Class 09J01 - Bell, Gwendolyn [Evaluation Day]

“So long as there have been humans there have been others, and with this co-existence has come unions between us. The offspring of these many possible unions are collectively called ‘demi-human’. Half Human; Half Something Else.”

-Benjamin Franklin, 1784, The First Sentence of “The First Edition of the Complete History of Demihumans.”

Evaluation Day

The sun had reached the midpoint of its rising over the mass of young freshmen gathered around the courtyard of West Progress High School. They chattered among themselves. Some boasting about their strength, power, and skills and why it made them the best there. Some didn’t mingle with the crowd but rather stood off in smaller cliques whispering their own gossip and telling jokes of the boasters. Further off still, hidden in the shadow of a tree trying to not be noticed was a small girl with a crown of plain flowers braided in her hair.

Gwendolyn Bell sat dreading the day. She didn’t want to be here, but she didn’t want to be anywhere. Gwen tried to remain unnoticed as other students tried to show themselves off. She saw them summoning power and conjuring forces. They tossed balls of fire between their hands, shot sparks of lightning around, and simply struck one another in the games of mercy. They were like beasts finally allowed out of their cage. Finally allowed to roam. Their games ended when a whistle cut through the chatter.

“Alright, listen up.” An average-looking man called for silence from a platform. Looking over a clipboard he addressed the crowd, “My name is Simon Mirmen. You can call me Mr Mirmen, Mr Simon, or Sir. Anything else is detention. Now today we’ll be testing and gauging your physical and mental potential as well as assessing the nature of your demitypes. The test will start with physical traits, gauging speed and strength, followed by mental traits, your knowledge and intelligence, and then independent interviews for special traits. Any questions?”

Simon Mirmen was sharp, firm, and quick with his words. One young man towered over the others around him as he stepped forward and started to ask “Do we really have-”

“No, you don’t have to take our evaluation. You can leave and never return, Mr” Simon checked his clipboard, “Robert… Tartar. Like the fish sauce?” Simon raised an eyebrow.

“It is pronounced tar-tar. It’s a proud name from-” Robert started to boast but was cut off.

“Okay, Mr Tar-tar. No, you’re not forced to be here. You can leave whenever you want, but if you want to attend this school you’ll do the evaluation without complaint. Understood?”

Robert huffed but nodded quietly before taking a step back into the crowd.

“Now, we’ll begin with a simple foot race. Everyone will be lined up and set to make their way to the next test site.” Simon explained as he stepped down and headed around the school, “Come along everyone.”

They headed to the side of the main building. Its towering frame casting a shadow over them even so close to noon. Stepping out of the shadow and back into the sun they arrived at a large field just behind the school. Further still there was a large fenced area housing a huge forest.

Simon walked up to a large sign that held a map of the school grounds, “Okay, pay attention, the test is simple. Make your best time around the forested area and return to the field. And don’t even try to cut through the forest to skip the track. We have an automated check-in station on the other side. Now I’ll be picking people at random to begin and I’ll be sending you on a steady stream. As soon as you make it around you’ll be tested on strength. Now, it should be impossible to get lost, but we’ve learned there’s no such thing as impossible, so check the map and don’t lollygag. You’ll only be hurting yourself.”

The students walked around in a disorganized fashion. Gwen had managed to remain unnoticed standing in the shadow of the school. Hoping if she could just keep it up until the physical test was over she would manage to go the whole day unnoticed. Several students were studying the simple map of the school’s field. An abnormally short boy of African descent with what seemed to be a metal backpack was examining it.

“By my calculation,” the boy spoke in a foreknowing tone, “the track we’re supposed to take is five miles. Which would take about an hour at a mild jog. Well for those of us at average leg strides.”

“Yeah, kind of weird to ask a midget to run anywhere.” An average-height boy with brown skin commented next to him.

“Indeed. In fact,” The short boy called out, “Mr Mirmen, do we have to go the whole way on foot or are we allowed to use… physical aids?”

Simon called back, “You’re allowed to use any resources that are available to you independently. So if you brought some personal tools you’re welcome to use them. But no outside help. Does everyone understand that?” He asked the crowd and received nods and yes sirs before returning to his clipboard, “Now let’s go ahead and start this, and let’s do it with you, Samuel York, and you too, Quetzalcoatl Zapotec.”

“I go by Kevin.” The brown boy corrected bitterly as he walked to the line.

“Yes. Says that just under your name. I apologize.” Simon looked over the crowd of students and started pointing them out, “You. You. You. And you in the back.”

The final point was at Gwen sending a spike of fear shooting through her. Paralyzed from the fear she couldn’t breathe, yet alone move. She didn’t want to be the first. In front of everyone. If she turned and ran she could easily escape, but then what would she do then? What would she tell her parents?

“Come on now, we have all day to do this, but that doesn’t mean we can waste it. Hustle young lady.” Simon repeated his call knocking Gwen out of her paralyzed state.

She timidly approached the starting line. To her horror, her hesitation had drawn attention from the others. The whispers varied. Some not even bothering to hide their words. They talked about her size, her frame, and the flower wreath she wore in her hair. Eventually, someone said their point directly. “Holy fuck. She’s a fucking fairy.”

“Quiet Robert! Ms,” Mr Simon checked his clipboard, “Bell is a half fairy, which makes her a demihuman just like everyone else here. So zip it and wait your turn.”

Gwen stepped up to the line next to the boys called Kevin and Samuel. Next to them was a lean girl with a single braid that had jewels woven into it. By her was a boy in a tracksuit stretching. Next was a massive girl, the tallest by far with the muscle of a warrior, she also stretched in preparation. She could only berate herself. If she had just walked up without hesitating they probably would have outshined her.

The six students readied themselves. The tall girl and boy at the end took professional stances. The bejeweled girl and Kevin seem to mimic them. Samuel took an almost squat stance. Gwen bent her knees just enough to seem ready. On Simon’s mark, they started. The large girl took off taking the lead. She was over seven feet tall with a stride that made the feat easy. The boy in the tracksuit was only a few paces behind. York and Kevin started with York using a scooter that he pulled from his backpack that propelled itself forward. Alongside them, the lean girl kept pace as they made their way around the field and to the forest edge.

Gwen took up a mild jog that would hopefully keep her unnoticed, but her doubts were heavy. Yet she continued to follow the path of the others around the field and then around the forest. If she just kept a decent pace, didn’t catch the attention of the other runners, and caught just enough of a break, then there shouldn’t be any more problems. This was the strategy Gwen decided on as she made her way across the bend.

Her progress was halted soon after losing sight of the main building. In front of her were the three students who had taken off together. Kevin, York, and the bejeweled girl had stopped soon after they were out of sight of the teachers. For some reason, Kevin was hanging off of the top of the fence.

“We’re not supposed to go into the forest.” the girl shouted.

“And for the fifth time Samantha, I don’t care.” Kevin yelled back to the girl apparently named Samantha, “I’m not wasting time going around.”

“Do you really believe that going through a wooded area would be faster than simply going around?” Samuel asked one foot on the ground.

“You saw the map. There are paths cut through the woods.” Kevin explained, “A straight line is faster than a curve. That’s math.”

“You’ll get in trouble.” Said Samantha.

“The paths in the forests are also curved.” Pointed out Samuel, but this seemed to be ignored.

“Only if you snitch on me.” Kevin looked over and saw Gwen. “Great, I’m wasting time. Listen, fairy girl! You don’t say anything. If you do, you’ll regret it.”

With that, he was up and over leaving the two others with Gwen. The girl, Samantha, sighed and turned to face Gwen. She smiled and waved.

“Hi, I’m Sam, and this is also Sam.” She pointed to York.

“Samuel is my name.” He clarified, “And I believe we should be getting along.”

“Don’t be rude.” Samantha said and stepped over to Gwen and extended her hand, “What’s your name?”

“Gw- Gwen.” Gwen said, nervously taking the hand, “He’s right. You should be trying to make your best time.”

Samantha shrugged at that and smiled, “I don’t care too much about that. Like my grandmother always says, it’s better to have company at the bottom than to be at the top alone.”

“Well, I’m very slow and don’t want to bother you.” Gwen tried to let go of her hand.

“It’s no bother.” Samantha kept up her smile. “Everything is more fun with friends.”

“We’re not friends.” Gwen pointed out.

“We can be. We have all day after all.” Samantha countered, “And I’m sure other Sam won’t mind-”

“I said, leave me alone!” Gwen nearly shouted leaving Samantha quiet. Trying to shrink down where she stood Gwen whispered, “Please, just go.”

“Okay then.” Samantha said recovering, “But I’ll talk to you later. Okay?”

She took off at a run. Samuel stood there watching her go.

“Active passivity is a poor long-term strategy.” He turned his scooter forward, “I’m sure you’ll come to adapt.”

With the push of a button, Samuel launched forward and caught up with Samantha. Gwen watched them disappear around the bend again. After a moment she continued her jog and was soon passed by some other students who she knew were giving her dirty looks over their shoulders, but she just kept her eyes on the ground before her. So long as they just left her alone she would make it.

Gwen continued her steady pace keeping to the outer edge of the path as the inside was getting used by students who had greater than average speed to pass by. It was about a quarter of the way when she heard the stomping feet behind her and a boy shouting “Out of my way fairy!”

The boy came up directly behind her and back-swung her pushing her over the track line and into the surrounding ditch.

“Sorry,” He stopped to loom over her, “but you really shouldn’t be so pathetic while in other people’s way.”

“I was out of the way.” Gwen tried to defend herself as she looked for a way out.

“Shut up!” The boy kicked dirt at her, “Something as pathetic as you is always in the way. I don’t know why they even allowed you to come here.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“I belong here,” Gwen said with false defiance as she gained her footing.

“Like hell you do.” The boy lifted his boot and set to hit her, “You fairies don’t belong anywhere.”

Just as Gwen flinched covering her face for the kick a blast seemed to sweep over her and as she peeked out she saw the boy was gone. Looking around she saw the boy had been blown away and lying in the same ditch as her.

“I would like to hear your arguments for that belief.” another voice came from down the track, “But I warn you I have had this debate before and I have some very convincing counterarguments.”

She flew in on obvious fairy wings. Her dress seemed to be cut from a single flower petal and on her head was the most beautiful flower wreath Gwendolyn had ever seen. She was small, but with her attitude and fluttering height, she seemed giant to Gwen.

“I am Mercedes. Daughter to the Fairy Queen. To what may I address you as?” She said with vicious politeness.

“You little… The name is Adrian Priest, and I’ll be happy to explain to you why your kind aren’t welcomed here.” The boy had climbed out of the ditch and was now facing Mercedes.

In the blink of an eye, Adrian had leapt the distance and swung at Mercedes only for her to dodge by flying up just as fast. She waved her arm and summoned a gale force to throw Adrian back again. He landed on his feet solidly and immediately leaped again at Mercedes. Clearing the height and distance easily she was forced to dodge again countering with another gale force straight down this time.

“Wind magic. Is that all you got?” Adrian yelled, lifting himself from the dirt, “Why don’t you fight for real?”

“Fight? I thought we were having a civil discussion. This is how you demons communicate, right?” Mercedes put a finger on her chin in thought, “Although, you are just a half-breed, so maybe…”

“Shut your fairy mouth!” Adrian reached into his pocket and seemed to throw something at Mercedes. One of the flowers on Mercedes’s head exploded causing her to gasp in shock, “Thought I was just a dumb brute? Well, surprise!”

He held out what looked like a marble made of metal, “Ball bearings. Real cheap and real painful at mach one.”

He threw another one, but Mercedes jumped out of the way before it hit.

“Fine then. I’ll be happy to put you in your place.” Mercedes flew over to the inner ring of the course and started to make hand gestures. Soon the ground started to shake as vines shot out of the forest and attacked Adrian.

Adrian showed off his strength as he punched and chopped at the vines and managed to defend himself fairly well while throwing a ball bearing in a counterattack, but the vines kept up and eventually grabbed a hold of him. He continued to struggle, ripping the plants apart cursing and swearing. “You think you’ve won? I haven’t even been trying. Let me show you what I can really do!”

The air seemed to become laced with sulfur as it shifted around Adrian’s body, but before he could unleash whatever hidden power he had, another voice chimed in, “What’s going on here?”

Everyone turned to see another boy, shorter and leaner than Adrian. With plain clothes, he didn’t seem like a threat to anyone. Except maybe to Gwen. “I don’t know what this is about but you need to keep going.”

“This fairy attacked me out of nowhere.” Adrian barked pointing at Mercedes.

“Whatever dude, just keep going now.” was the boy’s response, “I don’t care and it doesn’t matter. Wasting time just hurts yourselves, remember?”

“You want to lecture me you punk-ass-” Adrian wasn’t able to finish his comment as the lean boy bolted at lightning speed to him. Hitting him hard in the face before doubling back around him and getting the back of his leg causing the bulky boy to drop.

“No. I don’t. Get back to the course.” was all the boy said as Adrian rolled over to his feet.

“Whatever.” Adrian spat just to spit and turned away, ripping off the remaining vines, and continued his way.

“Thank you for helping us.” Mercedes came down to eye level, “I am Mercedes. And you are?”

“Carl Star.” he answered, “You’re welcome, but I need to finish this up. Sorry, but later.”

Carl Star bolted again at full speed leaving a vortex behind him, leaving Mercedes and Gwendolyn alone. Gwen climbed out of the ditch dusting herself off. As Mercedes landed and walked over to her. Gwen started, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course I did.” Mercedes said, “It is my duty as the princess to all fairies to-”

“I’m not a fairy!” Gwen cut in harshly, “I’m not one of your subjects. I don’t need your help or protection. Okay?”

Mercedes’s eyes became sad as Gwen rejected her fairy status, “Yes, regardless, I am obligated to aid those in distress, as a noblewoman. Your heritage means little to that vow.”

“Okay then. You helped. Goodbye.” and Gwen took off again at her same steady pace.

Before long Mercedes flew up by her, “Gwendolyn was it. Do not allow that boy to shape your perception of this place. True, humans look down on fairies and their brood, but those of infernal influence have always been harsher to us. Some others are like him, but most here are content with simply allowing us to be. Keep your spirit and know that you can call on me if you need to.”

With that, she glided forward leaving Gwen alone.

Gwen kept her steady pace which eventually got her to the end of the track while still allowing other faster students to pass her with some regularity. Checking the time she saw it took her an hour and a half to make the whole way around, including the attack from Adrian. Gwen stood at the end of the track and thought to herself. The very first day and someone had openly attacked her. She wasn’t worried about getting hurt, but she hoped that it was just a fluke. It was likely because he was half demon like Mercedes said. Still, she didn’t want others to even notice her, and she was very good at being unnoticed. Until today at least.

“Ms Bell?” A voice called her name. Looking up she saw Mr Simon waving her over to a number of odd-looking machines. Other students were still being sent off around the course on the far side of the field by another teacher, but those who had made it were nowhere to be seen. “Ms Bell, you finished. Now we’ll test your strength. If you would come over here.”

Gwen nodded and walked over. The first machine wasn’t a machine at all. Not at first glance at least since it was just two poles in the ground about 6 feet apart. There wasn’t even a bar between the two to lift one’s self. Luckily Simon explained.

“This is a simple gravity well enhancer. Please don’t do anything to break it. What I want you to do is simply,” Simon took up a spot in front of Gwen, acting the exercises out, “squat down and touch the ground, and then stand back up, reaching up as much as you can, and then repeat. The weight is going to increase a little bit every time you reach up, so just do it until you feel uncomfortable. Okay?”

“Yes sir.”Gwen nodded and started with one swift touch and reach followed by another. Already she felt too heavy and halfway up on the reach she fell and the weight disappeared.

“Two cycles. Reached a hundred ten percent weight.” Simon noted down. “Alright then. Let’s keep going.”

There were five stations in total. The second was another two-pole setup but was set up to detect the movements of push-ups. The third was for sit-ups. The fourth had a pull-up bar set between two poles. The last one was the most complex. A ladder climbing machine that rotated bars like a vertical treadmill. All had the same increasing force and Gwen was only able to do one or two before she lost her strength.

“A hundred ten percent, again.” Simon said with a tone that could have been disappointment, “Alright then Ms Bell. Your physical test is done. Please, head inside and the upper-class men will guide you.”

Gwen nodded as she tried to not breathe heavily. She started to the back door when a voice yelled behind her causing her to look.

“Alright! I made it!” The darker-skinned boy, Kevin, had just passed the finish line with heavy breath.

“Mr Kevin, I’m glad you finally made it,” Mr Simon said with tones of sarcasm, “I thought you were in the first wave of students. It took you over one hundred minutes to make it around the whole course?”

“What? No, it didn’t. I… um…” Kevin stumbled for words.

“I hoped you didn’t go off the track. Since that would be against the rules. By penalty of expulsion.” Mr Simon lifted his head and looked down at the annoyed boy.

“Of course not! I just tripped! A lot.”

“Well, it does look that way.” Mr Simon said, and that’s when Gwen noticed the injuries on Kevin. He was scraped up and bruised across his arms and face as if he had fought something. “Regardless, let’s start your strength testing. Over here.”

Mr Simon explained the exercise with another physical display. Gwen thought about Simon doing all those exercises for each student. Even without increasing gravity, those constant strains must have pushed his stamina. Of course, she knew little of the limits of the human body, but just the few sets she had done had sent aches across her body. She had always been on the small side though. It was better to just forget it. She entered the school building.

Inside she saw a sign with Follow The Line in tile letters, and on the ground was a long white line going further into the building. Following the instructions, Gwen walked along the line until it guided her around a turn where an older girl stood. She saw Gwen immediately and called, “Over here. The test will be held in here.”

Gwen entered the room where a number of other students sat at desks waiting with mixed patience. She counted fourteen other students in a four-by-four square and even noticed that one of them was the boy who attacked her. The half-demon, Adrian Priest. He sat at the front of the furthest row and seemed to be laid back napping. Which was good as only the last two furthest from him were open. So long as he didn’t notice there should be no issue.

“Please take the next seat.” The older girl instructed, and at first Gwen tried to take the very last seat, but the girl called, “I said the next seat. Please do as instructed.”

Gwen hesitated. Her mind ran through the possibilities. What could she do? She didn’t want to be in clear view of anyone. Gwen blinked her eyes and quickly concluded that it was better to risk one person sitting behind her than to risk an argument in front of everyone. Hesitation drew more attention so she stood up nodded her head and sat in the seat in front of her, but the worry didn’t leave her. She sat as still as she could. Waiting and hoping the last seat won’t be filled. But it was.

“Over here.” the older girl called out into the hall, and Kevin walked into the class with annoyance obvious on his face. “Take the next seat.”

Looking at the last desk he commented, “There’s only one seat left.”

“Yes, and now we can begin.” The older girl closed the classroom with a bang bringing everyone to attention. Adrian jerked and yawned, causing a wave through some of the other more bored students. “Now please pay attention. This test isn’t just one test. You will be taking, in fact, six tests. Each with ten questions.”

The older girl pulled a stack of papers out of the teacher’s desk and started walking around the room handing one to each student, “You are to answer each question to your best ability. We ask that you do not consult any outside resources you may have. This includes data banks in omnitools or books with wells of knowledge. We ask that you use your own personal, individual, isolated well of knowledge. And of course, no cheating off other students.”

She handed each student a test and returned to the teacher’s desk. From underneath she lifted out a black cube just over a foot wide.

“When you finish a test you will walk up to the test grader, put in yours, and then your next test will be given to you.” She explained, pointing to where the tests went in and out, “Any questions?”

“Yeah, why?” Kevin nearly yelled over the class, “This seems really weird. Even for demihuman standards of weirdness.”

“Excellent. You may begin.” The older girl instructed, ignoring Kevin’s question completely.

Although Kevin wasn’t satisfied with that, “Hey! Didn’t you hear me?”

“No more questions, young man.”

“You didn’t answer my first question!”

“Young man, if you do not stop talking, I will call the disciplinary officer.”

“You…” Kevin started to rebuttal but sat down muttering swears and curses as he started on the test.

Gwen looked over the questions. They weren’t very hard for her. It was a multiple-choice test on relatively common subjects. The makeup of the atmosphere. Basic vocabulary. Commonly known history. Even simple math. The class didn’t seem to have any difficulty with the test. Everyone circled their answers in silence. Until Kevin spoke again, “Hey, this stupid test has a mistake on it!”

“No talking during the test.” was all the older girl said.

“The last question doesn’t even have the right answer as a choice!” Kevin stood up and waved his paper. “It’s asking when the American Revolution happened, but the revolution was from seventeen seventy-six to eighty-something, but none of these are even in that range.”

Gwen skipped down to the last question which was the same for her: What year did the American Revolution take place? For the answers, it listed: a. 1619 b. 1688 c. 1728 d. 1770 e. 1792 f. 1821. Kevin was right. The test didn’t have the right answer for an option.

The older girl did not acknowledge the complaint. Simply telling Kevin, “There is to be no talking during the test. Mark an answer, or don’t. If you burst out again I will not hesitate to call the disciplinary officer.”

Kevin sat again with another wave of rude muttering. Gwen looked over the question and tried to think. If the correct answer wasn’t available, then what was she supposed to put? How could the school make such a simple mistake? Gwen sighed and chose option d since it was the closest and turned in her first test. The next four had the same multiple-choice setup with harder and trickier questions, and with one always being without the right answer for an option, but the sixth and final was the worst. It had ten written answer questions about different subjects and at the top the instructions said, Answer with as many or as few words as you see fit.

Some were straightforward. Like, Explain the water cycle in detail beginning with precipitation. Some were unbelievably complex and would take a month just to explain the basics. Like, what were the ramifications of the Peace Day Treaty? A document that shapes every part of the world and beyond. One paper wasn’t enough to explain it. An entire book couldn’t hold the effects of the Peace Day Treaty. Especially since itself was the largest known document ever written. She knew it was the reason she was allowed to attend this school. Why all of them were allowed here. She knew it kept international violence to a minimum. She knew it was the main reason why the world still existed at all. How was she supposed to lay out all of that? She thought about it before considering, that maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe simple and as few words as possible was the right way to answer. Gwen put her pencil to paper and wrote: The Peace Day Treaty brought the world to peace, and continues to hold that peace to this day.

With that Gwen was done. She put her pencil down and turned in the final test. She wasn’t the first to finish, but others were still deep in focus, and the older girl instructed, “If you are finished then please exit the room and follow the red line.”

Hiding her startled jump Gwen did just so. On the floor outside of the class was a red line that she didn’t remember being there. It stretched down and deeper into the school. Following it Gwen arrived at another classroom and stepped inside. There she saw a man with golden blond hair sitting at a desk with only one chair in front of it. He waved her in, “Come in and take a seat, Ms Bell.”

“Yes, sir.” Gwen nearly tiptoed to the chair and sat.

“Alright then. I’m Mr Thompson. I’m the Vice Principal here, and no that doesn’t mean anything right now. I’m helping to do the job of interviewing every student that came today. There are many more students than teachers after all.” He explained directly and firmly. “Now, if there isn’t anything else, let’s begin.”