INDEFINITE

With a sigh, Kira stole one last glance in the mirror before leaving the apartment, locking the door with a sense of faith mingled with gloom in her chest. Each time she organized the room, sold a few items, and secured the proceeds in their savings account, she did so with the belief that she wouldn't be returning.

The day of the test had arrived, and she was filled with high hopes. Asher's message from the previous day loomed large in her mind as she walked to the bus stop. Anxiety twisted her heart as she clutched the hem of her dark pink knitted cardigan, worn over a pair of blue jeans. She checked her watch repeatedly, watching and waiting for the bus.

A skinny man in a worn-out red hoodie approached her. "Kira Shawn?"

She looked up, meeting his gaze. "Yes? Can I help you?"

The man sat down beside her, a sheepish smile on his face. "I'm here to help you."

Kira shifted slightly, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "What do you mean?"

"I used to work at VORTEX Academy. I can help you get in," he said bluntly.

"And how do you intend to do that? Look, I—"

"You want to get in, right?" he interrupted, leaning closer and lowering his voice.

"Yes, I do, but I don't understand how you could help me."

He smirked, pulling out a small container filled with red capsules. "Through this. You don't have to pay me. Just take one, and you'll get in for sure."

Kira hesitated, desperation battling with caution in her mind. What if it was poison? What if she turned into a failed experiment? What if it was a drug that would land her in jail? She felt the turmoil of various "what ifs" swirling around her.

"You'll never know until you try, Kira. Take this chance; Asher is waiting." He smiled warmly, placing the container in her hands and gently closing her fingers around it while she stared at him, lips parted in shock.

But when she looked back at the spot next to her, he was gone.

"What in the world?" she muttered.

Was he some sort of angel or missionary sent by God? Maybe all her days of praying and begging at the altar had finally paid off. The bus arrived, and she boarded quickly, her mind racing with thoughts as she fixed her gaze on the spot where the man had sat through the window. As the bus moved on, she glanced back at the bottle of capsules, contemplating whether to throw it away.

But what if she failed the test again? She needed to get in, no matter what. With a deep breath and a hope that it wasn't poison, Kira slipped the bottle into her tote bag as the bus pulled onto the school premises.

She managed to navigate the hallways without speaking to anyone, except for Coach Grayson, whom she bid farewell with the usual anticipation that she would soon leave for the VA. Relief washed over her as she successfully passed the screening and was declared drug-free by the AI scanners at the entrance of the test hall.

Kira took a seat on the bleachers among the others as the test began. She watched two girls on the B line test positive, followed by a boy during G, but the results for I, J, and were negative. Finally, it got to K.

With every negative result she heard, hope drained from her. It had been six months without Asher, and she couldn't bear the thought of waiting another six, fearing he'd forget her by then. She steeled herself and quickly swallowed one of the pills before approaching the test machine.

The capsule slid down her throat and settled in her stomach, leaving a burning sensation that made her uneasy. She muttered a few prayers as a VORTEX official drew her blood, mixing it with several chemicals in a test tube.

As the official placed her blood in the testing machine, time seemed to stretch. The moment her blood came in contact with the machine, an ear-splitting explosion erupted, throwing everyone around it to the ground. The sound reverberated through the room as chaos ensued, screams piercing the air as people scrambled for cover from flying debris.

Kira's heart raced as she covered her ears in terror, feeling the floor shake beneath her when another machine blew up. A VORTEX scientist groaned in pain, having injured his leg. As soldiers rushed to the scene and AI assistants attempted to calm the panicked crowd, water sprinklers activated, extinguishing the flames erupting from the test machines. Slowly, eyes turned toward Kira, sprawled in the center of the chaos.

An AI assistant's voice echoed through the room:

[Kiranis Nalani Shawn. Status: Indefinite. Faction: Indefinite.]

A soldier approached her while she coughed from the smoke that had filled the air. "Kiranis, come with me."