The Unfavorable Read online

  “No worries, dear,” she comforts me. “Everyone is anxious when they come in for their Rite. Follow me!”

  She pivots and leads the way through Central Hall. Nodding, I follow her. I’m grateful that her steps aren’t hurried as we make our way through several doors and hallways. It looks so easy to get lost in this place if you aren’t familiar with the territory, and I definitely don’t wander this building often. I’ve only been inside a handful of times and I didn’t wander.

  She isn’t here today, though.

  After several minutes pass with us wandering a maze of corridors, Shytas stops in front of an open doorway that extends into a small waiting room. There are enough chairs to seat about ten people comfortably, but there are only other kids currently seated. I’m guessing that it is somewhat unusual to have more kids than that arrive for their test.

  The Healer doesn’t say a word, but I give her a small smile to let her know that I’m grateful for her warmth before taking my leave inside the room. There are already three other teenagers seated in various spots around the room.

  I take a seat near the boy sitting near the wall opposite the doorway. He looks familiar somehow, and I need the benefit of familiarity right now with my nerves so elevated. Anything to ease the pressure even a little. The two girls – who are identical twins – are seated in the corner opposite me.

  I would think it odd that no one is talking, but tension is high for all of us. None of us want to disappoint our parents, or our peers, by getting an ‘Unfavorable’ grade. The silence is almost deadening. My senses seem to dull as the pressure tries to implode in on me. Logically, I know that I’m fine, but the anxiety is playing tricks on me.

  Right before it feels like the air is going to get sucked straight from my lungs, Shytas arrives in the doorway and calls a name. My senses are so clouded – I can’t hear what name she utters. She is looking at the girls in the corner, though, and one of them stands and follows the Healer out of the room. It isn’t long before she reappears for the remaining twin.

  “You’re here for the Bleeding Rite, too?” a voice to my right says, startling me. I’m not usually the jumpy type, but my body twitches at the sound of the shockingly low timbre of his oddly casual tone.

  “A little inappropriate, don’t you think?” I suggest. Not only is that a pretty personal question, but there’s no other reason I would be in this room.

  “Sorry,” he apologizes, a pink tint forming on his cheeks. “Was just trying to make small talk to ease my nerves.”

  “Oh,” I say, feeling a bit guilty. I know my nerves are tense, too. No reason to be rude or snippy with him. “Yes, I’m here for my test, too.”

  “I didn’t know we had the same birthday,” he adds.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, confused. He looks familiar, I know, but I can’t place where I’ve seen him before, so his statement is extremely strange.

  “Well, we’ve been in the same classes for several years now,” he announces. “As far back as I can remember, in fact.”

  “Oh, right.”

  It’s my turn to blush. I can feel the heat on my face.

  “Sorry,” I continue, “I don’t have the greatest memory.”

  “Alec,” he informs me. “Alec Greatmore. I’m the quiet one in the back of the class that no one really talks to.”

  “I’m Alora --”

  “Travene, I know,” he interrupts.

  The pink on his cheeks turns to a shade of red and spreads across his forehead, too. He looks down at his feet for a second, as if he revealed too much information. I smile, recognizing his fancy towards me. I hope we both get a spectacular grade.

  Not that I’m expecting the Main Frame to choose him as my mate, or that I want that to happen as I don’t share his feelings, but at least I’ll have a new friend.

  “What do you think you’ll get?” I ask, changing the subject. He seems grateful for it; he brightens up instantly and the blush disappears from his forehead.

  “Both of my parents are Loyals,” he says, coolly. “Even if I wanted to be something else, I don’t think I have much of a choice,” he chuckles. I smile at him.

  “Mr. Greatmore,” Shytas calls from the doorway.

  I don’t even have a chance to respond to Alec’s comment. Not even a small laugh at his attempt at humor with the situation we are in. He looks at the Healer and back at me briefly. The boy grins at me warmly, as if to say, ‘I’ll see you when all this is over,’ before following the woman out of the waiting room.

