Morning Mist

I checked the time and it was a quarter past 6 in the morning. The outside was dark with no lights on anybody's windows. No bird chirps, no cars zooming by the block. It just seemed cold and dark. I got up from my bed, went to the bathroom, and quietly sipped an OJ while watching the early morning news. The only news that pretty much caught my attention was a ferris wheel accident.

I quickly ate three pancakes and cleared it down with some milk. I needed to get to the test center by 7:30, so I knew that I had to get out of here no later than a quarter before 7. I changed into the most comfortable, yet still fashionable clothes, applied deodorant, grabbed my belongings, and headed out. 

The chilly morning mist splattered on my face. The sky was beginning to turn royal blue. Nobody was walking except me. I felt like I was in the middle of the deep woods, or some kind of abandoned town. I couldn't hear anything but my calm breathe, and the wind occasionally swaying the leaves. I put both hands in my hoodie pocket and headed for the train. 

The subway came in about ten minutes. Uncanny how it was crowded. Where were these people headed on an early Saturday? I thought. 

Most of my school friends were already at the test center talking to each other. As I looked around, several other test takers were randomly standing, staring out into space, while others listened to their ipods. Another girl had her mother with her. They were probably talking about last-minute testing strategies or some ritual. But there was a reason why we were all gathered around on an early Saturday morning: to get the whole thing over with so we could go home as soon as possible. At this moment, we couldn't even go inside yet. We all waited for the security guard to let us in, but there was no sight of her. It was a bit early, but still, early was better than being late. 

About ten minutes past when a chubby school officer unlocked the door to let us in. She wore a typical police-esque attire: sky blue collared shirt, a belt with lots of dangling metal objects, and long dark pants. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail. With a "I-don't-give-a-fu@# about this test" kind of expression, she told us all to take off any metal objects and put them in our bags to get ready for security check. 

After security check was the line. When waiting, a proctor told us all to put away our phones or else we would automatically be disqualified from the test. After all I didn't bring mine. Smart move. 

I took the test. When taking it, I felt like being on a airplane: I sat for about four hours, it was quiet, and there was limited legroom. No windows. That was a problem. And then there was always that one person who would obnoxiously cough throughout the entire test. There wasn't only one though; there were several. Regardless, I minded my own work while I bubbled in answers surrounded by the sounds of buttons being hit from calculators, clearing of throats, turning of pages, and footsteps from the hallway.