Kassius roams about the halls, lost in thought.
"Kaaaaaaas! Where have you been?"
It's his friend, Bonnie Josephine. She's a 16 year old of similar height to Kassius, light brown skin tone, brown hair and blue eyes. Kassius continues staring into space, completely void of her call, which prompts an odd stare.
Bonnie: "Hmm? Maybe he can't hear me."
Bonnie rushes over to Kassius.
Bonnie: "I said... where have you been!"
She jumps on his back, surprising him.
Kassius: "Yo, Bonnie."
Bonnie: "How couldn't you hear me? Where you daydreaming?"
Kassius: "Yeah, kinda."
Bonnie: "Well, you gotta get your head straight. The test is soon. Ohh I'm so thrilled. I can't wait to finally get out of here."
Bonnie gets off Kassius' back.
Kassius: "I don't know where this energy comes from. But you're right. By the way, I-"
Speaker: "ALL WHO ARE TAKING THE EXAM, PLEASE MEET IN THE IN THE ASSEMBLY HALL IN ONE MINUTE"
Bonnie: "You ready to go?"
Noise picks up as people walk towards the hall.
Kassius: "I'll be back, I need the bathroom."
Bonnie: "Alright, I'll see you inside."
Bonnie follows the crowd into the hall, as Kassius walks to the bathroom. He bumps into somebody.
Kassius: "Sorry."
Person: "It's fine."
After Kassius uses the bathroom, he heads into the hall.
Kassius (in head): "I never noticed how huge this place was."
Receptionist: "Next!"
Kassius walks up to the receptionist.
Kassius: "Sorry, I went to the bathroom."
Receptionist: "Name?"
Kassius: "Kassius Moore"
Receptionist: "Here. Good luck."
She applies a card on his chest that reads out 'Participant 77'. He walks away and looks around, seeing people already standing in places around the room. He walks towards the window.
Speaker: "ENTRANCE TIME IS CLOSED. NO FURTHER ENTRIES."
The front door of the hall starts to close.
Random person outside: "Hey, wait don't close it. I'm her-"
The door closes and clicks.
"Hey, let us in!"
Random person: "Tough for those guys."
Kassius tries to find a place to stand at the window.
Bonnie: "Kas."
Kassius: "Yo! What number did you get?"
Bonnie: "Eight. What's yours?"
Kassius: "Seventy seven."
Bonnie: "Do you believe in lucky numbers? Cause you-"
Three guys and a girl walk up to the two of them.
Kassius: "You need something, Marcus?"
Marcus: "Nothing in particular. Just heard there was a weirdo on the streets chasing children this morning. So I went to the nearest weirdo I could find. Heard anything about it?"
Marcus, a 16 year old, who is 6"1 in height. He has a light complexion, blue eyes and smooth blonde hair.
Kassius: "Who, me? I might know something about that. Or maybe I don't? I don't know, it's hard to tell. Maybe he knows."
Marcus looks behind him and Kassius flicks the back of his neck.
Marcus: "Ooh, so you want to be funny now, clown?!"
Marcus swings at Kassius but he flips back. His wallet hits the ground.
Marcus: "Oh? What do we have here?"
Marcus picks up Kassius' wallet.
Kassius: "OK, my bad. But give the wallet back."
Kassius tries to take it from him but gets kicked back by someone.
Kassius: "Ughhhh."
Kassius (in head): "What is it with today?"
Bonnie: "Kas!"
Marcus: "Yeah, I wouldn't try that again, unless you want her to hurt you seriously."
The girl that kicked Kassius is Sarah, a 16 year old girl at 5"10 in height. She has smooth blonde hair, blue eyes and a light complexion.
Sarah: "Hold on, is that you, Bonnie? You look... less starved from the last time I saw you."
Bonnie: "You look the same as ever, bad breath Sarah."
Sarah steps up to Bonnie, and they lock eyes face to face.
Sarah: "Looks like I gotta teach you respect. Thought you'd learn from last time."
