Spreading My Wings

Chapter 1

Today, many of my biggest choices will be made either by tests or my own choices. The Ministry will calculate the answers to the tests and what our futures will be like, and then we decide, from the calculations, what we want. Everything from where I live, to my love life, to what I believe in will be calculated today. I was born and raised in sector four. There are four sectors, each having a different belief, mine believes in reliance on others but it wasn't what i believed personally. I begin to fiddle with the clasps on my shirt, looking over and finding the servants of my home rather than my parents, the ever busy king and queen of Jedan, the country I live in. As usual, they hurry to help, ignoring my refusals to their assistance. I look into the eyes of one of the servents, she was given her job through a test, just as everyone else, and was given the job of a servent... that could easily be me. Being the son of the current king and queen doesn't assure anything.

"Kalen?" I whip around to see my mother, as beautiful as ever looking back at me. Her red hair is in it's usual braid that's been wrapped around itself, she's wearing the blue dress she wears only on special occasions. Today is definately a special occasion, her only child is fourteen and of age. Either way, she is as beautiful as ever.

"Yes mother?" I ask politely, dipping my head to her graciously. I'm pretty sure she's going to say something about my messy brownish-red hair that's been spiked up with water.

"The girl you're going to spend your life with is extremely lucky," she says, taking my hands in hers. I was wrong, she isn't criticizing my hair. I feel a smile reach my lips. Finally I'm finished with the clasps on my shirt.

I watch my father come down the stairs, as always with a serious and worried look on his face. I resist the urge to comfort him, it's not the way I'm supposed to think.

"Kalen, it's time to go," he says steadily. I know he's nervous that his crown will be given to someone other than me, it will all be decided in the next 12 hours. I find myself walking to the hovercar, its aerodynamic body shines silver in the morning light.

I step out of the hovercar at the school, today everyone my age is here to take the tests; we begin with the most simple tests for things like what our jobs will be and work our way up to things like which sector we'll be living in and what we believe in and eventually who our spouses will be. I still have twenty minutes until the tests begin so I wait patiently with a good book... which I end up bored with after five minutes so, instead I just wait.

The bell signaling that the tests will be beginning sounds, and I go to the main classroom. The hallway has a simple gray floor and white walls, wooden doors showing every twenty metres or so, I get to room 214 and step into the large classroom, the desks are in their usual separated formation with the teachers desk at the front of the the room, facing the students. As usual I'm the first to arrive. I take my seat at the back of the classroom and await the rest of the class.

Everyone is in the room when my teacher, Ms. Willockii says "Laurisa Acaro, come with me please." I thought we did the tests in class, but I've been wrong before. I know I'll be the next one called, as always it'll go in alphabetical order. "Kalen Berico, this way please" i follow my teacher back into the hallway with Laurisa, She's about 170 centemeters tall, her build isn't lean, its heavier, but she's in no way fat, her hair is reddish-brown, much like mine. Her face has been invaded by a scar, it swirls around her left eye, it was given to her by some jerk with a pice of hot metal. Her blue-hazel eyes look worried and troublesome, and for good reason; her parents were both given jobs as servants and she didn't want to be next.

We were led down the plain hallway, turning left and right until finally we stopped in front of a door marked as Room 617 Testing Room A