In front of the mirror stood a lean eighteen-year-old girl wearing a hoodie and baggy pants with a lollipop sticking out of her mouth. She was, of course, breaking the strict school dress code once again. She had her long black hair in a braid and earphones around her neck. Some people called her a daredevil or a rebel, while others would've said that she was inscrutable and reserved. Some people would've teased her and gotten on her nerves. But the people who know better stayed away.
That girl was me, Katelina, but everyone calls me Kate. To my left was my younger brother Luka, adjusting his white polo and blue sweatpants. He has a wolf cut with highlights and his signature grin on his face. He's a year younger than me and was always considered skinny, but is ridiculously strong. More than half of the school is afraid of him and his royal purple eyes are also really intimidating. I don't blame them for being scared, I would be scared too.
"Kate, we should leave for school. It's already 8:00 and we don't want to be late for the second-to-last day in school," Luka recommended.
"Alright, but you better not accept too many requests from the neighbors," I responded.
"You got it, boss!" Luka said.
We slipped on our shoes and stepped outside into the perpetually empty street. Our neighborhood was a combination of struggling young adults and seniors who just wanted to live in peace. Not many people walk to school from our direction. So it's often just Luka and me walking on the streets at 8 a.m every day. It only takes us ten minutes to walk to school, and school starts at 9:00. Often, the neighbors ask us for little tasks, like washing vegetables or getting a cat out of a tree. Though Luka is the one who enjoys these tasks, I find them tedious and time-consuming. I'd rather sleep for an extra thirty minutes. Every day, we do three to five tasks before we actually go to school. Today, we watered Mr. Henry's plants, cleaned Mrs. Eleanor's vegetables, and rescued Ms. Doriwater's cat again.
When we arrived at the school, all the girls started fawning over Luka, again. With all his charms, Luka is fairly popular among the girls. But instead of the girls coming up to him, they were all glaring at one girl. The one person I detested the most in this school. It was Blair, the top girl in the school. Though she is extremely popular among the boys, she was detested by all the girls at school. Not only was she annoying, she was also extremely arrogant and conceited.
"Hey freak, do you have your daily dosage of lollipops? Or do you need one? If you don't I can fulfill your baby wish if you beg for it. Come on, it's a good deal," Blair said while imitating baby noises.
Oh My God, just leave me alone. I already have enough things to stress about.
"Come on Kate, aren't you gonna go on your knees?" Blair teased.
My hands clenched into a fist. I had enough of her for the past two years. It's already the end of the year, nothing would happen if I teach this bitch a lesson? Right? Before I could realize what I was doing, I already raised my fist and was ready to punch.
"Hey, calm down. Just ignore her," Luka jumped in before I could punch her.
"Tsk," was the only thing that came out of my mouth.
I'm actually relieved that Luka stopped me, because if he didn't, then things wouldn't have ended so well.
"C'mon, let's get to class," I said.
We turned around and started walking to our class. In the distance I could still hear Blair taunting me. I wish I could pummel her into the ground, how satisfying would that be? I could experience the exhilaration of finally doing something I've wanted to do for years. But I would probably be held back, and that would not be good. The only logical choice is just to wait it out. It's only two more days, I can survive. The little quarrel took a bit too much time, it was 8:57 and we were almost tardy for our classes. As soon as I stepped into my first period, the bell rang. I rushed to my seat and sat down with my legs crossed, and stared at the teacher. I heard whispers behind me, and they were all about the Spectrals test. I don't have to be reminded of it. The only reason I dread the last week of school is because of these tests. The Spectral test isn't just a normal test with paper and questions; this is when somebody discovers if they are a spectral or not, and if they are, then they will get dragged to the corp after graduating high school.
Spectrals are different from normal humans and make up a small portion of the population. They have enhanced healing and physical capabilities compared to normal people. And to tell them apart, they all have different eye colors. Based on the different eye colors, each person receives a certain gift. Though these "gifts" may seem cool, they are actually considered a curse by many people. Spectrals are often shunned by society or completely disregarded as actual humans and are depicted as savages or murderers, and aren't able to live a normal life like others. However, others adore them and want to have gifts too. These gifts are also hereditary, and aren't decided when a person is born. Instead of being born with a different color eye, everyone is born with either blue or brown eyes. When they reach age 14, their eye colors may change to a different color, and if the color doesn't change when they reach age 18, then they aren't a spectral. Some people try to hide that they became a spectral by wearing contacts, or try to be a spectral by wearing colored contacts. And that's where the Spectral test comes in—to test for fraud.
I was still in deep thought when the teacher started talking, "Everyone, you know the drill. Wait until your name has been called and follow the officer into the room. Remember to bring your card to renew it!"
Everyone waited; some people dozed off or were chatting with their friends. While others, like me, were shaking in their seats. I tried to seem more casual and less scared, but I could feel my hands trembling. Every second dragged on longer than usual, every minute the tension grew.
Until I heard, "Katelina Veris! Please come up now."
As I stood up from my seat, my vision was all blurry, and I couldn't think straight. Natalie was sticking out two thumbs up for me, trying to cheer me up. Natalie has brown eyes, so she isn't a Spectral. People with blue eyes aren't considered Spectrals either, but any other color besides blue or brown are Spectrals.
I tried to give her a lighthearted smile, but I could see that she looked worried. My hands were slick with sweat. I exited and stood in the corridor in front of the test room. I steadied my breathing and kept repeating to myself, They won't find out. They haven't found out before, so there isn't a way for them to know now. But both of my parents are Spectrals, and Spectrals are hereditary, which increased the chance that I would become one. Luka got discovered in his very 1st test—don't think that, you won't get uncovered.
I placed my hands on the cold doorknob and opened the door. Inside was a small room, dimly lit. In the middle of the room was a table, on one side sat a corp officer, the other side was an empty chair welcoming me. To my right was an officer with an orange tie, meaning he was a Class-C officer. I sat in the chair. The officer in front of me was wearing a purple tie, meaning that she was a Class-A officer. In previous years, it has always been Class-C or Class-B officers, never a Class-A. She also had yellow eyes, meaning that her gift was in the category of life force, which could detect other Spectrals more easily. This did not help my nerves, and my hands were still trembling as I sat down in the chair.
"Please give me your hands, and we will begin," the Class-A officer said.
I wiped my hands on my pants and placed them onto the palms of hers; her hands were nice and cool against my warm ones. But before I could do anything else, I felt something change. It was like I was rejuvenated and had a good night's rest. It felt good, but in a strange way that I had never felt before. I looked up, and the officer just smiled at me.
"Looks like we finally found one," she said smugly.
I felt a sudden wave of panic hit me. I jerked around and faced the nearest glass window and saw my reflection. Everything was the same, my body was still intact, and I wasn't hurt. But my eyes no longer held their warm brown hue and instead were replaced with a cold and luminous teal glow.