{Elira}
~**^**~
Friday morning came with a knot already tightening in my stomach.
After our classes for the day, Cambria, Nari, Juniper, Tamryn, and I headed for the auditorium together.
We found seats together near the middle. Juniper leaned close, whispering, "You look way too calm, Elira. Either you've mastered inner peace or you are seconds from fainting."
I smiled faintly. "Probably both." I wished I wouldn't be called upon today, but something at the back of my mind told me to accept my fate already.
The professor standing on the stage, a tall woman with moon-black streaks in her dark hair and a voice that carried easily without effort, lifted the microphone.
"All right, students," she began, her tone clipped and professional, "the combat elimination continues. As always, twenty names will be drawn. When your name is called, remain seated until the full list is complete."
