Examination Day - [v0.1.3.1]

Dickie nodded, picking at his eggs. He was a bright boy, curious and quick-witted, which—in this society—was exactly what his parents feared most. The Testing Center

The atmosphere in the Jordan household was thick with a forced, brittle normalcy. His mother, Amy, fussed over the breakfast table, her hands trembling slightly as she adjusted the silverware. His father sat behind the newspaper, his eyes fixed on the same headline for twenty minutes. Examination Day [v0.1.3.1]

The silence returned, heavier than before. There were no sirens, no dramatic arrests. Just the cold, mathematical reality of a world that prized conformity over brilliance. Dickie nodded, picking at his eggs

On the kitchen table, Dickie’s unfinished breakfast sat cold—a small, ordinary reminder of the boy who was too bright for his own good. His mother, Amy, fussed over the breakfast table,

A brief, suffocating moment of hope flickered in Amy’s eyes before the official continued.