Hermes exhaled, cheeks puffed, fingers laced behind his neck as he stared at the ceiling of the Golden Apple prep room.
"Breathe, darling." Somner sat beside him on the bench, twirling a glitter pen and watching him like a coach, or an anxious parent. "You're just being ranked by the nation. No pressure."
Hermes groaned. "Thanks, that helps a lot."
He took another swig from his water bottle and tried to shake out the nervous buzz in his limbs. It wasn't working.
Somner leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee. "Need a refresher on how RAM works, in case you blank?"
Hermes muttered, "I already know…"
Somner continued anyway. "Part One: Strength. Hit or kick the machine. Harder the number, higher the score."
He did some splits beside Hermes. "Part Two: Endurance. You'll be swarmed by training bots. No powers, no weapons, just bare fists. You're rated on stamina and grit."
