I stood there staring at a mannequin, head wondering how in the world did I end up here. What about my five year old self made them think this was the best career for me? I could barely read. How did they know about my future. The society of Maltese was all about producing the best kids in the world, the strongest in each of their expertise. All about being the powerhouse of the world and to accomplish that they start young and study for many years.
I’m now fifteen living in the Phillips complex of Maltese. The Phillips complex was for the future cosmetologist and fashion designers of the world. When we’re five years old, the government gives us a test to decide what careers would suit us best. You could be in construction, cosmetology, health, engineering, business, etc. The thing is, I’ve changed from when I was five, and I no longer have the same interests as I did and theres nothing I can do about it. I want to be in engineering, but since I’m a girl that was placed in cosmetology/ fashion merchandising there was no possible way they either would have or will now put me in engineering.

“Catherine? Catherine!” My teacher Ms. Hollie called out. “What are you doing? Stop daydreaming and get back to work.”

“Sorry Ms. Hollie it’s just.” I replied

“You just what? Don’t say what I think your going to say. Remember last time someone said that?”

I nodded my head in agreement and got to work curling the dolls hair. Last time someone said that they hated the career they were put in, they were sent to live on the streets for a week to make them feel what it is to fail, what would happen if they were to not have been given this opportunity to learn.

That night, I went on the government monitored social network to talk to my friend Dylan. Dylan was in engineering but wanted to be in cosmetology. We were in the misted of forming a plan on how we could possibly rebel. Since we couldn’t talk about this plan online we used code words and had secret meetings. The engineering complex was next door called Nectar. Tonight's the night we would do it. We would follow through with the plan, Dylan would pretend to be me and I would pretend to be Dylan. Somehow I had to get by my nosey roommate Emily, the complex guards and then sneak into the complex Nectar. After that things will be pretty simple, I wear Dyan’s clothing, follow his normal routine and act like him. I grab my badge, a hair tie and a handful of bobby pins, and a bag with hair extensions in it that I will later give to Dylan.

“Hey Emily, I’m going down to the cafeteria to get something to eat I’m starving,” I said.
“All right. But if Ms.Hollie comes by, I’m not covering for you. You know your not suppose to leave the room after 10:00.”
I roll my eyes at her and walk out. I press the elevator button and wait around the corner to see if anybody comes out. Nobody exits, so I quickly jump into the elevator and press the button for level one. The elevator ride that normally takes a blink of an eye felt like it was lasting forever. The bell dings signaling that I have arrived the pre- recorded message comes over the intercom in the elevator “Have a great day, future cosmetologist of the society.”.
I take one step out of the elevator, and there’s already a security guard in my way. He looks down at my name badge. “Where do you think you’re going, Catherine?”
“I was just going down to the cafeteria for a quick drink. I’m really thirsty.”
“All right. But if you’re not back in your room within the next ten minutes theres going to be consequences.”
I quickly run down the hall towards the cafeteria, which happens to be right near a secret exit. Surprisingly, I don’t run into another security guard. This is the only way out, where you can hide from cameras. I reach the secret spot I was supposed to meet Dylan at.
“Catherine what took you so longs?!”Dylan asked..
“Sorry, I almost got caught. Here. Take these extensions and my name badge,” as I unpin it from my shirt. “Oh, one more thing. You have to get back into the room in the next six minutes. The guards looking for me”.
“I got you Catherine. Here's my badge and hat. Good thing we already planned on what to wear tonight”.
I quickly pin my hair up, place the ball cap on my head and run off to the engineering compound.
“Good Morning, future engineers,” the announcement over the speaker says.
Oh how I’ve waited to hear those words. It felt so right, so natural. Dylan’s roommate or I should say my roommate, knows all about our switch and is helping me keep it under cover.
First class comes around. “Dylan?”
“Here,” I say in a little to high pitch voice. The professor gives me a weird look but continues on.
“Today we will have a quiz on the bridges we’ve been studying”. The professor says.
Crap, I think. I don’t know anything about bridges, what am I going to do.
The professor hands out the test. I write down my name or should I say Dylan’s name, and stare blankly at the page. I wonder how Dylans doing in cosmo. Probably a lot better than I’m doing. The professor walks around circling all the students, and then stopping at me. “Dylan what's going on? You seemed to know all about these bridges yesterday.”
I continue to stare at the paper.
“Dylan?” “Dylan!” the professor says sharply. “Look at me Dylan”. I swallow and look up.
The professor takes a good look at me. “You're not dylan,” the professor says squinting his eyes. “come with me, who are you exactly and wheres Dylan”?
I slowly push out the chair and stand up. Thoughts go racing through my head. What am I going to say to Dylan? What's going to happen to us? Can I still go back to cosmetology? I’m I going to be kicked out? Or even worse be killed?
The professor and I walk down a long hallway leading to outside. We cross the street into the head government building. The professor enters some type of combination and the doors open up. The professor walks up to the receptionist and whispers something into her ear and she immediately escorts us down a long narrow hallway. She bursts open the door of the leader, who quickly jolts his chair around. “We have an a severe offence sir. Two children switched lives to be in different majors”.
“Have a seat,” he says to me.
I take a seat in front of his desk in this awfully uncomfortable chair. Biting my lips trying not to show how afraid I really am.

“So Dylan,” He says looking down at my name tag. “Who are you really exactly”.

“I’m...I’m... I’m Catherine... Catherine Bryce... Catherine Bryce from Cosmetology and fashion design.”

“So you were pretending to being Dylan Young from engineering. Thats correct right?”

“Correct”.

“And was he pretending to be you?”

I stare at the professor blankly, struggling to decide if I should tell the truth or not. I swallow and look down at his desk. “Yes, that’s correct, but it was all my idea don’t get him in trouble. I convinced him to do this”.

The president turns to look to his secretary then back at me. “I’m sorry. You're released from the Phillips compound and you are sent to a camp where you will be “taken care of” there” we will deal with Dylan later”.

My arms are grabbed by two strong men and escorted out the building into a black car where we drove for miles. Finally at the end of a dirt road was a log cabin and a river. Along the river there was rope and bricks. I started to scream but one of the strong men covered my mouth while the other pulled me into the cabin. Inside the cabin there was an old man and another set of two strong men, this time one had a gun, both had a blank stare on their faces. The old man gave them orders in some sort of language I didn’t quite understand. Next thing I knew my mouth was taped up, the tape wrapping around my head, there was rope taping my ankles together and another wrapped around my wrist. Then then placed me on a scale where I was weighed. The old man spoke again but this time is sounded like numbers. One of the men placed a harness like contraption around my waist and carried me over to the river. I felt the tears swell in my eyes. They set me down and started adding weights to the harness, I tried screaming, I tried crying nothing was working. Next then I knew I’m being lifted up and carried over to a dock where all of a sudden SPLASH! I’m sinking to the bottom of the river. Further and further I go down the tighter and tighter my chest gets.