“When did you pull it off?” asked Amelia.

  “Pull what off?” asked Jack.

  “You know. When did you get all the documents ready for the recruitment?” asked Amelia.

  “During your finals. I roamed around a lot to get those documents ready.” Said Jack.

  “Heh. No wonder you weren’t in the house most of the time. Did you tell Uncle Frank about this?” asked Amelia as she flipped through a page of her arithmetics textbook.

  “Yeah. He was kinda surprised to be honest, you know, considering how much I was affected by Mom and Dad’s deaths.” Said Jack as he solved a problem from a logical reasoning book.

  “I bet he thought you would never even consider joining the division.” Said Amelia.

  “He was happy though. Said I finally went back to being the Jack he always knew.” Said Jack.

  “No joke. You lost your energy and your cheerfulness. I knew you were hurting a lot, but, I didn’t do anything to help you out. I feel ashamed of myself for not looking out for you.” Said Amelia.

  “Don’t be. I was kinda relieved that you weren’t affected by what happened. You had a goal in mind and you worked toward that goal with no room for anything else, while I was busy being depressed. I should have at the very least tried to move on and get myself a goal to work toward too.” Said Jack.

  “I’m glad you’re back to your normal self, big bro.” said Amelia.

  “Yeah! Now let’s get back to studying.” Said Jack with a bright smile.

  “Right.” Replied Amelia as she went back to her books.

  Three days passed since Jack and Amelia signed up for the 'Outlanders' division. They devoted the majority of their study time to topics that would be examined. As he wasn't as athletic as Amelia, Jack also worked out in preparation for the physical exam. However, because the physical exam wouldn't be held until they were accepted, he only spent a quarter of the day exercising. Taking a break between studies wasn't an option as they only had four days until their exam. It was 5:30 in the evening. While drinking their evening coffee, Jack and Amelia were pouring over their books, practicing problems, and memorizing terms when they heard a knock on their door. Jack was irritated that his concentration had been broken. He rose from his seat and looked at Amelia, who shared Jack's frustration. He got to the door and opened it. On their doorsteps, a young man about Jack's age was standing. He had jet-black hair and a semi-oval face. He was sporting a pair of red half-frame glasses, a matching red t-shirt, and blue shorts. His face radiated maturity as he smiled at Jack.

  “Heyo, Jack.” Said Billy.

  “Hey! What’s up, Billy?” asked Jack.

  “I got the textbook you asked for Jack. Also, Amy asked for a little help in understanding some topics. So here I am.” Said Billy.

  “Thanks, Bill. Come on in.” Said Jack.

  Jack offered Billy a seat and then served him some snacks. Jack sat down and poured through the book Billy purchased for him, Meanwhile, Billy helped Amelia with her comprehension doubts. They didn’t realize how quickly time had passed until it was 8:30 p.m.

  “Oh, crap!! It’s 8:30?!!! I better get going before I’m late.” Exclaimed Billy.

  “Late? Late for what?” asked Amelia.

  “I got a curfew. I’m supposed to be at home before 9.” Replied Billy.

  “Curfews at this age?!! Seriously?!! Man, you got strict parents.” Said Jack.

  “Well, it's all thanks to my dumb brother. He and his friends went to the surface and got caught by WSF officers on patrol. I got roped into his punishment because I didn’t stop him from pulling off this stunt. I get that I didn’t stop him, but it's no reason to impose a curfew on me too. Totally unfair.” Said Billy in a frustrated tone.

  “Totally.” said Jack and Amelia in unison.

  “Oh, right! I almost forgot. Jack, could you send me a few recent photos of you and Amy?” said Billy.

  “Hmm? What do you need them for?” asked Jack.

  “Just send them, will ya? I need them.” Said Billy.

  Jack and Amelia looked at each other, perplexed. Jack shrugged and replied to Billy

  “Sure. I’ll send ‘em.” Said Jack.

  “Cool!! Thanks. See ya later.” Said Billy as he left.

  “Right. I’ll start making dinner.” Said Amelia.

  “I’ll help.” Said Jack as he closed the door behind him.

  Thanks. Could you prepare the salad? I’ll prepare the main dish.” Said Amelia.

  “Right. Oh, by the way, jinx.” Said Jack pointing his finger toward Amelia.

  “You’re saying that now?” said Amelia smiling.

  “Whatever. I said it first.” Said Jack.

  “Ook. What is it that you want me to do?” asked Amelia.

  “Hmmmmm. For now, nothing. I’ll have to think about it.” Said Jack.

  “Fine.” Said Amelia.

  Half an hour later, Jack and Amelia sat down for dinner. They were eating oven-cooked chicken along with sauteed vegetable salad and mashed potatoes. They ate their meal while pouring through their books. For a while, the only sound made was the clinking of the cutlery. Then Jack broke the silence.

