The Call of Avalon

When you hear the word college many things come to mind - clubs, drinks, parties, and hot boys. It's a rite of passage for every young adult, and I thought I was going to experience the same.

Far from it.

Working two minimum-wage jobs while keeping my GPA up, the only parties I go to are the ones I dream about on the subway rides home. That’s why I feel like I've won the lottery when my advisor tells me about a scholarship program that I may qualify for. If I succeed in their pesky little test, I get to attend school for free!

Test day arrives, but it's not what I thought it would be. Screw the Scantron sheets and bundle of questions, I'm locked in a room with a troll - literally, a seven-foot green troll complete with drool and bad breath.

Entrance exams are now in session, and if I want a shot at earning my invitation to the Sword of Avalon Academy, it's time to use my pencil as a sword and laptop as a shield to defeat my first magical foe.

**The Call of Avalon was previously published in the limited edition anthology, The Midnight Academy.