The Immaculate

Chapter 4

(Eros)

I walk into the testing room, and I see my uncle Zealion. He puts the monitors on me and hands me the cup filled with the sickly, sweet liquid we use for tests. We aren't allowed to talk, so I bite my greeting before it escapes my mouth, and I quickly drink the liquid.

It tastes bitter and sweet all at once. Once I swallow it, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The aftertaste is worse than the liquid. It leaves your mouth with a metallic feeling like you just ate a piece of metal. My mouth is fuzzy now.

After I drink it, he puts the monitors on my temples so they can read my brainwaves. I learned all about the testing process in a class last year. Most people skip it since it is not mandatory, like the rest. It is a choice. If you want to learn about how testing works, you are free to take the class.

I was not interested, but my brother was. So, I took the class with him. We were study partners. It all seemed a little weird and boring. I caught myself falling asleep several times over the course. But my brother loved it. He has always loved learning.

After a few minutes, I feel the liquid start to work. I start getting dizzy, and the room starts spinning. I never get used to the effects of the liquid, no matter how many times I use it. Which has only been twice, but still. It always throws me off. My legs start feeling wobbly, and the spinning of the room is making me dizzy, and I feel off balance.

I hope I do not fall or pass out. After a few seconds, the room stops spinning, but I am no longer in the room. I see a guy coming towards me with a gun aimed at my head. Now, I have to make my first decision, the test has started, and I cannot fail.

This test determines my future, but most specifically, my sector. The Savant thing to do is to hide. The Valiant would attack. Artisans would freeze. An Arbitrator would talk to him. Which one am I going to be? I do not know who I am, or even who I want to be. I also do not know what they want me to be. I do not want to disappoint anyone, but I know I will. I cannot be perfect, no matter how hard I try.

Someday, I know that The Immaculate will banish me. I wonder what sentence I will receive. I have been an Artisan all my life, and I have had fun. But I am ready for a change. No, not ready, I need a change. Life as an Artisan has been good, but I need more excitement. I am just not cut out for a life of planting, growing, and reaping.

Besides, I do not love the outdoors, and that is where the Artisans spend most of their time. I hate getting dirt under my fingernails. It stains my hands, and I am always tired. We are closest to the border, which keeps us from Outsiders. I was never a good Artisan like my parents. They are in their element when they are out in the fields. They both wanted to get Artisans on their tests, and in a way, they did.

They both received Elder and Artisans as their sector. My brother never seemed like an Artisan either, though. I wonder what sector they will assign him. But I can not make decisions for him or my family. I have to think of myself, for once. I have to make my own decisions.

I always have trouble deciding what to do or what to say. I am always second-guessing myself. I like pleasing people and making them happy. Doing so is hard on me, though. I never get to think about myself. Selfishness is not tolerated in The Immaculate anyway, but still. It never said that we had to be selfless.

It is pretty common to receive one to two sectors. If you receive two equal sectors, you get to choose your sector. If you receive more than two you are qualified for Elder. Three sectors are a low Elder, and four are a higher Elder. I am not supposed to know this, but I do. Maybe, I should become a Valiant, or I could become an Elder and go to whatever sector I want when I want. Yes, I want to be an Elder.