The two prodigies

"And that's all for today," Mr. Anderson announces to his students. Sighs of relief can be heard throughout the lecture hall. Students begin to flood out of the room, talking about their weekend plans, drama, or work that lies ahead of them. 

"Well, it looks like I win this time," Evelyn declares as she sticks out her hand towards Marcus. Evelyn is wearing a necklace he gave her when they were 14. She's wearing a black shirt with dark blue sleeves, and her pants are just a little darker than them. Her lips are pink, and her skin is soft and white. 

"Oh, shut up!" Marcus pauses. "Wait, how much did we bet again?" He asks. "Just five dollars," Evelyn answers. Marcus rolls his brown eyes as he reaches into one of the many pockets of his black cargo pants. He pulls out his wallet and takes out five $1 bills to mess with Evelyn. 

"Here, just the right amount," he says as he places the money into Evelyn's hand. She looks at the five $1 bills and puts them into her pocket.

"You know, just for that," Evelyn smirks. She pulls his short, dirty brown hair. It's curly, but also wavy. She gently bites his nose. His mixed skin turned a little red where she bit him. It's not red enough to notice, as it was a play bite, but if you studied his face hard enough, you'd notice it. 

Marcus stands up, making sure not to hit Evelyn. He stands at 5'11, just two inches taller than Evelyn. He pats her head, playing with her curly hair. She has a wolfcut, the top black, the bottom light brown, and the ends of that dark brown. The two then grab their items and start to walk towards the exit. 

"I don't know how you manage to stay up so late yet never fall asleep like I do during class," Marcus admits as the two walk out of the study hall. He may just be a bit salty that he lost the bet, which was to see who could stay up the longest during Mr. Anderson's class. 

"I just changed something in my brain, I guess," Evelyn jokes. "We are studying psychology, after all." They both share a glance and then laugh. 

They start walking towards their final class for the day and notice Emily. She's a long-haired blonde who dresses in green sweatshirts and sweatpants. 

"Hey Emily!" Marcus yells, grabbing Emily's attention. Emily looks over and ends her conversation with a few other girls, then she walks over to Marcus and Evelyn. 

"Hey you two, how was Mr. Anderson's class?" She asks. "It was boring, as per usual," Marcus responds. He doesn't hate Mr. Anderson; he just gets put to sleep by his boring lectures. 

"It was pretty easy; we just finished a mental health unit, so we're going to write an essay about it," Evelyn says, giving some credit to his teaching abilities. 

"Oh right, that stupid essay; maybe I should just copy yours," Marcus says playfully. Evelyn lightly elbowed his side as a response, making Marcus smirk. 

"Ugh, well, I'm not going to do that until Sunday," she scoffs. "But Trent and I are going out to dinner tonight; do you care to join?" Emily asks. Trent is her blonde boyfriend; the blonde stereotype was probably made after him. 

"Sure, why not? I've been needing to get out anyway; all this studying has been killing me," Evelyn says. She knows Marcus would want to go out, yet he'd do whatever she wanted to. 

"Hell yeah, I'll make sure to dress fancy then," Marcus blurts out. The three chuckle and start to make their way towards Mrs. Winchester's study hall. 

On arrival, the three sit down together on the right side of the study hall. Mrs. Winchester is an average 40-year-old professor. Her hair is brown like her skin; she has her hair so long, in fact, that it reaches her waist. She's wearing a black dress. Mrs. Winchester stands up, moving to the center of the study hall. 

"Today we'll be learning about the effects of medications and what they can do to the human mind," she announces. She starts listing some medications on the whiteboard. 

"Can anyone tell me what adderal is used for?" She asks. Evelyn's hand shoots up instantly, nearly causing her to fall out of her chair. "Yes Evelyn?" Mrs. Winchester calls out. 

"It improves focus and reduces impulsivity," Evelyn answers proudly. Mrs. Winchester smiles. "Correct as always, Evelyn, good job," she says. Evelyn smiles and adjusts herself in her chair. 

"Some side effects are loss of appetite, weight loss, dry mouth, stomach upset or pain, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, fever, nervousness, and trouble sleeping," Mrs. Winchester says as she writes it on the board. 

Evelyn starts to drift off, thinking of what she'll wear for tonight's dinner. She stares out the window on the left wall of the study hall, watching other college students like herself walk by. 