  “Man! No matter what I try, I can’t get this salad to taste like Mom’s.” said Jack after eating a small portion of the salad.

  “I think it tastes good.” Said Amelia.

  “Yeah, but Mom’s salad used to have that tangy taste. I really liked that. I miss her cooking. I miss her.” Said Jack in a sad tone.

  Both Jack and Amelia looked at their family picture on the wall with a slightly sad expression.

  “Yeah! Me too.” Said Amelia.

  “Wonder what they would say to us if they were here now?” said Jack thoughtfully.

  “I’m sure they would have loooved your hobo look.” Said Amelia in a sarcastic way.

  “Enough about my hobo look already.” Said Jack in a slightly irritated tone.

  “Awww. Big bwother’s sensitive, isn’t he?” said Amelia in a mischievous tone.

  “Not as sensitive as you when someone calls you ‘angry chihuahua’.” Said Jack half giggling.

  “UGGGH! I still don’t get why people call me a chihuahua!!” exclaimed Amelia.

  Jack let out a roar of laughter at Amelia’s reaction.

  “As a kid, you used to yell at people in a high-pitched voice and at such a rapid pace that you sounded like a chihuahua. It seems they got used to calling you that.” said Jack recovering from his laughter.

  “But it's so annoying when people call me that.” Complained Amelia.

  “Anyway. How far have you covered the subjects?” asked Jack.

  “I’m almost done. Just a few more topics in arithmetics left. What about you?” asked Amelia.

  “I finished covering all the topics in arithmetics. I’ve just been practicing sample problems all this time.” Said Jack.

  “WAIT, WHAAAT?!! But it’s only been three days. And you haven’t been practicing since before the recruitment process like I have. How in the hell were you able to finish covering the topics before me.’ Exclaimed Amelia.

  “I was the top of my class in arithmetics remember? I remember everything about it. Just needed a proper refresh and I was golden.” Said Jack.

  “Man! You’re something else aren’t ya? I was struggling a lot before it finally clicked for me.” Said Amelia.

  “No. Although arithmetics is a piece of cake for me, comprehension is a completely different story for me.” Said Jack.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  “I guess we both agree on that part.” Said Amelia.

  “Ok. Enough talk. We should finish dinner before it gets cold.” Said Jack.

  “Yeah.” agreed Amelia.

  Four days flew by for Jack and Amelia as the test date approached. Jack and Amelia boarded the bus at 7:30 in the morning on the day of the exam to travel to their venue, arriving there by 8 o'clock. Dozens of other candidates had arrived for the exam, just like them. Some candidates were calming their nerves, while others huddled with friends to discuss key points about each subject and frantically flipped through notes and books.

  “I think we should go through a few important topics before they call for us. Don’t you think?” asked Amelia.

  “Sure.” Said Jack as he took the books out of his bag.

  At 8:11 a.m., a cool male voice spoke from all the announcement devices around the building.

  “All examinees. Please head toward your assigned exam halls. The exam shall start at 8:15 a.m.”

  “Where’s your hall again?” asked Jack.

  “Let’s see. It’s in room 202. That’s on the first floor if I’m not mistaken.” Said Amelia.

  “Mine’s in 102, ground floor. Ok then, let’s go.” Said Jack.

  “Right.” said Amelia.

  Jack and Amelia walked along with the crowd before splitting up at the staircase. Jack kept reviewing his notes in his head as he walked toward his hall. So engrossed was he, that he didn’t notice someone in front of him, as he bumped into them.

  “oof! Ow.” Exclaimed the person.

  Broken from his concentration, Jack saw that he had bumped into a girl. She had brilliant green eyes and orange hair. These features, along with her oval face, made her look quite adorable. Jack was dumbstruck for a few seconds before he came to his senses.

  “Oh! Uhh. I’m so sorry. Here let me help you.” Said Jack as he helped the girl up.

  “No problem. I take it you’re really nervous about the test?” asked the girl nervously.

  “Uhh, no. I was kinda lost in reviewing the topics in my head. I’m really sorry about bumping into you.” Said Jack.

  “No, it’s fine really. I was lost in thought too. So, no worries.” Said the girl with a nervous smile on her face.

  “Right.” Said Jack in reply.

  “Which hall are you heading toward?” asked the girl.

  “I’m heading to hall 102.” Said Jack.

  “Same here! What a coincidence.” Said the girl.

  “Yeah!” replied Jack.

  Outside hall 102, candidates were keeping their bags in the lockers and having their IDs checked before being let inside the hall. Jack kept his bag, took out his ID and pens, and joined the queue with the girl. After entering the hall, Jack checked his hall ticket to find his seat. Each desk had a computer, which displayed the name and photo of the candidate who would be occupying that particular system. Jack and the girl checked their Hall tickets before settling into their assigned seats, only to find that they were seated next to each other.

