When a supposed flapjack destroys Jekkh's planet, she relocates to a whole new system to start a new life. But after discovering her planet's long-lost artifact, Jekkh must step into a role she feels unfit for and unite her scattered people across t...
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Persyth
Pretty soon after he left the room, Camrun was called to be let back in, except with the others in the waiting room. The twins were there as well as a dark-haired, spectacled boy much to Camrun's surprise. The fact they let an Eran even into the room was a shock to him.
There were three more desks in the room and each was assigned a seat to begin another examination. Camrun shifted to make himself more comfortable on the hard plastic chair, looking down at the tablet with large letters that read "Economics." Ah, the Chamberlain's department. It looked as if each round of testing would be according to each of the Deins, though Camrun was unsure how it would work regarding the Dein of Visions. The Sage was the sole person who would receive word from their God, so it would be hard to test that unless it was a test of their character and Dei El giving the Sage direction on who to hire.
"You may begin," the Chamberlain said, airy voice echoing across the room as the Commissary beside him grunted as he was hunched over a tablet, presumably going over the essay questions.
Camrun gulped, his throat dry from stress, but before he could let it get to his head, he took a deep breath. It will all work out how it was supposed to, right? He can't control whether he gets in or not—all he needed to do was his best.
A new determination clung to Camrun as he went through each question, making sure he was confident in each. The female twin was the first to finish, though the Eran was next. With seven minutes remaining, the male twin pushed aside his tablet in completion. Finally, with two minutes remaining, Camrun sent in his last question, happy with his answers.
"Thank you for your time and cooperation," the Chaperoid said, taking each tablet from the table to hold to her chest. "You will be notified by tomorrow if you got through to the second round of testing. Have a wonderful evening."
Fear coursed through Camrun's veins at the thought of not making it. With four of them attending this examination (and who knows how many on the other dates available), he had little chance of getting in. Not that he knew how many positions were open.
He got up without a word and left the building feeling no better off than before.
.:|:.
It was the Ration Period the next day and once again Camrun went alone. The store near the Southern Gate of the city was rather empty in comparison to the other times that Camrun went, but it was only because his schedule was messed up from studying.
By the time Camrun got home the night before, it was near the 16th Hour and the mail came in. He had been received into the next round of testing, much to his surprise. It seemed that thus far, all was in his favor.
After he got rations a bit earlier in the day than usual, he would head straight to the City Center after dropping them off at home. Mother was busy attending to Cassehl again, so it was up to him again to run the errands.
The hum of incoming shuttles echoed across the Caretto Docks like the lull of a lullaby. Camrun had gotten used to the sound, it growing on him and eventually becoming a comforting sound. He would often stroll through the District to clear his mind and the white noise of the ships and the static of the repairs brought peace to his soul.
"Next in line," a woman's voice yelled, snapping Camrun from his reverie. Camrun spotted the woman from the last time he was there, her dark, greying hair giving it away. Zell? Zyra? Camrun thought, trying to pull up her name.
When the woman saw him, her weary features lit up. "Camrun, right?" When Camrun paused in front of the window, the woman gestured to herself. "Zella, remember?"
"Zella!" Camrun repeated more to himself than to the woman, handing his family's ration papers to her through the small slot. "You knew my mother, right?"
Zella nodded, scanning the papers. "How's your job search going?"
Camrun scrunched his brows. How did she know about that?
Zella laughed, handing him back the ration papers. "I saw your Heraldry pamphlet and overheard your talk with that rude little boy."Camrun would hardly call Reck 'little.'
"Yeah, it's going well," Camrun nodded, pocketing the papers. "I'm actually heading over to the City Center for my second round of trials after I run the rations home."
Zella cocked her head to the side, eyes twinkling. "Now that is quite the achievement, especially for a Waster." She watched the growing line of people behind Camrun before nodding to him. "Tell your mama I said 'hello.'"
Camrun nodded, sending a smile back to her before going to the next window. The other worker handed him the bags quickly before he set off towards home as fast as he could. He needed a head start walking to the City Center.
After leaving the store, he walked down the metal grate they called a sidewalk, passing a neon-glowing tour bus with the exciting chatter of tourists. He knew they weren't stopping here, only starting since most of the tourists most likely just arrived via a transport or shuttle here on the docks. The dark, drabby, grimy living space of the Caretto Docks was a vast different place than the shining, bright Essanto City Center that was advertised across the system.
The road sloped down into a flat concrete surface as Camrun entered the docking area. A few pilots drank around a fire barrel, warming up after a long, cold trip in space. At least, that's what Camrun had heard. He'd never been off the planet or even the city before.
A few mechanics brushed past Camrun towards teh shuffled assortments of buildings in the Caretto's business district. Camrun was glad he left the store for it felt rather claustrophobic though not as much as the City Center. Camrun didn't get the hype. Yeah, the architecture was beautiful, but it was just as caged in as the other wings of the city. They were stuck in a dome, spinning across the upper layer of the gas giant they called home.
After he passed a few of the newly docked shuttles, Camrun was nearing the Wastes, though the location of it was pretty relative. Basically, the docks from the old age had been converted into ports for the house shuttles to park. The hull and entrance of the shuttles connected to an airlock so each shuttle had it's own door.
When Camrun finally reached his door, SW-146, he set his bag of rations on the floor of the port, punching in his passcode which opened the airlock. Grabbing his bagss off the ground, Camrun shut the airlock door behind him, the familiar hiss indicating the resealing was successful. Camrun crossed over to the other side of the brightly lit hall to the door of the actual shuttle, typing out his code again to enter his home.
"Mother, I'm dropping the food off," Camrun called, setting the bags onto the metal table near the door. He got no response. Strange, he thought, scouring the place for any sign of his mother or sister. He found a note on screen beside his bedroom door saying that Mother took Cassehl to her yearly checkup that their insurance allowed. His food was in the cooler.
With a heavy sigh, Camrun made his way to the kitchen to grab his meal. It was freeze-dried dumplings again. He started heating up water to liven the food up again, mentally preparing himself for this exam coming up. He shouldn't let his worry for Cassehl ruin his mood, though it was certainly trying. Her wellbeing depended on his success.
