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Food Handler's Quiz
Quiz by Hannah Waite
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Classroom Expectations and Policies Assessment 1. What should students bring to class every day? a. Only a positive attitude b. Charged Chromebook, writing utensil, and positive attitude c. Just their books d. Snacks and drinks 2. What is the consequence for bullying in the classroom? a. A warning b. A violation card c. Extra homework d. A meeting with the principal 3. If a student breaks a personal item, what must they do? a. Ignore it b. Apologize c. Buy a new one for the teacher d. Ask for forgiveness 4. How should students handle using the futon during class? a. Sit on it every day b. Use it without asking c. Ask first and only use it during work time d. Sit on it during lectures 5. Where will all assignments be posted? a. On the classroom wall b. On Canvas c. Only verbally d. In a textbook 6. What happens if an assignment is submitted late? a. It will be graded normally b. It will not be accepted c. It will drop a letter grade each day it is late d. It will be given extra credit 7. After how many days of lateness will a student receive only half credit for an assignment? a. 1 day b. 2 days c. 3 days d. 4 days 8. What is the policy for retaking tests? a. No retakes allowed b. Students must schedule the retake themselves c. Retakes are given automatically d. Only the teacher can decide on retakes 9. What constitutes cheating in this classroom? a. Asking for help b. Claiming credit for someone else's work c. Working with a partner d. Participating in study groups 10. What is the penalty for cheating? a. A warning b. A failing grade on the assignment and notification of parents c. Extra assignments d. A detention 11. How will grades be determined? a. By participation only b. By points, with tests and quizzes weighted more than classwork c. By effort d. By attendance 12. Where can students use their cell phones? a. In class anytime b. In the commons and hallways during passing time and lunch c. In the restroom d. In the cafeteria only 13. What happens if a student uses their phone during class? a. They will receive a warning b. The phone will be confiscated immediately c. They can keep it if they ask d. They will lose points on their grade 14. What should a student do if they know they will be absent? a. Ignore it and hope for the best b. Come to the teacher at least three days before c. Ask a friend for notes d. Just show up later 15. If a student is sick and cannot do work, what should they focus on? a. Completing all missed assignments b. Getting better c. Emailing the teacher every hour d. Asking for extra credit 16. What is the policy on bringing food or drinks to class? a. It's not allowed at all b. It’s allowed as long as it’s not a distraction c. Only water is allowed d. Students must share their food 17. How should students contact the teacher with questions? a. Only during class time b. Through social media c. By email or in person d. By sending a friend 18. What happens if a student emails after 9 PM? a. The teacher will respond immediately b. The teacher will respond the next day at 7:45 AM c. The email will be ignored d. The teacher will call the student 19. How do violations accumulate for cell phone use? a. They reset every trimester b. They accumulate throughout the school year c. They reset every week d. They do not count 20. What should students do if they have concerns while the teacher is on maternity leave? a. Contact the principal b. Contact the substitute teacher for assistance c. Wait until the teacher returns d. Handle it on their own Answer Key (Always review AI generated answers for accuracy - Math is more likely to be inaccurate) b. Charged Chromebook, writing utensil, and positive attitude b. A violation card c. Buy a new one for the teacher c. Ask first and only use it during work time b. On Canvas c. It will drop a letter grade each day it is late c. 3 days b. Students must schedule the retake themselves b. Claiming credit for someone else's work b. A failing grade on the assignment and notification of parents b. By points, with tests and quizzes weighted more than classwork b. In the commons and hallways during passing time and lunch b. The phone will be confiscated immediately b. Come to the teacher at least three days before b. Getting better b. It’s allowed as long as it’s not a distraction c. By email or in person b. The teacher will respond the next day at 7:45 AM b. They accumulate throughout the school year b. Contact the substitute teacher for assistance Arizona Food Handler's CardSafe Food Handling Test (Greenlee County Food Handler's Exam Prep). Sports center manager / Leisure manager They conduct daily activities at sports complexes and recreational facilities with gyms, pools, and activity rooms. Individuals need a bachelor's degree in leisure and recreation, facility management, or hospitality. 