Far From Home

Chapter One

(Hi this is my first story that I'm posting on wattpad. I don't know how long Far From Home is going to be and so far I don't have a schedule on if I'm going to update regularly, but expect more!! Thanks) 

Space exploration was discontinued in the year 2066 due to unknown complications. Every file and work of knowledge on everything outside Earths’ atmosphere was destroyed and those who had extensive knowledge of Space have been either locked away or sworn to a life of secrecy. Some other stuff has gone down too and blah blah I’ve probably reached word count without saying anything that surpasses my actual knowledge on the situation.                                 

“You can’t write that yeah? They’ll kick you out as soon as they read it.” Mochrie Diya, my friend and fellow classmate said over my shoulder. We were writing our final written assessments for formal schooling before we would participate in 'The Test', which would separate our whole grade and put us into work categories to prepare us for future work. “Yeah I know; I’m just sick of writing this, Mochrie. We’re asked to write about Space when nobody even knows anything about it anymore, when no one is actually allowed to do anything involving Space. What’s the point? There’s hardly anything to write about it.” Mochrie disregarded everything I said and just laughed, almost hysterically. “Yeah okay, let’s finish and go back to dorms to sleep okay?”

Two weeks later in the schools’ largest auditorium surrounded by at least 2000 other people all wearing bright white suits we sat waiting for our Head of school to address us. I looked across the crowd for Mochrie but he was indistinguishable from anyone else. Eleanor Woodley was now walking across the stage, magnified by a giant screen behind her. Her powerful aura exuded through her stance behind the podium. “Ladies, gentleman and others, I welcome you here today to congratulate you on finishing your formal schooling. Ten years of covering every range of subject and honing your skills in the classes you have excelled at. Some of you may already have an idea of which field of work you are going into, others perhaps not. But this is why we have 'The Test' to help determine what you should be in exactly. We have been using this 'Test' for the last 236 years and we believe that in this year 2289, it has been perfected with absolutely no faults. Right after my speech and a short video, you will go to the testing halls and start the test.” I felt something hit me on the back of my head and I turned around to see who had done it. Mochrie was sitting a few rows up behind me and waved, his dark skin contrasting against the white uniform. He gestured that we needed to talk after this was over, I nodded in understanding and turned back to Mrs Woodley who was still speaking.

“I implore that you all answer truthfully and that you take no time to hack into the system, which I will remind you is impossible due to an impenetrable system. Now that I’ve covered everything necessary we’ll go on with a short video which covers the history of the testing.” Eleanor Woodley walked off the stage and the screen showing her turned black. Then sombre music started up and words appeared on the screen ‘The year 2053 and the world’s top neurologists, psychologists and teachers came together to make the ultimate test. 'The Test' was not designed to estimate knowledge but to understand where a person’s knowledge lies. Students were the first to take 'The Test' and to determine their abilities and where they would be best suited in society. After 2053 the world has only grown due to The Test and the workplace has had no faults and has only exceeded standards. Every generation on Earth to this day has gone through the test and future generations will also go through it. The Test continues to help grow the world as we know.’ While the words slowly faded there were flashes of people in uniform, what caught my attention though was a picture of a man and a woman in full body suits holding helmets under their arms, a huge rocket was in the background of the photo. Astronauts, I remembered, I’d seen a photo of astronauts when I was eleven. But I didn’t understand why there was a photo there. Nobody went up to Space anymore, nobody was allowed to. The white crowds started moving and I realised the video had ended and everyone around me was starting to make their way to the testing halls.

I sat waiting for the crowd to disperse and so that Mochrie could make his way to me. When the crowds had thinned out a little Mochrie sat down next to me and laid his arm around the back of my chair. “Are you ready? I’m really not, like I know it’s not about intelligence but I don’t want to mess up my answer and go into a field of work that I’ll hate.” Mochrie was running his mouth just like any other time he got nervous; I took his hand just to calm him down. He clenched on to my hand and looked eye to eye with me “I just don’t want to fuck up; I don’t want to ruin my life.” I gave him a smile and look down at our intertwined fingers; they gave me the reassurance I needed too. “Don’t worry whatever you go through, I’ll go through it with you.” I said it more to myself than I did Mochrie but he smiled and let go of me “come on then, let’s go find a cubicle next to each other and take 'The Test'.”