Markom

9: Fuck You | C

Cadmus's heart assessment was the longest twenty minutes of his poor, sad, difficult existence. For someone who was supposed to measure his heart, Cadmus's instructor was completely heartless. Devoid of EQ too, Cadmus was certain. Scientists were insufferable.

Yet again, the heated boy did his best to steady his breathing as he walked in quick strides, following the annoying arrows that zigzagged against the walls. His white uniform was a beacon, a reminder of who he was. Markom was his. He wouldn't let the whiny little Scientist make him forget.

Finally, he was let into a large auditorium with rows of seats fanning up the slanted room with tiny tables to match. A mechanical camera scanned his iris and instructed him where to sit. C27. There was a digital timer projected in the front of the room. It flashed: "20:00," slowly making it's way to zero while the screen below read: Kindly take your seats. The test will begin shortly.

Cadmus took a deep breath. He finally had a chance to relax, to take a moment for himself amid this horrible, horrible day. A steaming cup of tea waited for him on the small desk and he took the ceramic mug in between his palms, breathing in the citrus scent as he took deep breaths. Sinking deep in his chair, Cadmus combed his hands through his wet hair. Despite his shower, he could almost feel the residue of disgusting blue liquid on his golden locks.

The timer finally approached zero and the text on Cadmus's tablet flashed, "Ready?" as the rest of the Ones responded in sing-song voices.

Then they were off. Cadmus scanned each page of text, writing near-instant responses as he flowed through the questions. It was easy,  as if his mere existence had been pushing him towards this moment. Every tutor in the land had known enough to prepare him. His mathematics drills, grammar tests, science experiments, and history lessons perfectly crafted to ensure he would be prepared for anything that Markom threw at him.

A smile on his face, Cadmus was the second person in the entire auditorium to rise from his chair and leave through the door in the center. He was best only by, Casida, and even she couldn't keep him from smiling.

"Are you sure you don't want to check your work?" He teased.

"No more than you." She repeated flatly, grabbing his hand as they exited into the stuffy hall.

"Where to next?" He asked her, lips brushing her forehead.

"I say we finish this damn test."

"Anything you say," Cadmus smirked and, again, they followed the stupid little arrows. This time they were led up the stairs and into the bright daylight.

There they were met with a copper aroma as they stared out at half a dozen courses of beams, rings, and even a climbing wall. The infamous physical, Cadmus smirked. The same blue liquid filled the space in between the obstacle courses, uniting as much as separating them.

He approached the pool where another camera scanned his iris and instructed him which obstacle course to access. In front of the fifth course stood a lanky placement official with mousy brown hair and an upturned nose. "Wait." The man commanded and Cadmus nodded, watching as the Ones behind him began to occupy the other courses.

A whistle was blown and Cadmus raced down the first part of the course, a thin balance beam between him and the clear blue pool below. He felt the slickness of the beam before him but his boots made easy contact with the narrow surface and he side-walked down it with careful leaps. Cadmus reached the next section of the course and catapulted himself forward, taking the rings along with his stride. Seconds passed and he reached the ends of the rings. He snuck a sideways glance to see another boy had arrived on the third piece of the platform at the same time as him.