“Ms Bell?” A voice called her name. Looking up she saw Mr Simon waving her over to a number of odd-looking machines. Other students were still being sent off around the course on the far side of the field by another teacher, but those who had made it were nowhere to be seen. “Ms Bell, you finished. Now we’ll test your strength. If you would come over here.”

  Gwen nodded and walked over. The first machine wasn’t a machine at all. Not at first glance at least since it was just two poles in the ground about six feet apart. There wasn’t even a bar between the two to lift one’s self. Luckily Simon explained.

  “This is a simple gravity well enhancer. Please don’t do anything to break it. What I want you to do is simply,” Simon took up a spot in front of Gwen, acting the exercises out, “squat down and touch the ground, and then stand back up, reaching up as much as you can, and then repeat. The weight is going to increase a little bit every time you reach up, so just do it until you feel uncomfortable. Okay?”

  “Yes sir.”Gwen nodded and started with one swift touch and reach followed by another. Already she felt too heavy and halfway up on the reach she fell and the weight disappeared.

  “Two cycles. Reached a hundred ten percent weight.” Simon noted down. “Alright then. Let’s keep going.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  There were five stations in total. The second was another two-pole setup but was set up to detect the movements of push-ups. The third was for sit-ups. The fourth had a pull-up bar set between two poles. The last one was the most complex. A ladder climbing machine that rotated bars like a vertical treadmill. All had the same increasing force and Gwen was only able to do one or two before she lost her strength.

  “A hundred ten percent, again.” Simon said with a tone that could have been disappointment, “Alright then Ms Bell. Your physical test is done. Please, head inside and the upper-class men will guide you.”

  Gwen nodded as she tried to not breathe heavily. She started to the back door when a voice yelled behind her causing her to look.

  “Alright! I made it!” The darker-skinned boy, Kevin, had just passed the finish line with heavy breath.

  “Mr Kevin, I’m glad you finally made it,” Mr Simon said with tones of sarcasm, “I thought you were in the first wave of students. It took you over one hundred minutes to make it around the whole course?”

  “What? No, it didn’t. I… um…” Kevin stumbled for words.

  “I hoped you didn’t go off the track. Since that would be against the rules. By penalty of expulsion.” Mr Simon lifted his head and looked down at the annoyed boy.

  “Of course not! I just tripped! A lot.”

  “Well, it does look that way.” Mr Simon said, and that’s when Gwen noticed the injuries on Kevin. He was scraped up and bruised across his arms and face as if he had fought something. “Regardless, let’s start your strength testing. Over here.”