The Madame let out the breath she'd been holding. Her eyes scanned the horizon once more.
"I heard about your display with the other girl. Really, Adelle, how old are you?" She turned around and faced the girl, a stern look on her face. "Sometimes I have trouble believing you're anything other than a ten year old. Indeed, some of the children have more maturity than you."
She shook her head, sitting down in her chair and placing her hands on the desk thoughtfully. She paused, staring down at them for a moment, taking in all the course lines that time had marked into their surface. Then she berated herself for stalling.
She gingerly pulled open the top drawer of her desk and brought out a small piece of paper. She held it out for the other girl to take.