3. Food truck manager They oversee the daily operations of food trucks at tourist attractions and unique event venues. They may be responsible for coordinating work schedules, obtaining food service licenses in different areas, and ordering food inventory as needed. Food truck managers need a minimum of a high school diploma but can also benefit from previous work experience. 4. Pastry chef They specialize in making various pastries and other desserts for bakeries, restaurants, and patisseries. They work closely with other kitchen staff and chefs to create dough mixtures, develop new recipes, decorate dessert items, and monitor the baking process to ensure a finished product. To become a pastry chef, individuals can either earn a high school diploma and develop their skills or attend a pastry arts program and earn an associate degree or bachelor’s degree. 5. Airport manager / Aviation manager They ensure efficient operations at an airport while ensuring that all airlines follow FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) guidelines. They hire and train airport personnel and monitor activities relating to They usually have a few years of work experience in a role at an airport, along with a bachelor's degree in airport management 6 security, customer service, and customer amenities, including onsite restaurants. and operations or aviation management. A professional certification can also be beneficial. 6. Spa manager They lead daily operations at spa facilities. Their duties include hiring and training spa employees and maintaining an up-to-date inventory of cosmetic products, sheets, towels, robes, and other items for skin treatments. Spa managers may also promote their spa by hiring freelance marketers or organizing advertisements for digital or print platforms. They also administer advanced therapies like facials and massages to customers. The education requirements include earning an associate's or bachelor's degree in hospitality or business management. Prospective spa managers also need a few years of work experience at a spa business. 7. Hotel assistant general manager They support the job duties of the hotel's general manager. They help the available manager interview job candidates, make hiring decisions, and coordinate training efforts for staff. Hotel assistant general managers may also cover shifts for general managers and act as temporary general managers when the manager is sick or on vacation. Individuals need a high school diploma and a few years of hotel experience. They may also benefit from earning an associate's degree or bachelor's degree in hospitality and tourism. 8. Tour manager They oversee tour bookers, tour guides, tour bus drivers, and marketing staff for a tour company. They schedule work shifts for tour guides, develop marketing Individuals can become tour managers by earning a high school diploma and working for a tour 7 strategies to increase tour bookings, and read tourist reviews to determine how they can improve their overall experience. They may also accompany clients when they travel and attend to their needs. company for a few years. They can also earn a bachelor's degree or master's degree in an area like hospitality and tourism management. 9. Cafe manager They oversee the daily operations of cafes in shopping centers, hotels, and other areas. They hire and train cafe staff, adjust coffee and bakery selections, handle complex customer questions, and ensure the cleanliness of their facilities. Cafe managers also create work schedules to provide enough staff during peak business hours. To become a cafe manager, individuals need a minimum of a high school diploma and previous experience working in a cafe as a barista or supervisor. 10. Activity manager They work for hotels and resorts, travel companies, and cruise liners to oversee guest activities and ensure guests have a pleasant experience. This may include planning guests' itineraries, offering guests tours of the local area, and developing fun activities within their facilities. Activity managers typically have bachelor's degrees in hospitality and tourism, event planning, or recreation. 11. Hotel sales coordinator They work for hotels and help create and manage their marketing and customer service strategies. They also work with a team of sales coordinators and hotel managers to research ways to increase bookings and retain customers. They may To become a hotel sales coordinator, individuals need a bachelor's degree in sales, marketing, hospitality, and tourism. 