Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Tests never bother me. My memory is strong enough to retain all sorts of information after being taught them. I rarely have to study for a single test at school and I never have to worry about failing.
Except now.
This upcoming test is one I'm not sure if I can pass. One where passing can be the difference between life or death.
And this is one test I will never feel prepared for.
Sitting with my family of four in our small kitchen only big enough for a counter top, a sink, an oven, a fridge, and a rounded table always gives me a feeling of comfort. They are the only people I can fully feel comfortable around.
Today isn't one of those days I feel nothing but comfort.
Because when I walk out the door, there is a chance I won't see them ever again.
"Are you okay, Amethyst?" Mom asks me, her voice as soft as it normally is. "You've barely touched your breakfast."
I stare at the bowl of bland oatmeal sitting in front of me before looking up at my mom. "I'm just not in the mood for oatmeal. Besides, I should probably be heading to school."
Both my parents have an identical look of despair on their face. They probably thinking what I'm thinking; how this might be the very last time they see me if I fail the test. The one test I have to pass, no matter what.
My six-year-old sister Emerald, however, has the opposite look on her face. Her eyes are as bright as they normally are, her smile as wide as she gets off her chair to walk over to me and give me a hug. "Bye, Amethyst! I'll see you after school!"
I keep myself composed as I hug her back. "See you."
Emerald doesn't fully understand what's happening today. She knows about what the government calls the Glitches. She knows I'm a Glitch. She knows not to tell anyone. She just doesn't know that if I fail the test to prove I'm normal like everyone else, I'll be taken away.
She doesn't even know about the test. She thinks I'm going to a normal day of school.
I get off of my chair and give both my parents a hug as well. They hug me tightly, though trying not to give off any fear otherwise Emerald will worry a whole lot. The last thing we want is to put the burden on her shoulder.
I walk to the front door, only grabbing my keys. Today isn't a regular day of school. All that's going to happen is the test.
Nobody knows how the test is going to play out. We don't know what to expect or exactly what we're being tested on. All I'm hoping is I don't glitch during the test.
I head to the back of the house to receive my bike before bringing it over to the front. Once I hop on, I start pedaling to the high school for the one thing I'm not excited for.
The five minute bike ride to school feels a lot longer than normal and my thighs were starting to burn from pedaling up and down the bumpy path. I pull over to the side and stop to let my legs rest.
I place my hands on my legs and start rubbing to ease the burning sensation, but my right hand starts flickering in and out of visibility before completely vanishing. Nobody is around right now, but I quickly hide the invisible hand in my jacket pocket.
All I want is to be able to control it or at least feel when it's about to happen. I don't. It always comes unexpectedly and if this happens during the test…
I sighed and wait for a few moments before taking my hand out of my pocket and being able to see my hand again. The glitch never lasts longer than a minute, but even the few seconds it does last can screw me over.
I have a stronger piece of hope the glitch won't happen during the test since glitches very rarely happen close together. If I take the test early in the school day, I have a higher probability of staying unknown.
Hopping back onto the bike, I pedal the remainder of my way to school. As soon as I arrive, I head to the bike rack and lock up my bike. I turn to face the school, feeling a large pit in my stomach as I try to muster a neutral expression.
Nobody looks as scared as I'm feeling. Then again, what do they have to be afraid of? Nothing. After today, they're going to go back home to their families and continue living a normal life.
I'm not.
I never will.
The warning bell rings and it's shortly followed by an announcement from the principal. "Attention students, this is a friendly reminder that today is the government issued test. Once taken, you may leave the school premises. In the meantime, please head over to your first period class. Thank you."
With a sigh, I head into the school and to my period one class. Half of the class looks bored and the other half looks excited, probably because they are missing out on lessons for the whole day.
I sit down in my desk at the back of the class, my heart starting to beat rapidly. Taking deep breaths isn't really helping me at the moment. Nothing will except for getting the test done and over with.
And passing.
