Sun

One month before the exams, Ethan was about to finish school.

Mornings in the city always started the same way.

Ethan loved this time of day. The sun hadn’t risen high yet, and its rays glided across the glass facades, turning the avenue into an endless corridor of light. The air was clean — the automatic filters worked perfectly, and there was only the scent of filtered air and, somewhere in the distance, coffee from street vending machines.

He walked slowly; he still had an hour before the exam. In his headphones, Maya’s voice played — she had recorded a biochemistry lecture for him when she found out Ethan wanted to apply for the science program. His sister’s voice was calm, but when she explained the mechanisms of cellular respiration, there was that spark that made Ethan believe science was truly incredible.

“Ethan!”

He turned around. Marcus, his friend and eternal sparring partner, was catching up with long strides, adjusting his backpack strap. He was out of breath, but grinning from ear to ear.

“What are you doing here so early?” Ethan asked, pulling out one earbud.

“I was looking for you.” Marcus fell into step beside him and clapped him on the shoulder. “I thought we’d go together. Nervous?”

“A little.”

“Come on, you’re the smart one.” Marcus smirked. “I’m the one worried about the physicals. If I fail, my dad said I’m going to the factory.”

“You won’t fail,” Ethan shook his head. “You’re the fastest in the group.”

“Speed’s good, but you need endurance too.” Marcus paused. “I heard they’re expanding the GUARD intake this year. They say if you show results, you can get straight into an elite unit.”

Ethan said nothing. GUARD didn’t appeal to him. He wanted to be in a lab, like Maya — to understand how the world worked, not just protect it.

They passed a bus stop crowded with people in identical gray jackets — workers hurrying to their shifts. A little further off was another stop, with a shelter and benches, where people in expensive clothes boarded clean, high-speed buses. Ethan noticed the division but didn’t dwell on it — it had always been like that.

Off to the side, on a bench, sat an elderly man in worn-out clothes, reading a newspaper. Ethan caught himself thinking that people like that were rare. The city was clean, tidy, almost sterile. Even the homeless — if there were any — seemed to disappear before dawn.

“Look,” Marcus nodded toward the intersection.

A GUARD patrol approached, their polished badges gleaming. There were four of them, in dark blue uniforms with weapons on their belts. People parted before them like water before a ship. One of the patrolmen glanced at Ethan — briefly, indifferently — and walked past.

“Cool,” Marcus murmured. “Now that’s respect.”

“It’s not respect,” Ethan said quietly. “It’s fear.”

“What’s the difference? The main thing is order.”

Ethan didn’t answer. They turned into the park where the examination center already loomed — a glass cube reflecting the sky.

“Alright,” Marcus stopped walking. “I’m off to the range. Good luck.”

“You too.”

Marcus clapped him on the shoulder one last time and jogged toward another entrance. Ethan watched him go. His friend dreamed of GUARD, of the uniform, of power. Ethan dreamed of something else. But both of them believed they were heading toward something important.

He entered the building. The glass doors slid silently shut behind him, cutting off the noise outside.

Inside, it smelled of sterility and fresh paint. On the wall hung a poster: “The future is in your hands. Choose your path.” Beneath it stood three silhouettes: a scientist in a white coat, a soldier in GUARD uniform, and a worker at a machine. Ethan’s gaze lingered on the first.

Maybe I really can do it, he thought.

He didn’t know that soon, the choice would be taken from him.