8 design special offers, create branding and promotional strategies, and follow up with guests after they check out. 12. Resort manager They oversee the daily activities at resort facilities. They typically monitor the resort's housekeeping activities, finances, and marketing materials. They manage different departments to assist with general maintenance and ensure a high guest satisfaction rate. To become a resort manager, individuals need experience working in the resort industry, either a bachelor's degree or master's degree in hotel management or hospitality and tourism. 13. Travel agent They work for travel agencies or as self-employed individuals to help clients book transport and hotel accommodations. Their duties may also involve creating a trip itinerary for their clients and helping them reschedule canceled flights or transfer accommodations. Prospective travel agents need a high school diploma and an interest in travel. They may also benefit from earning an associate's or bachelor's degree in hospitality and tourism management or applying for a professional travel agent certification. Travel agents often start as employees and become managers as their careers progress. 9 14. Catering manager They oversee a kitchen and server staff team for a catering company or event venue. They hire and train catering staff and work with one or more chefs to create an effective catering menu. They also design schedules for staff members, depending on the time required to set up and prepare food before an event. To become a catering manager, individuals can benefit from earning either an associate degree or a bachelor's degree in an area like hospitality or food service. 15. Entertainment manager They collaborate with resorts, cruise liners, hotels, and other accommodations to book singers, musicians, dance groups, comedians, and other entertainers to perform for guests. Their duties include holding auditions for potential talent, scheduling bookings, and negotiating with clients to determine price points. They oversee many aspects of events, including their production and financing. To become an entertainment manager, individuals can attend a four-year bachelor's degree program in hospitality, tourism management, event planning, or events and entertainment. 16. Guest services manager They assist hotel guests with their needs from when they check in to when they check out. They provide guests with room keys, organize baggage assistance, and delegate tasks to other staff like housekeepers, front desk employees, or room service personnel. They're also responsible for hiring and training the guest services staff. This position typically requires a minimum of a high school diploma and a few years of guest service experience. 10 17. Director of Housekeeping They work for a hotel, cruise line, or resort and manage its housekeeping staff. They maintain clean facilities for all guests by hiring and training housekeeping staff and monitoring inventory, including cleaning supplies, towels, bedsheets, and guest amenities. Housekeeping directors can benefit from earning a bachelor's degree in hospitality management and gaining several years of experience in the cleaning service industry. 18. Park manager They work at public and amusement parks and help develop marketing and promotional strategies to increase visitors. They may work with facilities managers to ensure the park remains clean and well-maintained. They also manage the park's budget, train managers in individual departments, and develop inclement weather or emergency policies. Prospective park managers need a bachelor's degree in leisure and recreation, management, or landscape design. 19. Food service director They work for hotels, cruises, and other accommodations to oversee food service operations for guests. Their job duties include developing a budget for food inventory and supplies, relaying information to food and beverage managers and kitchen staff, approving menu and drink ideas, and ensuring the quality of the food and dining operations. Directors at large hotels or other organizations may also To become a food service director, a bachelor's or master's degree in hospitality management, food service management, or culinary arts is necessary. 11 oversee the room service and catering from multiple restaurants. 