Calypso Initiate

Chapter Three

        When we leave the compound, it is still dark. The approaching twilight fills the sky with a gradient of black and blue as the sun remains settled beneath the horizon. There are fewer stars now. It's strange for me to be outside this early. When I wake up, my parents are usually heading out for another day of work. But today I'm the first to leave.

        There are nine of us taking the finals from our society, four girls and five boys. We are all quiet as two Sentinel guards march towards our group, their bodies hulked by massive jet armors. One of them orders us to line up and we obey, trailing behind them as they escort us out. None of us smile at each other or make small talk, and our somber faces resemble those of felons about to be taken to trial. This is our last day in Sibel.

        I eye the chunk of metal secured on the back of the guards. Laser rifles, I think, like the one my father uses for hunting. Although compared to the size of what the guards have, his looks like a toy. The six amber lights on their handles tell me they're fully loaded. Theoretically, Sentinel guns are designed to only stun colonists, and all other weapons in the city don't even work when they're used on citizens. But I prefer not to test that theory.     

        The bus waits outside our walls. I stare at the heap of steel that will deliver us to our inescapable future, its muted gray color resembling unpainted metal. Faces look at us from the inside, their eyes voided by their own thoughts. I swallow hard, hoping not to choke on my own nerves, but an unsettling lump remains in my throat. My feet feel twice as heavy as I drag them beneath me, weighing me down as though they're made of lead.

        We're forbidden to travel in any other way for our finals. I would prefer my father take me to school so I won't have to sit through the entire trip with a bunch of nervous teenagers. But that would mean having us both exiled. If I don't pass the test that'll be my fate anyway, so why rush it?

        The city emblem marks the side of the bus. A collection of red shapes forms a bird with its wings curved down. It's a Phoenix, a symbol of rebirth-as how our ancestors believed our world came to be after the last Earth war. The shapes are enclosed in a circle, which to me have always looked like a cage, binding the creature from flapping its wings to fly freely. As I climb the bus I start to think how it matches exactly how I feel.

        Our finals start early. Participants are required to be at school at 5:00 AM to assure that the test will be managed properly. All the students in the city go to the same building after all, and we are prohibited to interact with the younger colonists today.

        On my side, I see Ophelia stare out the window. Her thumbnail wedges between her teeth. "I'm so nervous I feel like I'll forget everything I know," she says. She combs the tips of her hair with her fingers, pulling the ends as if it would help them grow longer again. I take note on how often she does this now.

        I want to tell her it will be alright, and that we'll pass without a problem. But when I open my mouth the words don't come. I know I would be lying. The final exam is anything but easy and our entire fate relies on how well we do.    

        Ophelia turns to me. "They're going to announce Initiation results this afternoon."

        Anxiousness sweeps over me the moment I'm reminded of my brother. I drop my gaze. "I hope Benjamin makes it," I tell her.

        She reaches for me, her fingers slipping into my hand. "Don't worry, he's smart. He'll be fine."

        I try to smile but a heavy feeling sinks at the pit of my stomach. Initiations are often unpredictable, and Initiates go through a series of rigorous tests and training that even those who seem likely to pass, fails.