One after the other, the other candidates got interviewed. There were only a few like her from the lower class, maybe one or two, since she joined the spectators until the interview ended.
There was a girl from the tree line, but somehow, her family was rich unlike Afina's. A girl from sandline introduced her family as mere teachers of a small kindergarten.
Still, she had more chances than her—Afina asserted within herself—because not only was Afina from a lower social class, but she was also from another line.
Turned out the other girl who spoke to her in the waiting room was the daughter of a wealthy family, but her family wasn't as wealthy as she made herself seem.
They owned two toy manufacturing companies, and that was it. Also, she had a yellow qi at its early stage. The way the yellow light was barely visible when the girl used the qi tester showed she only just leveled up to the yellow qi, mostly because of the advanced qi chips the rich ones use in cultivating.
Regardless, she was nothing compared to her in status, Afina thought.
A girl had a green qi too, but hers was still at the second stage out of the nine stages of leveling up, and that was about the only one who had a qi on the same color level as her.
But even that wasn't close to being compared with hers. Most of the girls had orange and yellow qi, either at the first stages or the second. How she had a green qi at the final leveling-up stage was a miracle to even herself.
Finally deciding that she stood no chance of getting employed after hearing the stories of the other girls and how well-to-do their families were, she allowed herself to stay till the end of the interview still.
The Matron and Butler stood to address them, their swivel chairs turned in the direction of the concert chairs.
"We are glad and appreciative to receive such a beautiful amount of entries for the opened posts in the high house," the butler began. "However, it is only sad that just twenty out of a hundred and seventy candidates will be chosen at the end. But do not feel discouraged if you do not get the post now. There will always be other vacancies in the future. From the entries this year, I must say it would be a herculean task to pick the lucky twenty, for you are all beautiful and extraordinary ladies," he halted.
Applauses resounded around the interview parlor, but when the matron raised a hand, the noises ceased in the same vein they surfaced. Both of the interviewers stood from their positions and walked onto the stage.
The matron, in her grace, looked more stunning than what the TV showed, Afina noted inwardly. She couldn't help but drool over the air of composure and supremacy circling her. "You will all return to your homes now and wait for a week when the lucky candidates will be announced on the line's national television station," she said to them, and again, they resumed a clapping spree to cheer her up. "For now, goodbye girls. We await you in the noble high house of the prestigious prince Cargan," the butler topped, and both of the interviewers struck a bowing pose while the girls took to applauding them yet again.
It was the only thing they could do. Clap while their minds bargained their chances of winning at all.
Relieved that she was going home, at last, Afina stood up with joy as the two interviewers exited the interview parlor leaving them alone with the secretary while some of the girls who knew one another from the line chatted and giggled.
Well, Afina knew someone too, and that was herself. She walked out of the interview parlor as fast as she could, eager to get out of the heels. Her toes were hurting already.
The building in which they were interviewed was closer to the High House mansion gate, thank God. Bowing respectfully to every worker she met on the way whom she considered older than her as she exited the building, she finally went out of the gate.
There, she could breathe well at last. "Oh, thou art free from thy pains," she muttered to the new pair of heels mama Xylia had gotten her and slid them off her feet. Yes, she was going to walk bare-legged to the bus station rather than walk in those sinfully high heels.
Happy that she was back in her world where she could do as she pleases, she jogged to the nearest bus station humming to herself the line's anthem.
She met a bus with few divine persons in the queue. Glad that she wouldn't have to wait for a bus to arrive, she joined the queue and finally tapped into the public bus.
She saw the number of eyes on her for walking barefooted, but she could care less about that. She probably looked like a genie to them coupled with the blue appearance she had. "Those spoilt brats will probably be in their comfy cars on their way back home now," she whispered to herself as the images of the girls from the high house interview flashed across her mind. "I can pretend this a luxury car too," she further whispered to herself, the divine person sitting beside her already picturing her as an insane girl. That somehow amused her, and she decided to play a bit more. "Hey, driver, take me to the spa!" She tapped her forehead lightly, imitating the way the matron was majestically displaying her top-notch poises. Now, the divine person shifted away, barely sitting on the bus chair at all.