  Without him to distract me, I become fidgety. Both hands begin to tap an agitated beat along the arms of my chair, while my knees bounce up and down. I’m about to get up and start pacing when Shytas returns in the doorway again.

  Her face is as bright as when she introduced herself to me just a couple hours ago, according to the digital clock placed above the doorway.

  Wow, it’s already been a couple hours…

  “Are you ready?” she questions me. She is so excited that she looks like she’s about to buy a new puppy. It’s infectious. I can’t help but share in her excitement a little.

  “I am,” I confirm with more confidence than I possess.

  With a small nod, Shytas turns to her left and makes her way down the narrow hallway, with me at her heels.

  Chapter 3

  Alora

  We don’t go far before Shytas turns into an even smaller room than the waiting area. It has an uncomfortable looking chair situated in the middle, along with a large machine sitting in the opposite corner from me.

  It looks like a huge rectangular, metal box on wheels, with four large tubes in a row about chest level. There’s also a long, flat screen that’s about three inches tall and approximately a foot across just above the tubes.

  An image of Micah at sixteen sitting in that same chair invades my thoughts. His confident smile never wavers, even as the needle pushes through his skin. He doesn’t look worried at all about the test, he seems excited about what his future holds.

  In an instant, I blink, and the image disappears as quickly as it appeared. I’m back facing an empty room and the reminder that he’s been gone for six long years…

  “Make yourself comfortable,” Shytas chirps, gesturing towards the chair.

  I can’t help but think, that’s easy for her to say… She probably did her Rite years ago and didn’t have so much pressure on her shoulders. She probably hasn’t lost a sibling because of the test either. I’m assuming she is an only child and it was clear from the start what she would be when she took her Rite. I don’t have that luxury.

  Still, I can’t avoid or prolong the inevitable with childish, judgmental musings. Taking a deep breath, I walk towards the eerie-looking chair. The closer I get, the more I can smell a strong antiseptic. It’s good to know that it was cleaned before my turn.

  I take my time sitting down and adjusting myself. Thankfully, Shytas doesn’t rush me. She simply stands to the left of the machine, waiting for me to be ready with that reassuring smile on her face.

  Lying back, I stare up at the ceiling letting the tense breath ease its way between my clenched teeth. The Healer reaches around the back of the machine to grab something from the other side, but I already know what it is.

  I’ve heard rumors from my classmates about the large needle that gets placed into your arm for the test. I force myself to turn my head and look at what’s going to decide my future.

  The object in her hand isn’t what I expected out of the item that will decide my future. It is a needle about six inches long but not thick, and it’s connected to a long tube that stretches back behind the machine. My anxiety lessens a bit but doesn’t dissipate completely. I still have to have that ridiculous thing poked into my arm until the test is done.

  “You’ll feel a pinch,” Shytas explains, preparing to insert the needle.

  All I can do is nod. I can’t talk yet, I’m still too nervous. Looking back up at the ceiling, I clench my fists in anticipatio
n. The pinch never comes. Instead, a burning sensation runs up my arm as the needle pierces my skin and is run from my elbow, up my bicep. I moan but bite my lower lip to keep myself from screaming. The feeling lessens but doesn’t go away.

  “Great job,” Shytas cheers, as she places paper tape over the needle to make sure it doesn’t move at all. “Just relax, and I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes.”

  My voice is caught in my throat, so I’m not able to respond how I want to. Instead, I’m screaming in my head: a few minutes?! I know they take a lot of blood, but wow…

  The Healer exits the room with a bounce in her step, ignoring the panic I imagine is radiating off my body in waves. That, or she is used to teenagers being afraid, and leaves them to independently handle it. I’m not sure if that is neglectful or smart. Still, I know most aren’t as nervous as I am, either.

