The Interview

 

            Sweat trickled down Maggie’s neck as she took a deep breath and opened the door. When she approached the desk, she smiled at the receptionist and said, “Hi! I’m Maggie Avery and I’m here for an interview.”

            The receptionist waved her over to some chairs and said, “Wait there until your name is called.”

            Maggie sat down nervously but only had to wait a minute before she heard her name. Trying not to let her nerves show, she walked over to the woman who was holding a door open for her. After shaking hands, they walked inside.

            Maggie sat down in the chair across from the woman and waited.

            “Hello, Maggie,” the woman said with a kind smile. “My name is Tracy.”

            Maggie thought she managed to murmur a hello, but her nervousness was creeping to the surface.

            “Why do you want to attend this school, Maggie?”

Nervously clearing her throat, Maggie found her voice. “Well, my family has been attending this school for generations.”

            “You know that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a spot here, right?”

            “Of course, I just wanted to let you know that I have a lot of the same talents that other members of my family have.”

            Tracy wrote something down on her notepad. Looking up, she asked, “Can you demonstrate for me?”

            Forcing herself to relax, Maggie took a deep breath, closed her eyes and focused. Stretching out her hand, she felt for her magic. A crash sounded and she opened her eyes. The window behind Tracy had broken and pieces of glass now littered the floor.

            Tracy nodded and said, “Impressive. Now can you put it back?”

            Focusing her magic again, Maggie envisioned the window as it had been before. Shards of glass flew together and fused into a single pane that fit into the window space.

            For the next fifteen minutes, Maggie answered questions and did a few more magical displays. She did her best to show that she deserved to be there.

            Tracy jotted down several notes. Finally, she said, “Okay, thank you for your time. We’ll let you know within one week if you’ve been accepted.”

            Maggie stood and shook Tracy’s hand before she left. Once outside, she barely held it together until she got on the bus that would take her home. Sitting down in the first empty seat she saw, she slumped over and closed her eyes. Light Sands Magic School was the best there was. She’d done her best, and now she just had to hope that it would be enough. But, no matter what happened, at least she wouldn’t have to go through another interview like that again. Once was more than enough.