Choices

One, Two, Three…

I counted slowly. Methodically. 

Four, five, and six…

I switched my deodorant over to my right arm and began again, counting until six perfect swipes of the lavender scented stick were plastered onto my skin.

That’s the way we do it here: slow, methodical. Perfect. Terralan has always been that way, for as long as I can remember. Everyone and everything in their places. No mistakes. No slip ups. As if we could afford to, not after the Blight. I was so young when it happened, but Mama and Papa remember it vividly, at least that’s what they've told me when the guards aren't listening.

“The Blight took everything from us,” Mama had said, her voice a low whisper as we scurried back to our unit with that night’s rations. “You mustn't waste your food ever again, Flora. They'll know it was you, and we can't have that.”

I remember questioning her. Putting up a fight because, like most six year olds, I didn't like the mushy vegetables that had been rehydrated for us at meal times. Of the things I’d done wrong, wasting food should have been the least of Mama’s worries. But this time, I got sloppy, and got caught. But she’d insisted, threatening to make me clean the entire unit if I didn't obey. So, from then on, I did my best. I obeyed. I was perfect.

“Flora, it’s time for Summoning,” Mama called down the short hallway to the bathroom. “Please make sure your dress is properly ironed and—”

“I know, Mama,” I called back, staring at my immaculately ironed, perfectly creased dress in the mirror. “I’m ready, I’ll be there in a moment.”

I shouldn't have interrupted her, that’s not the proper thing to do. But she was used to it by now, and it’s not like she or Papa were going to turn me in for a minor offense like that. But I’ll have to be more careful at Summoning. The Auditors are ruthless, at least according to the whispers I’ve heard over the years.

They stole a baby right from its mother’s arms, just for being born in the wrong month…I heard they banished a thirteen year old boy for tucking his shoe laces in instead of tying them…What about the time…

I stopped that last one short in my mind, refusing to think about it. I was an only child now, that’s how it had to be. I couldn't think about her. Not now. Not today. Parents had one child at a time, not two. One perfect child. 

The whispered rumors circulated through my head as Mama, Papa, and I made our way through the small towns located on the outskirts of Terralan. We headed toward the large dome in the middle of Terralan, where all of the Summonings happened. I knew today would come. I’d known about it for weeks. Nothing happened here without everyone knowing, that was the beauty of this place. No secrets. No problems.

No choices.

I shook my head, dislodging that thought immediately. Thoughts like that had no place in my mind. I must be careful. I must be perfect.

“Now, Flora,” Papa began, his voice only loud enough for me to hear as more parents and teens joined us in our walk to the Dome. “If you're not satisfied with your assignment, you must keep it to yourself.”

I nodded slowly, being careful to keep my expression even. 

“I believe you’ll be put into Agro, just like your Mama and I,” he continued. “But if you end up in, say, Mech, you’ll be separated from us and taken to a new unit sector.”

My stomach clenched at the thought. I’d been with Mama and Papa in the Agro sector for seventeen years now. But who knows what the Auditors will do. Summoning is the only mystery in Terralan, but it doesn't last for long, fortunately.

“That hasn't happened in years, Alder,” Mama scolded, squeezing my hand tight. “Sectors stick together, everyone knows that.”

“I’m just being cautious,” Papa said, his brow creased. “You can never be too sure.”

Mama and Papa exchanged a few more words, but I found myself unable to focus on them. The Dome loomed over us all as we closed in on it, its glass walls reflecting the morning sunlight. The air was chilly, but not cold enough for me to need a jacket. According to the weather report, at least. Personally, I’d have liked to be wearing a jacket, but that wasn't the way we did it. We listened. We obeyed.

I glanced over and saw my friend Willow walking with her parents as well. She gave me a shy smile, which I returned.  Both of her parents were whispering to her, fervent looks on their faces. I turned to look away as we reached the gates to the Dome, guards posted every few feet.

“Identification cards at the ready!” one of them called to the twenty or so families approaching the gates. 

