"Everyone, out now!" The ear-piercing voice of the dorm supervisor drifted me out of sleep. "Do not make me call out for you again!"
Without waiting another second, I jumped out of bed and ran out for the usual roll call. Mrs Jane was no one to mess with and she was the nightmare of every students in the school. One wrong mistake, so many punishments.
I picked up my medicated glasses and my crutches, and I ran out of the room unable to wear my shirt; looking disheveled. I stood by the door, with my eyes fixed on the door and my hands behind my back, waiting for her to appear.
The hall was silent. During the roll call, her voice was usually the loudest as she calls out the name of the students, and she has to pass twenty five rooms before she gets to mine.
I looked around and noticed no one was in sight.
Something wasn't right and the thought of it got goosebumps running over my skin. I adjusted my glasses and slowly walked forward to see if they were gathered at the other side of the hallway, but there was no one. I swallowed hard as the thought of what was happening came rushing in.
I have been tricked, again.
I turned to hurry back to my room but slipped on something slimy and fell hard on my back. The next second, laughter erupted from every room.
Just as I expected.
"The big guy fell for it, again!" a familiar voice yelled out to the hearing of others.
The blonde guy, John, who was definitely behind the prank walked closer and squatted beside me. "I thought fours eyes nerds are smart, but you prove me wrong every damn time," he said and pouted.
I ignored him and got up to go, but he pushed me back to the floor and drew closer. "I am not done talking to you, you dimwit."
"What do you want, John?" I asked, trying to keep calm.
John and his gang were trouble and doing anything to agitate them would only make me suffer terribly; probably end up in the school clinic.
"Today is the Selection day. Do you think you will ever be selected? You are nothing but a loser and as always, your place would be with the commoners." He gripped a hand full of my hair and drew closer. "My little advice to you is to stay back and save yourself the embarrassment like you have always done."
He let go of me and stood up. "Anyway, why don't we have a little fun? We will be leaving you behind so you need something to remember us with."
Before I could figure out what their plan was, hot smelly liquid poured on me and the hall erupted in laughter again.
It went into my eyes and everything went dark. I quickly pulled my glasses and tried wiping it off but it hurt so much.
"My eyes!" I cried, trying to wipe whatever it was they had poured on me.
"Such a pity," he tsked. "Don't worry, you will see again."
"What did you do! I can't see!" I cried but all I got was mocking laughter.
"What are you guys doing out here?!" A voice echoed in the hallway and everyone went silent. "It is the Selection day. You all should go get prepared and hurry to the hall!" She commanded and the next seconds, I heard footsteps running away.
"Reggie, do you want to remain there like a fool? Go get ready. This is your last chance to leave this place. We don't want someone like you here again," she said and I heard her heels clicking away.
She bothered less about my situation. Actually, no one cares. Instead, I am an instrument of mockery to everyone.
The twenty-one years old who is still in the school of youngsters and haven't been chosen by the society. I am the oldest in the school. Our societal system is nothing but corrupt. To make it out of the school and into the society, the student parent would have to bride their way. It's no longer by hard work or being the best.
As for me, I am not lucky enough to have parent to bride my way out. I am a hopeless orphan.
I took my bath and went out, heading to the hall which was packed with students. Although it was still difficult to see clearly, I was able to get to a sit, far away from the others.
No one would want to sit with me anyway.
"Youngsters, as you all know, this is a big step to be an adult, and of use to the society…" the school director started but my mind drifted off, thinking about the mess my life has turned out to be because of the so called Selection day.
The Selection day is a day set aside for youngsters who has turned eighteen, for a test which would determine the amount of energy they possess. Through the amount of energy, it would determine what position they get in the society.
The least of the levels is the commoners who are been treated as plagues in the society, and the top level is the god level, although, no one has reached that level in years. The last set of people to have reached the god level disappeared into thin air hundred years ago.
Having so much power makes people mad and that must have been their fear according to what we were told, but deep down, I had a different feeling about it. What if we were lied to? What if they were killed by the higher-ups who got threatened by their immerse power?
"John Pierre has been selected as a Delta!" The director announced and I scrunched my face. Lucky guy, he got to the level of a Delta already. It was rare and would require practicing ones ability to get there. Normally, students always fall into the category of commoners, first citizens, medians and omegas as they haven't practiced their ability.
One by one, the students got called into the testing room and as each student got done with the tests which I know nothing of how it's done, an announcement would be made. Except John, no other student got into the Delta level.
