The court building loomed above Naeren as she approached it with her family. This was the building where, regardless of the result of her test, her life would change forever. It was overwhelming, and it was all Naeren could do to not turn and run. Hide away until next year's test at least...

Other families walked along the streets leading to the court house. All of them were escorting their children or siblings to take the test. These children stood out from their families. They all looked like they were either going to burst with excitement, or like they were about to throw up. Naeren guessed that she probably looked like the latter.

"Good luck, Naeren," Brydan said, giving Naeren a smile that was backed with sadness. He hadn't given her anything at breakfast. His gift to her was the note he had slipped into her backpack.

"Thanks," Naeren swallowed hard. Her mouth felt dry. She had no idea what to expect. No one knew what the tests involved except for the people who had taken them. No one was allowed to talk about the tests.

The uncertainty was the worst part for Naeren. She was fine with tests where she could study the material... but she was completely in the dark about what this test consisted of. Would it be physical? Mental? Intellectual? Logical? Her mind spun with frantic questions, all of them unanswerable.

After what felt like years, yet also only like mere seconds, they reached the steps that lead up to the courthouse. This was where Naeren had to say goodbye. Her family could not continue with her from here. She was on her own. Completely and utterly alone, despite being surrounded by other families and other children who were on their way to take the test.

"Goodbye," Naeren said softly. The word was difficult to say. Again, she forced down the tears.

"Goodbye, Naeren, good luck," Naeren's parents said, embracing her in a short hug. It was the first time they had embraced in at least ten years. The shock of it made Naeren struggle all the more not to cry.

"Bye sis," Brydan said, his voice quivering slightly, betraying his emotions.

As Naeren turned to walk up the stairs, she could have sworn that Brydan had whispered something else. Something that made Naeren's heart lurch with fear. She was almost sure that Brydan had whispered two simple words, but their meaning, their implication made Naeren terrified.

Stay safe.

*******

As Naeren reached the top of the steps she could see other children her age all lined up preparing to enter through several doorways. The lines moved slowly. Naeren looked behind her down the steps. In the distance, she could see the rooftop of her home. She could see Brydan and her family slowly walking back home. A home that she might never return to.

Naeren forced herself to look away and turned her focus to the test ahead. After a long time, it was finally Naeren's turn to enter the building. Inside she was surprised to see a doctor in a long white coat.

"You are...?" The doctor asked. His voice was brisk and businesslike.

"Um... I'm Naeren,"

"Naeren... Naeren... Ah, yes. Here we are. Female, sixteen years of age, brown hair, blue eyes, fair skin, height 5'-4", weight 135 lbs," the doctor read off a screen, looking up at Naeren for confirmation.

"Yes..." Naeren said, looking around the room in confusion. She had been expecting a written test or something... certainly not this.

"Stand there," The man pointed. He proceeded to test her vision, hearing, reflexes and measured her vital functions. He took a scan of her whole body and pricked her finger with a needle and collected a drop of her blood on a tiny glass tray.

"Is this the test?" Naeren asked as the doctor noted some details in her file.

"Yes. No more questions," the doctor said, pulling out a network of wires and sensors and beginning to attach them to Naeren on various parts of her body. Many of the sensors were placed around her head and temples, but she also had some monitoring heart rate and other things Naeren didn't even know what they were measuring.

"You're ready. Proceed through this door," the doctor gestured to a door that was opposite the one Naeren had entered through.

"Do I keep these on?" Naeren asked, gesturing to the wires.

"Yes. No more questions!" The doctor seemed impatient now. As Naeren exited the room, she saw him entering something into her file.

Past the room with the doctor, Naeren found herself in a long hallway. Other people also milled about in the hallway, some talking in quiet murmurs. Naeren craned her neck and could see that another door on the far end of the hall had just opened. A silence fell over the people waiting in the hall.

"Welcome to the test!" a voice seemed to boom through the halls. "Past these doors, you will find the second part of your test! Find the first empty desk and take a seat. From this moment on, no one is permitted to speak. Answer every question. Be completely honest. If you lie, we will know. There will be absolute silence during the test. When you are finished, you must hand the test directly to the people who are overseeing your tests. They will be easily identified by the white coats. Do not speak, or you will disrupt other people. They will tell you what to do next once they have received your test!"

Silently, the throng of people filed into the room. At least fifty people were taking the test today, and Naeren was shocked to see that there were at least seventy people in white coats inside the room. About twenty of them patrolled the aisles of desks, but the remaining white coats sat around the perimeter of the room, monitoring screens that were in front of them.

Naeren walked to the nearest desk and sat down. In front of her lay a test booklet. This was not unlike the tests she had taken in school. What was different was that on this booklet, instead of a dull white cover with black words, a glossy color picture of a beautiful meadow and garden under a dazzling blue sky took up most of the cover, apart from the words "PARADISE WORLD: EVANESTERRIN" written across the booklet in large bold letters.

Naeren opened the booklet and picked up the pencil that rested beside it. She then began the test.

Question One. What is 77 times 42?

3234 Naeren wrote. The second question caught her off guard.

Question Two. Who is responsible for the reduction of crime and delinquency and how did they achieve those reductions?

