Seven (Completed)

CHAPTER 1 ~ Alex is gone.

The shrieking of the girl made it obvious that it was Carlos' time to go. Besides, he had to tell Lucas the news. After a final glance over his shoulder, Carlos retreated slowly, ignoring Anne's dreadful look for abandoning her with the annoying girl. 'You owe me an explanation,' he thought as he stared back at her. The loud chattering of the girl now echoed all around the crowded hallways of the school.

Carlos knew Lucas would be at his usual post; the science lab.

***

'Did you hear the news?' he asked and seemed impatient to reveal everything to her.

'No, what news?' she asked in bewilderment and leaned her head toward her shoulder, like a puppy confused by a sound it had never heard before.

'Um ... about Alex ...'

'Alex? Alex who?' she asked again.

'Please stop answering with questions. I'll tell you right away, just ...' he said and guided her inside the restrooms by pushing her lightly on the back.

'So, what is going on here?' she asked and looked into his eyes after the door closed behind them with a bang.

'Alex, a boy from sixth grade, escaped. He-he somehow managed to surpass the surveillance cameras, the guards, he-' Pierre took a breath at this point, '-he left the school last night.'

It took her a minute to process his words. 'Are you serious now? It can't be true. Maybe it's just another rumour, it has to be. You mean Alex, the one that ... Anne was talking to the last few days?' she asked and her eyes were on fire, asking for answers, demanding them.

'Yes. Sonia, trust me I-I know. He's gone,' he answered firmly.

'Gone.' She repeated quietly. 'If he did it then ... maybe we could too,' she thought to herself. 'He won't even have to take the tests! Maybe ... maybe we don't have to take the tests either.'

All adults within New Earth, those who arrived in the dome and those who became adults inside it, were submitted to a series of tests before their placement in a job or a home.

The first circle of tests included, of course, medical screenings. Each patient had a folder in the city's official records. There, any kind of hereditary disease, infection or even the common cold was marked down inside the adult's file.

The second circle of tests was run mainly for identification purposes. During that procedure, the authorities searched for any valid piece of information or identification provided about the subject from his or her previous home.

Those who made it to the final stage had to go through, mostly mental, exercises, solve a series of problems and answer personal and general questions. That was the most critical stage of all three because it determined the adult's score.

The score of every eighteen-year-old person inside the dome was available for everyone to see, simply by contacting the ranking database employees at the city's central administration center, a huge but plain building that made the whole place appear even more miserable.

By that means, young adults with high scores would be chosen instead of underachievers to obtain a better employment, a more comfortable house and live a more promising and prosperous life.

Sonia blinked three times. 'We should let the others know,' she finally spoke. 'This way we could all leave this place,' she thought.

'Yeah, we should.'

***

'Lucas!' Carlos called as he joined his friend. He looked around the white room. It had been a while since he had last visited the laboratory. Not many things had changed. A few more books were added and clear testing tubes were placed here and there, most of them empty. Lucas appeared paler now as he turned the switch of a lamp to the right.