"There's no homework for today; we'll talk about whether there will be a test or not tomorrow. Have a good day, everyone," Mrs. Winchester informs the class as she erases her whiteboards. Emily, Marcus, and Evelyn all stand up, walking towards the door like the other students. 

"Well, I'll see you two later, then, at 5:30, alright?" Emily informs Marcus and Evelyn. "We'll be there on time; don't worry," Marcus reassures Emily. She walks towards her dorm, fading into the crowd of people going back to the dorm rooms.

"Well, I say, let's go down our secret path. I want to get back to our dorm, but I'm not going to roleplay a car in traffic," Marcus jokes. Evelyn laughs and says, "Sure, but that does sound like it'd be fun." They walk along the gray brick hallways, passing murals and trophy cases. Their secret path wasn't all too secret; in reality, it was just going through some unpopular areas, or areas where everyone wasn't in by this time. 

They made it to the final study hall, which was just a few doors down from the library. As they walked by in the blue brick hallway, Evelyn overheard people talking. Usually, she's not one to eavesdrop, but she heard them say the word "test." Evelyn holds her hand out, motioning for Marcus to stop moving. 

"Evelyn whats—" Evelyn cuts Marcus off, holding her finger to his lips. Marcus joins in on listening to the conversation. 

"Well, we plan for a test that everyone here will have to take on Monday, exactly three days from now," a sharp but monotone voice says. 

"Sure thing, I mean, why's it so sudden though? We're given little time for them to prepare and don't even know what it's about," Mr. Baker questions. He's a tall white man in his 40s. He's wearing a gray suit with a blue tie. His brown hair is short and curly. He's the biology professor, but he also watches over the school. 

"There isn't any studying that can be done; this is a brand new test that the government is trying out," the monotone voice admits. It's like a robot with prepared answers, just talking to Mr. Baker or attempting to. 

"Fine, but what's it even for?" Mr. Baker asks, and his tone makes it obvious that he's a little aggravated but still intrigued. There is a pause in the room, and a cough attempts to clear the tension. It's now clear to Evelyn and Marcus that there's a third person in the room. 

"I can only tell you that it's for a project that will help change the world, taking in only the best of the best students," the monotone voice answers with pride. There is another pause as Mr. Baker thinks of a response. 

"Alright, I'll inform everyone; just make sure you guys don't make it too hard," Mr. Baker sighs. Evelyn pokes her head inside the room, and she watches the man shake Mr. Baker's hand. Mrs. Baker sits on a desk to the left of them. 

Mrs. Baker has long brown hair with more curls than you could count. She's wearing a gray dress to match Mr. Baker. She's a few inches shorter, but her chin could easily rest on his shoulder. As for the other man in the room, he's in a black suit with a black tie. He looks similar to Mr. Baker, except his face is more stern and his hair is spikier and blonde. 

"Thank you for your cooperation; rest assured, it won't cause any trouble," the man says. He starts turning around to exit the room. As he does, Evelyn quickly jerks her head out of sight. She grabs Marcus's hand and quickly, but quietly, races to the staircase, just a few classrooms ahead of them. Evelyn listens quietly, waiting for the man to walk outside the door to the right of Mr. Baker's door. 

"What type of test doesn't require any studying?" Marcus whispers. He's confused as to why Evelyn didn't want them to be seen, but he figured it out immediately after. 

"I don't know, but we should get going; we've only got so long before tonight's dinner party," Evelyn reminds Marcus. They quietly go back down the steps and exit the building, heading towards their dorm room to get ready for dinner. 

"Well, how do I look?" Marcus asks. He's wearing a blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath.

"You look good; now let's get in the car," Evelyn says kindly. She's wearing a black suit over a white dress shirt as well. The two exit their dorm and walk to the parking lot. On arrival, Marcus gets into the passenger seat while Evelyn enters the driver seat of her black Mazda 3. 

"By the way, why do you sometimes wear suits? You look amazing in them, but I'm just curious," Marcus politely asks. 

"I just like how they look; you know, they just look amazing, and I like how they feel on me," Evelyn answers with a smile. 

"So you've been stealing some of my suits," Marcus jokes. Evelyn lightly flicks his shoulder and smiles. 

"If they fit me, why not?" Evelyn admits. They both let out a short laugh before Marcus plugged his phone into the aux. He picks a pop playlist and sets his phone down so he can watch the road as Evelyn drives. 

"Welcome to Chuck's roast; what can I help you with?" The host asks politely. 

