Arlis walked into the hallway and leaned against the cool plaster wall. His shirt was soaked through with sweat under the cheap jacket.
Candidate 36 was waiting. "You were in there forever! Did they kill you?"
"Just be yourself," Arlis said, patting the kid on the shoulder.
He went to the restroom and splashed cold water on his face. He looked in the mirror. His eyes were bright, predatory. The fear was gone.
Back in the interview room, chaos had erupted.
"I'm giving him a 98," Commissioner Lee stated, capping her pen. "He understands infrastructure better than the Director of Public Works."
"He's a kid," another commissioner argued. "Is he manageable?"
Reynolds looked at his score sheet. He picked up his pen. "He's not a kid. He's a shark. And we need teeth." He wrote a number. 99.
Arlis returned to the lobby. The sun was setting, casting long orange shadows across the marble floor.
Kyler and Hailee were still there. They were waiting to see the humiliation.
"Took you long enough," Kyler jeered. "Did you cry? Did you beg?"
Hailee looked at Arlis. She noticed something different. He wasn't hunched over. He looked... tall.
The large electronic board on the wall flickered.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
The names began to scroll from the bottom up.
Rank 10... Candidate 36.
Rank 9...
Kyler crossed his arms. "Watch for the top five."
Rank 5... Kyler Craft. Score: 88.5.
Kyler pumped his fist. "Top five! I'm in!" He kissed Hailee on the cheek. "Told you."
The list continued.
Rank 2... Jacob Miller.
"Wait," Kyler frowned. "Miller was number one."
The screen flashed. The top name appeared in bold, gold letters.
RANK 1: ARLIS ZIMMERMAN - SCORE: 97.0
The lobby went dead silent.
Kyler's jaw dropped. His eyes bulged. "What? That's... that's a glitch! The system is broken!"
Hailee stared at the screen. She blinked, trying to make the letters rearrange themselves. Arlis? The guy she dumped for being a loser?
People turned to look at Arlis. The whispers started. "That's him? The guy in the gray suit?"
The elevator dinged. Commissioner Reynolds walked out. He ignored the crowd. He walked straight to Arlis.
He extended a hand. "Mr. Zimmerman. Outstanding performance. The highest score in the history of the board."
Arlis took the hand. His grip was firm. "Thank you, Commissioner. I look forward to starting."
Kyler pushed forward, his face a mask of panic. "Commissioner! I'm Kyler Craft. My father is-"
Reynolds turned on him, his eyes like ice. "Mr. Craft. This is City Hall. We hire based on merit, not lineage. Step back."
Kyler shrank back as if he'd been slapped. His face turned a deep, humiliated purple.
Hailee stepped forward, her hand reaching out. "Arlis... I..."
Arlis didn't even blink. He turned his back on her. He walked toward the glass doors, the sunset framing him in light. He didn't say a word. His silence was louder than a scream.