Mocking whispers erupts in the classroom as most people glance over at who walks in. Not even needing to look over, I know who it is. Jack. The most tormented person in the school all because he's a little different than everyone.
Apparently, being different is a bad thing.
Jack takes the seat next to mine with a deep sigh as he leans back in his chair, his hair unkempt and deep bags under his eyes.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"Yeah," Jack says, rubbing his eyes with his right hand; his real hand. "I'm just exhausted. I was too busy thinking about the test. Not because I'm a Glitch. But because I have no idea what to expect and they might even do inhumane things to see if we'll glitch."
Him saying that only makes me feel more worried. They won't hurt us just to see if we'll glitch, will they?
"I'm sure they won't," I say, though the doubt was clearly there.
"Yeah, let's hope so," Jack says.
The second bell of the day rings and once again, the principal's voice follows. "Will all students in the ninth grade please make their way to the gymnasium for the test to begin? Thank you."
I lean my head back with a huff. If they were going in order, I'm going to be one of the last to go being in my last year of school. The wait is only going to leave me in a lot of agony.
While in the classroom waiting for it to be my turn to take the test, I wonder if they'll announce whether or not they found a Glitch. I wonder if there even is another Glitch attending the same school as me.
Waiting starts to get annoying being stuck in the classroom. I try finding an excuse to leave, but my teacher won't let anyone exit the classroom no matter what. Not to go to the washroom or to the water fountain.
We're stuck in here.
An hour and a half passes by before the principal makes another announcement. "The grade nines are about to finish the test, so can all the grade tens start lining up outside the gymnasium? Thank you."
When the PA system turns off, a series of groans emits throughout the classroom. We really are going to be stuck here for a while.
I try to nap so I can pass the time more quickly but my mind is too occupied.
Another hour and a half passes before the students in grade eleven have to line up outside of the gymnasium. And then finally comes the time for the seniors to go line up by the gymnasium.
My heart beat reaches a speed it has never achieved before as I stand up and follow my classmates outside the classroom and down the hallway to the gymnasium. Nobody looks as scared as I'm feeling.
I lean against the wall, worrying about how the test is going to happen. If Jack is right about them doing inhumane things to see if we'll glitch, I will never see my family again.
The door to the gymnasium opens before two security guards from the government walk out, escorting a girl who looks both scared and sad.
Two more security guards and an official-looking woman follow as they walk down the hallway, which is currently filled with a bunch of whispers. They found one. They found a Glitch.
Jack is standing in front of me and as that group gets closer, he tries leaving the line but the two security guards that are following stop him. "Where are you taking her?" he asks.
"That is none of your business, Mr. Grzeskiewicz," the woman says.
"She's my sister, of course it's my business," Jack says. "Please don't take her away. She's not dangerous."
"If you want to keep that robotic hand of yours the government so generously paid for, I suggest you don't tell me how to do my job," the woman says. "In fact, I'd like you to come with me to take the test. If Glitches are genetic, that will definitely help us do our job."
Jack hesitates before following the woman and the two security guards into the gymnasium for his test.
It doesn't take long before the door opens again and he walks out. Without the guards and the woman, but that doesn't stop him from looking extremely upset. I want to go make sure he's okay but nobody is being allowed to leave the line.
The line moves quite quickly despite us being in the classroom for four and a half hours. There's just a lot of people that have to get tested.
When I'm at the front of the line, I tell myself to take deep breaths and to not look scared or worried. Maybe look bored. Or annoyed. Or anything except an emotion that might make them suspicious.
Not other Glitches have been found when the door opens and I'm gestured into the gymnasium. In the centre a single chair stands with the woman standing in front of it with a clipboard. The rest of the gymnasium is set up to look like some kind of obstacle course with a variety of hurdles.
I'm escorted to the chair so I sit down, mustering all the courage I have inside of me.
"Name, please?" the woman asks.
"Amethyst Winters."
"Alright, Amethyst, this is a very simple test," she says as she flips through the papers attach to the clipboard before settling on one. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions then have you run the obstacle course we've set up."