"Table for four, please, and my name is Marcus; we're going to have two more join us later, so if they ask for my name, could you direct them to us?" Marcus asks. The host nods and then leads Marcus and Evelyn to a booth; the two sit on the same side. 

Chuck's Roast is a family diner, yet there is a bar in there. The modern-day style attracts the majority of people that come. It's a cool mix of black, silver, and other colors. It's simplistic—just tables and booths in rows—nothing special except for the little outdoor-themed areas.

"I'll text Emily and tell her that we're ten minutes early," Marcus informs Evelyn. She nods and gets on her phone, passing the time

"Alright, they'll be here in about a minute," Marcus says. He watches Evelyn play a game about cats on her phone, waiting for Emily and Trent to arrive.

"We're here with Marcus, table for four," Emily says. The host leads her and Trent to Marcus' table, Trent and Emily sit down, across from Marcus and Evelyn.

"It looks like you guys finally arrived," Marcus jokes. 

"Well, I didn't know you guys were that excited for diner," Trent joins in. He's wearing a scarlet suit with a scarlet dress shirt underneath. His jaw is almost as strong as Marcus's, but it's just a bit softer. Emily is wearing an emerald dress; it matches her green eyes beautifully. 

"Well, we've got some tea to spill later, that's all," Evelyn says, gaining Emily's and Trent's interest. Before they could respond or ask any questions, their waitress showed up. 

"What can I get for you guys?" She asks. She's wearing a black dress shirt and black trousers. This is the uniform all of the workers have to wear. 

The group takes a quick look at their menus and decides what they want to eat. 

"I'll get chicken noodle soup with the chicken tenders and some water, please," Evelyn politely asks. The waitress writes her order down on a little notepad, then she looks over and asks Marcus. 

"Same as her, except I'll have a sprite," he says, jerking his thumb at Evelyn.

"And we'll both have medium-well steaks and some cokes," Emily answers for Trent and herself. 

"Alright, I'll have your orders out in a bit. Any appetizers?" The waitress questions.

"Just the mozzarella sticks, please," Evelyn answers politely. The waitress writes it down on her little notepad and walks towards the kitchen. 

"So, what were you talking about earlier?" Emily asks. 

"This test everyone has tomorrow, but it's really important, so don't tell anyone else," Evelyn answers. Emily and Trent nod, then Evelyn begins to tell them about tomorrow's test. Their faces shift between curious and annoyed as they hear more about this random test. 

"I can't believe we're actually having a test tomorrow," Emily complains. 

"And especially since tomorrow's Friday," Marcus joins in. 

"I wonder what they mean by taking the best of the best. Like, where would they take them?" Evelyn questions. They all dive deeper into the conversation. 

A few minutes later, the waitress appears, carrying all of their food on a single metal platter. She carefully places each plate in front of the four of them. 

"Here you go; if you need anything, just let me know," she tells them. Emily thanks the waitress before she walks away. 

"Well, we should eat now and enjoy ourselves; we can talk more about this tomorrow or whenever it happens," Trent says, hoping the others agree. 

"Yeah, we shouldn't spoil our night out worrying about a stupid test. It probably won't even count toward our grade, so what's the point?" Marcus adds. 

"You're right, let's have fun tonight!' Emily happily agrees. 

"To the night ahead of us!" Evelyn says it enthusiastically. She clinks her glass cup of water with the others and begins to eat. The others follow suit, making jokes throughout the meal. 

"Bye, see you guys tomorrow," Evelyn and Marcus say tiredly. They wave goodbye to Emily and Trent, closing their dorm door after they get out of sight. 

"Well, that was one fun night out," Marcus smirked. Evelyn walks over towards Marcus; she's so tired that raising her voice takes too much energy. 

"You're right, but let's try to get some sleep; it's near 11," Evelyn says gently. 

"Don't you usually stay up until 1 in the morning?" Marcus jokes. 

"Well, when we have things to do, it's easy to stay up late," Evelyn mumbles. She starts changing into her pajamas, which are just purple pants with stars and a purple shirt with cats on it. Marcus starts changing into his pajamas as well. Evelyn and Marcus aren't dating, but they're close platonic friends. So changing in front of each other is just normal now. 

"Goodnight Marcus," Evelyn says after she finishes putting her shirt on. She face plants into her bed and pulls a cover over herself, nearly falling asleep right after. 

"Goodnight, Evelyn," Marcus says with a smile. He lays down in his bed and admires their dorm. He enjoys looking at the differences and similarities between the sides of the room before he sleeps. 

