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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.