Cyanide

Five

Via and Oliver's sixteenth birthday passed without any notice apart from the fact that Maria and Jacob gifted Via a silver bracelet with the Birchall family symbol on it. It was a way of showing that Via was accepted into the family, part of the legacy. Oliver didn't get one, of course.

It was almost the end of the school year and Assignments were the only thing that was discussed. Even Astoria and Finn couldn't talk about anything else. Oliver, however, couldn't care less. He knew what he was going to be and his parents had made sure he accepted that.

All too soon the day of the Assignments came. Everyone in their year crowded into the large hall with portable screens clutched in their hands. They had been told beforehand that when they got their Assignments they were allowed to react as long as they took a pill afterwards. After each person had got their Assignments, all of them would be read out on the large holo at the front.

They all got their results at the same time. Although they were allowed to show emotion for once, most didn't. A few cried out in horror. Next to Oliver, Astoria let out a quiet gasp. Unwilling to look at his Assignment yet, Oliver turned to his friend.
"What did you get?" he whispered.
Astoria, instead of answering, showed him her screen. Experimental stood out in bold letters across the top and below was a long list of rules and regulations. Oliver smiled encouragingly at her and she smiled back before turning to Finn. To their surprise, tears were sparkling in her eyes as she showed them her screen. Keeper. Oliver sucked his breath in sharply and Finn looked away.
"What about you, Oliver?" Astoria asked.
Oliver looked down at his screen. Rat. He mutely showed his screen to Astoria and Finn, both of whom gasped in horror.
"Please take a few minutes to ask friends their results and socialise with others who have the same Assignments as you." The Secretary at the front called out.
The hall exploded into a hum of quiet chatter as people asked after Assignments.
"Via's headed for us," Finn whispered.
Oliver and Astoria looked up to see Via walking towards them, ignoring the people who asked about her Assignment. She stopped in front of Oliver and held out her hand. Oliver passed his screen over and Via read it, her face whitening as she did. When she was finished she passed it back to him and suddenly pulled him into a harsh hug.
"I'm sorry, Olly," she whispered. "I was such a crap sister to you but I'll try to be better when we're in the Lab."
She pulled away and Oliver was shocked to see tears in her eyes. She gave him a watery smile, nodded to Finn and Astoria, and left.
"That was unexpected," Astoria quipped.
Finn suddenly grabbed Oliver's arm and spun him round to face her.
"I don't care what our Assignments are," she said without preamble, "We're still going to be friends. All of us, right Asta?"
Astoria smiled at them both and hugged Oliver.
"Of course we will," she said easily.
Oliver wished he could have some of their confidence. He gave them a smile in return before a shout from the Secretary at the front silenced everyone. The holo at the front of the hall lit up and a list of names could be seen on it.
"Keepers to the left of the hall, Experimentals to the right and Rats at the back. When I call out your name and Assignment, go to those places please!" The Secretary called.
She then started reading off a list of names and Assignments from a screen she held in her hand. When it came to Oliver's name, an audible gasp ripples through the hall. A Birchall Assigned to be a Rat? It had never happened before. Astoria and Finn squeezed his hands and he went to the back of the hall. There were several other people there, but none of them even looked up as he joined them. All too soon everyone was were they should be.
"Stay where you are. Someone should be here to collect you soon." The Secretary issued her final order to the group of silent children who were being thrown into the world of the Lab. "Good luck."
With that, she left. Still no one talked. Suddenly there were three bangs as doors flew open at the front of the hall. Through them streamed groups of Keepers and Experimentals. One group of Keepers went to the children on the left of the hall, the Experimentals to the right and the largest group of Keepers went to the back. Oliver felt his throat close with fear as one of the black-clad Keepers grabbed his arm roughly. The other Keepers handled the other children around him the same way. No one struggled. There was no point.

They were led outside in a silent line. There were a fleet of vans waiting for them. The Keepers holding them opened the doors and pushed them inside, locking metal cuffs around their ankles and wrists once they were sitting down. The doors slammed shut, leaving them in darkness and someone started to cry. No one bothered to comfort her.

Finn watched Oliver be dragged out of the hall with the other Rats and took a deep breath to stop herself crying.
"You were friends with him, weren't you?" A voice behind her asked.
Finn turned to see Via Birchall looking at her.
"I was," Finn replied, lifting her chin slightly. "Actually I still am. Just because he's a Rat, it doesn't change anything."
Via, surprisingly, smiled.
"He's still my brother," she whispered as the older Keepers started leading them out of the hall. "Let's say we keep an eye on him, yeah? Us two?"
Finn had never had many dealings with Via before. Though the girl had never said anything to either or Astoria, her friends had and she'd done nothing to stop them. Putting aside old pettiness for now, Finn smiled back at Via.