I stare at the singular paper that was given to me in my envelope and I can’t push the feeling of disbelief away. “ N/A, None Available? How is that even possible, I’ve never heard of someone not being given some job title after The Arbitration,” I mumble to myself as I make the long trek back home. I fight the urge to let out another tear or two, “ This isn’t right, that test felt so easy.”

The distinct smells of carbon monoxide and various food stalls intermingle in the air and create an aroma that is distinctly Elysian. Taking in a deep breath I say as I exhale " At least the mood of the city seems good," placing my hands behind my head with my fingers interlocked.

I begin my game of people watching and memorization as I slowly navigate the hustle and bustle of the big city, a stark contrast can be noticed from the area of town the school is in and where I live. One side of the road is home to what the rest of The Rough would consider pristine, gaudy skyscrapers and building; my homeside of town seems a bit more downtrodden as I begin to walk past buildings that contain multiple food stalls in one. Sheets of aluminum in various states of decay hammered together to make patches and homes are a common occurrence.

As I’m walking I see a stack of rags on the ground that begins to shift as I get closer to passing it up. “Excuse me young man, can you spare some bani?” With shaking hands the ragged man reaches out, looking as if he were trying to contain dirty air itself and drink it in. “ I’m not asking for much, just enough for bread or perhaps something to take my mind off the hunger pains...please,” his eyes begin to look strained and his face wrinkles as his body is wracked with the cramps in his stomach.” I walk past him quickly as his body undergoes its episode, and as I walk away I feel a twinge of pain in my chest. “ Elysium has homeless, the ‘evsiz’ are nothing new, but why have I never wondered where they come from,” my brow furrows “Is that going to be me soon at the conclusion of Prep School?” Looking down at the dirt and gravel road I turn around and jam my fist in my pockets pulling out coins of different shapes and sizes.” I’m sorry I ignored you, here take this, it isn’t much but it will get you something from any of the food stalls here.” A tear carves its way down the man’s dirt caked face as he chokes out “ Thank you! Thank you young man! ”

In the distance a loud horn is sounded and I look up towards it. The man retreats back under his sheets and pieces of metal, and I quickly begin digging in my backpack. “Crap I must’ve lost track of time during The Arbitration, shit, shit, shit.” Pulling out a respirator attached to some goggles I begin strapping it to my face. Taking in a deep breath I feel the respirator closing in around my mouth confirming that the seal has been made. The world takes on a purple hue with a tint of blue as the goggles are strapped firmly onto my head. A couple minutes after the horn was heard, the busy streets seem vacant and a noxious looking cloud fills the streets and washes over me. Any skin that isn’t covered begins to feel hot for the duration that the cloud is in the area. The pile of blankets and rags begins shaking and coughing uncontrollably in painful convulsions as the cloud moves past the area and begins to dissipate into the open air of The Rough.

There is no more coughing or movement from the evsiz after the fifteen second ordeal. My eyes shut as i stand there facing the pile of sheets on the ground, and I’m physically relieved when a hear a long draw of air come from that direction.” Is that going to be me soon...one of the evsiz hoping to make to it past the daily cleansing?” Dirt flies up from the toe of my shoe as the question keeps repeating itself in my mine, “Fuck...fuck, FUCK, none available? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!” In an effort to compose myself a deep breath makes its way into my lungs as I begin searching the various handmade signs that checker the alleys and streets. A neon sign with the words “Gadj’s Gadgets & Oddities” roll into my view.

Opening the door causes a bell to ring and a feminine voice comes from a back room in the store. “Welcome to Gadj’s Gadgets and Oddities, home to the finest contraptions and knick knacks of The Rough and Elysium, we take bani or barter,” as she finishes her greeting the face of beautiful girl of about seventeen with with frazzled hair and a dirty face pops up from the inside of the backroom. “Oh it’s just you Alex, what’s up? What do you need this time,” she says with a pristine smile.” I want a replacement filter for my mask, its had too many uses for my liking” as I begin pulling the mask off, Gadj immediately outstretches her hand and takes it. “ Yeah, the filter is pretty dirty...I can replace the filter and charcoal in here no problem, I’ll even scrub this one clean so you can have a replacement again, but how are you gonna pay me?” She says with a raise of her eyebrow.

“Uh I haven’t thought too much about that...can I do deliveries for you or something?” A sweat drop begins to form on my forehead as I utter the idea. “Yeah, yeah that can cover some of the cost...how about this, you remember me when you make it big after this year’s Arbitration. You just took it right?” Avoiding eye contact I look at the various items in the shop, “ Y--Yeah, Yeah,” a slight cough escapes and bracing myself “Yes, I can definitely do that Gadj. No problem!” She lets out a cute chuckle as she finishes closing up the gas mask and hands it to me, “ I’ll see you around Alex.”