20. Travel consultant They assist individuals, educational institutions, and corporations with their travel needs. They meet with clients to discuss their travel options to a destination and determine whether they need a passport, vaccinations, or weatherappropriate attire; they also help them find discounted hotels and airlines and arrange accommodations for clients with medical conditions and special needs. A high school diploma and a voluntary certification are typically necessary to become a travel consultant. An associate or bachelor's degree in tourism, international studies, or hospitality can also be beneficial.Sanitation must always be observed to promote hygiene and to prevent diseases. Sanitation and safety measures at home must never be taken for granted. All responsible members of the family should see to it that everything at home is in proper order to avoid accident. Children are usually careless and playful, they must be well taken cared off and not left alone for themselves, otherwise something wrong might happen. My dear learners keep focus, learn more! How can accidents be avoided at home? a. Multiple octopus connection can cause power overload. This can cause fire, hence it is better to install an extra outlets than to have your house burned. b. Unplug electrical appliances after use to avoid overheat appliances causing fire. c. Electrical cord should be placed away from children’s reach. d. Sharp objects should be placed in secure places where children will not reach , thus causing accidents. e. Separate shelves must be provided for poisonous substances and another one for food supplies and medicines. Following are guidelines to be observed to avoid accidents at home. Home Economics and Livelihood Education 7 Seibo College 128 f. Never touch electrical switches with wet hands. Be sure to dry your hands before plugging or unplugging appliances. In addition to that, there are accidents usually occurs in the kitchen. Since the kitchen is considered the busiest part of the house it is best to follow safety measures to avoid accidents. . 1. When preparing and cooking food never leave the fruit and vegetable peelings on the floor. Someone might step on it and fall. 2. When someone accidentally spilled liquid on the floor, wipe it immediately. 3. Use a tray when carrying or serving hot liquids to protect yourself from spills. 4. When lighting the gas stove, be sure to light the match first before turning the gas on. Always turn-off the gas stove after use. 5. Throw sand or a damp rag in case your stove catches fire. 6. Use dry pot holders to hold hot utensils. 7. Hold the kettle and its cover with dry pot holders when draining. 8. To avoid touching handles of hot utensils while cooking, turn them inward. Listed below are the health and safety practices while working in the kitchen Home Economics and Livelihood Education 7 Seibo College 129 9. Avoid carrying hot pots filled with hot liquids across the kitchen to avoid getting burned. 10. Be sure to wash your hands before and after cooking. 11. Use appropriate cooking wear like apron and hairnet. 12. Provide for a covered garbage can for trash and rubbish. 13. Use a dish cloth for wiping dry the different kitchen wares. 14. Remove accessories like bracelets, wrist watch, and ring while working in the kitchen. 15. Clean the kitchen before and after cooking. Why is it important to follow health and safety practices at home? Knowing safety tips at home prevents common injuries like burns, cuts, poisoning, choking and falls. Observing health practices at home prevents illness, spread of diseases or even death. Safety measures at home prevent accidents from happening thus save time, money and energy. Following safety measures at home ensures a healthy and peaceful life. Did you understand the lesson? If you did, observe and practice them at home for your own good and your love ones. “On this night, we share a roof protecting us from fleets of inequity. Our unification promises a better tomorrow. Those larger than myself, sitting on their marble thrones, sipping blood from cups composed of human skin and singing songs of so-called virtue, grow weaker each moment. Their caravans are revolting. There is hope yet. There is progress! Though tonight may mark a countdown, it is still a celebration. Look at all we have done, not just for Trials but for Palatium Infra as a whole. In four years, when I’m no longer Sovereignty, the Spoiled Purity and his people will continue to strive. So drink! Smoke! Crush up those exotic plants and snort them! We will not falter, weaken, or wane. Our influence is expanding, and somebody new opens their eyes every day. Even the Silbys of Aculeus have reached alarming potentials despite their embittered minds. So long as you relish in tonight, dance, and pray to your “dead” Gods, our revolution shall rise beyond the bounds of class, and when I’m only a commoner, we shall rise again beyond our brainwashed adversaries! Cheers, my people. Cheers!” Followers raised their cups. Some clinked theirs together. Others stood still and screamed breathlessly in agreement. I smiled with