Will cracked open his eyes from the irritating buzzing coming from his left wrist. Groaning, he brought his right index finger over his BIC and swiped it across, causing the device to stop vibrating. The thought of crawling back to sleep crossed his mind, but he knew that the idea wasn't wise. He had already snoozed his BIC twice that morning and he wasn't thrilled at the idea of ignoring it for a third time. There was no fooling the little device, fall back asleep after the second alarm and it jolts you awake with an electrical shock to your system. A very unpleasant thing to start your day with, but also meant that Lunarisions were hardly late for anything.
Will ran a hand over his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes. A day that would normally bring someone joy, was filling him with insane amounts of dread. It was Will's 21st birthday. The day that he got his posting and started his first day of work. In Will's mind however, it also meant the end of his carefree life. He was now an adult.
Will forced himself to sit up, looking out the window of his room to the right. He brought his hand to his bedside table, pushing a button, which caused the tint of the window to slowly fade, allowing the light to shine through without a filter. Heaving a sigh, he pulled the covers off him and made his way to his bathroom to get ready for the big day. Will dressed in a loose fitting shirt layered over a cotton tank top, coupled with a cream colored pair of chinos. It was common knowledge to dress comfortably on your first day, as you never know what kind of job you would be placed in. Wouldn't want to walk into a carpenter's workshop in a shirt and tie.
As Will headed down to the kitchen, the smell of pancakes filled the house. "I guess I should have known." Will announced, walking into his kitchen where his mother was at the stove.
"Known what?" Sarah asked, not taking her eyes off the pan in front of her.
"That you'll make my favorite breakfast." Will said, coming behind his mother and wrapping his arms around her neck. "Thanks Mom, smells great."
"Anything for my birthday boy." She said, smiling up at Will.
"Happy 21st son. You're officially an adult now." Trevor remarked, sipping his cup of coffee.
"Don't remind me Dad." Will groaned, letting go of his mother and turning to his father.
"Just telling it like it is. Still worried?" Trevor asked.
"A little, yeah."
"Just take it in your stride. The test is pretty accurate, scarily so sometimes. It knows what you'll excel at, even if you don't yourself." Trevor said, bringing up the news on the table interface.
"I hope so." He was however, not just worried about what job he was going to get, but if he could survive doing that job for the rest of his life. That part was the real problem in Will's mind. All worry was gone however, the moment his mother came over with a tower of pancakes, placing them on the table in front of Will. He dove into the pile, fishing pancakes onto his plates. For now, he was contempt to lose himself in his mother's delicious cooking.
"So when's the results coming out." Sarah asked, taking a seat beside Will. With his mouth stuffed with pancakes, he looked to his watch.
"In around an hour." Will mumbled with his mouth full. Sarah gave her son a look of slight disgust as food bits flew out of his mouth, before chuckling and shaking her head. Will shrugged his shoulders but continued his ravage of his food, disregarding his mother's disapproval.
As the Harrisons ate breakfast, they spoke about plans for the future. With Will now going to work, the prospect that he would soon be moving out was just beyond the horizon. Of course it all depended on where Will was to work. If he worked halfway across the moon, it was certain that elites would have him relocated to reduce his travel time. Even if he worked nearby though, they would soon put him in a home of his own so he could one day settle down and start a family, something that Will wasn't sure if he could do, what with hiding his sexuality and all. Still, priority was knowing his posting.
Will sat in the living room, watching the screen in front of him but not really paying attention. His mind was too preoccupied with the device on his wrist. Any minute now, his BIC would receive his results, and he had to report to work for his first day. Will's parents sat in the other room, knowing that Will probably wanted some alone time.
Will let his mind wander as he stared at his BIC, observing the edge of the strap, which dug slightly into his skin, wondering if it hurt when they put it on when he was a baby. The material it was made of was part biological, growing with the wearer as he grew. He shared a love hate relationship with his BIC however, as with most people on Lunaris. A part of him was fascinated by the device and always thinking about new practical uses for it that had yet to be developed, and other times he hated how he couldn't get rid of it even if he wanted to and how annoying it was at times. If you were crazy enough, you could try ripping it off, but you'll have probably bled to death before you could get to the nearest medical facility, since the device integrated with your blood vessels.
Vibrations knocked Will from his thoughts as the screen on his BIC flashed. His results were in. Will stared at the lighted screen for a few moments, composing his suddenly thumping heart, unsure why he was so nervous about it. With one last deep breath, Will put a finger to the screen, opening the message. A voice message started to play from the watch.
"This is an automated message in accordance with the Lunarision labor law." The female automated voice recited. "After receiving your posting, you are required to head to your reporting centre immediately. Directions will be forwarded to your BIC and you are to follow the designated route. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action." Will noticed movement to his left and turned to see his parents standing by the kitchen entrance, shooting him an encouraging look. "Vocation test results for...William Harrison, Lunaris ID 865-412-988-A. Occupation...Inconclusive. You are to report to...Helios Grove, 435 Treser Lane. Congratulations on your new posting. This message was brought to you by the Lunaris Education Council." The message cut off.
Will stared at his BIC in confusion. "What? What's my job? Inconclusive?" Will turned to his parents, who shared his confused look. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know. I've never heard of anyone who didn't get an answer." Trevor said, stepping forward towards his son.
"Maybe there was some error." Sarah suggested, trying to figure out the extremely bizarre situation.
"Directions to Helios Grove, 435 Treser Lane." Will's BIC announced again as directions were pushed to his device.
"Well seems like it's time for you to go. Maybe the people there might be able to explain. Just go there and maybe then everything would be clear." Trevor raised a hand, patting his son on his shoulder.
"I guess." Will said, giving his father a hug. At the sight, Sarah came forward and embraced her family. "I love you guys."
"We love you too Will. I'm sure everything is going to be fine." Sarah said, releasing the hug.
"Well I guess I should get going then, you know, before disciplinary action is taken against me." Will joked, making his parents chuckle. Will waved before exiting his house, turning one last time to look at his parents as the door closed behind him. It wasn't final goodbyes, so why did Will feel like it was. Sighing, Will looked down at his BIC, which directed him to where he needed to go.
Following the directions from his wrist device, he found himself walking past the houses that lined his street. From the general direction he was headed, he assumed he was headed for the tram. He had no idea where Helios Grove was, never even heard of it in fact, so he figured that it must have been far away. Stepping onto the main street, he expected to turn right for the tram station, but was surprised when he was directed to veer left instead. Of course, all he could do was follow as he was told, walking down the street, seeing natals going about their daily business.
