1 Chapter One

Throwing my legs over the end of my bed, thoughts of the coming day filled my head. I couldn't wait to get out of the world I now lived in, but I also didn't know what was going to happen next. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes at the thought of staying with my parents but I just ignored them and got dressed. It's not like anybody cared about what happened to me anyway. Whether or not I would get away from them was a different story though. Today I was going to get chosen, or I wasn't. That's it.

Every year The Society chooses ten fifteen-year-olds to join them. Our town knows close to nothing about The Society. All we know is that they will train the teens they choose for some important task. It's said to be a hard job. I heard that some children don't make it through.

As I pulled my shirt over my head I thought of what could happen if I was chosen. This wasn't something I explicitly thought of before because it was more like a dream than a reality for me. It wasn't a secret that my parents didn't want me. To them, I was like the latest item that everybody had. My parents were materialistic and I was the latest item to be had. They never loved me and I never loved them. I wish there was more to be said, like an underlying level of me wanting approval, but that wasn't the case. They wanted me gone just as much as I wanted to be gone.

I gathered my light brown hair into a high ponytail as The Ceremony Rules stated I had to do. The Ceremony Rules and the Town Rules weren't that different, to be honest. Town Rules didn't allow us to have any explicit or creative hairstyles either. Our clothing also had to be the designated set for our age groups. My year's color was red. I had five red shirts, three pairs of black shorts, two pairs of black pants, and one red dress for special occasions. That's what all the girls had for clothes though, so it was nothing special. Sure, other girls had jewelry and the little bit of makeup that was allowed, but I was not interested in that stuff. It wasn't like my parents would get me any of that stuff anyway. One would think their materialistic nature would make them want to show me off, but it was more like they were ashamed of me. The last thing I wanted was attention anyway.

Today we were all instructed to wear the special Ceremony clothes that were given to all of the children of age. The clothes I was given consisted of a stretchy red shirt with my name and a weird number on the back, and black shorts that were made of a material I had never felt before. In addition to the clothes, I was given a pair of sneakers that were also red. I didn't like the look of them, but I didn't have a choice. I slipped them on and got ready to leave my room. Hopefully for the last time.

My room wasn't anything spectacular either. It was the same room every other child my age had, other than the few personal items I was allowed to have. If I was chosen I was only allowed to bring three of my items though. It was supposed to make leaving our families easier, I didn't need help with that though.

I stopped for a second and wondered what I would bring. I picked up the one thing that held meaning to me. I could never really place why it meant so much, it just did. I fiddled with the golden necklace in my hands. It was supposed to open but I could never force it to. Whatever was inside of the necklace wasn't meant to be seen I guessed. I ran my fingers over the engraved letters; N.C. They were initials, but I wasn't sure whose. They weren't mine. How I'd found the necklace was just as odd. One day it was just in my room. I never questioned it.

I shoved the necklace into the pocket of my shorts without a second thought. Might as well keep the one thing that ever made me the slightest bit happy.

I walked out of my room into the kitchen where my mother was receiving the morning meal. The Town provided all of our meals. I wasn't quite sure if every family got the same meal, as it was not polite to ask such questions. Being scolded about that made me think all families didn't get the same meals though.

My mother brought the morning meal over from the receiving tube and set it on the table. I began to eat.

"Evelyn," my mother said, drawing my attention to her, "make sure that you do well in The Ceremony today. It is more important than you know. You must bring honor to our family."

I wasn't quite sure what any of that meant, but I nodded my head regardless. I would do my best in The Ceremony even if I didn't know what was going to happen.

My parents had explained to me what happened at their Showing but The Ceremony changes every year so that you couldn't prepare for it. The only thing I knew about The Ceremony for certain was that there would be three sections. There would be the mental exams, physical exams, and the personality exams.

My parents still don't know what portions of The Ceremony they failed at, but that was just how it worked. You either failed or passed. You didn't find out why, just the results. I guessed it was simpler that way. But I was determined to have a better Showing than them, I couldn't stay here.

The Showing is part of The Ceremony where you go through the exams. There are more parts, but only people that are chosen know what they are.