Afina couldn't hold her laughter at all; she giggled to herself at the reaction of the divine person beside her until finally, her gaze fell on the road. As the bus sped by, through the windshield she allowed her eyes to take in the view of the line as it came. The sandline has been one of the prosperous lines.
.
As soon as the bus came to a halt at the bus stop on their street, Afina rushed down in eagerness to see her mama.
Father Atticus won't be home until nighttime. She was happily humming to herself again as she jogged, her favorite thing to do when she heard the familiar voice call her from behind.
"Baby blue!" came the echo of Mama Xylia's voice. With joy dancing in her heart, Afina turned and threw her heels on the floor, then ran to envelop her mother in a warm embrace, as though she was the mother and her mother the child.
"Do you want any divine persons who come across you to think I have trained you poorly? Where are your shoes?!" Mama Xylia hollered as she wriggled herself out of Afina's hold.
Withdrawing from the embrace now and also sulking at the same time, "But, Mama Xylia, you said not to take to heart whatever people say," Afina grumbled.
"Not in this kind of situation! If you are to finally go work at the high house, you have to start learning to behave like the lady that you are," Mama Xylia, who was walking forward now, admonished her.
Arghh! Maybe working at the high house wasn't such a good idea if she was expected to behave all the time!
Afina ran towards her heels which were scattered in opposite directions on the floor and forced her feet into them. "Happy now?" she beamed at Mama Xylia—anything to make her happy.
The woman was shaking her head with a smile on her face. "I finally found a new job," she announced to Afina who was walking side by side with her now.
They were almost by their street. It was one of the slum streets in the line where lower-class people like them who could not afford the rents of houses in the cities lived. It was usually busy and rough at times, but the people inhabiting the slum had always lived in more harmony than those in the cities.
"Really? What job?"
"I will help bake bread in a pastry store in SandyHorn."
"Hmm, then the pastry store will get filled with customers who want your bread, Mama Xylia. You make the best fluffy bread!" asserted Afina before wrapping her hand over the woman's back. With her mother, she was the most clingy.
Mama Xylia chuckled lightly. "You flatter me, young lady."
As they walked past a house, the owner ran out, chasing after a rat with a cub. A rat in broad daylight! There was no end to their miseries in the Santry slum! With a wave of her hand, Afina set the rat that had almost run into a hole in front of the house on fire.
"Thanks, Blue!" the middle-aged woman predating the rat beamed when she brought her gaze up to see who had eased her stress. "I heard you applied for the open posts in the high house, I hope you make it!"
"Thanks, Norah," Mama Xylia grinned proudly and answered for Afina before she could.
Afina had to roll her eyes. Mama Xylia was way too excited about the whole high house thing. She knew it wasn't only Norah Mama Xylia would have told that to. Probably the whole residents of the street too!
"Heya Blue, good luck with getting employed in the high house!" the old Sir William who was always seated on a rocking chair in front of his house cried out as they passed by.
Great, what was left was for the whole line to know about it now!
"Thank you, Sir William. Easy on the smoking," Mama Xylia replied to the old man who could not do without smoking cigarettes every damn moment.
"Oh lord," Afina grunted as Theodore of the house two houses away from theirs wished her luck on getting employed, and so did the twins of the De Leons as they walked past them.
"Why sulking? You should be proud the whole street is looking up to you now," Mama Xylia interjected when she heard her grunt.
"Nothing, Mama Xylia. I am grunting because soon, I will be leaving you and Father Atticus all alone," she lied, it was a harmless lie though. Mama Xylia's spirit would be dulled if she heard from Afina that she stood no chance of winning at all.
They entered their house, and Afina had to answer all of Mama Xylia's questions about the interview.