Evelyn has blue glow in the dark stars on her wall, while Marcus has red ones. Evelyn's desk at the end of her bed is black, just like his. Marcus's bed looks larger than Evelyn's, but that's just because she spreads out more than he does. 

A gray carpet lays between the beds; it's a little darker than the rest of the floor. On the wall behind it is a mini fridge; it's underneath a black cubbie holder. One of the cubbies has a microwave inside of it, while the others have Marcus and Evelyn's items. On top of that is a small TV, just a little bigger than a monitor. 

"Good luck to us both on that test tomorrow," Marcus whispers. He turns over and closes his eyes to sleep, eventually succumbing to drowsiness. 

"Remember, just answer the questions honestly. And don't try to look at other tests," says the familiar monotone voice. 

"It's the same man from yesterday," Evelyn points out to Marcus. 

"Of course he's directing this; oh well, he didn't see us yesterday, so we should be fine," Marcus whispers. The man with a monotone voice walks around the room, passing out tests to every student. They're in a study hall, except this one has separated tables. There are two students per table, so naturally, Marcus and Evelyn sat together. 

"Now this test will take an hour or less, but you can't share any information about it. These tests will be running for a few days, maybe even a week or two as you all have to take them, but you'll get your results near instantly as we'll be grading them as you turn them in," the monotone voice announces as he continues passing out papers. He returned to his "station" at the front of the room, where he was once he finished passing out all of the tests. 

"Now, you may begin, and good luck," he says. It all sounds rehearsed, especially his stare into Evelyn's and Marcus's souls at the end. 

"Good luck," Marcus mouths to Evelyn. 

"Good luck to you too," Evelyn mouths back. They focus on their paper, thinking of answers to each question. All of them are about psychology. However, the questions are easy for Evelyn, so she knows they're also easy for Marcus. 

Evelyn finishes the test in ten minutes. She gently rests her head on the table and lets herself fall asleep.

"You guys were the only ones who got everything right, so now you're given an opportunity. You can either stay here and continue to study. Or, you can take a plan ride back to Solaris sand, Florida, and get a job," the government official says. He looks at each student and gives them a few minutes to think about it.

"Just to add on to that, everything will be paid for, and you'll be making $160,000 a year. You get to stay inside the hospital, or you can live near by, it's your choice. Either way, it'll be paid for," the official temptation. His smirk grows as each student thinks deeply about it.

"Now then, raise your hand if you'll take this offer." Everyone instantly shoots their hand up, except for Josh and Susan.

"Last call, keep your hand up, or raise it if you want to take this offer," the official tempts again. Susan and Josh keep their arms next to their sides, almost as if they were too heavy to move.

"All of you who raised your hand, come with me, you'll leave at 10pm tonight, after you all get prepared." The official walks towards an exit, bringing the students to the parking lot.

"This is your last chance to back out, beyond this point, if you quit, you're on your own," the official informs. Gundam walks back, declining the offer. He was sure of it before, but now he's decided that it's too much change for him in such a short amount of time.

"Get into your cars, if you need someone to drive you, continue with me," says the official. Kimberly is the only one to follow him. Alex starts walking away towards his car, as he does, Evelyn and Marcus walk to Evelyn's car.

"Well, this is a lot to take in," Evelyn says. She's a little worried about what will happen to the things she left behind.

"Don't worry, I mean, it's way better to make this much. Some people dream of making the amount we'll be making, and we're only 24," Marcus reassures Evelyn.

"You're right, thank you Marcus," Evelyn says softly. She pats Marcus' head for a little, then she starts the car and follows the official out of the parking lot.

"The psyche, that's all they're telling us for now?" Marcus complains.

"I guess, but we will know when we get off the plane and into the hospital," Evelyn whispers, trying to comfort Marcus. "Besides, we'll be different from the normal doctors, we'll be above them in power."

"You mean we'll get bragging rights? Perfect!" Marcus quietly celebrates his victory with a little hand dance.

"I wonder why they'd have us take a private flight instead of a normal one though. I'm not complaining, but it feels awesome to be treated like this, I guess the psyche really is a but thing," Evelyn quietly rants.

"Honestly, if we keep receiving this treatment, I'll do whatever they ask us to," Marcus jokes. Evelyn laughs a little, then she covers her eyes with her black cat eye mask.

"Goodnight Marcus," she whispers.

"Goodnight Evelyn," he whispers back.