"Alyssa." I stood up from my desk, maintaining eye contact with the instructor. He stood at the front of the room, and I in the second row of desks. Many seats around me were empty, and I cannot recall at time that they were full. There are only ten of us now; ten that still may or may not make it into the Society. Some of them do not even have names yet, and others I am certain never will.

"Yes, sir?" I answer, keeping my voice respectful towards my superior. In the Society, everyone is respectful of one another. We do not insult, we do not argue with those more knowledgeable than ourselves. We respect the personal space of the citizens, and physical contact is kept at the absolute minimum.

"A son is half his father's age. In 10 years, the son will be three-fifths the father's age. Ten years ago, the son was one-third the father's age. How old are they currently?" A practice question, only a fraction of how difficult as I know the exam will be. This type of deduction is simple, and I know the answer quickly.

"The son is twenty, and the father is forty years of age, sir."

"Correct. Two men, starting at the same point, walk in opposite directions for four meters, turn left and walk another three meters. What is the distance between them?"

"Ten meters, sir."

"Correct. Excellent job, Alyssa. You may be seated again." I sat down with a small nod to my instructor, keeping my eyes focused on him and what he was saying. In the Society, we pay attention to the knowledge we are given. If not, the consequences are severe. The instructor spoke again, this time addressing the whole class. "Those are only a few questions you may face on your final exam. The questions will be highly challenging, and of those who do complete it, only a select few of you will truly be accepted into the Society. At noon today, we will travel to the Communications and Evaluations building, along with many other sectors, and you will take your exam." The instructor looked around the class at the ten of us who remained, "Are there any questions?" Nobody answered, and he nodded. "Good. You have exactly one hour for any final preparations for the test. You may begin."

I looked down to my desk, to resume the task I had been working on. The desk itself was made of glass, a relatively new model. The glass was hardwired with also transparent microchips and technology, causing a small projector inside to act as a touch screen software that remembered each individual by their fingerprints. Instructors themselves were supervisors, to observe the progress of the students. All lessons were given by the desk, at the individual pace of the student.

Would you like to resume pre-test number 115, Product Seventy-Four?

Only two options were available on the screen, yes and no. I tapped yes lightly with my fingertip, and a series of questions appeared on the desk before me. I studied each question carefully before choosing my answer, soon losing myself in my studies.

___

An hour passed far too quickly, and soon the instructor returned to collect us. We stood up without being addressed, waiting for instructions. There was no talk, no distraction; we paid attention to the instructor alone. "School group Seven-Seven-Three, it is time to escort you to the Communications and Evaluations center for your examination. Please, follow me." We moved into two lines, separating each individual by gender. Five boys, and five girls, that was all that remained of our once large class. Silently, we filed out of the room and headed outside into the Society. The younger students cast us casual, curious glances as we passed. That was to be expected, and so was not reprimanded. We were to be members of the future generation.

Travel was short, and without accident In the Society, there are no accidents. Everything runs smoothly, without any flaws in the system. This is how we survive, how we remain perfection. The building was by far the largest in the Society, a skyscraper it had once been called. I did not understand the logic of the old name. It is impossible to scrape the sky. I'd only ever seen this building from the outside; I'd practically memorized every pane of tinted, solar glass. The glass kept the building warm, and provided power for it all. I knew everything about this historical building. From the people who built it, to what it was used for and even how iconic a symbol it had become for our society. I knew it all...except what it looked like from the inside.

Until today, of course.

We traveled through the automatic doors, glancing around without much expression on our faces. The room was so white, it burned your eyes to see, and yet you could not look away. I did not truly mind, it was a beautiful building. Before this time, it had been off limits to us, it was only meant for full Citizens of The Society.

