Having to decide your future at sixteen would freak most people out. Without any proper life experience or second chances straight away, sealing your fate with a job you know hardly anything about is a daunting decision but that wasn't the case for me... Or so I thought.

I don't have any special talents, I'm not super buff and the only thing I've really got going for me is that I'm above average academically. The thing is though, I'm not a brain box and I'm unable to sit still for prolonged periods of time - I've been told I have a 'rather short attention span' so that rules out any office jobs but good riddance to that! I'd rather die than become a pencil pusher, but that's just my opinion.

At this stage, it appears that I'm pretty much doomed to life but there is one job that does appeal to me and that's being a Police Officer. It's not the fact that I'm a righteous do-gooder or I have a lot of respect for the law, which, for the record, I'm not saying I don't, it's mostly because of an almost non-existent crime rate in Mytopia, police officers focus more on their second objective which is to help those in need.

If I've already decided on what job I want then my life is sorted, right? Well, the short answer is no. At the end of our education, all students are required to take a 'Student Leavers Aptitude Variant Examination Recognition Yielding' test, but we just call it the aptitude test for simplicity and depending on how well we score in each given field a job is allocated to us until The Worm decides we may reapply. That means even if you are dead set on a certain career you might not get it, however, the aptitude tests almost always give people the jobs they want or something equivalent because nobody so far has complained, or rather are they not allowed to?

Speaking of complaining, I'm surprised that nobody has told me off for chewing the end of a pencil while I daydream. Normally whenever my mind wanders I have this habit of either chewing the end of a pencil or shaking my legs. I know I shouldn't as everybody has to share the pencils and shaking my leg can be distracting but scanning the classroom from the corners of my eyes I see that everybody is intently listening. I blink my eyes hard trying to refocus on what my teacher is saying but you know when you're in that comfortable place when you know you're zoned out but are too lazy to zone in back in? Yeah, that's where I am right now. I try to at least look as if I'm paying attention by slowly shifting my head in the general direction but at the very moment I almost get in the correct position my elbow slips of my desk causing my head to jerk sideways. Almost immediately I have a sense of vertigo and the last thing I see before I hit the ground is the classroom door open and guess who's standing there? None other than The Mayor of Mytopia.

I hear, or rather feel, a small thud as my body hits the ground but my embarrassment covers any pain I would have felt. If I were in the cinema an automated laugh-track should have been due but as I slowly raise my head the first thing I see is my teachers head in her hands and the deadpan expression is reflected by all of my classmates. An awkward silence ensues as the mayor and I lock eyes and I feel my face heat up. Right on cue, I hear a snicker behind me, breaking the suspense and with that, the whole class erupts into various degrees of laughter. Within seconds the mayor also joins in with the chorus and I grin to myself as I sneak back into my chair thinking only one thing - I am safe!

Oh! I might have forgotten to mention something earlier. I do have a talent, well kind of, which is being the class clown. I don't do anything funny on purpose but somehow whenever there is a funny situation, you will generally find me nearby. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad title to have, somebody has got to do it, it's just I don't really consider it as a useful talent as such and I certainly don't promote that title, not that I need to anyway...

"Oh Aegis," My teacher sighs, shaking her head trying to suppress another bout of giggles, "I should have expected the class clown to strike on the most important day of your education."

I twirl my black hair around my index finger as I purse my lips trying to think of a something to say but my throat is parched and thankfully the class rep who sits on the right of me puts her hand up to speak.

"He can't help it, Miss." The class rep winks at me. "He probably fell asleep."

I sweat-drop as the class laughs again. Staring at the class rep trying to come up with a suitable retort, she smiles at me and the only thing I can come up with is to roll my eyes. Feeling a small prod in my back I turn to see Sebastian who is doing his best to contain his laughter.

"She's right you know Aegis," He adds jokingly, "You know you have a short attention span after all."

"S-Shut up!"

My attention shifts as the Mayor claps his hands, a signal for silence. "No matter. If Aegis did manage to fall asleep then it means he is well rested so-" The Mayor glances at me. "He better pay attention to what I have to say next because if he doesn't his future could be doomed."

I gulp, pulling my collar away from my neck. The mayor waves his hands in the air and wriggles his fingers as he elongates the 'ooh' sound in 'doomed'. I know he's just joking but in all seriousness with the tense laughter in the room, everybody is feeling slightly pressured. With no sure way to prepare for the aptitude test, even the top students are in a lucky dip alongside the lower achievers in securing the most respected professions such as being The Mayor's Apprentice.

"As you all know." The Mayor adds. "After lunch is the aptitude test. You will need to all line up in register order outside of the gymnasium and, although you are supposed to be silent, I'll allow you to chatter amongst yourselves while you wait for your turn as long as you do it quietly. Once you've finished with your individual examinations you will return to class. Remember it is forbidden for anybody to tell anyone else what happens during the testing period. Is that understood?"

