"You really mean that Maddie?" asked Annie as she wanted to be sure that Maddie wasn't just saying that to cheer her up, but at the same time, she knew Maddie, and she always said what was on her mind, which meant that she was being honest, but Annie still wanted to hear her reasons regardless.
"Of course I do silly." replied Maddie with a chuckle.
"Look, everyone has different capabilities, and although I hate to admit it, I admire your determination." said Maddie.
"When you truly set your mind to something, you never give up, and you will never let anyone change your mind." said Maddie.
"Although it didn't look like it, I was really proud of you for standing your ground and putting me in my place, even though I didn't deserve it." said Maddie as Annie laughed.
"Right... of course you didn't." said Annie as she shook her head and Maddie chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah, but anyway, you will be alright, you studied really hard, practiced all your potion making and read a lot of spells, I am sure that you will ace the admissions test." said Maddie as she smiled.
"Thanks Maddie, you don't know how much it means to me to hear you say all that." said Annie as she smiled.
"You deserve it little miss stubborn." said Maddie playfully as Annie laughed.
"Well I learn from the best." replied Annie as Maddie laughed.
"I am flattered and yet disappointed in myself for teaching you so well." said Maddie as they both laughed.
"And what about you? How do you feel about the test tomorrow?" asked Annie as she had noticed that Maddie spoke more about her than herself.
"Ahh well what can I say? I feel nothing in particular, no dread, no happiness, I'm just waiting to get it over with so that blondie can finally teach me how to convey!" said Maddie excitedly as Annie laughed and shook her head.
"Of course that's all you care about." said Annie.
"But I can't blame you." said Annie as she smiled and Maddie smiled at her.
"Hey Maddie, what do you think will happen if Matt and I pass the test and you don't?" asked Annie as she just had to say what was on her mind, this was what was actually bothering her.
She was so worried of the possibility, it was easy for them to say that everything would be alright right now, but that was before they knew the outcome of whatever would happen, and she could not help but be filled with dread.
"Well my dear Annie, I don't think we should be thinking about that right now." replied Maddie plainly.
"But—" said Annie as Maddie cut her off quickly.
"But nothing Annie, look there is no need worrying your pretty head about that possibility, what matters now is that you are calm and you get enough rest for tomorrow." said Maddie as she smiled.
"We will burn that bridge when we cross it." said Maddie happily.
"I don't think that's how the saying goes." pointed out Annie quickly.
"I know, and I don't care, that's my own rendition of the saying." said Maddie proudly as Annie shook her head and laughed.
"Yeah, okay, whatever, you are right, we shouldn't worry about that now." said Maddie.
"Of course I'm right, now we better go to sleep before we wake up late for the test tomorrow." said Maddie as Annie smiled.
"Alright, goodnight Maddie." said Annie as she smiled.
"Goodnight Annie." replied Maddie as she smiled and Annie turned to the left as she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep. Meanwhile Maddie had her eyes wide awake as she smiled, no matter what the results of tomorrow's test were, she would still make sure that she, Annie and Maddie remained good friends, even if they were separated.
The next morning.
"Oh my goodness, I am not joking when I say that I have no clue of what to wear..." said Annie as she groaned, looking at all the clothes in her closet as Maddie walked out of the bathroom and chuckled.
"Now you know how I feel every other day." replied Maddie as Annie turned to look at her with an unimpressed expression on her face.
"What??" asked Maddie as Annie frowned.
"I don't know why you're looking at me like that, I don't get what the big deal is, it's usually my thing to complain on not knowing what to wear, you usually just throw on anything you feel is comfortable." said Maddie as she brushed her hair.
"I know but it's different this time, all those other times we barely leave the Palace, now we're going out to the Palace to write one of the Realm's most difficult admissions test, so yes, I need to look good to feel good, to write well." said Annie as Maddie chuckled at Annie's logic.
"Yeah... I don't really see the application there, but okay." said Maddie as she laughed.
"Maddie you're not helping!!" said Annie as Maddie laughed.
"Okay, okay gosh, what would you have me do?" asked Maddie.
"At least try to help me find something to wear." said Annie as Maddie walked over to her closet.
"Okay, okay, move aside." said Maddie as she looked through Annie's closet as she moved aside.
"Alright, you are stressing too much over this, so go take a bath and when you came out wear whatever I pick out for you, no questions asked." said Maddie as she looked at Annie who looked at her with a doubtful expression plastered all over her face.
"Maddie, this better not be one of your tricks." said Annie.
"It's not." replied Maddie playfully.
"Maddie, I'm being serious, don't you dare mess with me, don't pick out something unwearable or so help me Maddie you'll see another side of me!" said Annie as she was really serious about this.
"Geez Annie, don't you trust me? I am being serious as well? I promise you I won't play a trick on you, trust me." said Maddie as she smiled sweetly as Annie who narrowed her eyes at her.
