The second we hear the knock on the door, we leap up out of our seats and race to the door. My mother is already there. She smiles at us kindly, but we can tell how worried she is. She made it to The Fifth herself, and understands what we might have to do.
I'm so focused on the papers in the official's hand when the door opens that I pay little attention to what she looks like. All I notice is her bleached-blonde hair color, and how it's pulled into an elaborate knot on top of her head. My mother calmly accepts the envelopes and hands them to us as the door swings shut. I tear it open immediately, sick of the anticipation. There is so much weight on the results of the exams that the anxiety is nearly unbearable.
I rush through the papers at the top, official signatures and such that I couldn't care less about. I unfold the final page.

Congratulations, Delphinium Rose Galloway. You have passed The Fourth portion of The Trials, and will now proceed to The Fifth.

I freeze for a moment and then look up at Willow. She's already staring at me, green eyes wide.
We were both expecting this, yet the confirmation is still shocking.
My mother doesn't even have to ask. She pulls me into a hug. No words are necessary.
After a long moment, we let go.
The strictest rule about The Fifth is that you cannot train your children for it. My parents technically followed this rule, but after experiencing it themselves, they knew that they couldn't let their own children go completely unprepared. They would have us "play" in the forest, learning by ourselves from a young age how to feel at home in the woods. But we were always home to eat dinner.
An entire month in the woods is a completely different story.
I pick up the paper again and re-read the first sentence. My eyes move down the page to the numerical results of the Exam.

497/500 (Multiple Choice)
389/400 (Short Answer)
98/100 (Open Response)
Total: 984/1000
(98.4%)
Passing Grade
Advanced

I look at Willow. She hasn't opened hers yet.
"You have to open it sometime."
"But what if-"
"Here. I'll open it."
She doesn't protest, so after a moment of hesitation, I rip it open. Again skipping over all the signatures and uselessness, I finally reach her results.

495/500 (Multiple Choice)
396/400 (Short Answer)
94/100 (Open Response)
Total: 985/1000
(98.5%)
Passing Grade
Advanced

"You scored .1 points higher than me," I laugh, feeling a weight lift from my chest. "You're .1 points smarter!"
Willow lets out a sigh of relief.
"Thank God I passed."
"And at that, you beat me. By .1 points! Do you know how annoying that is?"
"Well, I am older."
"By twenty-one minutes!"
She grins at me, a glint in her eye.
"And don't you forget it. Ha! I'll dangle that in front of you forever!  If only you had answered one question better!"
We giggle because it's honestly hysterical. But then it dawns on me: Partners.
I scramble through the papers. Then I find the page.

Name: Delphinium Rose Galloway
Sex: Female
Parents: Elek and Chrysanthemum Galloway
Ethnicity: Half-Lebanese, Half-Estonian
Height: 5'1
Eye color: Green
Hair color: Dark brown
Skin color: Olive
Partner: Willow Jessamine Galloway

"We're partners!"
"Thank God. You and I will be a good pair."
It suddenly dawns on me that I will be away from home for a whole month. In the woods. Trying to survive.
Sure, if we get into any real trouble, the helicopters will come to get us. They wouldn't want the most promising people killed in the last portion of The Trials. But short of that, we're on our own. And we have to be in grave danger for them to come get us. No more perfect supply of food for each person. We will have to feed ourselves.
Not that that's a major problem.
While we played in the woods, we learned to feed ourselves. I actually took up hunting from a young age. Willow found a book that my mother, "accidentally" left lying around that described weapons from the past and how to make them. She has gifted hands, and made very artistic pieces. She tried using them, but frankly, she wasn't excellent. I asked to borrow them, and I learned to use them quickly. My personal favorite is the bow and arrows, but I like spears and throwing knives, too.
I can't bear thinking about the plights of tomorrow. I already feel homesick and terrified.
But I must appear strong. It's an irrational fear to look weak, I know, but it's a fear that in some ways rules my life. I silently walk upstairs and say I'm going to bed, but my blood is racing and I feel dizzy and overwhelmed.
I crawl into bed hoping I will fall asleep so the fear will go away. I rarely have nightmares, after all.
But no. I'm awake even when Willow comes in, and I pretend to be asleep. I am strong.
However, my mind keeps me awake for a long time after, until finally exhaustion takes mercy on me.