The Apprenticeship

The End?

The next morning I wake up even earlier. Something about today feels like it's going to be good. Maybe, today I'll start something new. I've been thinking about world war 5 a lot. I don't think it's fair that our ancestors were stupid and so we're getting punished for it. Everyone here is so blind to it. I'm not, I realize what we had and I want it back.

I'm hoping that if I show initiative Daniels will let me back in the archives. A lot of people may think, how do they know you aren't allowed? My name is on my uniform along with leader and program, I walk in there, they read it, and I'm thrown out. Simple as that.

I knock on the door and a few seconds later Daniels opens the door.

"Avery, you're here a whole our early."

"I just wanted to get an early start. Catch up on what I missed."

"Very good choice. If you keep this up, you may graduate on time."

"That's the plan sir."

"Well, come in. We can start now."

I walk in and sit at the same table as yesterday, when I do, he sits across and pulls out some paper.

"This is a quick test of yesterday. I was going to give it to you then but, I figured I'd kept you long enough."

I nod and pull a pencil out of the desk part under the table. Daniels puts the paper in front of me and walks to his desk in the back of the room, leaving me alone in the front.

•••

About what I think is an hour later, I walk to the back of the room and hand Daniels the paper. I'm nervous because I don't quite understand what he showed me. I really hope I did it well.

After five minutes, Daniels sits across from me again.

"Avery," he says as he sits down.

"Yes."

"You got most of the questions right. The ones you missed were, more or less, the same. They were the elements." He says and hands me the paper. "it's a 70/100. Still a good score, of course."

I probably forgot to mention that scores do matter in these programs. The higher your scores were the better jobs you'll get. If I would've not screwed up and gotten 100% all the way, I could do anything, including being a leader without the usually mandatory test. Your life is made for you basically.

I wish I could change the past, but I can't. The only person I've seen in the last forty eight hours was Daniels. I ate lunch with him, dinner too, so we could continue. That and, it's part of my punishment still. I wish I could change that part but I never will.

"Avery, are you listening?"

Apparently he's been talking, "Yes." I lie.

"What did I just say?"

"Okay, I lied."

"All you had to do was say you weren't listening."

"Then you would've yelled," I look down, for some reason I'm embarrassed.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in one of the old Star Wars movies. I saw the first and forth in the archives. They're really good. I feel like sometimes this is similar, the Jedi Master has complete control, Daniels has complete control. You have to respect them both and agree even if you don't agree. I don't know a lot about the movies but, I know enough to know that this isn't the way life was meant to be.

Look at the Jedi. Order 66 destroyed them, they were way over their heads. That's us right now. The government doesn't know what they're doing is wrong like the droids. They don't understand.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be different if I was a Padawan with a Master like in the movies. It'd probably be similar in most ways. I think about Qui, he was a real hero. Obi-Wan just followed the orders he was given.

I consider the thought of, how do the get the younglings and Padawan to listen and follow instructions so intently. That would never happen nowadays. And that's just my thought on the matter. Other people have other opinions.

"Avery. You zoned out again didn't you?"

"Pshhhhhhh...no of course not." he looks at me like he can see through the lie, "Yes, I was. I'm sorry."

"Why do you lie?"

"Force of habit?" I shrug. Lying's a thing I was taught from a young age.

"Mmhmm. Anyway, let's continue with the lesson," he says and returns to his paper.

I continue to think about Star Wars until our time runs out. I aspire to have the courage Luke did.