Running out the door, “Thanks Gadj, I’ll see ya when I see ya!” waving back excitedly I notice the pile of rags is gone and another sense of relief washes over me. The streets begin slowly populating themselves after the cloud passes and within half an hour everything is back in full drive and busier than before as if the people were desperately trying to regain their lost time. A trail of dust is left behind me as I run the rest of the way home ready to forget about today.

The aluminum roof of my house comes into view and with it, a strong sense of calmness immediately follows. As I pull out my leather necklace, the key to my home which is typically nestled warmly against my chest, briefly reflects some light from the amber sun. With the key dancing around with each step, a smile naturally finds its way on my face as I reach for the brass doorknob. A few moments pass and the key finds its mark, with a swift counterclockwise turn, the portal to my humble home begins to open. Completely to my surprise as the door finishes its journey, it reveals a familiar looking man with silver hair.

“Good evening Alexander, I’ve been waiting for you,” the man says with a warm smile “ we have much to discuss, come have a seat.”

“Uhm, Mr. Arbiter? - - - what are you doing in my house?” The question comes out confident, and slightly angry? The straps of my backpack make a small creaking noise as the hands holding them slowly turn into fists. Both of The Arbiter’s hands come up “ Woah woah, easy there slugger, no need to be upset I just wanted to talk to you.” I take my backpack off and reach for the folder, as soon as my hand touches it I grab it and throw it at the man. “What? Came here to talk to the only person that managed to NOT be assigned a job after an Arbitration? Go ahead, that’s what the paper you guys gave me said...None Available.” The man pulls the paper out of the folder, looks over it quickly and crumples it up, “ That is exactly what I came to talk about, your test results.”

“Do you have any idea why your results were the way that they were?”

“Not really, other than I did the best with the instructions I was given...or should I say wasn’t given. How can I do a well on a test if I don’t know the rules of it?” Annoyance begins finding its way into my tone.

“ If you think you did bad, then let me be the first to assure you that it is quite the opposite Alexander. You did good, as a matter of fact you did the best in your class, since the inception of The Arbitration you are the first person to score what was described by your observers as perfect.” A sense of pride begins to grow in The Arbiter’s voice. “ On the academic portion of the test, you didn’t miss a single question...second place, the child who was assigned a job in the medical field missed 25% more questions than you did and took the entire two hours to finish it.”

“If I did so good then why the hell wasn’t I assigned a job?” The question that has been pestering me finally makes its way into the world.

“I’m getting there, let me finish explaining, on the physical portion of the test you out perform your classmates by a margin of 45% or more in EVERY aspect. Strength, speed, agility, you’re the best at it and your interview displayed a high level of confidence. So what does that mean about your job?”

My fists slowly unclench and I begin hanging on every word the comes out of his mouth. As he tells me the actual results of my Arbitration, I find my way into a chair sitting across from him. “ I don’t know, what do these results tell me about my future job? Because as far as I know there is nothing available.”

“Nothing available that is known to the public of Elysium, Alexander. I know a lot about you after today, but what do you know about me?” The man’s silver hair seems to shimmer as he asks his question.

“I don’t know much of anything other than that you were The Arbiter today...I tend to keep myself busy and alive with odd jobs and other tasks since I’m an orphan.”

“That makes more sense now as to why you wouldn’t recognize the Sovereign of Elysium. My name is Leon Cromwell, and I run all of this,” his arms gesture in an outward motion as if he was claiming ownership to anything and everything in sight. “ You’re the first in the history of Elysium to pass with a perfect and that makes you kind of special on a level your fellow classmates can’t even comprehend.”

“Sovereign Cromwell, with all do respect, I just don’t want to end like one of evsiz…” the older of the two lets out an audible chuckle.

“Child, you will NEVER end up like the evsiz of this city with the potential you have, I’ll make sure of it.” Sovereign Cromwell stands up, putting his hands on my shoulders he looks me in the eyes. “What do you know of the world outside of Elysium?”

“I know that other cities and tribes exist, but I’ve never been to any of them.”

“Correct! Some of them are even considered allies, but not all of them. There are people out in The Rough that want what we have, and it doesn’t surprise me you haven’t left the city, most residents don’t and why would they?! It’s a damn wasteland out there…” His smooth voice trails off and after a moment he smiles again. “ Alexander, you’re qualified to chase after any job you want, but the only one I will be assigning you based off your test results is Sweeper Of The Rough.”

“What does a Sweeper do? Am I a damn street cleaner?!” my voice cracks a bit with a dash of worry on the side.

Another loud chuckle can be heard “ No, no, don’t worry. Alexander enjoy your few weeks off from Preparatory School, and remember you aren’t allowed to discuss your new job with anyone.”

The man makes his way to the door and on his way out he looks back, “ We’ll keep in touch.”

The door closes eerily as I begin to think of what my future my hold.