Up until this point, the ten of us who'd made it through our schooling were not anything more than Products. Nameless, only assigned numbers. Names were once decided at birth, but not anymore. Now, we are only given real names when we've earned them. That could take years...It's different for everybody. I remember when I got my name, Alyssa. It was the absolute proudest moment of my existence. I was one step closer to becoming a Citizen. That's all I've ever wanted. A few years ago...it seemed impossible. But now...I'm here. I'm just a few hours away from proving that I'm worthy to be a member of The Society. It seems like a brutal system, I know. But it works, and it keeps us safe. We weed out all the pain, the sadness, the weak and the lazy...Our world was only made up of those willing to work. We had no prejudice, no anger...It was perfect.

I remember now, our original class had thirty people. Out of the ten of us, only five will become full Citizens. Our instructor stopped us at the reception desk of the building. We never said a word, what was there to say? We were all thinking the same thing: I cannot believe I made it this far. Our instructor said something in a soft, respectful inside tone to the receptionist at the desk. It was clear to see why The Society had chosen Receptionist for her job. She had an easy smile, a pretty face, and when she spoke her voice was soft and polite. "Welcome to The Society's main Communications and Evaluations building, School Group number Seven-Seven-Three." She told us, smiling with an easy grace. Anybody could tell that she loved saying that, probably loved her entire career. She had that...glittery look in her eyes, the kind people get when they're so content with life that nothing could make it better. "Your instructor will leave you here, and a Guide will see out the remainder of your day. He will be here shortly, please be patient until he arrives."

Music played softly through the building, being the only real sound you could hear as we waited quietly; music and the occasional announcement. But, that was not to say that the building itself wasn't busy. It was very busy, but our leaders had long since decided that loudness was distracting and thus unproductive in the workplace. So everyone went about their day with respectful nods, sincere smiles, and hushed tones. It made life so much simpler, so much more peaceful...it was easy to think in, and gave everywhere this wonderful sense of clarity...

A throat cleared softly, catching our attention as we looked at the young man who smiled at us with genuine happiness. "Good Afternoon, School Group Seven-Seven-Three. I'll be taking charge of the remainder of your day. As you know, you're here for your final evaluations and admittance into the Society. This will be the longest evaluation you'll have, and the most rigorous. Only a few of you will have scores high enough to pass and our statistics say that half of you will not join The Society. But don't let that discourage you. Statistics have been wrong before." Empty words, meant only to keep our spirits up. Statistics were never wrong. But I had nothing to fear, my spot in The Society was almost guaranteed. I had been top of my class for several years now.

Our instructor, who had been with us since our schooling started, left us then, as our Guide led us away to a different part of the building. It was difficult to tell exactly where we were going; each place looked the same as the rest. We walked down many hallways and corridors, our Guide explaining the history of this building although it was already committed to our memories.

It was built in the time Before Pandemic, and had been restored after The Society was formed, and purged of weakness. The regular glass was replaced as technology developed, and now the entire building ran off of the power of the Sun. Finally, we stopped at a closed door. "Now," our Guide told us, "this is your last chance to turn back. If anyone chooses to opt out of this exam...You may do so now." Nobody moves, and he nods and opens the door. Inside, are several desks made of the same glass as our in our school, each one divided into a cubicle. This room is designed for several, several more people. But that many never make it this far. "Please, step inside. Your exam will be completely computer operated. This may take several hours, so please get comfortable." We all file onto the room slowly, nerves on edge. Except for one girl. She stays outside, looking on at the room in horror. Even without looking at her, we know.

She is afraid. She is weak. She will not enter the room. As I sit down, and face the desk, they take her away. I will never see her again, nobody will. My desk flickers to life, and I place my palm flat on the surface. A small scanner reads it quickly, and recognizes me as number Seventy-Four. Would you like to start the exam, number Seventy-Four? Again, I am given two options, yes or no. If I say no, I will be escorted out of the building with the girl. We do not say anything about her.She does not exist anymore. Only nine of us entered this building to take an exam. Four girls and five boys. There is no girl; every trace of her is erased. I do not even remember her name.

I select 'Yes'. The test begins...