"What did he say?" Maya asked.
Elena looked uncomfortable. "He said that the conservatory should not waste time on students who have been out of formal training for so long. He said that homeless people are unreliable and would probably cause problems for the school."
Maya felt her face get hot with anger and shame. "So, they won't let me audition?"
"Actually," Elena said with a small smile, "that's not exactly what happened. Marcus Sterling is very proud and stubborn. When the other faculty members disagreed with him, he made a challenge."
"What kind of challenge?"
Elena pulled out a piece of paper. "He said that if you can prove you're serious about music, he might consider supporting your application. But he wants you to prove it in a very difficult way."
Maya leaned forward. "How?"
"He wants you to audition for five consecutive days at the conservatory. Each day, he will give you a different piece of music to learn. You will have exactly twenty-four hours to prepare each piece. Then you must perform it perfectly in front of a panel of judges."
Maya stared at Elena. "That's impossible! No one can learn a difficult piece of music in just one day!"
"I know it sounds very hard," Elena said. "But Marcus Sterling believes that truly gifted musicians should be able to do exactly that. He thinks that if you can't handle this challenge, you don't belong at a top conservatory."
Maya was quiet for a long time. She was thinking about what this challenge would mean: five days of intense pressure; five days of proving herself to people who already doubted her; five days of risking failure in front of everyone.
"What happens if I fail?" Maya asked.