A Mate To Three Alpha Heirs

{Elira}

~**^**~

My pencil hovered over the first page, heart drumming so loud I feared those around me could hear it.

’Focus, Elira,’ I told myself, pushing out every thought except the paper in front of me.

There were four subjects. My gaze swept across them quickly: Economics, Calculations, History—and then... Essay.

My breath caught in my throat.

The Essay topic leapt at me, the letters swimming for a heartbeat before settling into cruel clarity:

"Why do you want to get into ESA?"

For a long, frozen second, I just stared.

’It’s the exact same topic Zenon made me write,’ I realized, a strange tightness forming in my chest.

My thoughts tangled, breath shallowing.