Bubbling.

"Now," starts the headmaster, "You will notice this floor bubbling. It will steam and tell you to come. Then, you will step inside. Then you will defeat your inner fear. Your demon. Once that is done, you will either be seen as dead, or you will be floating. Your new power will flow out of your body. It will feel like you have no control over your body. You will feel very tired. You should have enough energy to probably get to one of these seats and sleep until the next day. We will gather here tomorrow at 6 in the morning. Jusin Greun." Living Saints. We then shout back the response.

"Heral Junt." Die eventually. We are going to die. Once you get your power, you are considered a saint. I hold my boyfriend, Michael's hand and we run out together. Once we defeat the beast (our fear) and get our power, we die faster than the regular human. Much faster. And our power gets put toward someone else. Very rare we get something new. In fact, it's seldom. Once in a thousand years. There are around thirty of us in the room right now. By the time we get done with the bubbling, there will only be ten of us. It decides our fate. Early, or saint.

They try to warn us of sainthood. It's not everything. But worth the wait. Once we get to our tent, he's telling me about what his fear is. He's told me every day since we found out what the last test is. He's afraid of his serial killer mom. I don't blame him. She tried to kill him apparently. I would be terrified. I don't know what my fear is exactly. Maybe it will be about my parents. They died when I was an infant. That's when I was taken in for training. I have been for years. I have only known my home to be in this tent with Michael. I can't imagine life without him.

If his mom had pulled the trigger. He only knows the police showed up before she killed him. She already had the gun above his forehead. He was taken here. We were in the same tent for years. Last year we started dating. I'm sure he'll survive this. His fear. My fear. We're going to be two of the ten. I watch him write. His ocean blue eyes are lit up when he's writing. I pet his hair. I change and go to bed. It's going to be an early wake-up time. He does the same. He puts the piece of paper under his pillow. We pack up a bit. After tomorrow, when we make it, we get a room above where we'll be tested.

The next morning we scramble, pack and go to the testing hall. Breakfast is never good. Lunch is much more edible, and we've known that since we were young. We get to pick our eating times. We get into the testing room. It starts to bubble as soon as it turns six. It calls us one at a time. Some get cool powers once they emerge. Then, others die. It's hard. We've known them forever. I go before Michael. I see my parents. Then I see myself. I pick up a gun. I know this. My worst nightmare. I fight it. I fight really hard. Then, it stops bubbling. I hear voices in my head. "We're so proud of you honey." I look behind me. I see my parents. I then know what I got. I can see and talk to the dead.

``````I went to my seat where Michael squeezes me. I'm one of ten who made it. Only three had made it. But then he gets called I hug him. He whispers, "I love you." I say it back and he goes. Then I hear a gun. No, I think. When the bubbling is done, he's dead. I hear his voice from behind me. "Hey, hey, it's ok. I'm ok. I'm still here." He brings me in for a hug. It's not his warm body, and I probably look crazy, but it's fine. He soothes me and gets me back into my seat. I get his stuff and put it on my own. His ghost form is quite pretty, lost ghosts aren't. His voice is the same though. He's still the same as he was alive.

But now, he's more distant. And dead. I miss him. My parent turned out to not have died from me but from pneumonia. I learned about what my family was like. Michael was around whenever. I became headmaster because for a saint the last one was old. 30. I'm twenty now. I have around five years left until I go. Until I reach my life expectancy. I am going to savor every minute. And there is much to look forward to being dead. I will be with Michael. Not me alive and his spirit, but he and I did together. It's not easy being a saint. Or happy without Michael alive. But every day I try a little harder and push ten people through.

Before he died, there was still training. I learned how to use my power. I learned to summon the dead and talk with them. I learned how to make them a tiny bit beyond a ghost. I learned to summon and make them almost human at the same time. Multiple, after lots of training. I was able to summon the last of the people who had our powers. So when the headmaster died, it was them who really taught us. It was hard to bring people who have been dead for short time back easily. I can make them out and hear them, but only me. Others cannot.

I love my job, my ability, and am a saint. My childhood friends and I have been through so much. We all have so much trauma. We warn everyone who comes in. Some insist, and others run away. But when we do get kids we take the best care of them that we can. My room is better than my tent. The food is still bad, but I don't think that will change. I hope my dying act will be heroic. I like being a saint. I like being a headmaster. I love Michael. And he loves me. And someday, we'll be together again.