To The Moon And Back

Chapter 2

The two days pass in a blur, and soon Pamela starts distributing official letters to each person in our grade. I share a worried look with Ember, then glance at Lukas. His face is scrunched and he's looking in his letter, which Pam has given him earlier.

"Ember and Aurora, here are yours," Pam says. We both thank her and take our respective letters.

"Here goes nothing," I mumble, then tear the envelope open. I take out the school certificate first, and a weight lifts off my shoulders as soon as I do it. I've passed my classes with good grades.

I then pick the Occupation exam result. It says that I succeeded in all the tests, which is extremely uncommon. It also implies that my 'most favourable traits' are 'the ability to utilize available resources, creative thinking, sympathy, swiftness' and that my 'negative traits' are 'cowering from fears instead of facing them, uncertainty when nervous'.

I skip to my recommended occupation, it says 'data analysis and sorting'. I scowl at the paper, that's the most boring thing ever.

It also says I'm eligible to an internship on Earth. I almost turn cartwheels on that. A smile breaks on my face, and I'm unable to stop it.

"What have you gotten?" I ask Ember.

"Nutritionist, you?" She replies, smiling gratefully.

"Data Analyzer. It's super boring!" I complain.

"But if you got good results you can change it."

"Yeah, I'll look into that. Programming might be better. But on the other hand, I got an internship on Earth!"

"Aw, lucky you. They say I'm not eligible this year."

"What have you gotten, girls?" Lukas asks me, joining us. We explain our results to each other and I get really delighted that Lukas is also eligible for the Earth internship.

I zone out for a moment, focusing on Lukas' overjoyed laughing and Ember's carefree smile, and realize I wouldn't have had life any other way.

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"You will be training for your internship on Earth starting tomorrow. Morning training starts at six and ends at eight. Evening training also starts at six but ends at nine.

"It's quite challenging, and not all the eligible ones succeed in training. If you don't pass, you're not going to Earth. There are spots available so only the best can go there. Any questions?" Our trainer, Landon, says with a sneer like he genuinely doesn't believe any of us would pass the training.

"He's so nice it's overwhelming," I say sarcastically. Lukas muffles a laugh beside me. The guy on my other side also laughs. He's a tall one, with warm brown eyes and hair and tanned skin.

"Hey, training partner, I'm Noah," he introduces himself.

"Aurora," I reply, smiling. I feel Lukas's arm snaking around my waist. Jealous, aren't we, Mister Lukas?

"We should head home," Lukas tells me. I nod and wave goodbye to Noah.

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I wait impatiently for my turn in the Job Management Center, to ask why the hell they gave me such an awful job.

Data sorting my ass.

I check my surroundings. There's a group of teens checking available jobs to register for trials. I remember trying most of the jobs available. On the chairs are an old man and a younger one beside him. I wonder why they're here.

Opposite to me is a woman carrying a baby, maybe she's here to get a nursing break from work. Some people my age are scattered around the place too, though not many, as the jobs you get are supposedly the most compatible with you.