But it was unnecessary. All of us already had our IDs out and ready to be scanned. But they still called out their orders three or four more times. That was the thing about the guards, they acted as though we didn't know how things worked in Terralan. But we all did. We always have. 

“Flora Wood?” The guard asked me as I stuck my ID out for him to scan.

“Yes,” I answered, keeping my gaze down. 

“Please proceed inside, your parents will be waiting for you in the auditorium after your Summoning if you are placed in your same sector.”

I nodded, not turning to look at my parents as they released my hands. I kept my head forward like I should. Walked through the gate like I should. Entered the Dome like I should. I was perfect, no mistakes, no slip-ups. I wasn't going to give them an excuse to banish me, not today. 

Willow entered in after me, then a boy named Ash, and then a girl named Blossom. Most of today’s Summoned were from Agro, but there were a few from Mech, a couple from Education, and one from Pharm. I didn't know their names, but I could tell by their clothes. They were all pictures of perfection. Not a hair out of place. Agro in green, Mech in gray, Education in yellow, and Pharm in blue. The way it’s always been.

I glanced up at the Dome, the light filtering in gently through the tinted glass. It made me dizzy, the sheer height of it. But I persisted forward to the door at the center of the dome, where a smaller, but still sizable dome stood. Only, this one was completely blacked out, no light in or out of it. Behind that dome stood a door marked “Auditorium”, where I would hopefully be reunited with Mama and Papa soon.

“All Summoned into the Inner Dome, now,” called a guard. “Let’s move it people. Move it!” His voice echoed in the minimally furnished space, each syllable cracking like a whip.

All of us picked up our pace, filing into the Inner Dome one by one. Inside, there were a row of seats stationed around a stage in the middle, but the dome was split in half. We entered into the front half, but the back’s entrance was through a door on the stage. Everything inside was black. Black tile floors. Black glass walls. Black wood stage. Even the chairs were black. If it weren't for the little white lights speckled across the ceiling in perfectly straight rows, we would be completely blind in here.

All of us took our seats, each sector sticking with its own.

Sectors stick together.

My mother’s words repeated in my head, over and over. I hoped that was the case for today. But if it wasn't…

“Welcome to Summoning,” a voice said overhead, magnified by some invisible speakers. 

Then a woman with a black bob haircut, dressed in equally black clothing, opened the door on the stage and took her place at the podium. Her pale skin was in stark contrast to everything around her, and her eyes were piercing. She stared at all of us in turn, her jaw set in a hard line. Then after a moment, she let an easy smile fall over her face. 

“Welcome, children,” She began. “Or should I say, soon to be adults.” She chuckled dryly, but no one returned the gesture. “Today, you will find your place in Terralan. Some of you will return to where you were born and raised, others will pick a new path to venture. And there will even be some who will find no path at all.”

At this, we all stilled. 

No path at all?

Everyone was quiet, but the confusion was palpable. The woman seemed amused by the looks on our faces, because she laughed again, more sincere this time. Then she rustled a few papers on the podium, and began reading names. 

“Athena Schoolman,” the woman said, and a small girl with a yellow uniform stood from her chair. 

She followed the woman into the room, and they were both gone for what felt like hours. Then the woman returned, but Athena did not.

“Minerva Schuler,” she called, and another girl in yellow stood.

Minerva was taller and more timid, taking much longer to climb the stairs onto the stage. Near the end, she had to be ushered up by a guard who had grown impatient. I watched as the smile on the woman’s face never faltered. She held out her hand to Minerva, just as she had to Athena, and they both walked through the door and into the abyss beyond. 

This continued on until the woman, who I’d heard the guards refer to as Constance when she took the only Pharma kid with her, finally started to read the names from the Agro sector.

“Ash Lavigne,” Constance said, holding her hand out to the dark skinned boy I’d gone to primary school with. “Please come with me.”

Ash stood and disappeared into the doorway, just like the others. Then Blossom, then Briar, then… Then it was my turn.

“Flora Wood.”

