Keaton woke in a cold sweat.  The black leather band around his wrist indicated that it was just past two in the morning.  A quick survey glance around his room showed that both Rette and Dare asleep, with Dare now sleeping in the bunk above her.  His arm draped down, as if he wanted to hold Rette's hand in his sleep.  A smile formed on his mouth, but it didn't last long.  The dream, no nightmare washed over him.  He wanted to cry, desperately.  But he couldn't. 

None of them could.

Something in their genes didn't permit them to cry.  No tears. Ever.  Keaton didn't even think any of the other subjects knew about crying.  He just knew that one day, a few years ago, he found a girl weeping in a corridor.  He didn't talk to her, just sat down and comforted her with silence for a few moments before he heard footsteps.  Thinking about it now, he thought the girl might've been Tyris. 

But never mind her.  Again, his mind traveled to the nightmare. 

A woman sat above him, in a hospital, wearing a hospital gown.  Her eyes were the exact shade of green as his.  She smiled at him, and although she seemed happy, a tear rolled down her cheek.  The woman lifted her head, looking at someone in the distance.  A muffled voice sounded in the distance: a man.  Every time Keaton dreamed this, he wanted to see the man, but never did.  And were he to tell Dare or Rette about this part, they would ask why it could be classified as a nightmare, but the tear and the voice were never the end.  Only a few moments later, more people entered the room, and a different man started talking. 

Something he said must've set the woman off, cause she suddenly bit out phrase with so much venom, it could've killed his second form.  But then he winced every time when the back of hand stung her cheek.  And then he was being carted away in someone else's arms.  Her eyes followed him, and she reached out an arm, another tear falling.  That was the last he saw of her.  It gutted him, rocked him to his core and he wished he could cry.

Keaton wanted to cry for her, for the mystery woman that haunted his dreams at least three times a week.

He willed himself to cry, and when it didn't work out, he shoved his fingernail into his arm, trying to get a reaction out of that.  And when that didn't work, he thought he might cry out of frustration.

The only difference in this night, than every other night he had the dream, was the small piece of creamy, white paper slid under the threshold of the door.  Keaton looked around, making sure that none of his friends were awake, and snuck to the door to grab the piece of stationary. 

Keaton,
Meet me in precisely ten minutes in the balcony bordering the observatory.  If you don't come, that's okay.  I won't feel bad and I won't hold it against you.  But I'd really like it if you'd come. 
I'll- maybe- see you soon
Tyris

Keaton didn't even think twice about it. Ever since finding out that Tyris was the girl from the corridor, he felt a feeling of respect toward her.  And admiration.  The girl was able to cry, and without effort.  He envied that part of her.  He walked to his drawers, pulling out a plain black t-shirt, and slipping it over his head.  Keaton grabbed the handle to their door, sliding it down, until he felt the door pop toward him the tiniest bit.  He opened it just enough to slip his body through.  He squinted against the fluorescent lighting of the halls.  As silently as possible, he shut the door. 

Cursing himself for not wearing socks, he flinched when his feat stuck to the tiled floor.  Keaton stayed with his back against the walls, looking over his shoulder each time there was so much as a squeak. 

He whispered "thank you" to himself when he finally reached the observatory.  Keaton had passed it before, when going to Lessons, but that was it, and only Specialists could access this room. Not even officers had a key.

So when reaching the door, he turned the handle, not expecting to find the door unlocked, for only authorized personnel could use the observatory. But it opened with a small click that made Keaton flinch, and slowly but surely, pushed on the reflective metal surface.

Keaton walked through the observatory, careful to not make a sound.  Immediately, the sounds of night surrounded him.  Something chirped in the distance.  Keaton didn't know what; they had never taught him anything except reading and fighting in the Classes.  There was a hoot directly behind him, and he turned around, heart thumping in anxiety.  Once he determined that the noise was made by the room, he moved on, quickly, to the door at the far end. 

He turned the handle, upon reaching it, and, for the first time in his life that he could recall, went outside.  The air, completely different from that of the observatory, warmed his face.  Keaton, who had always been surrounded by artificial air, relished the warm wind hitting his skin.  He took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the sensation of air that was... simply real. 