My father sat down at the table just as I was finishing my morning meal. Both of my parents had their formal attire. My mother with her pale yellow dress and my father with his dark green dress shirt. It was possible to marry people out of your year, but there was a limit. The person could only be up to five years older or younger than you. That rule always seemed kind of silly to me. I guess most of the rules did, but if I ever said that to anybody I would be punished. I had been punished before and I didn't feel like getting punished again. So I kept my mouth shut.

"It is almost time for your Showing, Evelyn. I wish you the best," My father stated not looking up from his copy of The Town Gazette.

This statement set me in a state of confusion. "I wish you the best" is a term of endearment that I had only received a few times. None of those times were from my parents. It was usually returned with the statement "As I do for you" but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to say that. I decided I should because I didn't want to be punished right before my Showing.

"As I do for you," I replied, putting my tray back in the tube.

Excitement bubbled inside of me as I knew it was almost time for my Showing. But along with that, I felt a feeling of uncertainty. I didn't know much about anything that was going to happen today. But as I looked over at my silent parents and generic house, I knew that anything could be better than my life now.

"It's time." my mother said turning to my father.

They shared a look I couldn't decipher before hugging tightly. They rarely touched for a reason I did not know. Town Rules allowed touching so I didn't understand why they never did it.

I dismissed their abnormal behavior and walked out the door in their wake. I saw other families with their children that were of age. No families brought their other children if they had them because nobody was allowed to spectate The Ceremony. I guess it was also supposed to make it easier for us to concentrate.

I looked around at the other children my age. Most of them looked nervous, I didn't understand why though. It's not like we were being led to the slaughter. I was pretty sure killing was against Town Rules anyway.

I tried to stifle a groan as I was elbowed in the stomach. I was met with my mother's dark expression.

"Smile," She whispered harshly.

I pulled my lips back into a fake smile. My arm was quickly linked with my mother's and my father linked my other arm with his. How artificial were they?

I mentally rolled my eyes and observed my surroundings. I saw a pair of women laughing and smiling. I wished I could be like them. Happy.

I didn't have any close friends. It's not like everybody was mean to me, I just didn't get along with them. There were a lot of rules for having friends too. You couldn't have a best friend as that is demeaning to others. I didn't understand, so I just chose not to have friends.

As we made our way closer I could make out the building better. This building was only used for The Ceremony, so I had never really seen it up close before. It was a very large building, bigger than I had ever seen before. It was like the size of five of our normal buildings. It made me feel small and insignificant.

In front of the entrance, parents started hugging their children. I didn't understand why everybody made such a big deal about this. Only ten people get chosen anyway. That thought instantly brought my mood down. I had never considered myself not getting chosen. I guess I just had to hope I did.

My parents didn't hug me or give me any words of encouragement. They just turned around and began walking back to our house. I wasn't surprised and I wasn't sad, so I guess it wasn't surprising that I was the first one to walk through the enormous doors.

The room I walked into was large enough to fit all the children and then some. The walls were blank and painted a dark grey. The only thing that drew my attention was the stage at the front of the room. I figured somebody would be addressing us from there.

Soon, more children filled into the large room. Chatter filled in along with the other kids. I didn't feel like talking so I didn't, I just waited.

Unfortunately, a boy with brown hair foiled my plans of silence.

"Hey, I don't think I've seen you around before. I'm Alistair. Do you know what we're waiting for in here?"

With wide eyes, I answered, "I don't know. Um, maybe they're going to address us?"

I felt awkward in the situation. I was terrible at small talk.

He sighed, "I think you are right. Duh."

There was a blanket of silence between us. Neither of us knew what to say and I certainly wasn't going to be the one to break the silence for fear of judgment.

"Um, what's your name?"

"Evelyn Harley," I said.

"So, I don't think I've seen you around before, Evelyn," Alistair said looking at me. "Are you like a spy from The Society or something?"

I laughed at his joke, making him smile.

"No, I'm just shy."

He nodded, "I can tell, but don't worry I can talk enough for the both of us."

I didn't completely understand what he meant by that. Alistair kind of looked like he enjoyed talking to me.

"What?" I asked puzzled.

