Who I am meant to be

Testing

Kila

"Beep" The machine sounded loudly up on the stage. Then a light flashed green and the girl in the chair let out her breath. The breath I'm sure everyone who hasn't been tested is still holding. I leaned forward so that my elbows rested on my knees and my chin was in my hands. Next to me I could see the same movement happen. Stress was running high for everyone. I shifted my gaze down to the line in front of me and counted the people. 

"HURRY UP!! Kids move along" the shout knocked me out of my trance and I saw the line progressing. the next 10 kids were brought up onto the stage for testing. the records showed all the kids who tested red. So far 150 reds had been found and only 2 blacks. Automatically I stood up and brushed my hand across the seats counting until 10. I was a number 10 meaning I got tested last. The fraction of reassurance that gave me lasted no longer then a second as I caught a glimpse of the 10 on stage. They were in my class and number 10 was a boy I had known since infancy. He caught my gaze as they sat him in the chair and I saw the fear. The fear that I could normally shake off but that now swirled in my eyes too. I caught sight of the sentence before he sat down. 

"Kira, see you on the other side" His white teeth against the darkness of his skin was a somewhat a shard reassuring as it was something i'd seen a hundred times.  This time that shard stuck in me like a knife as it was my only light. 

"I only hope it's the same one, Arlo". I kept my gaze calming the swirling storm in my eyes until he  followed suit and nodded. I looked over to number 1 just as the machine came over and started testing. I could never bear all the details in the multiple briefings and videos of the machine testing students to this time I swore "I only look for him, for he would do the same for me" I winced and looked back 3 seconds later as I heard the "Beep" and the light flashed green under her name. The next 8 followed suit with green lights under their name and parents crying out in happiness. I looked back at all the faces that one machine would change. Finally I heard the doctor cry out 

"Number 10, Group 55, Spark High, Initiate testing" I shot my head up only for me to see him walk over to Arlo with that machine on wheels behind him and stand behind him. We caught each others gaze and made our silent vow, something we said to each other everyday to prove we were who we said we are. "In the darkest days or the brightest ones I will stand by you". Then it happened. The needle went in his shoulder and injected the serum. I can only say what happened next was fate. Arlo winced and then sat back while the machine extracted a sample of the blood and serum, it dropped it into a dish and examined it then looked at the screen and green light flooded it. Our eyes no longer the swirling storm of fear but the calmness of relief.  

"GROUP 56, up and moving" the doctor shouted I stood up and in a panicked haze caught Arlo's gaze once again and he nodded in reassurance. I put on a mask of calm and control then and nodded back. He circled around and came down to the front to watch my testing before heading to his family. My group was consisted of 4 other girls and 5 boys alternating ending with me. The light shifted behind us but I was too scared to look back. I knew that it was the names of each of us with our chair number group number and school. I had seen 55 of these groups already I knew what would happen. Suddenly I was sitting in the metal chair and it had grabbed onto me. Arlo's smile, that shard of light was the only thing keeping me from falling into absolute darkness. 

"Number 1, Group 56, Sparkhigh, Initiate testing" said the all familiar tone then came the beep and the wash of green. That pattern repeated itself beep, green, beep, green on and on until it was my turn. I was operating in slow motion out of fright. I couldn't hear a voice only the machine rolling on its wheeled over to me and the touch of the doctor on my head. The needle came at me and I could see each second extended by 5 before the needle actually hit me then the slow-motion drained away. The storm in my eyes came back 10x stronger but this time out of pain so I repeated the vow again and again slowing the storm to a breeze. by then the Serum had been injected, it came out with blood and dropped it into a clean dish. The robotic eye scanned my blood for whatever it was looking for before it looked back up at the screen, I waited for the all familiar beep and wash of green light only it didn't come. Instead a siren did and the wash of black light covered me and Group 56.  

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