“Your interview has commenced.” After informing the next sacrifice the floating green spirit shivered before being transported to its next place of instructions.

The sacrificed girl headed to the room, her head held slightly tilted upwards to look down on the other interviewees. Her wine-coloured heels made sure that everybody in the room could hear that she was going to the interviewing room.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Once arriving at the room itself, she was immediately let down. The room was a carefully selected shade of beige and coal. The lady interviewing the girl clashed with the room the same way a griffon went against a venomous Ekren snake. She was pear-shaped and wore a bright neon tight fabric with the Alantin crest proudly embroidered. The lady’s silver hair was piled high above her head with several copper trinkets braided into the locks. She gave a tight no-teeth smile before shaking the sacrifice’s hand and opening the child’s file. The lady’s eyes widened as she read the interviewee's name and became a bright neon shade of pink that blended in with the colour of her dress. She coughed and quickly tried to hide her shock, this girl was no sacrifice. 

“Ms. Estrix!?”
The supposed “sacrifice” nodded before starting her speech. The girl’s demands were simple: Conduct the interview with her fake identity, don’t ask questions, and be rewarded with more gold than you can imagine. Any sane person in the interviewer’s situation would take the same decision, the House of Estrix’s word was one on the same par as the king’s.

Mrs. Florentine coughed and contemplated her situation. The house of Estrix was one of the longest-standing royal houses and having the house’s youngest heir in her debt would always end up well for her. But what of her integrity as an upstanding interviewer? The lady reminded herself of her never-ending work hours and the amount of gold the House of Estrix could give her, integrity vanished.

“What is the chosen name you would like me to use Ms.Estrix?”

Estrix gave a venomous smile before replying with a snip, “ Vuela Fliton.”

The interviewer nodded and pressed a small rectangular button on the recording device resting on the table, indicating the start of the interview.

“Hello, Miss. Flinton my name is Mrs. Flaurintine and I will be your interviewer this evening. I would like to thank you for considering your choice of having a future at Alantin. Now to begin the things I would like you to tell me a little bit about yourself so we at Alantin can better know you.” 

“Well my name is Vuela Flinton and I have one older brother and a younger sister. I grew up  in our South Eastern Provinces until I turned 13.” Estrix's once refined voice and Northern accent changed into something much chirpier and lively. The change was shocking to Flaurintine before she reminded herself to keep focusing on the interview and get her weight in gold.

“That’s a tremendous change of scenery, I wonder how you liked it when you first arrived in our Province?”

“When I first arrived it was love at first sight, the stores, the buildings, and most importantly the people were all so amazing. So, yes I do love it here.”

“That’s wonderful, Now I’ll move on to some more academically focused questions. Your file shows you had quite the academic excellence but what I’m interested in is what keeps you motivated?”

“My parents came from a poor background, they preached the importance of an education to me night and day. It would be impossible for me not to push myself in the educational field when my parents have sacrificed so much for me.”

The interviewer's eyes widened when the word poor came from the girl’s mouth. Poor should not be in a person like her’s vocabulary. The word didn’t just sound wrong coming from the girl’s mouth it looked wrong. A silk dress, stringed pearls, and model-like hair, everything about the girl sang royalty. Poor was nowhere to be found. 

Miss Flinton gripped her rusted necklace and continued the interview.

“Miss Florentine I’m sure you have more than a handful of schools begging for the chance to have you in their facility, why Alantin of all schools?”

This was an expected question. Estrix stayed silent for a moment before reciting her practised lines.

“Alantin is… royalty. You wouldn’t  settle for something as common as Capiltine when you could have something on the same par as royalty, would you?”

Flinton refused to give the girl satisfaction by looking down at her own Capiltine necklace, instead, she stared at the interviewee attempting to have the same amount of draconianess that flowed out of the girl. Minutes passed. Flinton coughed before resuming the interview. Questions were answered with the precise wording of a person who had recited the sentences millions of times. Before long, Flinton gave a slight nod and ended the recording gadget.

Estrix slid out of her chair, her heeled self towering over Flinton.

“Well, I’ll see you on Mardix day then.”, Estrix remarked before sauntering out the door. Madrix Day was one of the largest celebrated days in the kingdom. Acceptions, as well as the rejections of school-children to their desired schools, would be passed to them by the school’s spirits. 

On Madrix Day Estrix received her acceptance letter from Alantin’s School Of The Elite.