He looked confused too, "I-um- I think we-"

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

"I'm sorry, I have trouble with words sometimes. What I, uh, meant to say was that I think we could be friends." Alistair shook his head and stood up. "Forget it. Don't mind me, I'm just an idiot."

I grabbed his arm, there was no way I was letting my first chance at a friend get away that easily. Despite coming in here with a completely different agenda, I liked Alistair. I really couldn't put my finger on why though.

"I would like to be friends. That is if you think you can speak to me." I joked.

He laughed while saying, "I think I can give it a try."

Just as I was about to reply wittily a woman with short blonde hair walked out onto the stage. She had her hair up in a severe bun. She looked strict and honestly kind of mean, about my father's age of forty-five, but she didn't wear that designated color. She didn't wear a designated color at all, Her shirt had multiple colors and her pants were a gray that matched the walls.

"She looks like a walking abstract painting," Alistair whispered in my ear.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Instead, I pulled my lips into a small smile. Something felt good about knowing something that only Alistair and I knew. Even if it was a dumb joke, I felt like I had power weirdly. Not to mention the risk of getting in trouble. I certainly liked the idea of having a friend.

"Welcome children," the woman said in a harsh tone, "As you all know today you will be completing your Showing. There will be three stages with which you will complete a designated activity. You are to complete each activity to the best of your ability. The categories are mental ability, physical ability, and personality. This year we are initiating a new way of testing these abilities. Instead of having all of you do the same task, you will all be doing tasks tailored to you and your abilities. We have gotten this information through many sources, so do not try to figure out how. Furthermore, speaking to anybody about your Showing is forbidden. If you do so you will be faced with severe punishment. Does everybody understand?"

"Yes Ma'am." we all formally replied.

I rolled my eyes at having to be a part of the mold they had created.

"The Society is looking for ten of you to join us. I am aware that you do not know anything about us, but for the moment it is crucial that it stays that way. If you are chosen you will be told everything that you need to know. I expect that all of you will try your best. As your name is called you will follow your test proctor where you will begin the first section of your showing. The first section will be the mental ability test. I will begin calling names in alphabetical order now. First up is Lindsy Aaron."

I tuned out as I heard the names drone on. I knew I had a bit of time as my last name was Harley.

With a random bout of courage, I turned to Alistair and asked, "What's your last name? Mine's Harley, so I have a little bit."

He turned to me and said, "Mines Wells, so I've got even longer. That makes me even more nervous, I have to wait!"

"I'm sure you are going to do great," I assured him.

I couldn't believe I was holding up a conversation so well. Maybe this would work out. I just hoped Alistair felt the same way. I couldn't help but feel insecure.

"I think she's on G," Alistair said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"She's fast at reading," I muttered.

I heard her call a boy named Cater Gray and realized he was right. I sat in nervous silence as the rest of the G names were called. I knew my name would be the first H.

Butterflies began to swarm in my stomach as I awaited my name. This was it.

"Evelyn Harley." The women called.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, it was time. I began to walk, but I felt somebody grab my hand. I turned and was faced with Alistair.

"I wish you the best," he said looking me in the eyes.

My face lit up with a large smile. Two times in one day. This was amazing to me, but I answered surprisingly fast this time.

"As I do for you," I said back.

He released my hand and I walked up to find my proctor. I felt sick as I followed the tall dark-haired women.

Everything felt so much more real as I walked down the gray hallways. We passed many rooms, I didn't hear a sound from any of them. Finally, we stopped at an open door, the proctor gestured for me to go in before her.

In the room some sort of system was set up, I could see a small version of myself projected by something. There was also a chair in the room with some kind of remote on it.

"Have a seat and I will explain what is going to happen in the mental ability portion of your Showing."

I followed the women's command and sat, taking the remote in my hands. I had used something like it before at home. I pushed a button and saw my character move on the screen just as I thought it would.

The women gave me a pleased look, "I see you already know how to use the remote, so I will just explain how the game works. This projection is going to take you through a game designed to test your mental ability. It is going to ask you to make decisions and complete tasks based on knowledge of your life and similar tasks you would need to be able to complete to be a part of The Society. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes," I affirmed verbally.

"Fantastic," the woman said, "I will be monitoring you from another room. You may begin now."

As my small character jumped to life I began the mental ability test.