MATTHEW
It was my fifth birthday, a happy time for me, as it was the first time that my family had celebrated my birthday. I was given a blank status plate, for the evaluation, which was taking place just down the street, we were a family that was somewhere in the middle class so we were able to live close to the evaluation center, or in other words the heart of the city.
"Are ready Matthew?" My father asked.
"Yes."
We headed down to a shop, so we could grab some breakfast. "Two racks of lamb, some soup, and a beer."
"Will that be all?"
"Yes"
My father turned to face me. "Alright I ordered the food, this'll be the first time you try lamb!"
I nodded at him, what he didn't know was that everyday in my previous life I lived off lamb in the farm, until I moved away to city, lost my career, and ultimately ended up here.
"Woah!" That lamb seemingly glistened, the aroma of the lamb was of salt and pepper, with a tad bit of lemon.
"It's different from what your mother makes, but it's still pretty good, should make a great first impres— wha?!"
By the time my father noticed the lamb was already halfway gone. His jaw was wide open. Guess he's never seen a kid eat that fast.
"Whew! That hit the spot!"
We payed the shop and left, I walked down the street chewing the little bit of bread that left from my meal.
When we arrived there was a temple of stone, and laces of gold encompassing the pillars. Inside was a huge circular room with hundreds of families inside and something that caught my eyes the most—a huge colorless orb with spinning gold circlets rotating around it.
"Hey, you new here?"
I turned to see a boy around my age waving at me.
"My names Aindrea!"
"Matthew." I reply.
"That's a pretty unusual name, Matt, I'm here to see if my future is as good as my looks, you see what I mean right?"
He points to himself, and yeah he has a pretty charming face, any girl here would probably fall for him, so I just nod.
"Yeah, I see what you mean."
"Oh! Hush! First guys coming up!"
I turn to the orb and a priest standing next to it, and just before the priest was a father standing next to his son.
"Rise, young Athenian, and place your hand upon the pedestal to show us your destiny!"
The boy put his hands on the pedestal, and the light shone a flash of lightning, and his eyes turned into those of an owls. His father ran to his son and embraced him.
"This child has been blessed by the King of the Greek Gods Zeus! And his daughter Athena!" The priest announced.
"Damn that guy has good luck, he just stole the spotlight!"
I turned to see Aindrea looking at the boy with displeasure, his face was scrunched up and his eyes fierce.
"Hey you'll get your chance."
"I know I will."
Around 40 families came and went from the red orb, every single one had a blessing of some sort, with the most noticeable being from the War god Ares, the Sea God Poseidon, and the God of Death Hades.
"It's finally my turn, and just you watch! I'll be something so awesome that those other guys won't even matter!"
I smiled at Aindrea.
"Good luck."
He went down to the red orb, it shone brilliantly, a man striking down the hydra, a man slaying the great Medusa, and a woman so beautiful that words could not describe her.
"He has been blessed! Blessed by the great god Heracles, blessed by the hero Perseus! Blessed by the Goddess of Love!" The priest exclaimed.
Aindrea's father put his hand on his shoulder, and nodded as if he had expected this to happen.
Aindrea looked up at me from the orb with an "I told you so." Look on his face.
"See that? I'm the greatest one here!"
He boasted immediately after returning to his seat.
The next hundred families went, with only a single well known god appearing from the group: Demeter the Goddess of Agriculture.
Finally it was my turn, my hands were shaking as I walked down to the orb with my father by my side.
"Come now child. Place your hand on the pedestal."
I placed my hand on the pedestal, waiting for the light to come, but the orb remained grey, no light not even a sliver, i looked at the results with despair, and then a sword ran threw me, I looked behind me to see the priest shoving a blade threw my heart, "we don't need this one." He whispered. I saw my father reaching out for me.
I felt my heart stop, filling my mind with fear, pain, disarray, and the realization that my worst nightmare had come to pass, I had wasted my life again.
Suddenly the orb shone a brilliant dark purple, and the city exploded.