The end of the world was predicted to happen in 2178. It didn't of course but no one has really felt alive since then. Who would when the government was discovered to be corrupted by a bunch of psychopaths?

In 2149, the countries broke out in a war after mutilations of dead people's bodies started turning up in the north of France. Everyone knew that, we were all forced to learn about it in world history lessons. The mutilations were harmless really, until of course you touched the dead mutilated person's body. Deep knife cuts started growing on the victim's body within an hour of touching the mutilated body and before twenty four hours were up the victim would already be dead.

Within a week half the French population were dead. Within a week it was realised that no matter how many layers you wore over your hands, you could not touch the bodies without suffering the consequences.

The bodies may have stayed in France and the war may have been avoided if a foreign assassin didn't send one of the bodies to the French princess. An uproar took place in the newly brought royal family of the French.

The French royal family couldn't do anything not when all of the world's countries were already hostile to each other. It was hard to eliminate the suspects especially when every country was an enemy.

But it wasn't the French royal family that was the most angry. It was the people. Their pride of a new royal family, a family that was agreed upon by the people, was destroyed. It was the French people who set bombs off killing off every source of supply of every country. People starved world wide. Countries fought and went to war with the French.

The greediness of every country meant those whose supplies managed to survive the bombings were stolen by others. War broke out between enemies who had held back for decades.

Soon the country, known as France was no more than a page in our world history books, the population had been starved to death by their enemies and if not starved, killed or enslaved. France was no more than a desert now.

Other countries soon followed suit. The countries we once knew were gone and in their place were 'Lands'. The 'Lands' were as described, lands with newly drawn borders and the few leaders who had bothered to grow what was left of the economy. The leaders like to call themselves our government but they are more like the bullies of a school playground.

There are six lands left, that we know of. Land 4611, Land 4902, Land 2645, Land 5427, Land 3851, and Land 6667.

I was born in Land 5427 and Land 5427 is where I live. Land 5427 is where I found out that the earth was predicted to end in 2178. Land 5427 is where I found out the world didn't end in 2178, it was just mine and everyone else my age.

+++

I was born in 2162, thirteen years after the countries broke out in war and four years after the 'Lands' were identified.

Despite the constant war between the Lands we were still made to go to school and learn subjects. I had read from old world history books in the library that students used to be able to choose their own subjects and speak their chosen language.

We're trapped in what we learn now. We're given set subjects and made to compete with each other for the best grades.

What I wouldn't give to learn the old English... The idea of reading and interpreting books and poetry struck me with great interest.

At school we are only allowed to interpret enemy plans and sources from other Lands. Some are real and some are made up but all are positively boring and lack a story line.

When I was eight, the government started to introduce mandatory summary tests (MSTs) for the students in level 16. The MSTs tested all the knowledge the level 16s has been given, since level 3. Plus a few unknown topics, to see who works well in the dark.

The students who achieved the top ten highest scores were meant to have a better future and work on the inside of the government.

Some of the people left would be made to go into the war zone between the Lands, stealing their supplies and bombing their people. The last of the people left would be made to work in factories, making weapons for the people fighting.

It was obvious which of the students had the most to live for...

Of course, it still wasn't easy for the students with the best scores from the MSTs because only two of the top ten students were chosen to be tested. These two were picked based on the outside abilities, rather than education which is where most of the ten fall.

There are seven schools all together and two from each are selected. They are then taken by the government to a special facility where they spend twenty four hours revising their pants off.

Then the final determining tests (FDTs) are given. The FDTs are split into two sections. One is different for each person and tests them on their weakest known areas outside of education. The second is the same test given to each student.

Out of the fourteen students only two are chosen to become the inside brains of the government, joining the chosen students before them.

These were known as the "Ambrosias" as the food ambrosia was the food for the Greek mythical gods. This food was often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality, which is also how the special two are seen. They're seen to be able to live longer lives than the rest of the left overs and students not chosen as they have the governments best food and health system on their side.

The left overs (aka. The students who didn't make it) are presumably given the less important jobs inside the government, like getting Gary Simpson (our "leader" and formal representative of Land 5427) his favourite cinnamon rolls.

Oh yeah, that's another place you could end up working if you don't get those high scores on the MSTs. The cinnamon roll factory, specially made for our dear Gary Simpson.

+++

It's now the year 2178. A year ago, one of the Ambrosias predicted that 2178 was the year that the world would end. He then went into madness when everyone dismissed his prediction. Everyone except the girl who was chosen as an Ambrosias with him.

He was kicked out as soon as he went mad and is probably now stuck making Simpson's beloved cinnamon rolls. If he is, I hope by god that he spits in a couple everyday. Then maybe Simpson can taste some of the sour essence he puts in our lives.

6th January. Oh, joy! It's my day to take the MSTs. The MSTs start on the first Monday of January and end on the Friday of the same week. The year is split into five groups, alphabetically.

The people on my group contained a little over one hundred and in unison we all trudged into the examination hall.

To say the least, my overall intelligence levels are lacking and it was merely memory work that enabled me to sit with the smart kids in class.