courtesy, then stepped off my platform. My voice still rang across the cellar. Speeches before were grander. Those displays were supposed to be emptying, and yet this one left me bloated, swollen tight. I watched as they popped the corks of their bottles and chanted in the name of Purity. Maybe the quality of my words wasn’t what mattered to them anyway, so long as I screamed loud enough. There’s no merit in attacking your people, a voice corrected me. “That’s right,” I said aloud. “Knox, my-my Sovereign!” squealed a nearby devotee, jittering as he stuffed his face with catered pastries. He was one I’d never seen before or had failed to remember. “Look what I’ve found! It’s wine, and not the shoddy Infran kind, either. Earth-made with good fruit! I don’t know how anyone managed to get their hands on this. Maybe some space travel mischief.” He giggled and held up a small glass bottle. “How neat.” “I want you to have it, Sir.” I nodded my head. “Yes, of course. Thank you.” Backing off into the midst of rowdy disciples, I clutched the bottle. What a waste of grapes. It could have been jam instead. Earthly food had a superior taste, ripe with delicate intricacies and nostalgia, but Palatium Infra had mastered the art of alcohol. Why waste your time with a drunkenness so sad and sickening? The booze of trash. Not many more followers approached me. The barren peroration must have upset them. My hands itched to submerge into my suit pockets, and my legs stood suddenly numb, wobbling. Four more years until I’m nothing. But tonight, you are nothing. “Shut up,” I told myself. Tightly packed together in the corner of the dwelling sat the Sibyls. A mound of writhing fabric and tones of skin made up their unified silhouette. I snapped the strap of the nearest gown, balancing on my hands and knees, waving the bottle before them. In their almost rodent nature, narrow noses prodded my way. Their dresses wrinkled and fell to their ankles. Knees dropped, and eyes widened. Many grumbled at me like hungry she-beasts. Those newer ones with faded curtains for hair, sunken eyes, and dirtied nails looked, hid their face, then sobbed. I imagined them in a pack together, fighting wildly against the Spoiled Purity in their rat decorum–biting down with square teeth laced with rabies. “I’ve got you all something,” I said. “Go back off to your pedestal and yap some more. We don’t want it.” A woman rose from the pile and spat. “You don’t even know what it is yet. It's Earth hooch, or more likely a near-flawless replica. I figured you girls would also like a chance to enjoy yourselves tonight.” “Your playmates have been harassing us since the moment you hung the banners and opened the cellar door.” The youngest, with a striking cyan mop upon her head, uncoiled from the mass. What was she now? 20, 21? We celebrated a birthday recently, I thought as she spun around me. “I remember something about a promise. Multiple promises, actually. Are you trying to bribe us into just shutting up and taking it? Because if another sticky, 40-year-old, Earth-born virgin gropes my shoulder, I’m going to have an aneurysm!” the girl continued. “Why not an Infran follower? Do you like it when they touch you?” I returned her accusing tone. “I’m sorry, sweet prophets, that you feel I’ve neglected my duties. I’ll keep a better eye out. Remember, you can always just holler if somebody is bothering you. And Anwen, friend, if I’ve ever tried to bribe you with anything, it was certainly the hair dye. I mean, look at you! Such handsomeness!” I exclaimed. The other Siblys began to encircle her, uttering compliments or even announcements of their envy. Anwen disappeared in a wink with flushed cheeks back into the mound. “I’ll just leave this here.” Smiling, I set down the bottle. ** “141, 143. . .” I counted each step as I trekked the staircase. There was no doubt I lost track somewhere. The ledges kept spawning under my feet, infinitely multiplying until I wasn’t moving at all–swallowing me up in a whirlpool of stone. My tie still hung around my neck, and my blazer remained tied around my hips as a skirt. Streaks of red dribbled off from the cavity in my chest. It was a gorgeous marking, sensual to my fingertips as I traced its edges. Purity, oh, Purity. Purity and his wings of burnt skin. Purity and his many faces. Purity the spoiled. Purity the mutilated. The Silbys did not bother waiting for me. On bare feet, they stormed up the stairs to their room. A trail of red, though in paint unlike mine, streamed after them. None looked remotely near me as they squeaked and gossiped intangibly. I saved them, those Infran broads, enlightened them. As much as they liked to deny it, spit at me, and bask in the thought of their victimhood, in