Watching the hills roll by on my way to the marble building my trials were starting out rather dull, though I'm not complaining. I always thought that the second they collect you everything would be all challenges and fighting. I guess you kind of forget the boring parts. I made small talk with my collectors learning that the name of the pixie is Sun-Mai , the satyr is Quintin, and the hag usually goes my Mira although nobody really knows her true name. Sun-Mai talked the most she told me that the trials would be nothing to worry about
"Unless you were something really interesting. Do you think you'll be something really interesting?"
"Not really, nothing supper special about me"
"Oh...well then this will all be supper easy."
Yeah super easy I sure hope so. I guess a government official would know. The change it's all well know, upon the 18th birthday every child will go to the closest hospital where they shall be examined and go through their change. There they shall have their species revealed to them and will be allowed to select their tribe from the choosing process. This we have been told over and over again but no one tells you what hospital means or what the choosing process is or how we have out species reveled to us. Most of the time, you get taken away the day of your birthday come back a fully changed adult.
"Do the body changes hurt?" That was always something I've been curious about.
"I don't remember; I was asleep when my change happened, but I don't think they hurt at all. I mean I've never had someone comp-"
"I have," Interrupted Mira "but usually those who experience pain are those who are of the most powerful or are a diseased. Will you be powerful little girl or will you be a diseased?"
The hag cackled in a way that sent shivers down my spine. After that I didn't ask many questions. Fear of the hag and her answers . Her comment scared me in a way I thought was impossible. The diseased, they were driven out in the great wars, they were gone, dead. How could we mutate into them? Did everyone know about this? Why did no one say anything?
"Don't worry child Mira speaks of things that should be free from your mind, things that will be freed from all our minds."
Quintin spoke, the first words I heard him say.
"Now relax we will be in Lukka soon enough and you will be changed."
Everyone remained silent the rest of the ride.
We approached the large marble hospital around noon the hag checked me in and Sun-Mai showed me to my room.
We walked down a large hall way with beige walls and square tile floors the hall had many doors. Some were closed, some open, but only a few had people in them people who shared the same birthday as me people from all around the states. This was the only Marble building in this branch. The one is old Troy got destroyed when a Teen transformed into a rather large dragon and knocked down a few walls. We reached the 2nd to last room in the hall it was labeled ROOM 39. Quintin opened the sliding door to reveal a beige room with a bed planted in the middle, a chair in the far right corner, and large windows that only showed the roof. The room besides that was mostly empty with what looked to be a thin metallic coat rack. After making sure that the room was correct and wishing me good luck Quintin and Sun-Mai left. I sat in that room an hour examining every aspect of the room. There was a lose screw in the chair, and the window had a crack in it at the top, and there were exactly 120 square feet of tile in the room. I also noticed the lights were automatic and if you sat really still for longer than 7 minutes they would automatically turn off. After a while I began to wonder if this was part of my test. Some sort of psychological test to see if I was fully mature but I dismissed that part. If this was a psychological test there would be lousy music, or a rusty air vent or they would make it more uncomfortable rather than just dull.
I heard the click of feet in the hall way and jumped up to stand opposite of the door in case it was a sneak attack.
The door slid open to reveal a pink haired Elf, looking down at her clip board she only barely glanced up to check to see if I was there. After making some notes on her chart she looked up at me and smiled.
"Hello dear, you are Nia?"
"Y-Yes, who are you"
I stumbled, why did I stumble now she's going to think I'm stupid.
"Wonderful please follow me then"
With that she turned on her heals and started walking away. I jumped up and followed her out the door catching up with her at the end of the hall. We walked along the labyrinth of the building ending up in a room labeled Examination 3. It was a white room with cabinets and instead of a bed there was a chair on a blocky platform adjacent to the left wall and the hat rack had a clear sack hanging from it with a blue green liquid inside.
"Now dear tell me have you ever been pricked by a wasp?"
"Well yes ma'am"
Why? What does that have to do with anything?
"Good then this won't hurt a bit" she smiled
"What won't hurt"
She walked over to a drawer and pulled out a plastic tube a needle and some gauze.
"Your injection, now I need you to roll up your sleeve"
She's planning to stick me?!? Alarms went off in my head. I backed up to the door and watched as she hooked the tube up to the plastic bag and attached the needle to the end of it. She turned to me and patted the large chair. This is a trial I realized, if she said it won't hurt it won't hurt, but I have to do this or I will show my cowardice. This might be what makes me pass or fail. I walk away from the door. I have to do this. I roll up my sleeve and jump up on the chair. She quickly inserts the needle and wraps gauze around the insertion point. The blue green liquid starts to flow into my arm.
"So do you have any questions about the change?"
I look up at her trying to decide which question I want to as her first.
"What is this.... Stuff?" I ask
"That is vitamins, they are to stimulate growth and make your body in top physical shape so that everything goes smoothly. It so after your transformation you aren't weary and exhausted from spending too much energy"
Oh I never thought about that. I guess the metamorphosis would take a lot out of you.
"What's going to happen to me next?"
"Oh that's the simple next you are going to sleep, it should start to take affect any minute now"
"What? But its midday?" I say confused.
"Yes it is which means you'll wake up right after everything shuts down for the night"
Does that mean I'll be able go home tomorrow? When do I change? Drowsiness hit me like a train. Those weren't just vitamins, they were sleeping pills.
"What about the fighting? The life or death when does that happen?"
"That my dear will happen after you change and I do believe you will be changing sometime tonight"
Tonight but how? And with that I drifted off into sleep
