"Are you ready for the test?"
"Yes Aunty" Henry gave her a good kiss as he headed into the school. This was the D-day the day that decided the student's future.
Unlike him most of the other students were brought by their parents and siblings some of them in fancy vehicles not that he was complaining.
His aunt was the only family he had and he knew that she always gave her best to take care of him. From what he knew his parents had died almost a year after he was born. Their cause of death he did not know, every time he brought it up it would send his aunt into tears.So he had learnt what to ask and what not to ask after all he didn't want to bring sadness to the aunt he considered his only family.
He gave her a hasty wave a he joined his schoolmates in going to the testing hall. On the way he kept looking around searching for his friends.
In this school the number of friends he made could be counted on one hand. Only a few did not become nitpicky about his background. Most of them came from families relevant in the city and some human domains.
There were 12 domains in the human territory. Each domain had hundreds of cities,some large some small, some small settlements and cities were under the jurisdiction of the major cities governed by different powers.
He stayed in Vale city a major city that hosted five academies , he joined Blackthorn academy , a middle-class school, how they were able to afford it he didn't know but he managed to stay here for the last three years in preparation for the dangerous life outside city walls and the tests would play a big part of it.
On entering the hall he saw his friends seated near the front having saved him a seat. Talia saw him and waved her hand signalling him to go over. He passed by a few familiar and unfamiliar faces before he got to them.
The closer he he got the more he felt that something was wrong, the two Ackermans, brother and sister,had set him up and he could see it on their faces, the two sat together and each of the two had an empty seat by their side.
He had to choose who to sit beside, should he join the sister whose face now looked like a tomato but was attempting to form a cold face or the brother who was making a naughty face but beside the empty seat on his side was one of the school goddesses. He stood there thinking. As if solving his dilemma and giving him a pat another one of the school goddesses sat beside the brother lighting up his face.
He gave the Ackerman brother a pat on the shoulder with a well-wishing look on his face and went to sit beside the sister. Henry turned to look at his friend and almost burst out laughing.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Jack Braun,"what's up you seem to be in a good mood" Henry pointed at Tom , the Ackerman brother who was now redder than her sister who seemed to be back to normal an they both burst out laughing making Tom feel like burying himself or rather disappear.
A nudge from Sarah Ackerman brought them back from their fit to find thousands of eyes staring at them that made them shut up and cough in embarrassment. Henry turned to Jack who mouthed that they would show Tom hell later.
"I'd like to welcome you all to this year's Bloodline test, this will determine what you get to do with your life, whether you get to live a good life in society or whether you will exist as a common citizen. Some of you might have your dreams crushed but don't give up there is much you can do for the greater good of humanity..."
The man went on and on about the basics, "You will now be called here to test your bloodline aptitude randomly so sit tight, we'll start with Talia Moonridge, please step forward there are a lot of you so when called step forward quickly, you will be required to place a drop of blood on that vessel over there and wait for its evaluation, the results will be displayed on the screen above."
"What do you think your aptitude will be Henry?"
"Don't know it's not like it's written somewhere, I can't even guess it since I don't know my parents aptitude,"
"Well our parents are both A grades"
Sarah hit Tom's head and whispered to him to be sensitive.
"Don't worry Sarah I don't mind, so does that mean that the both of you have a chance of getting A grades , already feel jealous, what about you Jack?"
"Well, I also wish for A-grade aptitude but as long as I'm qualified to join a high ranking Academy I don't care what I get, I heard that they have a way to increase one's bloodline aptitude."
"And where did you hear that one Jack, is that from one of your buddies, I bet it's one day lie." Tom responded in a haughty way.
"It's true Tom," "Whaat!"Tom shouted.
"Keep it down dummy," Jack hit his head
"sorry" he whispered holding his head.
"I asked mom and she said that it is usually given out to the winner in the inter-academy competitions."
"Nooooo!" a heart rending cry was heard from the stage getting the attention of the group. They saw the screen, one of their classmates had gotten the short end of the stick,
[No aptitude]
A short hiss was heard from Henry followed by an eerie silence.
One of the impossible to happen scenarios had just happened spelling a dark future for him, unless he found a 'good samaritan' there was no hope for him since any possible treatment method was sure to be expensive.