“No problem,” I said, through gritted teeth. I’d been training for this moment, my whole life. I’d been told it would feel as if every muscle in my body were seizing up at the same time. I’d known what to expect and I still could never have imagined…

When I woke up, the woman who had officiated the ceremony—my mom called her a “priestess,” but she seemed more like a tax accountant to me—smiled at me. I was still groggy. But I could see it was a smile of congratulations.

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