The Test

Excellence Award in the 'Inspired 2019' competition

During the car ride to the test centre, the dread of knowing what was coming settled like a thick blanket on my shoulders. Mum was droning on and on about how this would be good for me, and a necessary part of growing up. She gave me the, ‘When I was a girl...’ speech telling me how fortunate I was. As she tried to convince me, this opportunity would apparently set me up for a brighter future.
I rolled my eyes and focused on the dull clouds that hung low over our town. I was going into the test. If you failed, your life would be miserable forever. You would be picked on, and you would never get hired — employers would consider you weak. Everyone would.
When we arrived, I was shaking so much that I wouldn’t have even noticed if an earthquake had hit. The car was my safe space, and while I was reluctant to leave it, I knew that I didn’t have a choice. I had heard whispers of what to expect and I wasn’t ready to face it. Quick goodbyes were shared between my mother and I at the doors, and then I was geared up. A scientist handed me a plain black headset and told me how to put it on properly. Wires were then attached from the headset to a computer. I was put in a bare white room and the program was turned on.
I opened my eyes to find grey walls staring back at me. Mirrors in the corners reflected my small frame and mess of brown hair. As the room began to move downwards, I tensed. It was just an elevator, how bad could it be? All I had to do was survive for thirty seconds maximum.
Then the elevator stopped.
My eyes widened as I realised that I was trapped in what looked and sounded like a rattling rust bucket. This was the test. It felt like the blank walls were closing in on me. My heart was racing faster than a cheetah, almost jumping out of my chest. My shoulders got heavy. My lungs struggled to find air. I panicked trying to breath in oxygen, inhaling as deeply as I could and yet...nothing. Somewhere in my brain, in the area that wasn’t panicking, I cursed my claustrophobia. The only thing at the front of my mind was escaping this nightmare. I could feel the cold sweat beading on my forehead, while the thumping of my heart was the only sound I could hear.
Then everything disappeared. The grey walls and crystal clear mirrors were replaced with an inky darkness. Spinning around, I was hit with a pristine whiteness that I soon realised were words. When I calmed down enough to read them, I realised that I had no future. In front of me were the words that gave children nightmares, the words that no one ever wanted to see:
Mr. Andrew Fitzpatrick we regret to inform you that you have failed the test. We wish you the best of luck.

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