Like robots, we all repeat a familiar chant. "Yes, Mayor Cyrus."

"Wonderful!" The Mayor beams at us. "I'll see you soon so good luck and may The Worm have you in his favour."

With that the mayor left the room and, almost as if it were a parting gift, the bell rang causing the class burst into an ensemble of chatter with the occasional table scrapes and chair squeaks. My teacher gave, whoever was calm enough to pay attention to her, a bemused look and without a short end in sight she sighed before clearing her throat and repeating yet another very familiar saying; "The bell is a sign for me not for you."

In response, the class' mutterings became murmurs until the silence was, as cliché as, deafening. Pleased with the outcome, my teacher slowly opened the classroom door. "Now I know everyone has mixed feelings about the aptitude test but please don't spoil the last day and keep the good example you have set for the younger children. Just relax now, do your best and get a good lunch."

I internally groan as I pick up my slightly chewed pencil and place it in the stationary pot. 'Get a good lunch'? As if! The one thing I won't miss about school is the diet. A weekly rota of meal bars, processed food groups and general slop might keep us all healthy and ensure we all have the right caloric intake but whilst it may keep my body alive physically, it doesn't psychologically and if possible my tongue would have probably jumped out of my mouth ages ago. That still wouldn't have saved me though because, with medical technology almost at the brink of complete regeneration, they would probably just give me a Mosjection and I'd grow my organs back within a day.

Running my fingers across the engraved walls as I head down the corridor to the canteen, I trace the common insignia which is impossible to escape in Mytopia - an infinity sign composed of two 's' mirrored together; a representation of The Worm's benevolent yet unforgiving rule. Even the outskirts of The Wall boast The Worm's insignia where hardly anybody sees it. Well, it is expected. The Wall protects us and so does The Worm. The Worm provides us with life and without it, we would surely perish... right?

A cold hand grasps my shoulder and I tense up. "Don't doubt The Worm!" I turn around, my heart racing with my hands clasped together in forgiveness but I breathe a sigh of relief when I realise it's just Sebastian with a worried look on his face.

"Yeah." Sebastian nods unsurely, mimicking my hand gesture. "Don't doubt The Worm."

"Yes! Don't ever doubt The Worm!" A brunette with blonde highlights and slightly oversized glasses jumps between us almost giving me a larger heart attack than I might have already had. "Having faith not only in The Worm but in society as a whole keep us as one."

Sebastian and I glance at each other as we both sweatdrop. "We know Sylvia, it's just... I was... umm... praying. Yeah! I was praying to The Worm so I could do well on my aptitude test!" It's a half-truth so hopefully, I'll get away with it.

Sylvia scrutinises me as she readjusts her glasses before beaming happily. "That's a good idea Aegis! I think I'll do that as well."

I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding as Sylvia walks back over to rejoin her sister Cynthia. I turn to Sebastian who is raising an eyebrow at me and I wrack my brain trying to think of a conversation starter which would change the topic. "Sooo, do you want to repeat the ritual?"

"Huh?" Sebastian tilts his head. "What ritual?"

"Well..." I scratch my arm awkwardly. "You know, the ritual we have every year where we sit next to each other on the first day of school and the last day of school."

Sebastian blinks hard for a second whilst creating a hammer with his fist and hitting it with an open palm. "Oh, I remember now. It's our little ritual right?"

I nod my head slowly. It was our ritual, wasn't it? I remember sitting next to the same person at the beginning and end of each school year but somehow in my memories, Sebastian's face isn't so clear. Now, that I think about it, I don't actually have any clear memories of Sebastian but as I look into his orangey-brown eyes framed by an array of freckles, how couldn't we have any memories together? There is only one school in Mytopia after all and I've grown up with the same classmates all my life.

'Anyway, what happened just now?" Sebastian asks, disturbing my train of thought.

I gulp. Busted.

"Hey, Aegis. You're not that worried about the aptitude tests, are you? You don't generally mention The Worm unless you were having do-"

"Don't doubt The Worm!" I whisper fiercely which not only surprised Sebastian but also myself. I'm not having doubts about The Worm, am I? Not at this point anyway - I can't, not now, not ever. But why? I shake my head. "Sorry, I'm just a little bit worried that's all."

Sebastian gives me a reassuring smile. "Nah, don't be. We're all a bit tense and- hey! Do you smell that?"

"What?" I scrunch up my face, "Did you fart!"

"No, no! Just focus on the scent."

I eye roll. "Fine."

Deciding to have faith in Sebastian, as Sylvia reminded me earlier, I shut my eyes momentarily and take in a deep breath. As soon as I shut my eyes though they open again with, which I swear is, a visible twinkle in each corner. Sebastian and I give each other a massive grin and we speed walk to the canteen as fast as we can whilst adhering to the school policy of no running in the hallways.