You guys wanted another chapter, and here it is! I'm so glad it went down so well yesterday I wasn't too sure if I would be that good.
P.s I'm going to Egypt tomorrow for ten days, but there is wifi, so I should be able to upload. Sorry if it's not a fixed time!
Chapter two.
The building was large, with big marble podiums outside it, making it look very grand for just an art school. If she hadn't been specially recommended for it, there was no way she was confident enough to the the interview by herself with no handicap. She wouldn't of stood a chance. Drawing a deep breath, she entered the building, feeling a gush of warm air surround her from the air heaters above the door way. As she glanced around, she saw various students, clutching large project cases like her own, and chatting amongst themselves.
It was a Friday, so most of them would be going early to go out with friends like every other student, and it was relatively quiet in Ayumi's opinion. That might of put her off one day, but it gave her enough space to think everything through. The receptionist beckoned her forward friendlily, presuming that she had come for the interview for a place next year, as she was right as usual,
"Here for the interview?" she asked, getting out a register that was attached to a cork clipboard.
"Yes that's right. I'm not late am I?" she replied, feeling nervous.
"No, in fact your one of the first! Can I get your name and high school please?"
"Ayumi Shinozaki, Kisaragi high."
"Ooh," commented the receptionist, crossing off her name which was towards the bottom of the alphabetical list. "You've been specially recommended?"
"Uh, yeah..."
"Wow, we've only had two others who have skipped the initial application process, so you must be good!"
"Thanks. May I ask one more thing?"
"Sure think Shinozaki-San, go ahead."
"How many places are there available?"
"Well, for the specific subject chosen, there are just under thirty places available. We're quite exclusive as you know."
"Right, and what about applicants?"
"There have been three interview sessions already to day. Looking on my list there's about 60 applicants..."
"That's a lot!"
"Illustration is very popular this year."
"Oh...thanks."
"No problem. Up that first flight of stairs to the interview corridor on your left, is the waiting room. You'll have a chance to mingle and practice there until your name is called. Good luck!"
"Thanks."
Ayumi walked steadily up the stairs, wondering what type of people had applied for it and what they were like. She decided maybe she should make a few acquaintances before she was interviewed, to ensure she had a few friends if she managed to get in, which she was hopeful of. The waiting room was relatively small, with three rows of magenta chairs all facing each other, some already occupied by people. She sat down hurriedly next to a nice looking blonde girl, who was also wielding a large project case in her hands.
"Hiya..." Ayumi said as she scurried into the seat, the girl smiling in return.
"Hello, are you here for the places too?"
"Yes..."
"Great, I may as well introduce myself then. Sakura Kasako, from St Guci high." the girl said, beaming broadly.
"Uh, Ayumi Shinozaki. You'll be going before me then!"
"That's right!" she replied with a shudder. "I may look confident, but I am trying really hard not to stress out!"
"Fake it till you make it!" insisted Ayumi, making the girl laugh.
"Defiantly. That's a rule I live by!"
"So what made you want to take up illustration?"
"Oh...Well I've always loved art, especially drawing my visions of poems in particular. My brothers a children's author, and if I get some training he says I can illustrate his books!"
"That's great. I wish my reasons were as inspired."
"Hmm?"
"I just want to be an illustrator really. It's always been my dream!
"Sakura Kasako?" called out a man in a black suit, entering the room.
"Uh, yeah that's me!" Sakura replied as she hastily got out of her seat, momentarily waving to Ayumi as she followed the towering man towards the interview room. The seats were now getting filled up, until a new person came and sat down where Sakura was earlier. Ayumi thought about greeting her, but she looked so snobby and pretentious that she didn't bother. Her rich brown hair was scraped into a fancy braided bun, making her look pretty, well, she would of been if she hadn't been wearing the most sour sneer on her face. The girl turned to Ayumi, quickly summing up her appearance. She didn't look that cool but she didn't look dorky either.
"It's awfully stuffy in here..." the posh girl commented, turning her nose up at the poor air conditioning that was due to be fixed. "Shouldn't they care more about our comfort?"
"We're not even in this school yet you know!"
"So? I need the best in order to stay focused and inspirational...!"
Ayumi shook her head, not liking the look of the girl at all. The girl frowned in return, pursing her bright pink lips.
"Anyway, I presumed you know who I am?"
"No clue."
"Humph. I'll have you know that I've actually been specially recommended! My name is Haruka Tsuji."
