse me, I have a class to teach."

He walks away, knocking my shoulder as he passes me. I'm left with anger seething from my clenched fists, dumbfounded at his dismissive response filled with naivety and denial.

I start back towards the center of the room to prepare for this morning's instructions when I'm stopped by Silas and Kent.

"Morning Castelle, hope you slept well," Silas says, furrowing his brow at my clearly disheveled appearance and baggy eyelids. I turn to Kent who's snickering at my apparent lethargy, and I offer him a tired grimace.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" he asks, petting the top of my head playfully; I feel like a pet standing beside his towering figure.

"It's strange, it seems like I didn't get much sleep last night," my growl directed at Kent who holds his hands up defensively, suppressing a smile. Silas switches his gaze between the two of us, clearly wanting to say something but deciding against it. "But besides that, Jacoby ranked me last out of the rest of those blockheads."

"How's that possible? Aria never even took her intelligence exam, and I swear you're smarter than at least one of them," Kent says, nodding at the crowd of dark skin suits crowding the center sparring squares, his happy-go-lucky demeanor now replaced by worry.

"Well, what'd you score on your aptitude tests?" Silas asks, concern also painted across his face. He fidgets on his feet a bit, his vexation evident in his dubious stance.

"100 on aptitude, 500 in combat," I respond. Kent and Silas exchange a confused glance, clearly as perplexed as I am.

"How is that possible?" Silas continues, no longer looking at me but at the general standing in the center of the room behind me. "I've never seen a score so low before."