I stood in the line, tapping my foot to the smooth tile. The echo bounced in the room whispering impatience. I peered over the heads of the people in front of me and to the front of the line that stretched about 40 people in front and 100 behind me. I let out a rough sigh and rolled my eyes. A tall man who stood in front of me swayed side to side. A small sweat droplet raced from his neck and down his shirt. He smelled of sour milk, and his hair pointed a thousand different directions.

“I have places to be, are you kidding me.” The man muttered under his breath.

“We all do.” A woman behind me fiercely snarked.

The man turned around to face the woman, his odor smashing into her like a brick wall, “What was that?” He stepped toward her.

“She was agreeing, just turn around. The lines moving.” I cut in and gestured towards the front. The man turned around and took 4 inconstant steps forward. I couldn’t believe all these people were the same age as me. Some looked beat, worn down, and old, but we were all a bunch of 18 year olds about to find out their future. I moved forward and prepared to stand still for 10 more minutes. The lady behind me tapped on my shoulder. I swiveled around to face her.

“Thanks for that, sorry I’m so meanish. It been a long day,” She smiled and looked down at the floor. Her words blended together. She wore raggedy clothes that had obvious stitch lines from different fabrics.

“Oh, it’s okay,” I smiled back. We stood in silence for a moment.

“Names Deci,” She stuck out her hand. I think her accent is southern, I’m not sure.

“Fawn,” I shook it gently.

“So, have any ideas what your future's gon’ be? Any hopes?” She said gleefully.

I shook my head, “Not really, I don’t want to get disappointed.”

“Yeah, but there’s always that thing you know yous’ want, I hope I get veterinarian,” She nudged my shoulder.

“That would be a good one,” I said with a half smile.

“I bet almost every folk in here thinks they is gonna get the best job, them's best soulmate, the bestest house…You know why I like this little system here, cause people like me get a chance, ya know? I couldn’t afford no education...” She blabbered on as I just stared through attempting as best I could to act interested. Soon she stopped talking, and the line began moving. I turned and walked up 10 steps. The line began to move slightly faster. The gap between me and my future was closing in in seconds.

Screaming began to echo in the loud room. A man bursted out of the rooms by the front of the line. I peered around the shoulder of the man in front of me, He yelled helplessly as two tall men in dark clothing rushed him away. Murmurs exploded in the room.

A woman who stood in front of the foul smelling man turned to face us.

“What happen?”  Deci, the woman behind me, spoke to her.

“He was apparently just really upset with the results.” She shrugged, “No one knows.”

“That’s odd, how bad could it have been?” The man chuckled in front of me.

Deci soon had her back turned telling the people behind her what had happened. I faced the front and waited to be able to move forward. Every few minutes we would take a few steps, getting closer and closer to the destination. Soon enough only 15 people separated me from the front. My heart beated fast, and I was eager. People spoke, people admonished as if they knew what was to happen, and people dreamed. They spoke of what they hope for, they talk of someone they met that they hope to be the ‘one’, and I stood in silence. The 15 turned into 9. Deci could barely stay in her spot. She paced slightly.

“Ain’t this jus’ so exciting,” She smiled ear to ear.

I pursed my lips together and forced a smile, “Yes, so exciting.”

“I not gunna be disappointed or nothing, what it is, it is,” She said to me, but I’m sure it was more for herself. I just half smiled and nodded.

5 people between the line and the front. I tapped my foot against the tile as quiet as possible. My stomach seemed to be falling lower and lower. It twisted and danced making me uneasy. I’m sure my face lost a few shades of color.

Deci set her hand on my shoulder, “Hey, don’t stress.”

“Thank you,” I spoke sincerely.

The lines’ front was a by a glass gate that separates a big empty room we stood in from the rest of the building. There was a machine that scanned you, your fingerprints, and your eye for authentication, and then you were let through the gate. A few people were let in and they would wait inside to be brought in. The man in front of me stepped into the machine. A bar was high above his head and wrapped all the way around. He was asked to turn 360 degrees, then a small pad sat by the side of it, he pressed his thumbs and fingers into it. He then held his eye to a camera that scanned. A loud ding followed by green light in the ring scanner opened the gate with a hiss.

My turn.

I stepped in and followed what the man in front of me had done. The Fingerprint scanner popped up and I rested each finger and thumb onto it. The warmth from others hands was mildly unsettling. The eye scanner made a continuous tick noise as if it was about to explode. The gate idled for a moment, then a loud hiss commanded me in. My heart pounded up to my ears when a tall man stepped up to me. He motioned me to follow him.

“Ready to get your tag?” He spoke in a low baritone voice. I smiled and took a deep breath.

We walked down a long white hallway to a door labeled “Test Room 67” and he entered. I followed. The room had a high ceiling and was pure white. One chair sat in the middle with tons of wires and suchm hanging off the side. I went to the chair and sat down. He began hooking me up to the wires. He spoke such little words and didn’t explain anything. He then pulled out a needle and sunk it into my neck. Everything began to darken, and my head fell back to the chair.

“Hey, Fawn.” A voice boomed.

I opened my eyes. The light singed them closed and I brought my hands to cover.

“All the testing is done, I am here to put the tag on,” A kind woman's voice was speaking.

“Oh,” I spoke, “What did I get?”

The woman sat me up and began fiddling with things that sat on a metal tray, “You are given the occupation of Dentist, with a husband named Marcos Alandro who you will meet in a few years. He is an engineer, and you guys will be having 6 kids which will allow you to quit your job to be a stay at home mom. We also have your day of death if you would like to know, but we recommend you keep that locked up. You will be getting on a plane to Austin Texas in a few hours where we have picked out a house that will suit your income tell you meet Marcos, and all the knowledge you need to be a dentist has been installed in your tag so you will getting that as soon as I get this thing in, “ She help a staple gun looking gadget up in the air and looked at it. I attempted to look happy with what she had just told me, but it was proving a challenge. She stuck the gadget to the back of my neck and a hard pinch followed by a hot burn.

“Ow,” I hissed.

“Sorry, but you are all good to go, here is your ticket for the flight,” She held out a plane ticket and my passport and I grabbed them

“What if the test is wrong or something,” I stuttered out.

“All these decisions were picked for you using neuro technology to provide a happy wanting future that fits your work ethic and capabilities, So it is never wrong. It is not guaranteed you will like them, sorry. But this is what you deserve to have, and hey, you are well off,” She nudged my shoulder as she led me to the door.

I walked out the door, unable to hold in my frustration, clenching my fist in anger. I hated kids and never wanted to get married, but that is just what I get.