SHOLEM

CHAPTER FIVE

SORTING GAM
DAY ONE OF CULLING TEST
BOOK HALL

Sheil lay still in their bed and enjoyed the peace and quiet that was hers alone for a few minutes. She smiled and chuckled as she thought about her alarming thought the previous night, what would happen if she didn't make it to the end of the sorting test. She had thought this over and over for the past three days and turned it over in her mind again and again. She felt her face flush for the hundredth time, but not from anxiousness, it was from the thought of getting caught with her traitorous questions and thoughts. 

She had asked around a bit to see if any of the girls had questions like she does, but from the few girls she had polled it didn’t seem that they ever had questions, they just simply followed the rules. She gave a wiggle of pleasure and sank down into the luxurious linens and pillows. This feeling of having a private moment was so sweet.

A loud noise sounded from her left side, straining her ear to get the exact source where the noise was coming from, “It sounded like it was coming from outside their sleeping hall,” Sheil thought out loud. She tried to stand up from the bed and landed face-down on the floor. The entire night she was alert and barely slept a wink, just yesterday they were all preparing towards their sorting tests and now the day is finally here. She never thought the day would come so soon.

Just as she sat up, an administrator walked in.

“What’s going on?” Sheil asked under her breath.

“Your first test for the culling starts now, to the book hall, you have just a few minutes to assemble yourself there." The administrator's loud voice woke almost all the girls up, he left promptly as he had entered.

“The test is early this morning?” Sheil hopped from the floor and combed her hair with her fingers, then she put on her black uniform, hurriedly.

“I hope it isn’t hard,” her bed-mate said. “I never was any good at written tests.” she muttered lamely

“You’ll do great, don't stress yourself before you see the test.” Sheil encouraged her as she pulled up her trousers. 

This would be a piece of green; Sheil thought. She had always been a great test taker and an excellent student, especially if it's written and recitations. The other girls dressed up and together they left the sleeping hall. They reached the book hall in record time and let themselves in. 

This was the room that the glinders used as their confessional room to vent about the others or to talk about the events of the past days, even though such habits are frowned upon by the administrators. Sheil had only been in here a few times, but the large bookshelves and the mahogany paneling hadn’t ceased to awe her yet.

Today however, the set up was completely different. Sheil suddenly felt like she had been transported back to another world. There were desks set up in rows just like a classroom and a large administrator’s desk in the front. The shades over the eight foot windows were drawn halfway down and the light that streamed in was concentrated onto the desks. As always, there were several cameras set up around the room and three administrators stood around quietly chatting among themselves. All the administrators dressed in the same clothing style but Sheil could differentiate them with their hair color.

The one sitting at the table has purple hair, clipped with a stylish wooden band. The one standing closer to him was taller, probably taller than all the other three, Sheil guesses, his hair is green and short. The remaining two have blue hair, while one of them is of darker shade. Sheil decided to be using their hair to differentiate them.

Sheil selected a seat in the very front row and watched the others as they choose seats farther back. When Yalowel walked in and chose the seat next to her she wasn’t surprised, she was expecting her to sit in the front too. That girl wasn't their leader by mistake, she always does everything according to the rules laid down by the administrator.