"Early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable."

I remember reading that somewhere and today it seems to be affecting us all. We all split up after lunch for various purposes - some of us to calm down, some of us for some general knowledge cramming and others for a simple bathroom break. Whatever the reason we all managed to arrive outside the great hall ten minutes earlier than expected and with a tense atmosphere that is almost suffocating I wish I spent a bit longer starting at the same pictures I've been looking at since I started education.

Quiet whispers among my peers are often and erratic with almost no context or reasoning except to distract them from what was going to happen next. The only salvation from repetitive questions such as "What did you have for lunch?" was the regular tick of the clock overhead which drowned the quiet murmurs but only for those brief nanoseconds. As ten minutes slowly turned over to nine minutes remaining I could feel myself catching the contagious jitters and as my pulse started to quicken I couldn't help myself from blurting out the question which I swore I wouldn't ask the closest person.

"What did you have for lunch?"

The rhetorical response wasn't the one I expected as unlike the typical answer to a question, Sebastian just gave me a deadpan look before rolling his eyes.

"You know what I had for lunch dummy. We all had the same thing."

I sweat drop.

Drat. How can he be so calm? I should have gone to the library to medita-

"Oh, and Aegis," Sebastian adds, his eye twitching ever so slightly, "If you think I'm calm right now, I'm really not."

I give Seb and awkward smile and he returns one back.

"So are you excited?" Sebastian asks trying to keep his voice from shaking.

I shake my head. "Are you?"

"Kinda. I know there isn't any way to guarantee the jobs we want but as long as I get something that has links to the wall I'll be fine with that."

"Yeah." I nod, feeling my jitters starting to subside the more I concentrate on the conversation. "You were always interested in The Wall weren't you?"

"Obviously!" Sebastian smiles with an honest gleam in his eye which I've only seen when he addresses this topic. "How couldn't you be? It's a gigantic frunkling wall!"

I hesitate. "It's just a wall."

"Just a wall? Just a wall! Are you insane Aegis! It's not just a wall it's a mystery, an adventure and a historical artefact all in one. It's been here since the very beginning and you're telling me after all these years of expressing my interests you still aren't the least bit interested?"

"Uhh... When was the last time you expressed your interests again?"

Sebastian taps a finger to his chin. "I'm sure I told you a few months ago when we were discussing how our society is protected, then there was the time when as a class in fourth grade we talked about the different sectors of Mytopia and also that time back in kindergarten when we gave a presentation on our favorite parts of the city..."

"I suppose you're right." I try to think back to all the moments Sebastian described but somehow everybody's face is clear except for Sebastian's. "I like the idea of finding out about The Wall and I bet the sight from the Sentry posts would be amazing but unless I can physically go outside the wall then standing next to crumbling rubble all day doesn't really sound all that good."

"But if there was even the slightest chance of seeing what was outside then wouldn't you take it? Like, we only know the basics of each occupation, perhaps when you get promoted you get to patrol outside the wall instead of in it."

"No. That isn't allowed or rather it is impossible." Cynthia says from the other side of me with a small twitch in her fingers. Somehow it helps me feel more at ease at it means even top class students are feeling the pressure.

"But-"

"No, no." Cynthia tuts, "It is an original commandment 'Thou shalt not forsake thee society by infracting upon public barriers', not to mention it's also against council rules."

"But-"

"Sorry Sebastian, even if it weren't against council rules it's against The Worm's teachings." Cynthia crosses her arms which as we all know means that she won't be budged from her final decision. "Besides, you and Aegis aren't little kids anymore, sure the adventures we had were fun but honestly if there was anything good beyond The Wall then The Worm wouldn't have prohibited it. So just remember curiosity killed the cat."

I turn to Sebastian to see his eyes downcast towards the floor before just catching the slightest mutter, "But knowledge brought it back."

Obviously, I wasn't the only one who heard Sebastian because the next thing I knew Cynthia was leaning over my shoulder with an eyebrow twitch which anybody could tell wasn't from being nervous. "Sorry Sebastian, did you say something just now."

Suddenly I wish that the aptitude test could hurry up as being in an obvious war zone between my peers doesn't seem like the best place to be in.

I cross my fingers hoping that Sebastian doesn't add any fuel to the fire and I let out a sigh of relief as Sebastian shakes his head. Surprisingly I wasn't the only one as Cynthia pinches the bridge of her nose calming herself down. "Whatever, just don't doubt The Worm."

