The Placement shuttle stalled down the snaking paths of the Lower Territories, pulling in front of dilapidated signage by the edge. Like in much of the Low Lands, nature reclaimed what man tried to provide. Perri entered first. Like the rest of her peers, she wore the black utilitarian blouse, jacket, and pants that Placement demanded of her class. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun as the uniform dictated, the fresh crust of her new Mark on full display.

A much taller boy snickered as he boarded behind her. "Fresh Mark, Viate." Rydel Crewe mused. The tallest and widest of her peers, Rydel could always be counted on to be an insufferable chunk of human garbage. She heard his impatient stomp behind her until Perri claimed a seat in the very last row of the vehicle. She refused to let anyone else stare at her fresh Mark of shame.

"Well, Viate, someone's got to shovel the shit of the underclass." Rydel and his crew of unmentionables followed suit with snide remarks. It was easier to laugh than think about the powers that be who would shortly seal their fate.

Perri's lips moved before her brain caught up through the fog. "Funny. I didn't know Fives could find careers in Entertainment." It took a moment for comprehension to mark Rydel's hardened face, but his scowl was beyond satisfying. As far as Perri was concerned, Rydel Crewe could eat his own shit. "Watch it, Viate." He finally retorted.

Perri had half a mind to exchange another question. Her curiosity was a sickening compulsion and she yearned to see his pathetic little brain try to answer her, try to answer anyone. After all, there didn't seem to be much of a difference between two Marks or even three...

"I have nothing left to lose, Crewe," she threatened. The cacophony of voices within the shuttle faded to nothingness. "You don't want to know what a woman with two Marks is capable of." Her eyes stared daggers into the empty cavities of his skull and after a quick exchange of expletives, Rydel Crewe took the seat five rows before her.

What she thought. No one was more dangerous than a Five with nothing to lose.

Perri cursed herself just as much as she finally pulled her knees to her chest and stared out at the ramshackle cottages lining the street. She wondered if the knots in her stomach would ever come undone. Her body, her head... everything felt so wrong.

It seemed like hours before they reached the next stop. Benja... She hardly had the strength to face him but was comforted by the routine of it all. Perri watched as they entered Benja's neighborhood and she saw him make his way down the aisle, a quiet silence as he took the seat next to her.

He looked as if he had seen a ghost. In a way, he had: Perri was a ghost of her former self. "Don't--" She pleaded with him, already near the brink of tears.

"You look good." He said simply. Perri smirked. Her sister's salve had done miracles to the bruises and cuts on her face. Still, she supposed, bruised and Marked was far better than Taken or dead. Though there was still time for that. "I hope it was a good question," he said quietly, the memory of last night filling the empty space between them.

"It was," Perri replied. "And I got Answers." She dangled her one victory, pushing away the feeling of ecstasy that followed as she remembered the power of asking such a question. It was a surprise to all of them that she wasn't punished further.

And that Iurer... She had the faintest memory of him feeding her fire, coaxing out her own desperate curiosity. But it was impossible. The Iurers were law and order in a world where nothing was more dangerous than an inquisitive Five. Perri pushed away the hazy memories of her former life.

***

It was utter pandemonium as Perri and Benja exited the shuttle. They made their way through a sea of their peers in various shades of black, grey, and even white. Perri couldn't help but gape at the elites in their crisp white uniforms, her own darkness threatening to contaminate the lot. She knew that Placement was chaotic, but this was something else. Fives, Fours, Threes, Twos and even Ones sharing the same air? Who had ever heard of something so crazy? Science has its reasonings.

Benja grabbed onto Perri's shoulders, pushing her lightly forward. "We have to move forward," he hissed as their peers hurried ahead. They approached the stadium, following the scattered arrows on the screens that instructed them where to find their tests. Finally, a piece of wall faded away and they crossed the threshold and into the arena.

They were met with the scent of salty and metallic air. Below them, a series of cement stars led to the center of the Coliseum where hundreds of ladders, beams, wooden rings, a climbing wall, and even trampolines floated above a pool of sparkling blue liquid. "The Physical," Benja whispered as they stared at the hundreds of identical obstacles. The courses stood, ominous and gleaming.

