The Testing, a Merome Story

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

*Jerome's POV*

The day is here.

Today they pick two more people who are 14-17 years old randomly and take them away. It happens every three months, and I've lost a few friends to it.

Where they take them, I don't know. Usually the people who are taken away never return to Adaya, our city. But when they do return, they're broken. They never live long.

I'm sixteen now, so I still have a few more of The Days to worry about. It's really called Celebration Day, but my best friend Mitch and I decided to rename it. We don't tell people about it because we could get in trouble. 

Mitch. My best friend. He was taken from me last Celebration day. I remember his tousled brown hair, his checkered hoodie, the way he could make me smile with the slightest glance. I also remembered the shocked, deer in the headlights look he gave when they called out "Mitchell Hughes" on the worst of The Days that I've ever had. It was three months ago, so it was the one before this Celebration Day.

I wish I could've voulunteered, I would've gladly, but there are a ton of strict rules when it comes to The Day.

I suddenly lose my train of thought and come back to what's around me. The other sixteen year olds. Boys and girls. I look at Ashley, one of my few friends besides Mitch. She helped me get though all of the pain. I also helped her, since her twin sister was taken on the same day as Mitch.

A man sound checked the microphone, then started up the "festivities". The man talked about how this was a benifit to the community of Adaya, then got right down to buisiness. There was a giant bowl, large enough to contain all of the names of the teenagers of Adaya.

The man plucked one of the papers and says the name into the microphone, "Damian Winters!" 

I quietly sigh in relief. Not me. Not any of my friends, I see the boy that must be Damian slip between the crowd in the fifteen year old section of the square, choking back sobs. He is quietly escorted to a van while I wait anxiously for the next name to be called. 

I hear the name, and my heart nearly stops.

"Jerome Aceti!" the voice of the man booms, and I am surprisingly calm. I look at Ashley and see her shocked face. I squeeze her hand. "Thank you for everything." I murmer.

I hear her say "Ditto" and I turn and walk through the crowd, the teens around me backing up like I was carrying some disease.

I was escorted to the back of the same van that had Damian. 

"I'll never see them again." he sobbed, putting his head in his hands. I could see the tear stains already on his light blue hoodie.

I didn't speak. What could I possibly say that would comfort him? I'm only good at talking to Ashley like that now.

The guard they put in the back of the van with us spoke up, "Sit down. You each have to take one of these." he held out a gloved hand with a blue and a red tablet. "One for each." I looked at Damian.

"At the same time?" he asked and I nodded nervously. There's no end to the painful things these could bring. I picked the clue one and held it to my mouth. 

"Now." I said and the tablet melted almost instantly in my mouth. I felt a fire fill my body and I fell unconsious.

A/N:

Yay! I just did my first ever chapter! I hope to keep these A/Ns as short as possible. do you like my story? please comment if you do or don't!