Sebastian bites the bottom of his lip and for a moment I'm afraid he might say something against Cynthia. Ever since the time we tried to prove Cynthia wrong a few years back nobody has ever crossed her. She appears to be the calmest person on the outside but if you cross her then... Let's not even go there... She is thoroughly organized to the point which I almost have no doubts that she is will become the Leader's apprentice whose calibre is only matched by the Preacher's assistant and that's saying something as both positions have already been on the market for a few years now yet so far nobody has met the fulfilment criteria.

Eventually, after what to me was an eternity within another eternity, Sebastian mumbles the words which I have always been expected to repeat, "Don't doubt the worm."

As soon as I repeat it, Cynthia says it as well which creates a chain reaction from her to her sister to the classmate beside her and another classmate and another until my hearing everyone has said it. It's a strange habit because none of us remembers having learned to say it but from watching others we all know that whenever we hear those five words we drop everything we're doing and repeat it because saying is believing. Anyway, it's almost impossible to not say it and why wouldn't you? Without The Worm we are nothing and, as humans, The Worm understands that we easily become confused, that's why The Worm blessed us with preachers, commandments and phrases which will prevent us from "forsaking the society" as our ancestors did before us.

Suddenly, the doors of the great hall creak, I half expect them to swing wide open but all they do is shuffle a few centimetres before a mop of frazzled hair peeps through the gap, the only other noticeable features being a long white lab coat and an old glazed pair of glasses. The figure looks around for a second as we hold our breaths in anticipation. I look up and down the line to see everybody's jitters had stopped but in their place appeared to be ghosts - former shells of their past selves.

The figure opens her mouth to speak, "Don't doubt The Worm."

I hear Sebastian gulp from behind me but I don't turn towards him because it's obvious that he's already embarrassed by his doubts being reached that far. As nobody else has repeated it further, it can also be deduced that Sebastian is the only one in this current vicinity who possessed any previous doubts.

"Now, why would anybody doubt The Worm at this time?" The figure asks.

A few seconds pass but nothing happens.

The figure lets out a hesitant laugh before wiping the lens of her glasses with a sleeve. "Tough crowd huh?"

Again, no reply. I shuffle a little bit feeling uncomfortable but the daunting feeling of the aptitude tests so near creating a stone in my throat.

Seeing as she wasn't getting anywhere, the figure scratches her chin and an almost visible lightbulb appears above her frazzled locks. "Look, it's perfectly normal to have doubts at your age and nobody is going to hold it against you. Trust me on this though, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I once was in the same position as you guys, actually, I was a lot worse off - I was the worst student in class both in academics and in behaviour..." The figure smiles to which we all grin back feeling more at ease. "But, look where I am now. I'm a professional doctor and before I did my aptitude test, I wouldn't have ever dreamed off getting to this position. It just goes to show that the aptitude test really is amazing and without current technology like the microchips and aptitude tests, provided by The Worm, happiness was just the luck of the draw."

I hesitate to put my hand up but as if the figure read my mind she continues to speak. "Now, that doesn't mean you won't get the jobs you want. The Worm has given us the gift of passion so if you're really passionate about a certain career the probability of getting it is really high."

A small bell chimes and the figure swiftly extends her arm to reveal a small watch under her lab coat. "Well, I guess it's time to begin. Do we have a Riley here? Riley 012828?"

Timidly, a pale hand reaches upwards and from here I can just make out the fluorescent blue hair which makes Riley stand out from the rest of us.

I remember back in first grade when Riley was just average. He always blended in meaning he never got chosen for anything, it was like if you took your eyes off him for a second it would take a minute to locate him again even if he didn't move a muscle. So one day, out of nowhere Riley showed up with blue hair. His carers took him to gene therapy and that was the end of average Riley. But not just Riley, it was the end of natural hair for a few years. Whoever was inspired by Riley set out to dye their hair, some styles died with the trend but others still last. From then on Riley became a lot more involved and confident but he always kept his gentle nature.

Here today I see average Riley again but I know under his nervousness he has something he never had before - a dream; a dream to work in agriculture. I know it would be rude to speak out when the figure is speaking to him personally but I give him a thumbs up hoping he will regain the confidence deep within himself.

Before Riley leaves he gives me a thumbs up with a wide smile, he was always insecure about his teeth but here right now he's making a statement; he will always remember to be confident.

The door closes isolating Riley from the rest of us but the figure remains on our side while she ticks a checklist. She looks up at us briefly once she is done and then vanishes like Riley but this time with a few parting words; "Hey, why don't you discuss what occupations you want? Saying things make them more likely to happen."

