Elite

Chapter 1

New Chicago.
That's where I live. Most people want to get to Akili, the ultimate city. There's a catch though, you have to be chosen through a variation of tests. Not just psychological tests, like you would think, but also physical and emotional tests as well. If you fail, you won't be sent back to your home city, but to the peasant lands, also known as Boland. Boland was always a poor city, even before the Great Country War. It's one of the cities that's still intact but no one wants to live there. Once you arrive, you have less than ten years maximum before you die of starvation, illness, or radiation poisoning.
So we created Akili, nicknamed the City of Wisdom. Only the elite live there, the ones who passed all the tests. Only certain people can take the tests, though. There are pros and cons, for example if you fail school you can't take them, but if you pass with top grades you will. If you're nominated, you have to take the tests, there aren't any other options. Even if you deny, you still take them. No choice. I guess the leaders don't want prodigies in places like New Chicago.
     My name is Sage Monroe, and I'm one of the few that don't want to live in Akili.
     I don't really know why, life there is great. You are basically guaranteed to have a good life. The government is the problem. They regularly perform horrible tests on random citizens for scientific advancement. I only know that from my best friend Hale.
     Hale is a training police officer and head access to all the important files. Trainees don't typically have this but Hale is so spectacular at what he does, he'll be chief after his training. He shouldn't have a job yet, since the ceremony isn't until tomorrow, but that's just how good he is.
     I just finished school, as I am fifteen. At the end of the year, on December first, we have the Jobs Ceremony, where we find out what jobs we'll get and who will get to take the tests. Today is November 29, 3035 and I am not ready for the ceremony. The stress is eating me alive. What if I don't get a job? What if I am banished? And worst of all, what if I have to take the tests?