The Arete Program

A tall, built man enters the cafeteria, gaining everyone's attention. "Who's that?" My friend Kasey asks.

    "I think he's one of the instructors." My other friend Collin replies.

    My heart rate increases, my palms become sweaty, and my anxiety is through the roof. This man that is standing in my school's cafeteria talking to our principle is the man that will determine whether or not I am worthy of life. He knows that in only a few days he'll sort through every single one of us and decide our fate, yet there he stands with a smile planted on his face. He's evil, pure evil, and I one hundred percent loathe this man.

"I've lost my appetite," Jack comments sitting to my left.

"Why?" Collin asks. "I'm really excited."

"How can you be excited?" Kasey asks giving him a dirty look.

"Because in a month only the superior will be left in existence."

"Maybe that won't be any of us," I say gaining everyone's attention. The three of them stop eating and are now silent.

    Here we were, me and my three friends, sitting at the lunch table that we did everyday. Now all of sudden none of us want to eat nor talk. We all knew that in three days we won't be able to see each other for over a month, and even then I'm sure we won't talk. 1 in 4 people fail the test, which meant that chances are one of won't still be alive in a month. After the thought crossed my mind, the tears started to roll down my cheek. I slowly stood up, "I'll be right back," I say before running out the cafeteria door.

    I ran straight for the bathroom, and went right to the very last stall. Luckily no one else was in the bathroom, so I sat down and pulled my knees to my chest. I couldn't stop the tears that managed to just keep coming. Moments later, I heard the door swing open, "Kendall?" Kasey asks storming into the girls bathroom.

    She opened the stall I was in and soon was by my side."What's wrong?" She asks.

    "The test," I reply crying harder than before.

    "We're all nervous for it."

    "It's not the same for you."

    "Why is that?"

    How do I put into words that I wasn't suppose to be here; that I wasn't suppose to be alive. I gulped in fear for how she may respond.

    "My mom didn't pass," I commented unable to look her in the eyes.

    "What?"

    "The test, my mom never passed."

    "That's not possible. She wouldn't still be alive, and you would've never been born." Kasey carefully says trying not to make the situation even worse; it was too late though, because she had a point.

    "They made a mistake."

    "What kind of a mistake?"

    Moments passed, yet I was still unable to say anything. I cautiously looked up into her eyes. Slowly her face started to light up, she knew exactly what I was talking about. She stood up from her kneeling position and readjusted so she was sitting next to me. Her arms were wrapped around my neck, pulling me into a hug. My tears must of been contagious, because she was now crying just as hard as I was.

    "Someone innocent, someone who was worthy of life, died because of a mistake that was made." I barely managed to get it out.

    "Everything happens for a reason. There is a reason your mom didn't die, and it's because the universe knew that you belonged here," Kasey replied.

    "I'm not going to pass."

    "You have to."

    "My mom didn't pass; how can I?"

    "I don't know, but I need you."

    "One more day guys; just one more day," The instructor from the cafeteria said.

    I could never understand how anybody could work for something so sick that even the name makes kids cry: The Arete Program. The instructor continued, "tomorrow you guys will start your testing. It's important that you guys try your absolute best, because this isn't a joke. Each test is ranked on a scale from 1-10; ten being the highest, one being the lowest. If your final average from all 57 tests is a 7 or higher, you have passed. If your final average is lower than a seven, you will become a part of test number 51. Other kids, possibly even a friend, will be the one's who decide exactly how you will go. Some kids may be kind and want you to be involved in minimal suffering, others not so much."

    "You may ask, why do we have to take part in this test, and my answer is simple. Decades ago twenty five percent of this world was made up of misfits. People who didn't belong, and people who only did evil. With this test we get rid of all those people. If you're worthy of life, you shall live, if you're not, it's the end of the line for you. We strongly believe that this test will only benefit everyone."

As much as I wanted to just tune him out, I couldn't, no one could. We were all fearful for our lives; we were barely even adults. Some of us had been 18 for a few months, some of us for a few days, and the rare amount that were still only 17. A good portion of them were never going to know what it's really like to be an adult, and I was one of them.