The Light-Spider

Within My Vision

I put down my pencil and patiently waited for the others to finish. I am technically the second one to finish because one other student rushed through every single question to turn it in. An awfully stupid thing to do.

The test formula was rather simple. It started with easy questions like "What was the day that the Rot first landed?" and slowly progressed into more specific questions such as, "What four battles were the deciding factors in the War of 2598?" until it became extremely ridiculous such as "What was the Third Lightkeeper's pet cat's name?"

We weren't allowed to do anything after we finished and we had to sit still for the rest of the time. There was only 30 minutes left, and people began to turn in their tests more frequently with about 15 minutes left. The most hectic part was the last 3 minutes because all the people who didn't finish just wrote down answers sporadically, in hope of getting at least some right.

MJ finished around the 20 minute mark, staring out the window after completing hers. She was probably thinking about what to do with Flash. Her chat with me seemed to have little effect on her devotion to foolishly "protecting" others.

Seeing as there is nothing else to do, I also stared out the window. The school was extremely wide and taller than most buildings since it housed all the kids in New Manhattan, which was why the school was named after the city. Most of the buildings were an earthy light brown because they were made of hardened clay bricks.

The teacher tells us that we would get our results in a week's time. The top 5 scores in the world would be displayed on thousands of screens. The H.I.G.H.s were an extremely serious test taken throughout the world. From the lowest corners of the world down to the highest peaks(not including the Highlands) watched the results compile.

It was almost ceremonious to watch the scores be sent off. A box full of our futures was carried on a luxurious, but antique cart, guided by our staff. Most of the town came out of their apartment complexes to look at the send-off. No one stood in the street, and no one spoke. The Districts with the highest total scores received tax benefits, so it was an extreme pressure on the students and an equally harrowing feeling to have your future partially decided by your youth.

It's been four years since we last got any kind of reward. It doesn't affect those like Gwen or her father, who lived off the land, but it certainly affected families like mine. The Highlict Pastor of a nearby church lead a short prayer, but the streets were quickly silent once more. The giant wire, which takes up the size of a large building, guides the platform up to the Highlands to be graded.

When the platform was out of sight, people began to return to business as usual. School was off for the rest of the day, so I joined the rest of my friends. We walked through The Pit, considered the heart of New Manhattan.

"So, how did y'all think y'all did?" Gwen asked the three of us. Miles was the first to respond.

"Oh, I definitely fucked up later on. Like, who the hell knows what the Third Lightkeeper's pet cat's name is? I could barely remember his name!"

"Well, for future reference, the Third Lightkeeper's name is Enma-"

"Ayinde, you know you don't have to be correct 100% of the time? Like, can you be wrong for once?"

"Bruh, why should I be wrong? Isn't it good to be correct 100% of the time?"

"I know, but like..."

"You could be more subtle about being smarter than us." Gwen butted in.

"I dunno, sounds like a skill issue to me" The two of them groaned and I smiled. MJ was oddly silent.

"MJ? What's wrong?"