Blame her for being untrusting all you want, but Maddie could barely be trusted in serious situations, and she was just freaking out about everything this morning.
"Alright, fine, but my warning still stands Maddie, play with me and you're dead." said Annie in a threatening tone as Maddie just smiled, unaffected by the words at all.
"Enjoy your bath and try to relax." replied Maddie as Annie walked into the bathroom and Maddie started to look through Annie's closet as her eyes gleamed when her eyes landed on a particular top.
...
Annie was skeptical, she was wondering why she decided to trust Maddie with something so important to her like this. She had tried so hard to calm down and yet she was still stressed.
Annie sighed as she was done getting ready, she stepped in front of the mirror and saw the outfit she wore that Maddie had picked for her and she instantly felt better.
She was so glad to admit that Maddie was right, she did pick out something nice and simple for her, just the way she liked.
She was wearing a puff sleeve casual peplum top and dark jeans. She looked formal and yet so simple.
"So... how do you like what I picked out for you?" asked Maddie as she smiled knowingly and Annie turned to face her.
"I love it Maddie, thank you!" said Annie as she happily gave Maddie a hug.
"I knew you would like it, see you should have trusted me more." said Maddie as Annie giggled.
"Yes, yes, I especially love that you decided to go with my favourite colour." said Annie as Maddie smiled.
"Of course I did, that's your signature look, anyway, you're ready, I'm ready, let's go eat breakfast." said Maddie as she smiled.
"Okay." said Annie as she smiled, excited to leave and for once she did not feel as stressed as she was moments ago.
As Annie and Maddie were getting ready to leave their room, they were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.
"Are you guys awake yet?" came Matt's voice from outside the door, he did not mean to disturb them, but he did not want to take the chance that they were still sleeping, after all, he was sure that they had stayed up to talk some more after he had left.
"Oh ha, ha Matt, we are wide awake, come in." said Maddie as Matt opened the door.
"You can't blame me for thinking you were still asleep, after all, you guys did go to bed very late last night." said Matt.
"And I don't see how that concerns you." replied Maddie rudely as Matt ignored her.
"Good morning Matt." said Annie as she smiled happily at Matt and he smiled at her.
"Good morning Annie." he replied.
"What are you doing here anyway annoying Mr. Matt?" asked Maddie as she was annoyed and looked at Matt who didn't seem to care that she was annoyed with him.
"I came here to check on you guys and make sure that you are already awake." said Matt as he smiled at Maddie who if not for the fact that it was early and she was extremely hungry she would have taught him a lesson or two for thinking that he is so safe.
"Oh and also Ollie sent us a message." said Matt as he smiled and Maddie groaned at the mention of the blondie.
She had not heard from him in days... no wonder her life had been more peaceful and had a little bit of colour to it, it was because of his absence.
"Geez, way to ruin my day before it even started." said Maddie as she sighed and shook her head.
"Trust me Maddie, it's good that I'm ruining it for you now, there are much more important things that will ruin your day later on, so you're welcome." replied Matt as Maddie scoffed.
"Yeah right." she replied as Annie smiled and shook her head.
"So what did Ollie say?" asked Annie as she smiled and looked at Matt.
"I don't know, I haven't listened to it yet, I wanted the three of us to hear it together." said Matt as he brought out a clear crystal shard and he tapped it as it started playing.
"Hi guys, I just wanted to wish you guys luck on your admissions test today, I am sure that you will all do well on that test and ace it. Oh and also remember that you promised to come and stay with me for a week, so don't forget, I am just reminding you so you are not caught off guard."
"Oh and also, once you're done with your test I will send a carriage to come pick you up, so please pack your bags in preparation and I can't wait to see you later today, good luck and take care." came Ollie's voice as the crystal shard stopped playing.
"That blondie is way too excited about this." said Maddie with a scoff because as usual, she always had something to say, especially when it came to Ollie and basically everything he did.
"Oh my gosh, he just reminded me that we do need to pack our bags, we will be there for a week." said Annie as she walked to her closet.
Their friend was really excited about their visit, so they should be good friends and see that this was very important to him.
"Luckily I already packed my bags, Ollie reminded me about two days ago." said Matt as Annie packed some of her clothes.
"When in the world do the two of you get time to talk the way you do??!" asked Maddie as this annoyed her, just when did Ollie and Matt find the time to talk at length like they do?
"We have our times." replied Matt as Maddie scoffed.
"Oh and when is that?" asked Maddie.
"I don't get why you care so much? It's not like you and Annie don't talk all the time, it's the same with me and Ollie." replied Matt as Maddie glared at him.
"It's different with me and Annie, we share the same space, hello, this is our room, meanwhile you and the blondie aren't even in the same building half the time, so when exactly do you have time to gossip?" asked Maddie as Annie laughed.
"Maddie, I think you should let this go and start packing as well, we're already late for breakfast." said Annie as Maddie scoffed.