Bonnie spits at Sarah's shoe.
Sarah: "Why you- huh?"
Sarah's arm is grabbed.
Guy: "Can we not have a fight break out before the test?"
Sarah: "The freak of all freaks came to visit. You her friend?"
Guy: "Nope. I do not know her."
Sarah: "Let go of me before I cave your skull in."
He lets go of her arm.
Marcus: "We'll leave. We just wanted to greet you one last time, since we might never see your faces again after this anyway. Good luck."
Marcus dashes the wallet to the ground and walks away with his group. Jinsoku picks up the wallet. Jinsoku Subayai is a 17 year old guy who is of similar height to Marcus. He has black hair, maroon eyes and a light skin tone.
Jinsoku: "You alright? Looked painful enough from my side."
Kassius: "Nah, I'm fine."
Jinsoku smiles.
Jinsoku: "You're a bad liar. You seem like you're in pain."
Kassius: "Well yeah I'm hurt, but..."
Kassius lifts up some money.
Kassius: "I got something in return."
Both start laughing. They both look to the side. They see Bonnie fuming calmly.
Jinsoku: "Is she gonna..."
Kassius: "She's actually calm, believe it or not."
Jinsoku gives Kassius his wallet back.
Kassius: "Thanks for that."
Jinsoku: "No need to thank me. Just don't go thinking I'll be here to babysit you next time something happens. I have to focus too."
Kassius: "You know, you're less freaky than the rumours let on."
Jinsoku: "Haha, I'll take that as a compliment. What's your name?"
Kassius: "Kassius."
Jinsoku: "Well, Kassius. Good luck on the test."
Jinsoku walks away, as Kassius gets back on his feet. A loud thud echoes in the room as the door is slammed. Footsteps through the hall silences the room. The footsteps continue until they suddenly stop. Everyone's focus shifts to the middle of the room, as a person stands there.
Person: "Attention! The test will begin in a short while!"
"Feels like it's taking forever to start."
Person: "You. Come here."
Random student: "Me? Uhh, Alri-"
In a quick flash, the random student is kicked back a far distance in the room. The student tumbles on the ground and grovels in pain.
Person: "Speaking over someone is pretty disrespectful, wouldn't you say? Anyway, let me introduce myself. My name is Principal."
Principal is a woman with curly white hair, grey eyes and a light complexion. She is about 5"5. A stern look stays on her face.
Principal: "Escort him out. I have no time to deal with people like that."
A supervisor picks the student up and throws them out from the back entrance. Principal stamps on the floor.
Principal: "I think I've made myself clear. Anyways now that everybody is here, there are exactly 200 applicants. So I shall start with this. Furantur is a gift. We are all aware this is the only way which any person of Vagis is allowed the chance to leave the nation. And as we also know, it is not purposeless. When you leave, you will serve the nation. Now, resources have been provided for you to prepare for this test. Meaning, from now on, there is no turning back. You will be either pass, or fail. And as the higher ups have stated, you are automatically listed for the retakes of the following years. Miss one retake... and you will be dealt with."
An intense air fills the room, with Principal noticing this.
Principal: "I notice the nervousness in the room, but I'd like to remind you all of this. Whether through selection or recommendation, you are a small group of this nation to have this opportunity. So always remember... you are lucky. Ok, now I assume you were checked at the gate, so there should be no devices that are unallowed. The test is three-parted and varies year to year. If you must pass all three parts to pass. Finally, and I'll make this clear once... only ten passers!"
Kassius (in head): "Ten?!"
Principal: "Two hundred is too many. They say it is unnecessary. And if subpar individuals get the chance, then the system would be useless. This country benefits from Furantur, so the better the passers, the more Vagis thrives. I'm looking for the best of the best. So to get rid of a majority of people here, only ten people pass. Is that clear? Prove to me and the fellow staff that will supervise this year's exams that you have what it takes to be one of the ten!"