There's this myth that has been going through my family for generations. Other families know of it too, but they don't think it's real. Unlike my family that does. The myth is that in the year 3201 a Dark Queen will rise, and kill anyone who gets in her way of finding what she is looking for. I always thought that it was completely fake, until analysis day came.
Analysis day: when a person turns sixteen years old and they are put through a series of tests; four tests to be specific, to show what type of person they are.
Test number one, to show physical pain. They take a whip and hit it against your wrists until you cry. There tends to be a limit that goes about with this test, but yet nobody completed the entire time. Most likely because of the intense pain they go through for their first test.
Test number two, reading. They put a large book in front of you, the longest book ever written, and they time you on how long it takes for you to finish it. It strongly matters how long the book is because it varies on how long it takes for a person to completely finish that particular book.
Test number three, fashion. Where you choose a gown and a leather jumpsuit to wear, and that outfit advances to the fourth test. The leather suits are for the test itself, and the gowns are for after the test is completed.
Lastly, the fourth test, where you duel your partner to death. You're assigned your partner at birth, you sit in a room with them to get close to them every day up until analysis day. The tests points its fingers at having those two individuals grow a close personal connection, until the actual Analysis Day comes to where they have to take their lives by their own hands.
There's a particular room that the final test takes place in.
They call the room the learning room and the building the partnership area. They use the old buildings, the Ancient's once called them Schools, and turned it into the partnership area. People thought schools were unnecessary after 'Lights Out Day' happened. Lights Out Day, in the year 2132, where all electronic things went out; cars, houses, trains, you name it. After that, people started using candles for light, and horse's and buggy's to get from place to place.
Since people didn't need much money anymore for bills, gas for cars, or stuff like that, people started quitting their jobs. After that, the government went into a shut down and nobody really stepped up for the leadership role, which left everyone to follow their own rules.
But now, it's the year 3201, and my family thinks I'm going to be the 'Dark Queen'; which shows how much faith they have in me. Analysis day is supposed to tell you what you do with your future, and most people already knew before the actual analysis; but I have no idea what I'm going to do. Analysis day will tell my family they are wrong about me being the Dark Queen. At least, that's what I thought.
My mother braided my long, light pink hair and twisted it into a bun, she kept my bangs at their natural curl. I put my long black skirt on and tucked my button up short sleeves collared shirt with a black ribbon bow around the neck into my skirt. I put chapstick on my dry lips, and red and black eyeshadow on and red eye liner. I looked up and straight into my blush pink eyes, and I told myself, "Weakness is not an option, strength is the only way of survival".
I got up off the wooden stool I was sitting on and walked to the door. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I walked over to my Nana Faith when I saw her.
"What is my destiny? What lies beyond the tests?" I asked her. She looked over at me, and put her hand on my cheek.
"My dear, it's not your destiny you should be worried about, it's who you become after analysis that you should be scared about." she told me. Suddenly, I was aware of my breathing.
We were now on our way to Detroit, MI to this abandoned school. It was abandoned a long time ago, before Lights Out Day. The school used to be called 'Cass Technical High School', but they moved to a different building a long time ago. When we got there, it was different than I pictured it to be. Almost alienated from the way it looked before my eyes.
I opened the buggy door and stepped out. As I closed the door my mother spoke up to me.
"Don't be scared," she responded calmly. "Nana Faith is getting old; she doesn't know what she is talking about." I knew that wasn't the case. Nana Faith was right. It's not about what I do with my future, it's about who I become. I shut the door and turned around, walking up to the steps and saw the building standing before me.
There was coldness in the air, and the building itself looked as if it came from a movie that stood before me. The door at the front stood out, marking that once I walk through them I will see those waiting on the other side to begin my testing. I then moved my legs forward and walked up the steps, my hands going out in front of me and touched the cold door.
Taking in a slow deep breath, preparing myself, I pushed open the door to find two adults; one guy and one girl.
"Hello, my name is Weylyn Grove," the woman said. "This is Ace Beaker." I looked at them both carefully, seeing no sign of life on the man's face. "And you are?"
"You already know my name," I said, stone faced. "You are the people that throw me in the room with Al Baker.''
"This is true, but we have to ask you for your name because that is the rules," she said.
"Right, okay fine," I sighed. "My name is Kenna Hayes." The man nodded his head slowly, as if what I said was a foriegn language to him. "Kenna means born of fire, but I'm sure you knew that too."
"We did," Weylyn said.
"Okay, enough chit chat, let's just get to analysis, okay? Okay," Ace said impatiently. As we walked through the halls, to the room I was supposed to be in, tapped my thumb with my fingers. Then we entered the room, with mold on the walk and the ceiling was falling apart. There was one broken chair and a glass vase lying on the floor.