'Mr. Carteline requests your presence in his office.'

My eyes widened and I just sat there, looking at the small black message. Everything around me receded into the background, encasing the message and me into a fake bubble. I stopped breathing, my pulse beating on the side of my neck like a war drum beat from centuries ago. My hands were clammy from sweat as fear took control of my body. This could not be happening. I would never agree to go Outside or to the cages. But then again, nobody agreed to go. They were dragged, screaming and fighting, their hands and legs stretched to hold on to something. But eventually, they had to let go. They had to leave their life behind, their beautiful, safe lives for a horrifying one. The cages meant Hell on Earth while going Outside meant death. Neither was an option. And that was why everybody followed the rules; the punishments were too much to bear.

But I had broken a law. Not just one but many. And now, one of the topmost officers was calling me. Even though I knew that he was my partner's father, chills crept down my arms. I took a deep breath and raised my chin in a show of confidence. If I showed even a bit of guilt, Mr. Carteline would understand something was wrong. He was the most perceptive person I knew and he knew me well enough to know the slightest changes in me. No, I had to maintain a very careful mask. Only then would I be able to get out of this alive.

I pushed my shoulders back and walked out of Daniel's office. His office was on a higher floor with all the other important people. The higher your level, the higher was your floor. As I walked into the elevator, my breath hitched, a chink in my carefully wielded armor. The door closed behind me and I found that I was glad to be left alone, glad to have some time to gather myself. I glued my armor together, closing every chink and crack; so when the door finally opened, I was the epitome of a calm, quiet person.

When I reached his office door, I knocked gently.

"Come in." A sharp, familiar voice called. I opened the door and when he saw me, he smiled, the skin around his blue eyes crinkling. A stranger would have immediately thought of him as a kind, gentle person is not for those sharp, piercing blue eyes. His eyes told you of the intelligence hidden behind the laughter lines and the happy face.

I smiled back, a perfect smile.

"Mr. Carteline," I greeted.

He motioned for me to sit and I took a chair in front of his desk. Thoughts ran through my mind, running at the speed of the Expedition Hover, the fastest Hover in all of man's history. Knowing Mr. Carteline, his smile didn't mean anything. He was an expert at hiding his emotions, I knew that much from all the house calls that we had given each other when Francis and I were dating. Whatever he wanted to ask me could range between how I was, to I was going to be Banished. He would still have the same expression on his chiseled face if he wanted to.

"What is it that you wanted to ask me, Sir?" I asked. There was a soft smile on my face, a smile that was used to hide the inner turmoil going through my mind. He leaned back in his leather seat which made a crinkling sound, observing me. I stared back, as if I had nothing to hide. The soft glow from the lights cast his face into shadow, but I could still see the familiar face and not the daunting man a stranger would have seen.

"I want to ask you a question and I want you to answer it honestly."

Fear burrowing deeper into my heart, I nodded, hoping that action wouldn't condemn me to one of the worst punishments known to man.

"Where were you last night?"

My lips parted slightly, barely even a motion. But he saw it as I knew he would. This was the reason I had to have a complete armor, without any cracks and spaces. I smiled.

"I was working late. Why, were you searching for me?"

Each word I used now had the power to either save my life or condemn me. Each word I used would decide my fate, would I have the life I always desired, or would I have the one that I had feared for my whole life. My hands were clammy on my lap but I kept them still. Even a slight motion of guilt would tell him, tell him of the crimes that I had committed. It would tell him of the laws I had broken, and the promises. The words I used now had the power to shatter the image that he had of me in his mind.

"Yes, actually. I was looking for you." He answered. "I wanted to tell you something but you weren't at home."

I bent my head to the side slightly. "Oh, I am so sorry. If I knew, I would've come early."

Everything sounded fake to my ears, the conversation, the topic, the words, everything. I wondered if he felt the same, and if yes then what it would mean for me. Then I remembered something, something that might make him think. If he already knew about me, then maybe this would make him think twice.

"Oh, Mr. Carteline, I wanted to tell you something too." I said, a grin on my face. "You and your family are invited to our house for a family dinner. My sister's partner's family is also coming."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled at me. "Oh, of course we'll be there. When is it?"

I smiled. Maybe this had the potential to work, to save my life.

"Oh, by the oracles, I almost forgot. It's today."

Amusement layered his blue eyes and I realized he was laughing at me. I looked down with pink cheeks as I wondered what there was laugh about. Everybody could forget things. I shook my head. This at least meant that he was distracted and would think about banishing me once more. After all, I was his son's partner.

"I will be there along with Francis and Isabelle. And of course Celine will come. She can never resist the chance to see you." He said. I grinned. This may actually be working. But that was when he said, "Anyway, the reason I called you was for telling you a very important thing."

He looked deep into my grey eyes, his face utterly serious. My heartbeat picked up again and I thought this was it. He was going to tell me that I was being banished. If not, then at least for our relationship's sake, that it was a last warning. But what came out of his mouth made me lean back and suck in a breath. My eyes widened as every other thought chased out of my mind. The time that I was waiting for had finally come. This would decide the way I would lead my life.

"Your Evaluation test is in a few days. Be ready for it."