Chapter Text
It was a publicly known fact that once you turn ten in the Republic of America, you must take a significant test called the Trial. The Trial determines your future: whether you live, or die. Whether you eat, or not. Whether you get to live a comfortable life in the wealthy sectors, or die miserably in the poor sectors. And Veronica was, surprisingly, excited about this. You would think that ten-year-old children would be dreading this life-altering test. But Veronica was a smart kid. She knew her subjects like math and science. She was fit because she exercised. And most importantly, she was prepared because she’d been practicing for the Trial since she could walk. Veronica was confident. Confident she could pass this test with at least 1250. That way, she could attend high school and live a good life. The only problem was that she was poor. But that didn’t change anything, did it?
Of course it did. Veronica was a smart kid. She is observant. Even since the unripe age of seven years old, she knew that her chances were low. Lower than the kids in the wealthier sectors. That was why she had been training for the Trial since she was four years old. But Veronica was not naïve. She knew that even though she was smarter and more athletic than other kids her age, her chances of scoring a good score were far lower compared to the other children in the wealthy sectors. Why? Because the Trial was rigged.
Of course it was. Adults always said ‘Knowledge is Power’, and of course, that was true as well.. But if knowledge is power, then money was more than that. Veronica knew that the Trial was a ruse. How? Because how come all the slum-sector kids fail? There has never been one kid from the slum sectors that has passed the trial with higher than a 1000. Some might say that was because they have no means to study, and that was true, but it couldn’t possibly be just that. It’s because if you pass, you enter the group of people that the government cares about. And no one wants to care about the poor. But then, why was Veronica excited? If she was so sure she would fail? Because she wasn’t excited to take the test and pass, but to take the test and fail.
Why would anyone want to fail, you might ask?
Because once she failed, she would die.
But of course, she wouldn’t. Veronica would only be marked as dead in the government’s eyes. Veronica’s desire wasn’t only to pass the test. Of course, she trained just in case she could or did. Her true desire was to destroy the government of the Republic of America. And if she passed the test, she could enter the government and destroy it from the inside. But that was wishful thinking. And Veronica didn’t think wishfully. The odds were against her. That was why she had a plan.
Once you fail the Trial (and die), the Republic forgets about you. After all, you’re dead. But it was very possible to survive. And that was what Veronica intended to do. Survive.
The Trial was today. It was Veronica’s tenth birthday, and as she stood outside her poor excuse for a house, she thought to herself, what if I die? Now, you might think this a very somber thought for a child barely ten years of age to think, but that was the reality in the Republic. As the bus rounded the corner of Veronica’s dirty, grimy street and she got on, she recapped her plan in her head. What if she lost her life? Oh well. It was too late to back down now.
The Trial consists of three separate parts. The written, physical, and interview. The written test was where you walk into a stadium and answer pages upon pages of multiple-choice questions. This was easy, barely an inconvenience. The second portion was the physical portion. Again, it went smoothly. The last and final part was the interview. This was the most bothersome part because Veronica had to act her age. Which is a bit hard to do when you think like you’re double your actual age. Of course, Veronica was prepared for this. Veronica was smart. She had watched the other children. And that was how she was able to successfully(?) undergo the Interview. Considering her situation, Veronica thought she did quite well.
So how on Earth was her score nine hundred and ninety-nine?
Veronica was both confused and not. She had expected the Republic to write her score lower than it was, but she didn’t expect them to fail her. She was also rather irritated. Why of all the scores she could have gotten, she got 999? So close yet so far to not failing? Oh well. She failed and that’s all that matters. Veronica and several other children were gathered in a room. They weren’t allowed to grab any of their belongings and were sent to the Republic’s ‘labor camps’. Veronica smiled to herself. The Republic sucked. Any unconceited individual would know this. Anyone who could see through the Republic’s charm. The Republic was corrupted. And Veronica was going to cleanse it, or die trying.