Last night I had sat down and learnt all the answers, my friend had written down for me, off by heart. I already knew that the first question was on the Pythagoras theorem, was a total of five marks and the answer was 62.5cm.

I took place in my designated seat and took out my equipment. I looked around, waiting as the hall filled up and everyone found their seats.

"Good luck, Bella." My head whipped round at my name and I found myself looking towards Zac.

"You too." I said smiling at him, before acknowledging who was sat around me. Once everyone was in, the hall was engulfed in silence and the test papers were given out. I found myself drumming on the wobbly desk, earning me stares from the examiners.

We were soon told we could start our tests and a rustle of papers was heard. However a look of dismay ran across my face when I saw the first question.

Interpret the fucking source. I flipped through the pages of the booklet. None of the questions corresponded with the answers I had learnt the night before.

Those sneaky bastards, giving us a different test each day to mix things up a bit. I wished I could bang my head against the rickety desk until it bled, but I was already at severe risk of getting kicked out the hall already.

I flicked back to the first page and looked at the question. Interpretation questions were never my favourites. You can't remember the answers, instead you've got to find the meaning. I'm bad at looking for hidden meanings.

I scribbled on an answer and moved on to the next question. Another interpretation question and saying what the source suggests. It was like they were picking on my weakest points.

I looked around me and saw everyone scribbling answers down and then quickly turning to the next question. Zac was on my left and immediately smiled at me when he saw me looking at him. But his head quickly shot down to his own paper when an examiner walked by.

I sighed and looked to my right. I almost slammed the desk in realisation that the one and only Vivienne Jones was sat right and diagonal to where I was, thus giving me the perfect view of her answers.

I looked for any examiners before writing her answers on my sheet. I did this for the majority of the paper, until we reached the last few pages. At about this time Vivienne put her left elbow on the desk blocking my view of any of her answers and was left to do the last five pages with my own knowledge.

After the five hours were up and basically everyone was finished, the papers were collected.

+++

"Results day, Ellie. That's your favourite!" I raised my eyebrow at Paisley and shot her a "really" look. Paisley snorted before laughing.

"You know that I've basically failed the MSTs, do you have to bring up the fact that it's results day today?!" I said.

"I can't believe they manage to mark all the MSTs over one weekend." Cora exclaimed taking more crisps and throwing them into her mouth.

"Honestly, Bella you have nothing to worry about. You're in the highest set out of all of us, so your version of bad results will probably be our version of good results." Reagon said swinging from the railing.

"I can't believe that they put different tests out each week though. I had to deal with chemical equations for half the paper. I'm so gonna fail." Cora said.

"Well technically you can't fail." I pointed out.

"Yeah, Cora, you just determine whether you get the luxury life or get to spend your remaining days working in Gary Simpson's cinnamon roll factory." Paisley said.

Cora made a sickening look on her face and we all laughed at her.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Zac.

"Hey, Zac."

"Oh hi Bella. Umm, you need to come to the main office with me."

"Oh right. Just wait a minute." Zac nodded and walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot the girls started laughing again.

I turned to them, "What now?"

"He totally still has a crush on you, Ellie." Reagon said grinning at me.

Zac has unfortunately had a pretty sheltered life outside of school and no one decided to tell him that telling a girl you loved them and wanted to marry them in level nine was a bit weird.

"He does not." I stubbornly said.

"Did you see how he blushed when you acknowledged him first?" Paisley said before Reagon fell off the railing from laughing.

"Aww. I think it's kind of cute of him."

"Well then you can have him, Cora." I said. "I need to go anyway."

"Right, have fun." Paisley said mockingly while Cora and Reagon waved at me. I shook my head and sighed, making my way to the main office.

When I opened the door, I found the principle and Zac waiting for me. I looked at Zac in surprise not expecting him to have been requested too.

"Zachary. Bellatrix. I am pleased to say that you two have both been chosen as the best performing students of level 16."

I turned to Zac but he was still facing the principle with a normal accepting face. Unlike my own with my gaping mouth.

"Of course, the results of the top ten won't be listed until later afternoon and the two chosen from the top ten won't be announced until this Friday. This is the reason why i must ask you to keep quiet until Friday." The principle said glancing at his computer screen a few times.

"The reason I'm telling you early is because you are requested to be ready for departure immediately after the final MST results are announced."

"The transportation will be sorted out prior and you may bring anything that you can fit inside this bag." He gave us both a small bag that was about the size of an A5 sheet of paper and the width was about the length of my index finger.

"Once again, congratulations to the both of you." The principle said pushing us both out of his office in surprise.

Well, I expected to do well. But I didn't expect to make the top ten and I certainly didn't expect to beat Vivienne Jones herself.

I looked at the small bag in my hand and threw it in a near by bin. That shitty things wasn't going to hold much anyway.

a/n: As you saw by the little "(i)" next to the chapter title there will be another part to continue this story.

But if you're too impatient to wait for my crazy writing schedule, feel free to write a continuation of it and make the story your own.

I won't claim the part you wrote but I would like to be acknowledged as the prompt for the story.

Thanks for reading this far in the story and waiting so long for an update!