This is the moment I have been waiting for all my life. It is the day of the Choosing. I hope I'm chosen for the Trialing.

"Sam. Get dressed!" Mom tells me.

"What do I wear?" I ask.

"Here." Mom says as she hands me a white button down shirt with black jeans. The nicest clothes I own. "Get dressed quickly. We need to get there quickly so we can get good seats." Mom leaves the room and I take off my shirt and shorts. I quickly put my dress shirt and jeans on and comb my hair. I look in the mirror. This may be the last time I look at this mirror if I'm chosen. I turn and walk out of my room. I see Mom start to cry when I walk into the living room.

"Mom, why are you crying?" I ask.

"You just look grown-up. I don't want you to be chosen because you are all I have left." Mom barely whispers.

"God will be with you, Mom. The Bible says that He will never leave you nor forsake you. I will be fine, and so will you." I say, hoping that will encourage her.

Mom halfheartedly smiles. "I know Sam. I just don't want to give you up to the Trialing Officials. We won't know what the Trialing does."

"Yeah well, we should probably get going if we are going to get good seats." I say. Mom nods and we walk out the front door. I look around to see if we are the first ones and as usual, we are. No one is out yet, just like every year. We walk north towards the city center and I realize that there are so many things I have never noticed about Sorn City, my hometown, and also one of the biggest cities in the Republic of the Common States or RCS. I knew that I lived in the slum of the city since my Dad died when I was a child, but I never knew how much of the city was in poverty. Another thing, is that there aren't any flowers anymore. I remember there were red, white, yellow, and other colored flowers planted around the city, but they have been gone for a while.

"Hey, Mom. Why did the flowers disappear? I remember them when I was youn-"

"Sam! We don't talk about the flowers. They died because of the Earth. It's as simple as that." Mom interrupts. We finally arrive to the stadium after walking in silence.

"Hello. Names please?" an attendant asks.

"Jeanine and Samuel Lolands." Mom states.

"Age?" the attendant asks.

"I'm 48 and my son is 15."

"And, what is your address Ma'am?"

"My address is 74DE." Mom replies.

"Thank you. You may enter and take your seat after my assistant does his job." she says. "Oh, and by the way, you look nice Samuel."

"Thank you." I say, similing from the compliment. Mom and I walk to the attendant's assistant standing behind her.

"Arm." He says in a monotone voice, gesturing to Mom. She extends her arm and he injects a needle into her wrist. He looks at me and I do the same. The needle stings and I flinch. Dang it. I think. If I want my name to be called for the Trialing, I need to show no signs of weakness. At least that is what I was told during school. Mom and I continue walking through, into the stadium. I look aroud, finding that we are, again, the first ones here.

"Why are we always the first ones here?" I ask. "Is there any other reason than getting good seats?"

"Sam, please just stop asking questions. I'm not in the mood right now." I look at her standing to my left. I look into her eyes and see glints of tears in the corners of her eyes. She probably has tears in her eyes because she doesn't want me to be chosen for the Trialing. I think. We continue walking to the seats. I follow Mom down the rows until she stops at the 5th row back. She sits in the first seat and I sit next to her. Looking around, I notice that the stage this year has almost no decorations. The only decorations are a red banner that says, CONGRATULATIONS TRIALEES, and long multi-colored streamers that hang from the ceiling high above. Besides that, there is nothing. Mom and I sit in our seats for while. I notice a family come into the stadium. The mom is wearing jewelry and the boys are wearing suits. They must be one of the rich families that are snobs. I think, disgusted. One by one, the families and people fill in the seats after that. What once was dead silent, has now become a loud roar of voices.

"If you could focus your attention to the stage please. The anthem will start soon, then Marion Shelezski will start the ceremony in just a minute. Thank you." a voice booms over the loudspeaker. The crowd slowly stops talking, so the stadium becomes an eerie quiet. The familiar trumpets of our national anthem blares over the loudspeaker.

"Long live RCS! From the green valleys, to the immense sea, a hymn of brotherhood. With God I shall fight for home and for hearth, for RCS, the beloved native soil. God Bless our RCS, beautiful and tall. Let her bow down, for God created her in the new America! Rivers, valleys, hills and mountains, all these gifts we do extol. For liberty be liberty. Long live RCS!" we all sing in unison. We all sit in silence, waiting for Marion to take over. She walks up to the microphone in the middle of the stage.

"Welcome everyone to the 48th annual Trialing Ceremony!" she exclaims! The whole stadium erupts in cheering and clapping. Many of us, including me, stand as we clap and cheer. When the cheering dies down, she speaks again. "Now, I know a lot of you are antsy to find out who has been chosen, so let's get to it! If you hear your name called, please walk to the stage. I understand it may take a few of you some time to get down here." Marion starts announcing many names, including my best friend, James Deakon. The longer the Ceremony goes, the more I'm starting to get sad. I probably won't get chosen for the Trialing. Marion stops calling people's names. She steps away from the microphone, and someone comes on stage. I realize that the someone, is not just a someone. He is the President of RCS. He walks up to the microphone.

"Hello everyone. I know you were not expecting for me to be here, but I have the pleasure to announce a special student that I am very excited to join the Trialing. He is 15, loves to read and play sports. He is a genius at math, reading, science and history. Please give your applause to," he says, stopping with affect. "Samuel Lolands!" The crowd erupts in cheering, and my head seems to explode.