  She must be on her way to check on one of the other teenagers that came in for their test today, Alec or one of the twins. Her lack of presence in the small room makes it more difficult for me to relax.

  Although her demeanor is oddly bright, it’s comforting. Without it in the room, the reality of my situation is brought back to the forefront of my mind. I have no idea how Micah was so excited about his Rite.

  Taking a deep breath, I lift my head and look to my side to see the blood flowing from my arm, through the needle, and up the tube. I can’t see where it goes inside the machine, but I can see the four, large tubes beginning to fill up the longer blood is drained from me. The prick of the needle is all I can feel as it sucks the life out of me with each second that passes.

  It isn’t long before my vision begins to blur from the drawn blood. I try to stay awake, keep my eyes open, but I’m unable. My head slips back onto the chair, and my vision goes dark. I know that I’m not dead, but it feels like I’m floating. It’s actually quite interesting. If only the nagging burning sensation would go away, I would think I had fallen into a dream.

  I’m not sure how long I’m unconscious on that strange chair. When I wake, my eyes flutter to a gray tiled ceiling that is different – darker – than the one I had blacked out inside. I’m woozy, so it takes a few seconds before my head is clear enough for me to lift it off the gurney that I’m lying on. Even then, it takes at least a minute to regain my composure.

  A sharp pain digs into the front of my brain above my left eye as I raise my head, threatening to blind me. My vision is struck with a lightning bolt of gray in both eyes from the movement.

  Gritting my teeth, I let out a groan while the white spots blotting my sight slowly fade away with the gray. Blood isn’t getting to my brain fast enough. My body isn’t creating new blood cells fast enough to replace what it is losing from the test.

  “You’re awake,” a male voice says, several feet in front of me and off to my left. “It isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. What about you?”

  “Still under examination,” I say softly, blinking repeatedly until I see that it’s Alec speaking to me.

  He’s sitting on a gurney similar to mine, and he has a needle stuck in his arm that’s attached to a machine to his left. I look to my left and see that I’m still attached as well. Blood is still flowing freely from the needle and into the tube. No wonder I still feel unwell. How am I even conscious right now?

  “This thing hasn’t stopped taking blood yet?” I ask my colleague.

  “Not until the Rite is complete,” he informs me. “When it’s all said and done, you’ll have given about 1.5 liters of blood. What percentage is yours at?”

  “Percentage?”

  I look again at the machine next to me. The screen above the large tubes has a bar filling up from left to right, with 94% written across it.

  Thank Geha… I’m not sure how much more of this I can handle.

  “How long have I been out?” I ask, trying to make conversation and take my mind off my impending future.

  “You were rolled in here on the gurney by a two Healers a couple minutes ago,” Alec explains, calmly. “I don’t know how long you were unconscious before they brought you here, though. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I sigh, rubbing my temple with the palm of my right hand. “How close is your test to being done? Where are the twins?”

  “The twins finished just before you came in, one is a Loyal and the other an Artist. I figured they would end up in the same career path. Mine looks to be just about finished, too, only a few more seconds.”

  The excitement in his voice is unencumbered. I envy him. No pressure on his shoulders about what his grade will be. Not like what awaits me. I wish that I could be excited for my results, instead I’m dreading them.

  As each percent ticks by, I hear Micah’s voice in my head growing louder. It’s the same voice from my dream. He’s calling out to me. It’s so loud that I can’t hear what Alec is rambling about anymore.

  A loud, aggravating buzz disrupts my thoughts. I look up to see Alec staring at the machine next to him in horror – eyes bulging out of his skull at his results. Following his gaze, my eyes land on his percentage bar.

  It had reached 100% while I was distracted. The number and bar had disappeared completely, and now only showed the word ‘Unfavorable’ in all capital letters scrawled across the screen.

  “Unfavorable?” I ask aloud, unsure of what would happen to him now.

