"Jump me from the table and tell me I'm falling."

"Nonsense." He smiled. Somehow, he thought this was going to be easy. Surrounded by the black guards, I hoped it would be so. The questions, however, seemed to be almost subjective in their interpretation. I continued.

"Break apart the wings and put one in your teeth," I said.

"Instructional."

"Find me a guard to pit the bulls against other animals," I said.

"Nonsense."

"A fake doll appears to be speaking in tongues."

"Statement."

"Tense?"

"Present."

"Verb?"

"Appears."

"An undying love for elephants cost him his life."

"Statement."

"Good job, Jimmy. You're doing really well," I said. It was terrible we had to do this. If he answered one question incorrectly, he was going to the camps. They weren't exactly easy for a five year old, either.

"What's a long time ago to a cricket like me," I said.

"Nonsense." Jimmy turned his face to me after answering, as he had done every other time.

I returned the gaze with as much strength as I could muster. Oh my god, I thought. He's going to die. He suddenly realized "What's a long time ago to a cricket like me" actually makes sense, and his perfect eyes seemed to shatter.

"Ms. Paula?"

"It's going to be okay, Jimmy."

"Ms. Paula?!"

The man in the obsidian armor jumped between us, and pushed me aside. "You failed the test. Do not continue to speak to your teacher. Come with me."

The child was an Indigo, but he wasn't good enough to escape the wrath of the black guard. When he got to the camps, his spirit would be corrupted, turning him to another thug. I cursed myself under my breath.

"Why did I support common core?"