A Five behind her pushed into them and Beneja realized just how much they were stalling. "We have to move forward." His voice faltered but he stayed strong, grabbing her and practically pulling his friend down her steps.

But Perri's chest was heavy like she was choking on her own air. Benja turned towards her: "We are strong. We are smart. No matter how they choose to classify us, this is our time to prove them wrong." Perri nodded in silent reply, the glint in her eye helping to regain her strength.

Benja's words sparked something within her. Perri remembered her father's fate - a quiet man who lived a peaceful life, none the wiser that he also carried two Marks. If he could survive, so could she. Obey. If she could just move her feet forward, Placement would be as much a blur as the past few days. Obey and get through it.

"You can do this, Viate." Benja whispered. He moved a stray lock of her curls away from her golden face. She studied him. This could be it, their last moment together. No, don't say that. Perri shook her head. Just yesterday, they had held eachother in what they had thought would be their last moments. And today they were together, fighting. The impossible was possible. With a deep breath, they descended the stairs.

Finally, Perri and Benja reached the platform before the pool. A whizzing camera greeted them, scanning their irises and instructing them to take their place before the forty-third and ninety-ninth plank respectfully.

Benja looked on in pure horror and Perri hated herself for her own fear. The course was so much bigger up close. She should have done more, should have done more to prepare them. "We have to --"

"I know." Benja responded. He grabbed her arm and pulled Perri towards him for a long, lingering hug.

"Perri, I'm sorry I never--"

But before he could finish his thought, they were separated by a throng of Fives. Forced to move forward to their places, their moment was lost to time.

At plank forty-three, Perri joined yet another line. Every few minutes, a bell would chime and the first in line would begin the course. From what she could see, no Five had been able to clear even the first section of the course. Instead, her peers splashed into the pool below near seconds after approaching the beam. Buoys below were tossed to them as they swam to the other side of the pool, the stoic faces of Officials taking dutiful notes.

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Stupidity was making the same mistake over and over again. She studied the movements of those in front of her. Each Five seemed to approach the beam the same way. Think. Use your tiny little brain. Her heartbeat quickened as an idea brewed in her skull.

At her turn, Perri paused. She crouched on the platform, holding out a finger to the beam. As she suspected, it was completely slick. She looked down at her finger, studying the clear but sticky substance. Left and right, her peers fell after taking a second step on the glossy surface. They dropped into the water mere moments after making contact with the beam.

Perri kicked up the heel of her boot, studying the outsole. No wonder they hadn't a chance of crossing the plank, their boots were completely flat. They needed leverage. She smiled deviously as she finally lowered herself onto the plank for a leisurely crab walk.

It was a smart decision, Perri realized, as her palms had a much easier time making contact with the plank below than her plastic boots. An unsettling silence followed her as she became the only person left competing in her heat and the first Five to reach the second part of the course. A murmur began as the Officials huddled in curious confusion. Perri had half a mind to jump into the depths of the pool if only for the finality of ending this entire ordeal.

Instead, Perri forced herself forward. She reached up for the rings that made up the next section of the course. Yet again, a sticky substance coated the circle. Smirking, Perri removed the first layer of her blouse, laying it over the first ring for a better grip. She ignored the whistles as her undershirt caught the light; but, just as she gathered enough motion to continue to the next ring, a sharp pain pulsed through her arm and she was forced to let go. There was only a single splash as she entered the swirling pool. A curiosity indeed.

Bruised, battered, and positively dripping with peculiar blue liquid, Perri followed the masse of Fives who were recovering from their first test. A tiny red-headed girl with a nasty red cut was dripping more than just blue. Perri rushed over to the limping girl, offering her shoulder in a silent command. The small girl looked like she was about to pass out.

"You need to sit down," Perri commanded. The girl shook her head.

"I can't risk an incomplete assessment." She said fraily.

Perri bit her lip. "Then we must find you medical attention. There are scientists everywhere, they must be prepared for this sort of --"

"That will only bring more attention to my weakness." She hissed and Perri swore. Perhaps fueled by her small victory on the Physical, Perri reached down to the bottom of her pants. With a solid rip, she tore at the hem and used the tattered cloth to fasten a makeshift dressing for the girl's wound.

