Throughout the day, I took the SAT exam. I finished an hour earlier than the rest, and Jasmine followed just a few minutes later. That only confirmed my suspicion—she's undoubtedly a genius.
As I walked out of the exam hall, I could feel the scornful stares of the other students, their resentment palpable. It annoyed me. I wasn't showing off; I'd simply prepared well.
The exam had been relatively easy because of my efforts, so their bitterness was misplaced. They had no one to blame but themselves for squandering their potential.
"Hey, you never introduced yourself," Jasmine said as she caught up with me, her tone light and curious.
I hesitated, not intending to give her my name. I'd assumed we wouldn't meet again after the exam, especially if she failed.
But seeing her calm expression and the fact that she'd finished so quickly made me reconsider.
"My name is Mary," I said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Mary Sigrid."
"Hmm..." Jasmine tilted her head thoughtfully. "Judging by your surname, are you Scandinavian by any chance?"
Her eyes flicked to the pendant around my neck.
"And considering you're wearing a Valknut necklace—unless it's just for aesthetics—are you a worshipper of the Norse gods? An Ásatrúar?"
Her deduction stopped me in my tracks just as we reached the school exit. "How do you know that?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
Jasmine giggled, a sound both innocent and self-assured. "Observation," she said with a smile. "I've been a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was a kid. Reading those stories made me appreciate the art of deduction. Over time, I taught myself to observe and analyze details, though I'm not nearly as perfect as Holmes. I do get things wrong occasionally, but my success rate is pretty decent."
I was impressed. Her intelligence was far beyond what I'd initially assumed. It made sense now how she'd managed to finish the exam so quickly.
I didn't know the exact methods she used, but she must've spent countless hours sharpening her observational skills and training her mind.
She likely memorized entire textbooks and understood them on a deeper level. My earlier assumption had been right—Jasmine could become a significant obstacle to my success.
Failure wasn't an option for me. I had to think carefully about my next move.
"Hey, um..." Jasmine's voice broke through my thoughts.
She looked away shyly, her cheeks tinged with pink.
"Can I have your number? I don't know why, but you're different. Whenever I make deductions like that, people usually freak out and want me to stay away. But you didn't—you listened and even seemed interested. I just thought maybe we could hang out sometime?"
Her request caught me off guard.
I couldn't tell if Jasmine wanted to date me or simply be friends. Her words reminded me of Caitlyn—those same sweet phrases she had used years ago when we started dating.
But something about Jasmine's tone suggested a genuine offer of friendship.
I found myself wondering why people were so unsettled by her deductive skills. It was an incredible talent, one I wouldn't mind having myself.
Beyond considering her as an ally to avoid future complications, perhaps it would be nice to have a friend again after all these years.
My old friends had drifted away, unwilling to keep up with a workaholic like me.
"Sure," I said, handing her my number. Her face lit up, and she literally jumped for joy.
We parted ways after that. With the SAT results due next week, I had little to do but bury myself in more studying.
However, Jasmine surprised me by texting later, inviting me to a cat café. The idea struck me as unusual—cat cafés weren't exactly common in the U.S.—but I agreed.
Maybe I needed the break.
Before leaving the house, I muttered a quick prayer to Thor, asking him to watch over both of us during our outing.
For a brief moment, my vision shimmered with a strange golden hue before returning to normal. I blinked, startled.
Then I heard a scream coming from the living room.
My pulse quickened as I rushed to check, only to find my mom vacuuming the carpet while the TV played The Ritual, a horror movie from 2017. The scream had come from the film, not reality.
I shook off the eerie feeling, brushing it off as exhaustion. Still, the moment lingered in the back of my mind for months.
Jasmine and I continued to hang out after classes, usually at quirky cafés or bookstores. Over time, I excelled in my studies as always, earning the position of Class President, with Jasmine elected as Vice President.
Together, we managed to bring order to even the most unruly students in the class, which earned the admiration of our professors.
Academically, I maintained my streak of ranking first in every exam, but the victories no longer felt satisfying. Despite my outward accomplishments, my thoughts kept returning to that strange, golden-tinted vision and the scream I'd heard.
The memory refused to fade, weighing on my mind like an unsolved riddle.
—
It was the month of September. Today was September 6, 2024. I had just handed in my assignment early for my history and mythology class—a paper on the life of King Odysseus of Ithaca.
This was one of my favorite classes, even though my strengths lay in science and mathematics. There was something inherently captivating about history and mythology that always drew me in.
I had chosen Odysseus as my topic because his story fascinated me ever since I saw the 1997 television miniseries The Odyssey as a child.
Among the Greek heroes, Odysseus stood out—not for his brute strength but for his intellect. The way he overcame monumental challenges using his wit, and the fact that it took him twenty arduous years to return home, resonated with me.
In some ways, his journey mirrored my own struggle to find normalcy in life.
"As always, I'm impressed wi' yer work, Class President," said my professor, Thomas Kelpie, his thick Scottish accent rolling off the words as naturally as the tides. "Yer pal, Jasmine, handed hers in earlier. Her topic was about Arthur Conan Doyle—nae surprise, considering' her favorite character."