I stood from my chair and fought the urge to look at Willow. Her presence comforted me, if only for the few moments I had before entering into the back half of the Inner Dome. Constance’s hand was cold, but not clammy. She didn't squeeze my hand hard, but something told me that if I tried to let go, it would not go over well. Her words repeated in my head as we crossed the stage.

No path at all.

What in the world did that mean? Did they say that at every Summoning? Mama and Papa had never mentioned there being a third option. Why had they kept me in the dark? Summoning for sector placement was supposed to be the only mystery in Terraland, but even it was fairly predictable. 

No path at all.

My stomach did a flip as we passed over the threshold and Constance pulled the door shut behind us. For a moment, everything was pitch black. Then the brightest, most eye piercing lights switched on and the room was completely illuminated. I stared at the long white table in the center of the room. It was surrounded by white walls and sat on white tile floors. This half of the Inner Dome was the complete opposite of the first half. The Yang to its Yin.

“Here, you will pick your sector, or your sector will pick you, whichever you decide,” Constance said, guiding me over to the table.

I didn't understand, was this my choice? I looked down at the long white table and saw all of the sector signets. A leaf for Agro, a brain for Education, a gear for Mech, a pill for Pharma, a currency sign for Econ, and so on. There were ten in total. Ten sectors. Ten choices.

Choices?

 No, that couldn't be right.

“Forgive me, Ma’am,” I began, my voice wavering ever so slightly. “But I was under the impression that the Auditors would pick my sector for me.”

“Is that what you’d like?” Constance looked a bit disappointed by my question.

“Isn't that how it’s supposed to go?”

“Well, for most, yes.” Constance circled the table until she was standing across from me. “That is what they choose. They choose the way things have always been.”

I paused and thought for a moment. 

“Is this the way Summoning has always been?”

“Summoning has been adjusted this year,” Constance said, her gaze piercing once again. “The Auditors are… curious as to how our way of life since the Blight has influenced the people of Terralan.”

I let my eyes drift over the sector signets, tracing them each one by one. 

One, two, three… 

Four, five, six…

Seven, eight, nine, ten…

Eleven?

I stared at the eleventh signet. It was simply a zero, with no other markings.

“What is that?” I asked, looking back up at Constance.

But she was no longer there. I was completely alone.

No path at all.

Is that what she meant? If I chose the eleventh sector, which might not even be a sector at all, where would I go? What would I do? How would I contribute to Terralan?

A million questions cycled through my brain, each one more concerning than the last. But a little part of me, a part that I’d been drilled to ignore, began to pull at the corners of my mind. I was confused. I was unbalanced.

I was curious.

I stared at the signets, drumming my fingers on the table. No wonder it took some of the other kids so long. Though, there were a few where Constance was back within minutes. They must've chosen their home sectors. Or maybe they all chose their home sectors.

Sectors stick together.

How could anyone pick a different sector? There’s nothing that would make anyone veer from the way things are, because they're perfect… right? Agro was my home. Where my life was. Where my parents are. Where my friends are. I couldn't leave them, could I? I shouldn't leave them. But maybe—

Maybe my sister was out there, her face the exact mirror of mine. The Yin to my Yang.

My eyes snagged on the Zero signet and I found myself taking a step toward it. One press of a button and I’d be… Well, I don't know where I’d be.

No path at all.

The more Constance’s words replayed in my head, the more they beckoned me in. No more responsibilities, no rules, no guards or Auditors or expectations.  That’s what no path meant, right? What else could it mean?

I settled in front of the Zero and stared at it, all of the possibilities running through my mind of what could possibly come of picking it instead of Agro or Mech or any of the other signets. Would I be banished? But again, that little part of me wondered if being banished was really a bad thing. I had no idea what lay outside of Terralan. Maybe I wanted to know. Maybe I didn't want to be perfect.

It was before I could give it another thought that I found my fingers pressed against the Zero, pushing it down until it clicked into the table. Then the lights went out, and I was plunged into darkness. And for a moment I was nowhere. I was nothing.

I was free.