"Alright."
"First question. Have you ever experience odd sensations periodically? Such as a burning or ice cold feeling in your hand, extreme headaches, dizziness?"
"Nope."
"Have you ever experienced anything else you would consider odd?"
Like my hand flickering in and out visibility?
"Nope," I say in the same tone as the first question I answered in an attempt to make it seem like I'm telling the truth.
"Have you ever experienced anything the government would classify as a glitch?"
"Nope." If this is what the rest of the test is going to be like, then this is going to be a breeze.
"How close are you with your little sister, Emerald?"
I furrow my eyebrows. "How do you know about Emerald?"
"I'm from the government," the woman says. "We know everything."
"Fair enough," I say, even though all I'm thinking is if the know everything, they would know I'm a Glitch. "Emerald is my whole world. We're as close as sisters could be."
"Alright, then I'm going to need you to close your eyes."
Feeling very confused, I comply. I don't know where this is going, but I can't show any hesitation. I need to get through this if I do want to see Emerald again.
"Picture you arrive home from school," the woman says. "The house is quiet and it seems like nobody's home. You go upstairs and in the hallway, you see a trail of blood."
I'm worried she's going to say something gruesome about my sister, so I repeat to myself that she's only saying it to get a reaction. It's not real. It will never be real.
Please don't glitch.
"You follow the trail of blood into your sisters room," the woman continues. "You find her laying on her bed with a slit on her throat."
Don't glitch, don't glitch. She's just saying it to get a reaction. It's not real.
She doesn't say anything else. The room is just silent and I tell myself to stay calm. If I do react, I might glitch and then that way, I actually won't see my sister again.
Finally, the woman says, "You may open your eyes now."
I do so as she writes something down on the clipboard. Judging my her neutral reaction, I didn't glitch while my eyes are closed.
"Alright, time for the obstacle course," she says. "Follow me."
I stand up and follow her to the start of the obstacle course. On the way there, my hand starts flickering so I quickly shove both of them in my jacket pocket. This is it. If I start the obstacle course right away, I'm done for.
The woman stops and looks at me before telling me how the obstacle course is going to go. I just have to try my best, and apparently she'll know if I'm doing poorly on purpose.
"Ready to begin?" she asks.
"Yep."
She then notices my hands in my pocket. "Why are your hands in there?"
I look down with furrowed eyebrows as if I did it unintentionally. "Oh, sorry, force of habit," I reply as I take my hands out, feeling a sense of relief to see my hand is visible again. "I do it when I'm standing still. It's more comfortable than having my hands by my side."
She nods then moves off to the side, taking a stopwatch out of her pocket. "And begin," she says.
So I start the obstacle course, doing the best I can since I already know my glitch doesn't increase my stamina and agility. Me doing my best will only look average.
A dodgeball suddenly flies through the air and hits my leg, the very minimal source causing me to stumble anyway. I stop and look over at the woman, now seeing her with a few dodgeballs. "Don't stop," she says. "Keep going."
I continue as she throws more dodgeballs at me. I try my best to avoid them, but I still get hit.
When I finish the obstacle course, she looks at the time. "Very good," she says. "You passed. You may leave."
I huge wave of relief washes over me as I nod, then walk out of the gymnasium. I can also feel the excitement swirling inside but I don't show it.
Once I leave the school, I head over to the bike rack to receive my bike. I can't wait to get home.
I pedaled as fast as I can, ignoring the burning feeling in my legs. I don't care about it right now. I just care about seeing my family.
I arrive home and leave my bike in the front yard before going in my house where both my parents were in the kitchen. "I passed," I say, a huge smile on my face. "They don't know I'm a Glitch."
Both my parents smile just as wide as they pull me into a hug. "Thank goodness," Mom says. "We can put this all behind as. But you do have to be careful not to glitch at all in public. Even if they didn't find out you're a Glitch, that doesn't mean they won't in the future."
"I know," I say. "At least this will prevent them from finding me sooner."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone