Chapter 11 : Failed

Today I prepared myself. I was at the lobby together with the others. We are all wearing a white suite.

I am a little bit tense for our last qualifying actual test.

After 1 minute, Sealtiel appeared at my front.

"Lyrids, I was so impressed to your last two performance. This last qualifying test is the most difficult. In case that you failed, I already allotted a 1 slot for you to join and be part of time traveler software engineers." Sealtiel happily said to me as if he already know that I won't make it.

I nodded and smiled to him that makes him feel happier then leave on my area.

It took 15 minutes before we are called one by one to go into the area.

The placed was a forest filled with hidden technologies.

"Good day, as of this day you are all 555. This will be the hardest of all. We will eliminate 255 persons. The variance of 300 will be the officially hired competitive time travelers of Jardine." The voice of Mr. Shaw was loudly heard on the sky of planet earth.

We got nervous about his announcement.

"You are all here to compete with the others. This time any kind of technologies were not allowed. We got 5 challenging places that you need to enter as fast as you can for 7 minutes. You all must use strategies and especially your body strength. The first 300 persons who will came to the finish line will get the position.

"What are those 5 challenging places?" The woman on my back said.

I looked to all of them and compared myself.

"I won't qualify." I silently said to myself.

We get started. Many of us run quickly to the dark foggy forest. What I did is carefully walked on it while hearing some screaming persons inside the woods. I was shocked to see our first challenged. Branches of trees are moving. Those being wiped away and being hurt, gave up and pressed help button. I hide 1 kilometer and observed some of those who use their strategy just to not be hurt by the branches of the monster trees then I imitate their actions.

The trees are programmed that is why they have synchronous actions, for every 5 seconds they move from left to right simultaneously their branches from top to bottom.

I jumped at the top of moving branches then jumped on the next moving branches going up and finally jumped from 10 feet high away from the moving trees going to the high tide ocean.

I thought I was going to die. I swallowed lots of water because the waves are too high and dangerous.

Oh, no, this is our second horrible challenge. We should swim while resisting the waves.

"I can do it." I said to myself as I started to force myself on swimming as fast as I can until I saw a swirling light that finally moved us to another place. It was too cold. It could be -36 degree Celsius. Some of us lay their body on the snow and pressed the give up bottom then disappeared.

I was also planning to do that but then I changed my mind when we saw wolves came before us. So we run going to nowhere just to save our lives.

"This could be our third challenge! Let's go! Run!" One of us said like he was being so concerned to all of us.

I don't know where to go, so I just followed him until we reached a dark cage and run again because the bats chased us.

We get tired. We might be approximately 324.

Our last challenge is to climb on the 1km high of mountain. Those 300 who will reach it first will be qualified.

We started getting on it. I find it very hard because it was my first time to do mountain climbing.

My sweat is flowing, many of us already reached the top while I'm still in the middle portion.

I finally reach the top but it is too late. I failed. I was first 301 and it appeared on my palm therefore I will be eliminated too.

I saw all of them congratulating each other.

I looked into my white suite that turns into gray with dusty brown color then wiped my sweat.

At my back, another person came. She's number 302.

"We didn't make it?" She asked me.

"We didn't..." I said as my tears fall on the ground.

My dreams shattered and it breaks my heart. I did my best to be here but I failed.

On the other side, Mr. Shaw was watching us on his office and not yet giving any announcement.

Gian, his Assistant Manager, came on his area.

"Lyrids didn't make it." Mr. Shaw said to him with disappointed face.

"Mr. Shaw, Mr. Sealtiel wants her on their department. It only means that she got a potential. Do not give her to them. Kindly, allow a total of 301 safety time travelers to be hired." Gian said in order to convince Mr. Shaw.

Going back to my location, we are all waiting to the announcement.

I was sitting down on the sand and looking to my surrounding until we finally heard Mr. Shaw.

"Everyone, I would like to inform that we will reconsider a total of 301 safety time travelers due to a need for additional slot."

My eyes dilated and I was shocked to what I heard. So I stand and listen.

"Congratulation to the first 301 safety time travelers who qualified to this final actual assessment. Tomorrow will be our official celebration." Mr. Shaw explained.

I want to jump so high because I make it. I was the first 301. So I looked happily to the sky and breathe the dusty air.

"She was a threat." Hanston (# 5) whispered to Cherry (#1).

"I think you are right." Cherry responded to him with a suspicious look.

On the other side, Mr. Sealtiel went to Mr. Shaw's office.

"I've watch the ending of this assessment but why you exemplified her instead of giving her to us?" Mr. Sealtiel asked.

"I apologized but her skills might serve in our department well. We also need her." Mr. Shaw explained.

"She wasn't born to save people. She's for improving software of our world." Mr. Sealtiel whispered in a little bit angry voice.

"Mr. Sealtiel, one day, Lyrids will make the world safe especially the time travelers." Mr. Shaw replied on a bit serious appearance on his old face.

Mr. Sealtiel just smiled sarcastically and leave the area.

On the other side of the scenario. We area all looking to the sky.

I wiped my dirty face & smiled a little.

"Finally, I was now one of them." I silently said.

I can see 5 feet away from me that some of us was terribly happy. They jumped & shouted happily to the sky while spreading their arms.

"Okay, guys, in count of 5 all of you should jump going to the sky. We will pick you all up." A voice of man was heard which instructed us.

We heard the counting & altogether we jumped while a whirlwind vacuum appeared into the clouds that get us away from our area.