"So what, I've been recommended too!"
"Huh!?"
The man dressed in black appeared again, with a group of people behind him, one of them was Sakura. She waved at Ayumi happily, and Ayumi returned the gesture hoping her new friend had done well on the interview.
"Ayumi Shinozaki?"
Ayumi flinched at the call of her name, but got up bravely nonetheless and followed the man into a large boardroom right at the end of the corridor, concealed cleverly.
"You'll first fill in this sheet please, just a questionnaire. Miki Inaru is still being interviewed." The man told her, pointing to a table which had several pieces of paper strewn all over it, with various pens and pencils by them. She picked up the pen, her hand shaking ever so slightly, and wrote her name neatly at the top before quickly running through the questions. They were very open as she had imagined them to be, most along the lines of 'what are your talents?' , 'why do you want to work in illustration?' and others similar to that. She sped through quite easily, only having to stop and think at the last question.
Why do you think you deserve this place?
Ayumi thought she'd get it straight away, but she actually found herself wondering why she deserved to get a place over thirty others. Why? She didn't have some reason behind it like Sakura did, no sob story or tale of inspiration. However she didn't want to leave it place, so quickly scribbled something down she hoped would convince the people who decided who got the place. As she handed the sheet back to the man, a short pigtailed girl rushed out of the interview room, shaking with a wobbly walk. The man nodded at Ayumi to go in, so she withdrew her last nervous breath and pushed the large wooden door open. The first thing she saw was a long glass table, with three serious looking men and woman sat on onside of it.
"Hello, your Shinozaki I presume?" said the middle one in a deep voice, tapping the table for her to sit down. She nose, sliding onto the jet black, comfortable chair, placing her project case on the table beside her.
"Well, it's good to meet you. My names Juro Yamameti, this is Chou Saeniko and Hoshi Miamoto. We're in charge of deciding who gets the the places."
"Right."
"So the first question we'd like to ask you is about you grades," began the woman, presumably Hoshi with a smile. "It's not fully relevant to the subject but it's just standard procedure since you didn't fill in the forms."
"I got A's in all my subjects."
"Okay."
There was a slight pause as the woman wrote it down in a large black notebook, so the man on the right asked her another question.
"What made you choose illustration over other art subjects?"
"Well...I really enjoy reading and picturing the scenes in my mind, so I thought it would be great for me to physically do it, and combined with my love of art I thought it was perfect."
"Right..."
"Shinozaki, there's been a very high standard of work this year, especially from the girls. I hope you've bought the piece of work requested as well as other multi media samples?"
"Yes of course."
"Please get out the assigned piece."
Ayumi rummaged in her folder for the piece they had requested. They were given a simple paragraph to 'transform into picture' and title if accordingly. She had spent a long time on her piece, with Hinoe encouraging her determinedly when ever she did struggle.
"Oh, here it is."
She handed it carefully to the man, who showed it to the other interviewing her. They exchanged unreadable glances and talked quietly amongst themselves, pointing at the work in a scrutinising fashion.
"A very interesting take on it. And can we just look through your other samples too?"
Ayumi nodded, passing the folder to them, her arms shaking slightly out of nervousness. They had only asked a few questions so far but already she was feeling anxious that she was saying everything wrong. The interviewers took awhile to finish, the two men talking seriously together whilst the woman hurriedly wrote things down after they had finished commenting.
"Okay, good good. So, you've been specially recommended by one of our tutors? How did that happen?"
Ayumi froze in her seat. How was she supposed to say that it had been her teacher related to the tutor, and had convinced them to give her the recommendation. But wouldn't they know that already? Maybe this was a test for her honesty, but it was really scaring her.
"My...teacher knew the tutor and persuaded him to...uh, give me the recommendation..."
"Oh?"
"But I would of never got it if I wasn't good enough in the first place! I really love art and illustration, and I really, really want and need this place to achieve my long term dream! I've told myself never to give up when I've been rejected, and that makes me worthy of a place!"
The interviewers looked slightly taken aback by her outburst, and the man in the middle raised his eye brows.
"Well, you save me asking another question! Hoshi, did you get that?"
The woman nodded, again writing in the book.
"It's safe to say you've done very well today Shinozaki. You may leave, and you will get the results in two weeks time."
"Thanks!" she said, a relieved tone in her voice.
Why did she have to wait?
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