  “Oh wow! Who knew we’d be sitting next to each other.” Said the girl with a giggle.

  “Heh. Crazy coincidence, huh?” said Jack with a humorous tone as he sat down.

  At 8:15 a.m., the examiner entered the hall along with his assistant.

  “All right everyone settle down.” Said the examiner. After everyone had settled in their seats, the examiner spoke again

  “Now I'll go over the rules. The system will open in about five minutes, and you will then be able to start answering the questions. The test consists of 100 questions divided into four sections, with 25 questions per section. The questions in each section will be progressively more difficult. As a result, the points assigned to each question will vary, with the easiest questions receiving one point, the next level receiving two points, and the next level receiving three points. You will also have questions with negative markings, so make sure to answer the questions that you are absolutely certain about. The test will last two hours. Additionally, blank sheets will be provided for you to use in your calculations. That’s all. Best of luck to you all.”

  Exactly five minutes later, the screen opened, revealing the questions. Soon silence fell in the hall, as everyone began to answer their questions, with only the clicking sound of the mouse resounding in the silence. Jack chose to answer the arithmetic section first, as he was good at it. In about eight minutes, he had completed that section, and he moved on to the other sections. Jack began to attempt the two other sections comprising mathematics and vocabulary and completed them in about thirty minutes. Finally, he moved on to the more troublesome section of comprehension. He finished the low and intermediate-difficulty questions as quickly as possible and arrived at the high-difficulty questions. Although it took him only ten minutes to attempt the high-difficulty questions, he decided to spend ten more minutes checking all his comprehension answers, after which, he started to cross-check his answers in the other sections. Jack finished his test at 9:30 a.m and rested his forehead on the table. He didn’t realize he had dozed off until the examiner announced the end of the exam, at which he woke up with a start.

  “Hee hee. You were out cold huh?” said the girl next to him.

  “Uhh, yeah. Seems so.” Said Jack rubbing his eyes.

  Jack and the other examinees left the hall row-wise and they handed over their sheets filled with calculations. Jack collected his belongings and started heading toward the exit when the girl caught up to him.

  “Hey. How was your test?” asked the girl.

  “I think I did okay. I had a little trouble with comprehension so I left a few negative points unattempted. I just hope my answers to the negative points I did attempt are right.” Said Jack thoughtfully.

  “I had trouble in math. I never really liked the subject to begin with.” Said the girl.

  “You don’t say.” Replied Jack. Just then Jack heard his name being called.

  “Jack! Hey! Over here!”

  He looked in the direction from where the voice came and found Amelia at the building entrance.

  “Yeah! Coming. Gotta go. I wish you the best of luck.” Said Jack as he picked up his pace.

  “Thanks! You too.” Replied the girl.

  Jack caught up with Amelia at the entrance, and the two walked to the nearby bus stop.

  “I see you’ve been busy.” Said Amelia with a mischievous tone.

  “With what?” asked Jack.

  “Don’t act dumb with me. I saw you walking with that girl back there. She was cute, wasn’t she?” said Amelia with a giggle while nudging Jack with her elbow.

  “It’s nothing like that. She’s just a talkative one. That’s all.” Said Jack irritably.

  “Sure, sure.” said Amelia with a sarcastic tone.

  “Enough about that. How did your test go?” asked Jack.

  “I think I did pretty good. I know I will make it into the top ten at least. What about you?” asked Amelia.

  “I did good too. Though I’m not expecting anything just yet. I’m gonna let the results speak for itself.” Said Jack.

  “Way to have confidence in yourself.” Said Amelia in a mocking tone.

  Jack laughed at the statement and replied

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make it. I still got a job after all.” Said Jack.

  Amelia smiled at Jack’s statement as the two boarded the bus home.

  “Right.” Said Amelia.

  Although their entrance exam was over, Jack and Amelia kept themselves busy with exercise and morning jogs, as they still needed to pass their physical examination to join the ‘Outlanders’ division. Amelia took charge of coming up with their diet plan, which consisted of some of Jack’s least Favourite foods.

  “Come on, Jack. It would help if you ate the broccoli and eggplants. They’re essential for the diet. I’m not letting you off the hook until you eat them.” said Amelia.

  “Aye aye, captn’” replied Jack with a defeated tone.

  A month passed away at a moment's notice. It was the 9th of September. Jack and Amelia were anxiously waiting to receive their acceptance letters since the day before. Amelia was especially anxious about her results and kept grumbling about the delay.

  “Weren’t the mail supposed to come yesterday.” said Amelia in an irritated tone.

  “Calm down Amy. We’ll get them for sure.” Said Jack.