"Hello," a voice called out from the corner, causing Keaton to jump once more. 

"Goodness, Tyris.  You near gave me a heart attack."  She laughed at him.  He faintly saw her outline, eyes still having not adjusted. But he did see her bright smile. He moved closer to her, placing his arms on the rail, throwing his eyes to rate sky. His breath caught, and be took in the black, inky sky littered with silver specks that could only be stars (real ones, unlike those on the ceiling in the adjacent room.) 

"Beautiful.  Isn't it?"  She shot a look at him out of the corner of her eye, smiling when she saw the wonder pooling in his eyes. 

"How did you even get in here?"  He asked, eyes never leaving the sky.

"Father- sorry, Dr. Fallow gave me a key."  Tyris gulped.  "Right after my mother died.  This was my mother's favorite place and Dad decided to let me have it."  Regarding Keaton's questioning glance, she quickly added, "Figuratively, of course." He nodded.

"Tyris. Why did you ask me here?" He bent over, just a little, and turned his head, surveying her.

She gave a noncommittal shrug. Then mulled it over for so long that Keaton had started to think she wouldn't answer. "I'll tell you when I figure it out."  Keaton smirked but it was invisible to her out in the dark sky that continued on for miles. 

The pair didn't say much else before they decided it was time to head back to bed. 

They were both in their respective bunks when the first shots went off.

•

Dare looked up into the eyes of the man standing before him.  "It's okay, son," he said.  "Things will turn out alright."  He felt rather odd staring up at the mystery man, only to realize that he himself had shrunk, probably in age as well as height.

"Why wouldn't they be?" He recognized his voice, the only difference being the pitch. Dare was definitely younger.

"That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself." The man retreated into the shadows, but his voice remained. "Dare. Dare? Dare?" That too, transformed, just like himself, into a higher and more feminine sound he would hear even if he were to be miles away.

Light peeked through his eyelids when he cracked them a tiny bit, only to immediately wrench them shut again. "Bloody hell, Waar, turn off the damn lights." He moved to his stomach, making sure to keep his head angled away from the ceiling.

"No can do. You have to get up," came Rette's response. Her voice carried over to him, trying to lift him out of bed. It would've worked, too, seeing as she could make him do anything if he didn't try so hard to resist.

"Why?" He whined, causing Rette to laugh; a jovial sound that made if seem as though none of them had any problems. It intoxicated him. Dare faintly registered the feeling of her hair covering and shielding the right side of his head from the world.  Her lips pressed against his ear, her breath sending a shiver through his spine. 

"Results are being posted in about ten minutes."  Dare quickly shot out of bed, nearly hitting his head on the ceiling in the process. 

"What?"  Rette couldn't help but laugh at the seriousness in his tone, especially since the rest of had been devoured by sleep: his hair was pushed up on the side where he'd been sleeping, his eyes were barely slits, and his motions were slow beyond belief. 

"Yeah," she climbed back down the ladder, jumping to the floor when there were only a few rungs left. 

Dare sunk back down into bed, pulling the covers way over his head, grumbling all the while.  Keaton walked out of the bathroom just to see Rette shaking her head while Dare muttered profanities under his breath.  "What the hell is wrong with him?"  Keaton walked to her, mirroring her action and pointing at his friend.  "He went to bed almost immediately following dinner.  How is he still in bed?"  Rette shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know."  An idea plopped into her head, and her eyes lit up as she kneeled on her bed, grabbing for the pillows. 

Keaton shook his head in silent mirth, but followed her plan all the same.  On three, she mouthed to him.  Then, putting up three fingers, ticked one off every second.  Dare nearly fell back into his sleep patterns when the ambush occurred.  "Thanks for the comfort," he said dryly.  A hand snaked out from under the blankets, grabbing one of the pillows and placing it under his head.  Rette could imagine his smirk perfectly. 