"I strive to be the best, sir," I replied, though my voice carried a hint of exhaustion.
A faint dizziness gnawed at the edges of my focus, but I shook it off.
Professor Kelpie's sharp eyes studied me with evident concern. "Lass, have ye been gettin' any proper rest these past few days? Maybe even these past few months since ye were accepted? Yer puffy eyes are too obvious. Even the other teachers are worried."
"It's nothing," I said, brushing his concern aside. "If I want to be number one at this school, I have to study whenever I can."
His expression didn't soften. "Lass, the way ye're studyin' so frantically... do ye really love it?"
The question caught me off guard. "What do you mean, professor?"
Professor Kelpie sighed, leaning forward and steepling his fingers. "Is this really what ye want, lass? We all respect yer brilliance, aye, and I ken ye'll make a difference in the world, but does that matter if ye don't genuinely love it?"
"I don't understand, professor," I said honestly.
His gaze pierced through me. "Maybe I asked the wrong question. My question is: Is this really somethin' ye want tae do? Is becoming a genius really yer dream, or is it somethin' someone telt ye tae do? Do ye feel free in choosin' this path? And... are ye truly that afraid of failure?"
His words struck a chord deep within me. I stood there, motionless, as though my body had locked up. My mind raced back to the question Jasmine had asked me months ago.
At the time, I hadn't been able to grapple with its meaning, but now, it began to crystallize. Was this truly what I wanted?
I wasn't pursuing excellence for myself. I was doing it for my mother, honoring her sacrifices and trying to make up for the struggles we endured after my father abandoned us. He'd stolen our savings and run off with another woman, leaving us to fend for ourselves.
A close friend of my mother's had helped us come to America, and from then on, my life had been consumed by the need to succeed.
Since childhood, I had poured hours into perfecting every assignment, memorizing every lesson. My days blurred into a relentless cycle of study, leaving no room for anything else.
Friendships withered. My ex-girlfriend had grown tired of my obsession with academics, and I had pushed her away like all the others.
For the first time, I truly saw how hollow my life had become. There were no joyful memories to break up the monotony of my studies.
I didn't know the thrill of playing video games, the simple joy of karaoke nights, the creativity of cosplay, or even the pleasure of losing myself in a good fiction book like Percy Jackson.
Everything I knew about mythology came from lessons I was required to learn or my devotion to Norse paganism.
The professor's questions opened a chasm of doubt within me.
Who was I, beyond the pursuit of being the best? If I wasn't the number one student, who would I even be?
The answers eluded me, and for the first time in years, I felt truly lost.
"I don't know, sir," I replied dejectedly, my voice barely above a whisper.
Professor Kelpie leaned forward, his expression softening. "If ye don't know, then find out. I'm not sayin' ye should give up on learnin', lass. I'm sayin' tae expand yer horizons. Don't limit yersel' tae just one thing. Ye've only got one life, after all. Don't waste it on somethin' ye might regret later."
His words carried a weight of sincerity that reminded me of how my father used to speak—before he abandoned us.
"I will, sir," I said, though uncertainty lingered in my heart.
Where would I even begin?
My weekends with Jasmine usually revolved around studying at the library. That, too, was an extension of my academic pursuits, not a break from them.
I didn't know how to enjoy other things. Worse yet, I feared that if I indulged in activities like video games, they might distract me from my studies.
I'd heard stories about how addictive such things could be, and the last thing I wanted was to jeopardize my grades.
With those thoughts swirling in my head, I decided to head home and prepare for tomorrow's exams.
Just as I was about to leave campus, my phone buzzed. Jasmine's name flashed on the screen.
"Jaz?" I answered.
"Yo, Mary!" Jasmine's voice boomed through the receiver, her enthusiasm startling me. "Are we hitting the library tomorrow? Or should we try a museum? I was thinking about Historic Richmond Town—might even run into some hot guys or gals there!"
Normally, I would have let Jasmine decide. It was easier that way, and she always seemed to know what to do. But my conversation with Professor Kelpie lingered in my mind, urging me to take a step outside my comfort zone.
"What about an arcade?" I suggested hesitantly, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. "I've been curious about Wonder Station."
The other end of the line went silent for a moment, and I wondered if I had said something wrong.
Then Jasmine's voice came back, full of surprise and excitement. "Oh my gosh! Really? I never thought you'd be into that kind of thing! Trust me, you're going to have a blast! But... what brought this on?"
"Well..." I glanced at the stack of books in my bag, then zipped it shut. "I just want to try something new—something I won't regret missing. See you tomorrow."
"Alright! It's a date, then! Bye!" Jasmine ended the call with her usual flair.
I stood there for a moment, replaying her words in my head.
When I realized what she had said, my cheeks flushed.
"Hey, wait—what?" I muttered, though she was no longer on the line.
Tomorrow, I will be doing something entirely outside my usual routine. For the first time in my eighteen years, I was choosing fun over academics.
The thought filled me with equal parts excitement and dread.
What if my grades suffered? What if my mother found out and was disappointed in me?
But I pushed those doubts aside. Just this once, I needed to experience something different.
Surely, my mom would understand that I needed a moment to relax, wouldn't she? I could only hope.