No one knows a specific name. It was the group of scientists that developed the Paradise World. By using paradise as an incentive, people were involved with fewer crimes. People try to conform to society's expectations so that they won't have any bad things on their record. That way they will have a chance to go to the Paradise World.

The test continued. Naeren noticed a combination of questions. Some were like what she had seen on standard academic tests. Math questions, science questions, history questions... but then there were some strange ones. They presented scenarios and asked for how Naeren would react or what she would do. They asked about opinions of authority. They asked about what Naeren thought of the strict rules and laws that the government put in place.

These questions were difficult for Naeren. She thought she knew the answers that they wanted, but... those answers just were not what Naeren truly thought. If you lie, we will know. The words echoed in Naeren's mind during these questions, and she suddenly came to the realization that the sensors everyone wore most likely showed the people monitoring the test whether people lied.

Finally, Naeren finished the fifty-page test. She stood up and walked to the nearest White Coat. She handed them the test and they silently pointed to a door. Naeren turned and walked to the door.

She opened it as quietly as possible and walked inside. A tall, thin man stood inside, his back to the door. When Naeren entered, he turned to look at her.

"Ah, you must be Naeren. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, extending his hand.

"Thanks... nice to meet you too." Naeren said.

"You have completed your test. Go ahead and take off the wiring. You can set it on that table. After everyone has finished the test, we will announce who has passed and who has failed. If you are selected to go to the Paradise World, you will be given a small number of supplies. These should help you get situated to life in Evanesterrin. I trust you packed the things you were told to bring with you?" He inquired. Naeren nodded and gestured to her bag. She carefully pulled off the sensors and wires and set them on the table.

"Very good. If you proceed through this door, you can wait in the hall with the other people who have finished the test. Do not discuss the test with them. Wait there for the results." The man said, walking to a door and ushering Naeren out of the room. Naeren walked to a bench and sat down. Only a few other people had passed the test so far. Naeren closed her eyes and leaned against the wall.

Naeren startled awake as a door shut loudly somewhere in the room. Based on the lighting of the room, Naeren guessed that hours had passed since she had first entered the room.

"If I call your name, step to this side of the room!" Said a woman in a white coat, her blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun at her neck. She stood on a platform to make herself be seen over the crowd.

"If I say your name, come over here!" A man on the opposite side of the room said. His white coat matched the white of his hair and mustache. Everyone in the room looked between the two, waiting in nervous anticipation. Some people fidgeted while others looked absolutely petrified with nerves.

The two began to call names. The group of people waiting slowly dwindled. Naeren suddenly had the horrible thought; what if her name wasn't called? Naeren noticed that the group on the man's side of the room was slightly larger than the one on the woman's side. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she almost didn't hear her name.

"Naeren!" the feminine voice called out. Naeren felt herself move as if in a daze. She was aware of her body crossing the room to stand in the crowd next to the woman. The last few people were sorted, and over the entire hall fell a silence so thick you could have cut it with a knife. The silence lasted only a few moments before the woman spoke.

"People in my group... follow me. You lot are going to Evanesterrin, the Paradise World!"

There were sounds of joy or dismay all across the hall. Naeren was silent. She felt as though the ground had opened up beneath her and she was plummeting into nothingness. She knew everything would change now. She would never see her parents. Never see Brydan. She followed the woman through yet another doorway, and numbly accepted the sack of supplies.

They entered a large room with cylindrical tanks around the room. Naeren was ushered to a tank, and she looked around at the other people. Next to her, another girl stood by her tank, her pale blonde hair almost white. The girl's gray eyes looked nervous as she met Naeren's gaze for a moment, and Naeren was happy to know that she wasn't the only one who was nervous about paradise.

"Do you have all of your belongings?" Another White Coat asked Naeren, motioning for her to step into the cylinder. Naeren held her bag closer to her, and held the supplies she was given as she stepped into the cylinder.

A sliding panel of glass shut, sealing Naeren inside. Naeren's heart sped up with fear as a purple liquid began to rise up inside the tank. Around her, she heard shouts of shock or fear as other people experienced the same thing. Naeren was silent. She was definitely terrified, but she did not want to show it. The water rose up to her hips and kept climbing.

Naeren felt an odd warm sensation starting at her feet. The sensation felt almost like when she had walked in the snow and after her feet had turned red with cold, she stepped into a hot bath. Naeren's eyes widened as she looked down to see that her feet were... gone! She could still feel the odd sensation, but she could see nothing. As the liquid closed over Naeren's head, she closed her eyes. The odd sensation continued up her body until she felt her feet on something soft.

Naeren's eyes snapped open, and her mouth fell open in awe. Before her, a soft green meadow spread out before her. Wildflowers dotted the ground and butterflies drifted on a gentle breeze. The wind lifted Naeren's hair as she turned in a circle. She was alone in a large meadow with a bright green forest bordering it. Thin wispy clouds drifted overhead, and the air smelled fresh and fragrant with the sweet smell of flowers. A sudden voice spoke, making Naeren jump. It almost seemed as though the words were spoken directly into Naeren's mind.

Welcome to Evanesterrin. Please enjoy your stay. Get comfortable here in your newfound paradise!