"I am not letting this go, if you won't tell me, I'll just ask the blondie when exactly the two of you talk so much." said Maddie as with a wave of her hand the clothes in her closet flew into a suitcase that appeared as they packed themselves neatly and the suitcase zipped itself up.
"There are you happy now?" asked Maddie as she turned to look at Annie who stared at her in surprise.
"Impressive." she replied as Maddie smiled.
"Thank you." replied Maddie with a smile, Maddie loved it when her skills were appreciated.
"Now, let's go, we're late for breakfast already." said Annie as she finished packing and she put her suitcase right next to Maddie's.
"After you." said Matt as he led the door open for Annie as she smiled.
"Why thank you." said Annie as she smiled at him and Matt smiled at her.
"You too Maddie, even though you're being annoying this morning." said Matt as Maddie looked at him, scoffed and she flicked him on the forehead with her fingers.
"I'll let that slide since I'm in a good mood, like always." replied Matt as Maddie snickered.
"Yeah right, whatever." said Maddie as she walked out the door and Matt shook his head and closed the door behind them.
...
"So how do you feel sweetie? Are you prepared for the test today?" asked Lisa as she smiled.
They were currently eating breakfast and Stella was nowhere to be found. Annie was sure that maybe she was busy at the moment.
"I feel fine mom, and yes I am..." said Annie as she smiled.
"Are you sure about that sweetie?" asked John as he smiled and Annie nodded.
"Yes, I'm sure dad, you don't have to worry." said Annie as she smiled.
"And what about you Maddie, and you Matt?" asked Lisa as she looked at Maddie and Matt.
"Well I'm as ready as I'll ever be." said Matt as he smiled.
"I'm very prepared." replied Maddie confidently.
"Oh really now?" asked Curtis as Maddie turned to look at him, you see it was quite hard for him to believe Maddie's statement, after all, he was the only one on the table who knew the details of their little feud over the past few days.
"Yes, really." replied Maddie as she looked at Curtis intently, subtly telling him with her eyes to 'back down' or else she would 'deal with him' if he dared exposed her misbehaviour of the past few days.
Maddie knew that all parents were the same, it didn't matter what she said in her defence, both Lisa and John would still be disappointed in her for not studying, and then they would in turn tell her mother who was still currently on a mission in the Agricola realm and then her mother would be disappointed in her as well.
Not getting into Artrovan was one thing, but deliberately not studying was the equivalent of failure and they would not take that lightly at all, she would certainly receive a lot of scolding.
Maddie didn't want all that drama, especially not on this day of all days, so she hoped that Curtis would get the message and buzz off.
"Oh well, alright then." said Curtis as Maddie unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief as Curtis went back to eating, which when Maddie thought about it was weird, he didn't need to eat at all, but oh well, he must have been accustomed to joining them for meals by now.
As Annie was almost done with her breakfast she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to ask her parents for permission before they left off to Ollie's house later.
"Oh mom, dad, I forgot, but may I please have permission to go and visit Ollie?" asked Annie as her parents looked at her.
"I know it's sudden, but this slipped my mind, Ollie asked us on Monday if we could spend a week at his house, so can I please go?" asked Annie as she scolded herself internally, how could she have forgotten to ask for permission.
She couldn't just get up and leave any time she wanted, her parents were here and they would be worried sick if they didn't know where she was.
"Oh sweetie, it's alright, Ollie already informed us about his request and he asked for permission on your behalf and we agreed." said Lisa as she drank her tea.
"He did??" asked Annie in surprise as John nodded.
"Yes he did, next time don't remember to tell us at the last minute though." said John.
"No I won't dad." said Annie as she smiled, she was still very much surprised. Ollie was certainly very excited about this, he had already gone ahead to ask for permission on her behalf.
He sure did like to be kept on top of things. Annie didn't know quite what to feel about this, but at least she had their permission to go.
"What about you Matt, have you informed your parents?" asked Lisa as she turned to look at Matt who smiled.
"Yes I have, I talked to my mom a few days ago and she said that I could go." said Matt as he smiled.
"That's lovely dear, and what about you Maddie?" asked Lisa as she looked at Maddie who smiled sheepishly.
It was clear that she had not asked for permission from her mother, and there was a good reason why. She did not talk to her mother about the blondie, that was one of her rules. She knew that no matter what she said, her mother would always side with Ollie.
Not only was he technically her superior, but he was the heir to the throne and whatnot, and she had great respect for their rulers, so she never said anything bad about any of them.
"Well no..." said Maddie.
"But in my defence, if Annie is allowed to go, I should be too." added Maddie quickly.
"That may be true Maddie, but you should have still informed Clove, she could be worried about you when she doesn't know your whereabouts." said Lisa.
"I know aunt, and I'm sorry, I will tell my mom as soon as I can." said Maddie as she smiled.
"That's alright dear." said Lisa as she smiled.