"Next on our list-" She paused for a few seconds before she lifted her eyes and looked at me. "Reggie," her voice was filled with spite as she called my name.
I stood up and wiped the tears pouring down my eyes, thanks to whatever smelly liquid was poured on me. I picked up my walking stick and began to limp my way to the test room.
It was my chance; my only chance. It's more like my pardon year. Since I had no one to sign my way out, the school heads decided to let me go as I was getting old in the school. It's been three years already. Probably I would have had a house by now and mastered my fire ability.
I was blessed with the spirit of the west dragon but unfortunately, I can't even make fire the shape of an egg.
I went into the testing room and was greeted by the cold, freezing temperature with the smell of metals, herbs, a smell I couldn't recognize, alcohol and blood.
I almost gagged but I held it in.
"Hey four eyes, are you going to keep standing there? Let's get this done with or get out of my office!" The man dressed in a white lab coat, yelled, jerking me out of my trail of thought.
I swallowed hard and went to the bed, which was surrounded by machines. There were four armed men in the room looking stern and at alert to use their weapons.
I almost jumped out of the bed as the thought of being killed by them overwhelmed me, but the doctor pushed me back and injected me. Immediately, I became paralyzed, not able to move a finger. I tried to speak but words were not coming out of my mouth.
I was motionless and numb, with my eyes fixed on nothing.
"Great, now let me give you a brief knowledge of what's going on here," the doctor started and sat down beside me. "Something you were never told in this school but it's a basic knowledge you will carry into the world of adulthood, so listen careful."
My heart skipped a beat, thinking about what he was about to do to me. Probably kill me because I am useless and dump my body in where it can never be found; not that anyone would look for me.
He went on, "you know the ten levels in the society. The level 10 are the Commoners, the level 9 are the first Citizens, the level 8 are the Medians, the level 7 are the Omegas, the level 6 are the Deltas, the level 5 are the Betas, the level 4 are the Sigmas, the level 3 are the Alpha's, the level 2 are the Supremes, and the first and the strongest level, the gods."
He stood up and walked to the screen displaying different colors. "If you are chosen a Commoner, your ability would be taken away from you and you will end up useless and meaningless to the society. People who are useless are nothing but trash."
He walked back to me with an headphone with a lot of buttons around it. It wasn't an ordinary headphone.
"But, there is also something you don't know. A level above the supremes and below the gods," he paused for a few seconds as if waiting for a dramatic effect before he would spill the beans. Not getting that effect, he went on, "The Defects. The humans nemesis and there have been few cases of them. They are a threat to humanity and we kill all threats for the safety of everyone."
He drew so close to me that I could perceive the smell of onion in his breath. "If you are a defect, you will be killed with no chance to say goodbye." He smirked and drew back while I shivered in fear. I am not as powerful as he made the Defects sound, but I was scared.
"I heard you were blessed with a west dragon ability. Probably you would get a beast system, a dragon beast. It is common by the way, so good luck." He placed the headphone around my ears and my body felt light. It felt as if I was swimming in space, with no one in sight or anyone to look down on me.
The warmth I got, the careful spirit; I felt so alive. But, that feeling only lasted for a minute as I got back my consciousness and noticed the doctor looking at the screen with wide eyes.
I wondered what was written there to have made him so shocked, and when he turned to look at me, my heart stopped.
"He… he is a defect!" He announced and the soldiers immediately pointed their guns at me.
"No! No! I am innocent! Please don't kill me!" I tried to scream, but I was jelly and couldn't move.
Loud gunshots echoed in the room and darkness began to surround me.
'So this is it? This is how the pathetic loser dies?' I died a loser.
The darkness completely took over and that light feeling overwhelmed me again. It felt as if all my burdens were taken off. It was like freedom after been enslaved for so long.
Maybe this is for the better.
"Reggie, wake up!" I heard a deep baritone voice and I quickly forced my eyes opened. I was floating, just as I suspected, but in nothing but empty darkness, with no end nor beginning. "Welcome, Reggie," the voice spoke again and when I looked up, I screamed and moved back in horror.
Before me was a horrid looking monster, having a skull face, dark empty eyes, sharp teeth like that of a lion, two large horns, long ears like an elf and darkness surrounding him.
"Welcome to hell, master." He knelt on one leg with his head bowed. "What do you want me to do for you?"