"He asked for it."  Keaton closed his eyes, feeling the transition flow through his veins.  It took all of three seconds, but seemed a lifetime.  Rette gasped as she realized exactly what it was he was doing.  And the panther stood before her soon enough.  He gathered the growl in his throat, letting the guttural noise fly. 

Dare jumped up, literally, and promptly fell out of his bed, onto the floor.  He groaned.  Rette rushed over, asking if he was all right when Keaton changed back to first form, doubling over in laughter.  "Bloody git," he swore.  "I swear, the both of you are going to be the death of me.  Two days in a row, awoken by the second form of my roommates.  Thanks for that.  Really, from the bottom of my heart."  The words dripped sarcasm.  Keaton ran a hand through his already mussed hair. 

"You're welcome, Elphy."  Dare sat up right away, pinning his friend with a glare.  If looks could kill... Rette backed away, and the boy on the ground jumped to his feet, chasing Keaton out of the door, and through the halls. 

She could hear Keaton's laugh and Dare's threats as she followed them behind, taking her time.  The boys ended up barreling through the doors of the mess hall, the only place where it was okay to be teenagers.  Keaton held out a hand.  "Truce?"  Dare eyed it suspiciously, before slapping it away, but that was okay.  Dare had already forgiven him, if the light in his eyes was any indication. 

"Go get a seat," he said.  "I'll wait for Rette."  Keaton stared at him, understanding in his eyes.  "I don't know what you're talking about, mate." 

"I didn't say anything," Keaton offered a lopsided grin, causing the other boy to flush.  He didn't say anything, choosing to walk away.  Dare waited nervously, looking back every few seconds.  He soon saw Rette rounding the corner, a huge smile on her face that tugged at his heartstrings. 

"This is crazy," he said, under his breath.  Quickly morphing his features into his usual impassive expression, he threw her his usual smirk.  "Hurry up, Waar.  I've been waiting for about," he checked his watch, "ten years."  Upon reaching him, she lightly slapped his cheek. 

"Then why'd you wait in the first place?"  She started walking, but he was rooted in his place.  She turned, now moving backward.  "You coming?"  Dare shook his head, but jogged after her all the same. 

•

"When will they announce it?"  Rette whined.  She was a bundle of nervous energy, knees bobbing up and down.  Keaton placed a hand on her left leg. 

"Maybe, if you finished eating, they'll do it."  He shrugged.  "Pretty sure they're waiting for everyone to be done."  He didn't know if that was true, but if Rette didn't eat, the officers would notice and they could reconsider her Place, if she got a good one.  The encouragement was enough, though, and soon she was wolfing down her toast and scrambled eggs.  Dare looked at her, incredulous.

"Easy there, girl.  We know you're a tiger, but..."  He listed his head.  Rette scowled at him. 

"I'm sorry, at least all of this," she circled her fork over her plate, "will be good enough for the tiger."  She looked long and hard at Dare's two plates.

"You know one isn't enough, Waar."  He sounded truly upset.  "My second form just runs it all off."  A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.  "Got to eat up for these bad boys."  Dare flexed his muscles, and Rette pursed her lips. 

"Nice," she said, getting up to throw her plate out.  The boys finished soon after, and sat around, talking about the Placings until the announcement. 

"If I'm not put in a Squad, I think I'd want to do tech work," Rette told them.  Dare's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Tech?"  His voice rose an octave.  "I will settle for nothing less that being part of a Squad."

"Don't be disappointed when you don't get into one."

"Like that would ever happen," Dare shot back.

"I think it'd be cool to work as a tech," Keaton said, only for Dare to say something else, to him this time.

"Yeah, you nerd, but you're actually good with that... stuff.  I'm the best of the best when it comes to fighting."

"You know, Elphy, you're really modest," Rette nodded.

"Hey," he defended. "Don't start with the stuff." She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud electronic voice booming throughout the hall.

"The Placing announcement will be made on approximately ten minutes." Rette grinned at them, rambling on about... something Keaton didn't quite understand. And then, feeling someone's gaze on him, he looked up, only to lock onto someone's- a girl's- silver eyes.  Familiar eyes. 

