Chapter 4: The Visit

The night before the Twenty-Five Test was always the hardest. Zeke stood by the window of his modest apartment, staring out at the city lights that flickered below. Ten years had passed since his Fifteen Test, a decade of growth and change. Now, the same anxiety that had gripped him as a boy was tightening around him again.

The city below moved in its usual rhythm—streets alive with late-night activity, neon lights painting the night with hues of electric blue and red. Zeke's reflection stared back at him from the glass, the lines of age and experience etched into his face. The world outside seemed distant, both familiar and foreign.

Tomorrow, he would face the Test again, but this time, it wasn’t just a series of questions or moral dilemmas. It was a culmination of everything he had become, every choice he had made, every relationship he had forged or lost. It was a measure of his growth, or lack of it.

He turned from the window and glanced around his apartment. It was simple, functional, a stark contrast to the chaos of his thoughts. Books lined one wall, a testament to his need for understanding and knowledge. Photographs of Ella and Lina and family filled the frames on the table, reminders of the connections that anchored him. Lina slept in the bedroom close by waiting for him to join her. Their platonic childhood friendship blossomed over the past ten years, and Zeke fell in love with her completely. They were planning a life together, and hoped to have a daughter one day. Ella married her college love, Miranda, and they lived in a house across the street. Open marriages were expected in society though, and all of them enjoyed each other’s company from time to time. Zeke also sometimes dated a man named Reggie who worked in the Lady President’s Cabinet, but these activities were designed to explore pleasure, and his heart lied truly with Lina.

The soft chime of the doorbell broke the silence. Zeke’s pulse quickened. He walked to the door, his footsteps measured, and opened it to find Elias standing there, his expression unreadable.

“Elias,” Zeke said, trying to keep his voice steady. “What are you doing here?”

Elias stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room. “I wanted to see you before tomorrow. We need to talk.”

Zeke closed the door and gestured for Elias to sit. They had not seen much of each other in the years since the Test. Elias’s path had diverged, leading him to a life of constant movement, while Zeke had worked to build a life of stability and purpose. After failing his Fifteen Test, Elias was sent to Australia for two years of rehabilitation; a place free of punishment but steeped in deep therapy and self-reflection. It was a system that acknowledged the potential for growth, for change, and avoided the cruelty of permanent exclusion.

This world had never known war. There were no guns, no armies. Police worked for the people, not against them, and even the need for tasers was rare. Violence was a thing of history, and disputes were resolved through mediation and dialogue. The Supreme Court operated on term limits, ensuring fresh perspectives, and the president was chosen by popular vote, a far cry from the manipulated systems of the past. Zeke took a deep breath, knowing that this world, flawed as it might still be, was far better than the one his ancestors had left behind. He was proud of what they had built—a society where kindness and emotional intelligence were valued as much as strength, where people of all genders could live without fear or oppression.

Elias had returned to society at 17 a changed young man, passing his Reentry Test almost too well. Since then Zeke and Elias hardly interacted, but would occasionally run into each other at City Balls and Community Centers. 

Elias took a seat, his posture rigid. “I’ve been watching you. Not in a creepy way,” he added quickly, “just… observing. I’m curious about how you’ve changed.”

Zeke raised an eyebrow. “Curious?”

Elias’s eyes met his, searching. “You’ve always been the one who followed the rules, the one who could navigate the system. I want to know if that’s still who you are.”

Zeke took a deep breath. “And what if it is? What’s it to you?”

Elias’s gaze was steady. “I’m not here to judge. I’m here because tomorrow’s TwentyFive Test isn’t just a formality. It’s a chance to see how far we’ve come, or how far we’ve fallen. I’ve seen people fail it, and I’ve seen people pass. But this time, it feels different.”

Zeke nodded slowly. “Different how?”

Elias leaned forward, his voice lowering. “The world’s changed, and so have we. The Test isn’t just about morality anymore. It’s about understanding our place in a world that’s always shifting. It’s about recognizing when our beliefs have betrayed us, or when we’ve betrayed our beliefs.”

Zeke looked away, feeling the weight of Elias’s words. He had spent years striving to fit into a system that was supposed to measure his worth, but now he wondered if that system was as flawed as it seemed.

“What if I fail?” Zeke asked quietly. “What if I’m not the person they expect me to be?”

Elias’s expression softened, though the intensity never fully left his eyes. “Then you’re not alone. Failure isn’t the end.” Elias rested his hand softly on Zeke’s. A current of electricity ran between their skin. 

Zeke’s heart ached at the truth of Elias’s words. He had worked hard, made choices that he believed were right, but the looming Test made him question everything. What if the values he had held onto were not enough? What if he had changed in ways that would be seen as flaws rather than strengths? It had been ten years, after all.

Elias squeezed his hand for a fleeting moment and then stood, moving toward the door. “I’m not here to cheat and compare answers. I’m here to remind you that you’re not the only one who’s changed.”

Zeke followed him to the door. “Thanks for coming, Elias. I didn’t expect… this.”

Elias offered a small smile, a flicker of the old connection between them. His eyes lingered on Zeke’s lips as if questioning his next move, but then just as quickly, the question was gone. “Good luck tomorrow.”

As Elias left, Zeke closed the door and leaned against it, the room quiet once more. The weight of the night pressed down on him, but Elias’s words lingered, a balm to his frayed nerves.

He returned to the window. Tomorrow, he would face the Test, but tonight, he was left with the quiet company of his thoughts and the echo of Elias’s parting words.