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.

The bus ride home felt different. Arlis held the offer letter in his lap, his thumb brushing over the embossed city seal.

He called home. "I got it."

The scream from his mother nearly blew out the speaker.

When the bus pulled into town, Arlis saw the diner. It was draped in streamers. A haphazard sign painted on a bedsheet hung over the entrance: CONGRATS ARLIS - OUR BOY'S GOING TO CITY HALL!

He laughed, a dry, choked sound.

He walked in, and the applause hit him. Everyone stood up. Even Mrs. Gable was clapping, a fake, ingratiating smile plastered on her face.

"I always knew you were special," she cooed, patting his arm.

Arlis nodded politely. Vultures, he thought. All of them.

Dinner was steak. The best cut Frank had. Martha opened a bottle of wine covered in dust.

"We were saving this for your wedding," she said, her voice catching.

The mention of the wedding hung in the air. Hailee.

"This is better than a wedding, Mom," Arlis said, raising his glass. "This is our future."

Frank was drunk on pride and wine. "Zimmerman," he kept saying. "They're gonna know the name Zimmerman."

Later, in his room, Arlis lay in the dark. The adrenaline was fading, leaving him cold and calculating.

He needed allies. He thought of Deedee Battle. In his past life, she became the Administrative Director. Right now, she was just a clerk. He needed to find her.

His phone buzzed. Unknown number.

"Zimmerman."

"Mr. Zimmerman? This is Warren Sterling, CEO of Apex Prep."

Arlis sat up. Apex was the biggest test prep company in the state.

"I'm listening."

"Your score... 97. It's impossible. My sources at the Personnel Board are calling it a miracle. They also passed along your contact info, hoping you might be open to a business proposition. I want to buy your strategy. Exclusive rights. Name your price."

Arlis smiled in the dark. Money. He needed money.

"My strategy isn't for sale, Mr. Sterling. But my consulting services might be."

He hung up. A car engine roared outside. Tires screeched.

Arlis walked to the window. Below, a red convertible was parked haphazardly. Hailee stumbled out, looking disheveled. She was drunk.

"Arlis!" she screamed at the dark window. "Arlis, come out!"

He watched her from behind the curtain.

"You did this for me!" she sobbed. "I know you did! You're trying to prove you're good enough! Well, you proved it! Come down!"

She looked pathetic. Small.

Arlis reached out and grabbed the heavy velvet curtains. He pulled them shut, blocking out the sight of her, blocking out the sound of her voice.

He walked back to his bed and lay down. He closed his eyes.

Tomorrow, the real war began.