The room falls silent again as soon as the doors shut, the clock reminding us of our deathly silence. Nobody wants to start the first conversation in the hopes of catching a word or two from behind the great doors but to no avail, not even a squeak of a chair could be heard.

Within a minute the jitters start to return and Lucas, being the most impulsive of us, speaks first.

"What do you think is going on?"

A series of shaking heads with murmurs of "no idea" and "I don't know" respond. What else could we say? It is an infraction to even mention what goes on with the aptitude test.

"Uhh... What job occupations do you all want then?" Lucas asks even though collectively we each know the answers off by heart. "I want to be a teacher."

We all give each other puzzled looks not knowing if we heard correctly.

"Sorry Lucas, I think I didn't quite catch that. You said a carer right?" I ask to clear my confusion.

"Errr..." Lucas scratches his nose as his cheeks take on a more scarlet hue. "The thing is I did want to be a carer but after some thought, I decided on being a teacher instead."

A few of the people next to Lucas pat him on the back for deciding on an occupation but I still have a perplexed feeling.

"Oh! That makes sense." Cynthia says clarifying my queried expression. "Lucas always had trouble learning class content remember?"

"But he's one of the top of the class now right?"

"Exactly." Cynthia agrees. "That's why he wants to help others like him."

I nod in understanding.

"Anyway, you all know what I want to be right?" Cynthia continues, "I want to be the-"

"-Mayor's apprentice." Everybody says in unison to which Cynthia grins.

"Ooh. Ooh. What about me?" Sylvia asks, almost hopping from foot to foot.

"Preacher's apprentice!" Chimes everybody.

"Me too?" I ask, excited to see how many people know.

"Hmm. Let me think about that." A voice says which sounds like Keanu's. "It's got to be..."

"Police officer!" Everyone chants before giggling.

"Come on Aegis, that's got to be the easiest question in the world," Keanu adds drying tears from his eyes. "I swear there's not a day that you don't remind us."

I smile slowly letting go of my apprehension as each of my classmates correctly guess each other's dream occupation. There were a few surprise changes and almost everybody had some difficulty Sebastian's but considering that he is almost silent in class all the time I guess it wouldn't be so easy to guess.

In no time at all the great hall's doors open and Riley comes out with a smile on his face. He asks the next one in line, Menma, to go in but other than that he says nothing as he walks back to the classroom.

My eyes trace his movements as he walks further away and as if it was never there, Riley's smile drops and I see that his bright blue eyes have turned a sullen grey. I know I can't ask him because you aren't allowed to speak about the aptitude test but if it was so bad then why did he smile? Was it for show?

The same trend carries on, one student after another enters and then leaves with a smile on their face before dropping it when they believe they are far enough away. Everybody seems oblivious to it and I try to keep up with the small talk that distracts us but as the line gets smaller I find it harder to ignore the forced expressions.

Eventually, there are only three people left - me, Cynthia and Sebastian. Within a minute Cynthia enters the double doors and with only Sebastian to talk to I change the subject.

"Don't you notice anything strange?"

Sebastian furrow his eyebrows. "No. Why?"

"Well, how does everyone look when they leave the aptitude test?"

"They look happy, don't they? They're smiling."

"That's the thing. They smile but I think it's fake."

"Why would it be fake?"

"I don't know."

Sebastian shakes his head. "Then it's probably real."

"But they drop it as soon as they are far eno-"

Sebastian looks at the clock suddenly and taps my shoulder. "Can this wait, I really need to go to the toilet but I'll be back as soon as possible."

I stop myself from raising an eyebrow to why he would leave it this late. "Alright, just don't take too long."

"Thanks, Aegis," Sebastian says as he turns away leaving me alone.

As soon as he is gone the doors open again and Cynthia comes out with a smile. "Aegis it's your turn."

I nod but before I can stop myself I grab onto Cynthia's shoulder to stop her from walking away. "You know you don't have to smile if it's really bad; you don't have to be brave for everybody else."

I see a small twitch at the corner of Cynthia's mouth. "It's fine Aegis. It's just not what I was expecting."

I let go of Cynthia's shoulder and she walks off. She doesn't drop her smile but as I walk through the great hall's doors I know she wasn't being fully honest. She might have tried her best to convince me but for a second her eyes dulled and that's all it took.

I clench my fists and take a deep breath as I close the doors behind me preparing myself the best I can for what I'm not prepared for. I can't believe Sebastian left me alone and my heart races as I try to think what could be so scary that everyone had to fake their happiness. I gaze at a window as I walk towards the figure from earlier and the perfect blue sky brings back memories.