Tyris's eyes.  He saw her raise her napkin, just an inch, and then scratched her ear, where a pen rested, nestled in blonde hair. 

He gave an infinitesimal nod, which she caught up on.  Keaton watched as she scribbled something on the note, and the got up from her bench, walking over to where the trash bins were: some place behind him.  He got up with his nearly empty water bottle, and Tryis ran into him.  "Oh, I'm- I'm so sorry," she said.  "I can be so clumsy at times."  Her ever-present grin widened. 

"Here," Keaton responded.  "Let me take your plate."  He reached out, and when she placed the plate in his grasp, his fingers curled around the napkin. 

"Thank you."  Tryis walked away, a new light in her eyes.  Keaton was positive the same thing was reflected in his.  He hastily shoved the words she gave him into his pocket, throwing her plate and his bottle to the bins, and walking back over to where his friends sat. 

"Well," Dare beamed.  "Wasn't she pretty?  Don't know why she went for you, though.  Maybe I should go over there, tell her that I'm better suited?"

"Sometimes I really hate you."  Dare laughed at him, but Keaton wasn't paying that one any attention.  Rette stared at the table, fists clenched, bottom lip caught between her teeth.  If she bit any harder, she'd draw blood.  Why is he such an idiot? Keaton thought. 

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice carried over all of them, causing heads to turn.  The voice was familiar.  The administrator of the Test: Dr. Nix Fallow.  "We will place you now, one by one.  As I call your name, please rise."  The three waited, Rette and Keaton looking at their friend, knowing he would be called first of them. 

Fallow got to the D's, and Dare was the first name.  "Elphias Dare, 752." He stood up. "You have been Placed." The doctor let the moment build, and it seemed as though the young boy was trembling. He probably was. "You have been Placed in Squad 17." The boy let out a breath of relief, pumping his first, encouraging the cheers. His friends only laughed at his antics.

More names were called, many and then he was at the S's. Keaton should've been called relatively early, for the letter. He should've stood, received his Place, hopefully be happy, and sit back down. But he wasn't called. "Tora Sawe, 739." Dare and Rette exchanged a panicked glance, before looking at Keaton. He noticed a few others who had been in his Classes do the same.  Keaton shrunk in his seat, his mind completely blank.  He didn't register anything Fallow said until he called Rette's name.  "Margarette Waar, 754. You have been Placed in Squad 17." She looked at Dare hopefully, gleefully, but he was looking at Keaton. The only one of their friends not to be Placed inc Squad 17. The only one that may not have been Placed at all.

Fallow congratulated everyone at the end, but Keaton was just in a fog. Where would he go now? Room 93? Back into the Wastelands? He didn't know. But an officer stopped him as everyone was filing out of the hall. "753?" He gave a nod. "Please come with me." Dare and Rette looked at him, scared, but he mouthed, It's okay. He tried to smile, but was certain it only came out as a grimace.

The officer led him to a back door, into a hallway Keaton had never been in, that he coils remember. Dr. Fallow stood against the wall, hands in pockets. The boy gulped. Could this be about Tyris? "Hello, Mr. Sailor." He extended a hand for Keaton to shake, so he did. "You're probably wondering why you weren't Placed, am I correct?" Keaton couldn't speak, so he nodded. "We just didn't want to announce your position so... publicly." At this, Keaton became confused, which for sure changed his expression. "You had the highest Test score, Mr. Sailor. So we appointed you to Squad 13."

Keaton finally found his voice. "I've never heard of Squad 13."

"No ons has. Unless they're a part of it, or part of the working system here. They do some different missions that what the other Squads don't do. It's very elite. Only five other members. They're all very good. Like yourself. But so no one has to learn of this, you will work in Tech. You exceeded expectations there."

"Okay. What should I tell my friends?" He questioned.

Fallow checked a file that the officer handed him. "Mr. Dare and Miss Waar? Your roommates?" Keaton nodded once more. "You can tell them about this, but no one else. And if they are to say anything about it, they will be taken to Room 93. Am I clear?" At the end, his voice carried a certain menace that scared Keaton so much, he thought he might blanch.

"Crystal."