All of the Above

Chapter 1

Thump thump. Thump thump.

Darkness.

Thump thump. Thump thump.

That's all there was.

Thump thump. Thump thump.

That, and the sound of his heart.

Thump thump. Thump thump.

It filled his ears, until he was drowning in it. The sound comforted him, and he relaxed, drifting in the warm darkness. He was content.

"Jake, it's almost seven. Are you awake yet?"

Jake groaned, not wanting to leave the comfort of his own mind. Or his bed. He threw the comforter off, his entire body protesting as he dragged himself into a sitting position. He sat there for a moment, running his hands through his thick hair. This will be fun to brush, he thought, groaning inwardly as his fingers found what felt like dozens of knots. A few minutes later, he wished for once that he had been wrong as he dragged a brush through his mess of hair, wincing every few seconds when the brush hit a knot. He quickly got dressed, double-checking that his mom had ironed his shirt properly. He paused to look at his reflection in the mirror. Now immaculate brown hair, deep brown eyes, skin so pale he'd been called a vampire on more than one occasion. His tall, lanky frame meant that clothes hung off his body, but that was okay. Most girls like it, he thought with a sly grin. As he went to open the bathroom door, he paused for a moment. He untucked his shirt; a small act of rebellion against his obsessive neat freak mother. As he descended the stairs, his mother turned, her mouth open to say something, but she stopped when she saw his untucked shirt. She gave him a glare that would have most people on their knees. Jake just gave her an innocent smile and took the plate of scrambled eggs she offered him. He sat down and dug in, savoring the perfect taste of his mom's special recipe.

"So are you excited for today? Nervous?" his mother asked, unable to contain herself any longer. Jake knew she had wanted to question him since the minute he had woken up. His journalist mom always had to get the whole story the second she was aware there even was a story at all, even at home. He couldn't imagine what she was like at work.

"Not really excited, not really nervous," he shrugged, shoveling more eggs into his mouth.

"So just neutral then?"
Jake nodded, unable to speak without his breakfast flying all over the spotless counter. His mom knew Test anxiety better than anyone else. She had done a whole story on it once. Most people would never admit to having it, though. Jake was one of those people, and his mom knew it. He was nervous. One might even go so far as to say terrified. You would have to be crazy not to be. After all, this test would determine his entire future. Where he would live, what job he would have, even who he would marry. Fifty questions would decide his fate. Would he be an engineer, designing canals and bridges? Would he be a farmer, growing food to keep the city alive? Would he be a politician, running for chief of the guard or something higher? Or would he be a healer, his dream job, pioneering new medicines and using their magic to help people? He just hoped he wouldn't be a soldier, marching along on a pointless mission to show other cities that they were not weak. The military rarely saw real action.

"Are you finished?" his mom asked, shattering the spell of the anxiety that had threatened to take hold.

Jake nodded, grateful for the distraction from his thoughts. No matter how many times he told himself it was just a test, hardly different from those in school, the sense of dread wouldn't leave him alone. He grabbed his simple blue backpack, slinging it over one shoulder. And then he followed his mom out the door, prepared for the test that would decide his fate.