"There, at least you can stop the blood for a little while." Her tone was soft and sad. It was all so inhumane.

A buzzing camera moved between them. "Forward, Fives..." The electronic voice whirled as the pair of them were forced down another set of stairs and into a giant auditorium. There, they were once again greeted by cameras which scanned their irises and instructed them where to sit. Perri smiled wryly at the redheaded girl before parting.

"I'm Perri." She offered over her shoulder.

"Coral." The other girl said sweetly before they were forced to separate and Perri found her way to her seat.

There, a shining screen sat on the desk instructing Perri that she had exactly twenty minutes to complete the next part of her exam. Perri swore silently to herself. The room was practically shaking with noise as her peers on each side of her did their best to complete their exams while even more Fives wandered the rows in search of their seats. The disorganization seemed purposeful.

Dripping with sweat, remnants of blue liquid, and a whole lot of exhaustion Perri did her best to quiet her mind; but, she could hardly fight against her own fogginess within which made recalling even the simplest answers laborious.

Finally, her screen buzzed and went black. Perri got up slowly and followed the hoards of other Fives through the doors at the bottom of the auditorium. She spotted the red-headed girl again and went to join her in their stampede down the stairs but she was too far away. It was isolating and try as she may, Benja was nowhere in sight.

Perri yearned for his comforting presence: those sturdy arms and endless dark eyes, but more than anything: the way he made her laugh. She wondered if he was feeling as miserable as her. Probably.

Anxiety brewing, Perri followed the masses through another set of doors and down another hallway. How many hallways could there possibly be? Perri knew the Coliseum was deep - thousands of feet underground even - but every step along the way and she wondered who wandered beneath her.

Perri weaved through the crowd and found the red-headed girl from earlier. "You said you're name was Coral." She said simply. It was not a question.

The other girl nodded and smiled softly. "I hope your arm is feeling better." Perri invited, pulling answers from the air.

"Thank you. A little. At least I think most of the blood stopped."

"I knew Placement was rough but no one prepared me for how battered I'd feel."

"Me neither. It's a shame. If I had known we'd have to walk a slippery plank maybe I'd... I don't know... practice or something."

Perri chuckled. "Same." She wondered if all that climbing had been her saving grace all along. Not that she had any hope when it came to the rings and the pulsing in her head. And that throbbing pain searing through her limbs in waves... It was so strange. Like she was walking through a fog of mysterious mist that might occasionally lift enough for a quick semblance of sanity.

The two of them walked side by side until they entered a winding queue. Standing beside her new friend was comforting if only to know that one person might know her before the day was through.

"I don't think this will ever end," Perri said dramatically, inviting conversation once again.

"I know! I have an older sister who works in the Inner Court..."

"Lucky!" Perri cut her off.

"Seriously, the dresses and parties that she gets to glimpse... It's incredible. Anyway, she had given me the tiniest taste of Placement. Told me it was chaotic at least. Not that she--"

"No, of course, she couldn't tell you anything of value. Just frighten you half to death..."

"And I'm glad she did. Not that I could have ever imagined the Physical."

"Madness."

"Not you. I saw you."

Perri gave her a sideways glance.

"Crabwalking across was brilliant."

"Not that it mattered. I fell in anyway."

"It mattered to me! You should have seen the Official in front of me. I thought he had shit his pants."

"I wish he had."

"No, you don't understand! No Five even thought about walking any other way. They might make you a Four just for that alone."

"They just as might kill me for it." There was an awkward silence and Perri cursed herself for saying the wrong thing. Especially amid all the cameras. "I just mean that being good at something isn't always what they are after."

"Science only knows."

"Science," Perri repeated as a camera buzzed around her and once again scanned her irises.

She was given a room number and instructed to walk down a large hallway, an arrow following her.

"Good luck." The redheaded girl smiled before walking through a doorway.

Perri continued to walk down the corridor until she was all alone. Then the wall broke away and she was yet again alone with her thoughts.