The last day of school. After two long years, we were finally free. Not only that, we could read and write! Well, most of us. Okay, fourteen students out of one hundred and thirty eight, which is technically a minority. Beats every bordering village, though.

Freedom was also a lie, since we were supposed to start job-hunting immediately and begin working as soon as possible — fifteen is too old to just watch others perform back-breaking labor. (My parents would remind me that their generation used to work on the field as five-year-olds. Guess the new law about child labor and education was a good thing after all.)

Mom and Dad hugged me after the graduation ceremony, and their eyes seemed wetter than usual.

"I'm proud of you, Scythe," Dad said finally.

I smiled happily.

"So which job are you planning to pursue?" Mom asked, "Remember Wolf, Rake and Clover's son?"

"Yeah... Why?" I asked, raising my brows incredulously.

"Well, he wants to be a healer!"

"And?"

"If he succeeds, he'll for sure be wealthy and respected and his parents will be set for life and no one will call them 'bad at parenting' and..."

I zoned out. Mom was probably hinting at something. But what? Did she want me to apply for a healer?

"... and Clover's siblings could never make fun of her life choices. If Clover wasn't an only child, that is. I wish—"

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"Mom, I want to become a healer, too."

"Oh daughter, you're the best blessing the gods have ever bestowed upon us!"

I rolled my eyes.

***

For 3 days, I pretended to study and search for inner peace. I wasn't worried about the interview, as I had a few backup plans, such as working at a cemetery or starving to death.

Finally, it was time. I put on my favorite dress (blue with a green leaf pattern).

There I was, at the door to the infirmary. I hadn't been nervous before, but I was when I raised my hand to knock. What if I humiliate myself? I took a deep breath. I lowered my hand and turned around. Starving would for sure make me thin and beautiful. Besides, I wouldn't be sweating so much without body fat... Suddenly, the door opened. One of the old healers was there. While I was frantically trying to remember his name, he asked me, "You're here for the apprenticeship, right? Because you signed up for the trial. Or are you sick? Probably sick of waiting to become part of our amazing  team!" While I was processing the joke, he dragged me inside by the arm.

There was an old sick woman on the bed. Her eyes seemed soulless and glassy and she would cough up some blood occasionally.

"Alright, your task is to cure her. She should be healthy in two weeks."

Two weeks?! The only things I knew how to cure took an hour at most.

"I uh..."

Suddenly, I had an idea. It was brilliant, smart, genius and borderline psychotic.

"Actually, I only need a few hours and for no one to watch me."

***

"So, how's life?" I tried to make small talk.

"My daughter got mauled to death."

"Oh."

I decided not to make small talk anymore.

I reached into my pocket and fished out a tiny bottle. I mixed a drop of the black liquid with water and handed it to the woman.

"This can solve your problem!"

She downed the cup in one gulp.

"It won't solve the problem of my daughter not being with me anymore," she said grimly.

After that, she fell.

"Technically, it could..." I corrected.

I started chanting the forbidden song the meaning of which I didn't know. My eyes, usually green, were now obsidian black. At least I assumed so, because it happens every time I do the ritual.

The woman sat up.

"Why am I on the floor?"

Yeah, probably should have put her back into the bed. Silly me.

"You fell."

"Oh."

***

I got the job.