The alarm clock was ringing continuously. The shrill sound pierced his ears.
He frowned in annoyance. The world paced so forward, but his mother still insisted on using an alarm clock that also had a disgusting sound like this!
It was pathetic. To him, at least.
Without opening his eyes, he extended his hand. Soon, his hand touched the clock, and he slapped its head. The alarm stopped ringing.
He turned to the other side, hugging the pillow, hiding his face under the blanket. The worst thing to do in the morning was, to get up early!
Mornings should start in the afternoon.
The comfort of sleeping after turning off the alarm clock in the morning was always unmatched — but today, that feeling had only lasted for a while. Soon, he remembered something, and his sleep was completely broken.
This was the day!
He got off the bed. Stretching his hands and legs, rushed towards the washroom. His eyes were almost closing, he yawned constantly. Well, who would get a proper sleep after playing games until midnight!
....
"Good morning!"
He entered the dining and sat on the chair.
"Good morning Reece! Why do I feel like, you haven't slept well?"
His sister, Melissa said in a joking tone. She knew very well that her beloved brother must have slept after midnight. His video game addiction was not unknown to her!
He glanced at her, "I was busy with something", then quickly started to devour the pancakes.
It was a flat — lie, though.
"What were you busy with? Learning how to get a triple kill?" She winked.
"Ahh, Mili! Stop teasing him."
His mother chuckled. Both brother and sister were always busy having a cat and mouse fight in the house. Yet, they couldn't go without each other.
Now, she looked at him. "Reece, are you alright?"
He replied while eating. "Yap! I'm absolutely alright."
She patted his head. "Don't be scared. It's, it's just a screening test. Everything will be sorted out after."
Though she tried to reassure herself, inside, she was worried too! Because no one actually knew what the test was.
"Oh, Mom! I know, Don't worry." He finished his plate and stood up.
"I'm going to my room. I'll have a shower and get ready."
....
After having a shower, he got ready. It took him about fifteen minutes to — probably the longest time in his history of 'getting ready'.
He proceeded towards his study table, pulled the drawer, and took out an envelope from inside.
On the beige-colored envelope, it was written in large reddish-black fonts.
"INVITATION LETTER",
under which in comparatively smaller letters, his name,
Reece Vaughn.
On the upper right corner of the envelope, there was a logo — the official emblem of the Keeper System.
It was the invitation letter that — some craved, some dreaded, and most were extremely curious about!
It was the invitation letter from the Elite Council, the governing body of the Keeper System.
....
About 150 years ago or more, the world went through a sudden, inexplicable change. It was the time when the Great Awakening happened, and for the first time, the human population of the world received some extraordinary powers!
As usual, they couldn't handle this suddenly gained powers, and there was chaos all over the world.
The mass awakening led to the emergence of some deadly organizations, terrorist groups,, and corrupted individuals as they started manipulating their powers for their own gain. Their greed and excessive demands, along with this power, made them dangerous.
The fragile balance was about to be lost, and in just a few years only, the world teetered on the brink of collapse.
Amidst all these turmoils, the Keeper System arose, to set the world back on track and save it from destruction.
No one knew how the system appeared or how it worked. Earlier, it was just an organization of some like-minded awakened humans, but later, day by day, it took the shape of a vast and complex system.
Everything about this system was shrouded in mystery. But it bound the world to the system through a close-knit.
People didn't know anything about the system, but they knew one thing — they were there. Among them. Constantly protecting the world.
....
With the letter in his hand, Reece sat on his bed.
Every year, this letter was sent to those who were turning sixteen that year. There, a date was mentioned on which they were invited for an entrance test — to select individuals for the Keepers' training. The venue changed every year, and those who received the letter were compelled to attend.
But there was a catch: not everyone who turned sixteen received the letter! As for his family, two years ago when Melissa turned sixteen, she didn't receive the invitation. But five days ago, on the day of his sixteenth birthday, it was sent to him!
Every year, on the mentioned date, all the teens gathered at the venue to give an entrance test. Some of them got selected, some were rejected.
Those who were rejected went back to their normal life, and to everyone's surprise, they didn't remember a single thing about the test! It was like, someone erased their memory with an eraser before leaving the venue!
But those who were selected — were sent for training to become the next Keepers.
That's all! Nothing more was known.
How they selected the test takers, what the test was, where and how the training took place — there was no information about it. But one thing was sure, after the training, those children's lives were completely changed.
Thus, for nearly one and a half hundred years, the system functioned in mystery — known but invisible.
A deep breath came out of his chest. Though Reece acted in front of his mother and sister like he didn't care, the truth was— he was pretty tense.
"Reece, are you ready?"
His mother's voice came from the dining.
"Yes."
He got up and went forward.
What's the point of thinking so much when you clearly don't know anything!