  At that moment, they heard a knock on their door. Jack and Amelia rushed to the door at full speed and opened it. But instead of finding the mailman, they found Billy standing with the brightest smile they had ever seen on his face.

  “Oh. Hey, Billy.” Said Amelia.

  “What’s with that ‘meh’ vibe?” said Billy.

  “Hey, Billy. Sorry about that. We were just expecting someone else. Come on in.” said Jack.

  “Yeah!” said Billy.

  “What’s up, Billy? You look really happy about something?” asked Jack.

  “Well, I got a surprise for the both of ya, and I can’t wait to see how you react to it.” Said Billy as he placed two identical rectangular boxes with a domed lid, all wrapped up as presents, on the table.

  “Go ahead. Open ‘em up.” Said Billy.

  Jack and Amelia looked at each other, puzzled. Jack shrugged, took one of the boxes, and undid the wrapping as Amelia followed suit. Both found what looked like a jewelry box. Jack and Amelia opened their boxes and found a small locket inside each. Jack and Amelia once again looked at each other, quite puzzled. They then looked at Billy.

  “Come on. Do you want me to instruct you like babies? Open ‘em up.” Said Billy.

  Jack and Amelia opened their lockets, and what they saw pleasantly surprised them. Inside were two pictures. For Jack, the picture on the right side of his locket was that of Amelia, and it appeared to have been taken recently, while the picture on the left side was that of family photo of Jack’s family. Amelia’s locket had the same picture on the left, but the picture on the right side was that of Jack’s, which also appeared to have been taken recently.

  “Happy advanced Birthday the two of you!!!” exclaimed Billy.

  “Wow, Billy! These are really beautiful. But, why wish now? We still got time, right?” said Jack.

  “Well, you guys won’t be around to celebrate in person, right? So, I thought I’d give you guys some presents right now.” Said Billy.

  “I’m not so sure, Billy. I mean we still haven’t gotten our acceptance letters yet.” Said Amelia.

  “Don’t say that. We’ll get it, ok.” Said Jack.

  “That’s where my second present comes in. Have at it.” Said Billy as he handed two envelopes to Jack and Amelia. A surge of expectations rushed into the siblings as they quickly grabbed the envelopes addressed to them and opened them.

  September 9, 2034

  Jackson Foster

  No.23, 27th Street, Housing area

  Kansas, MO 640816

  Dear Mr. Foster

  You have been accepted by the ‘Outlanders’ special Army division after your successful completion of the entrance examination. Please note, that your physical examination will be held on the fifteenth of September. Your physical examination venue is as follows:

  ‘Outlanders’ Training Institute, Gymnasium complex, 1508 Broadway Boulevard Street,

  Kansas, MO 640816

  You are instructed to arrive at the venue by 8 o’clock on the examination date. We wish you the best of luck.

  Jack saw that the letter was signed by Frank Anderson, his parent’s close friend.

  “How the heck did you get your hands on our letters?!” asked Amelia with a bright smile.

  “I just recently joined a mail company for a part-time job. The last mail to be delivered today was yours. So I volunteered to deliver it myself. It also gave me the perfect chance to give you the surprise I was cooking.” replied Billy.

  “Is that why you asked for our recent photos?” asked Jack.

  “Yup!!” replied Billy

  “Billy, this is the best present ever.” Said Amelia as she hugged Billy.

  “Yeah! Man. Thanks a bunch. I’ll cherish this forever.” Said Jack.

  Suddenly, Billy became silent. Then Amelia heard small sobs. She let go of Billy and saw tears rolling down his cheeks.

  “Damn it. I promised myself I wouldn’t go all emotional about this. Guess I’m not good at holding my waterworks in.” said Billy with a shaky voice.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Amelia.

  “Nothin’. Thinking about how I’ll be lonely without the two of you is making me tear up. You guys are the only friends I treasure. On top of that, there’s no telling if I can see you ever again.” Said Billy.

  Jack and Amelia looked at each other and smiled softly. Then the both of them hugged Billy to reassure him.

  “Don’t worry. We’re not gonna be gone for long. We’ll come back for sure.” Said Amelia.

  “And I’ll make sure Amelia is keeping herself alive. I’m not gonna let her out of my sight. I won’t die until she’s back home safe.” Said Jack.

  “You guys better keep your word. Or I’ll kill ya.” Said Billy.

  “Hey! I have an idea. I’ll bake some cake for us to have. This occasion definitely calls for a celebration. Don’t you agree?” said Amelia.

  “Yeah! How about some of your chiffon cake? Everyone loves your chiffon cakes. I’ll set the table for three.” Said Jack.

  “good idea.” Said Amelia.

  Billy wiped his tears and smiled.

  “Yeah! Sounds great.” Said Billy.