  In the next instant, a door opens to the right of Alec. Two Loyals come barreling in with stun guns in hand, Shytas right behind them with a concerned expression. She has just enough time to remove the needle from Alec’s arm before the Loyals pick him up from the gurney and drag him, kicking and screaming, out through the same door they burst in from.

  I don’t even have time to react, it all happens so quickly.

  “Shytas,” I breathe, panicked.

  What I really want is for Micah to comfort me, knowing that this is exactly what happened to him the day of his Bleeding Rite. Unfortunately, the only person I know in the room is the overly excited Healer. She hears my soft cry and rushes to me, worry lining her features. It’s an odd contrast to the smile that is normally plastered on her face.

  “It’s alright, dear,” she coos. “They’re just taking him to a place where they can help him with his condition.”

  Condition? What is she talking about?

  “Relax,” she comforts. “Your Rite will be over soon.”

  That notion isn’t helpful at all. However, I can’t seem to open my mouth and tell her that, though. Once she notices that I’ve calmed down slightly, she exits the room the same way the Loyals exited. I look over at the machine I’m attached to and see that it’s reached 98% during the confusion. Time seems to slow as I watch the numbers continue to climb.

  It feels like it takes eons for the bar to reach 99%, and even longer to reach the final 100% point. The bar and number disappear from view, and I wait for the results. Nothing shows up.

  After several seconds, Shytas comes back in to look at the results herself. Confused, she goes to the back of the machine, opens a compartment, and punches a few buttons on – what sounds like – a keyboard.

  “Wow,” she whispers, breathless.

  She hesitates for only a moment before turning the machine so that I can see the monitor contained on the other side. The screen shows a bar graph with all the different possibilities and career paths I could have received from the Bleeding Rite.

  The strange part is that everything listed – Loyal, Healer, Developer, Drudge, and Artist – have bars reaching up towards the top of the screen.

  The only item without a bar is the category ‘Unfavorable’. I should be grateful for the outcome, but I’m not sure what it means anymore.

  Do most teenagers receive strong ratings in several sections or not?

  I’ve never been briefed on this fallout by the Elders, or any adult that has taken their Rite before. Even then, I’m a bit sad and disappointed that I won’t be able to find out what happened with Micah or Alec
for their ‘Unfavorable’ grades.

  “You’re proficient in everything,” Shytas informs me, explaining my results. “The Main Frame isn’t able to choose a career path for you, so you have the opportunity to choose your own now.”

  “What?” I inquire, befuddled.

  That seems strange and unlikely. I’ve never heard of that happening before. There’s always a proficiency in something over all else, right? How is it possible that I’m highly skilled in every single Favorable category?

  “It hasn’t happened in a long time,” the Healer explains, back to her cheerful and bubbly self – as she’s forgotten about what happened with Alec. It’s annoying now, rather than comforting, though.

  “Thankfully, Healers are all taught what to do in just such an occasion, in case it does,” she continues. “It isn’t uncommon for someone to be proficient in more than one area. I haven’t ever seen these sorts of results before, though! Anyway, you’ll have three days to make your decision. If you have not returned to Central Hall by this time on the third day, then Loyals will be sent to find you and bring you here.”

  “That’s ominous,” I mumble.

  Unfortunately, Shytas has ridiculous hearing and catches what I say.

  “It isn’t meant to be,” she insists. She leans over to begin taking out the needle from my arm, now. “We simply don’t want to waste any amount of time with someone who has so much potential. The idea is to pick a course and start it right away.”

  I nod, not wanting to press my luck. I’m surprised I’m not scolded for my outbreak to begin with. That sort of disrespect has never been tolerated in Geha, so I’m more than lucky for her to shrug it off. It must have something to do with my grade.

  “You’re free to go home, now that your Rite is over with,” she persists. “You are excused from school the next few days while you make your life-altering decision. Please remember to take care of yourself during this time off. You may have free time, but you are not relieved of the pressure yet.”

  Yeah, no pressure at all…