this home, they stood empowered. You’ve done well, my thoughts affirmed, though in the manner of an insincere commentator rather than a hype man. Teeth grace in tile violin goes laundry paper when. It dissolved into an intruding drivel. I rubbed my head and sniveled. “Do you need help, Knox?” called a Silby. Fattened by my coddling, her shadow fell upon me from the doorway steps ahead. I attempted counting again. There must’ve been at least another hundred between me and her. “I’m hallucinating some,” I said, breathing deeply to suppress a burp as I struggled to recall her name. Two syllables. Typically Latin, though sometimes English. Drops of slobber leaked from my mouth. “I’m hallucinating some, Tybal. Do you like your name, Tybal? I would have named you something better. Ty-Tyballinia. No, we’d have to eliminate the ‘ball’ aspect. It sounds too crude.” “One foot in front of the other,” she said. So I walked. Mess greeted me at the doorway. Dirtied culinary obscured the dark wooden countertops, and the sink lay running. I approached the kitchen table, sat, and set my face down upon its cool wooden surface. Assaulting my nose was the smell of neglected flowers, like soil mixed with the kind of sweet cough medicine that would have left me gagging as a child. Open windows whispered songs of the twilight hour through the vessels of busy trolleys and shooting guns. My mouth strained to vomit, but there was nothing in my stomach to regurgitate except the petals of Stulto’s bloom, which came out effortlessly in little sputters. Teetering, I stood up and brushed disgorged plant parts off the tabletop. “Love,” I said as I slogged up yet another staircase. “Are you awake?” She said she’d wait. Somebody’s gotten her. No, she always misses movie night. That sleepyhead, I assured myself. There was a stirring amidst the manor’s cloak of dusk. Portraits of myself, my wife, and my daughter turned to face me as the hallway lights flickered, escaping their quartz frames to penetrate my ears with nonsense. The taxidermied heads of Infran creatures bared their teeth. I stopped to stare at my favorite, an adabactor with daunting spiked tusks poking out from its forehead. Its nose remained black and sharp, and its eyes wide with malice. “Where is my Spes, Adaba-boy? Is she sleepy?” There’s someone in the house. The sounds of the stirring rose along with my blood pressure. Footsteps orbited around me, drawing near and far and then near again, little dancers in the dark. The carpet immersed me in its mass of purples and blues, leaving my skin stained indigo and my vision abstracted. I toiled to reach the master bedroom across the aisle as it stretched out to me with bright lights and celestial howling, like a dove struggling in a pool of oil. Never again with Stulto’s bloom. Never again on what was already a bad night. My hand brushed the doorknob, and the high abruptly faded into only a persistent hum-buzz twirling around my brain. The portraits returned to their typical depression–Spes posing with her ax, Ari’s school photo, and myself in the cap I wore when addressing the military with the Verbis emblem embroidered in its center. All lifeless shots. Who were they for when they captured not the subject’s essence but only some fragment of their identity? They used to feel personal, not advertisements of some supposed characters. Servants, babysitters, and likewise civilian guests, I reminded myself, mustn’t forget whose home they’re in. Yet my body moved independently, taking Ari’s from its hook and laying it backward against the wall to hide her distant grin and tamed posture. It was time for new pictures. Sweet ones, real ones; time was ticking. I approached my own when the stirring began again. Groans and squeals erupted from the vents as if someone had set a pen of pigs loose in my crawlspace. No, not the crawlspace, my bedroom door. I turned the ruby knob. Underneath a blanket wrestled my two squealing piglets, their skins melting together beneath the layer of duvet. Fishnet leggings and manicured nails outstretched and scraped at the sheet beneath them. One raised its head, a salmon-colored man with sweat running down his forehead. Through the crack in the door, we met eyes, his Infran Dr. Sesuss nose flaring its narrow nostrils. No mark of the Spoiled Purity existed carved onto his naked body. My chest felt tight. I stepped back. I was suffocating. Spes emerged from the linens, her hair flowing down her back and her dark skin glistening in front of the bedroom window. She giggled and held the man, the blanket falling and revealing inches of her body I had not seen in months. “Darling,” whispered the rosy-faced man, “look.” He was unfathomably ugly and grotesquely young, with beady, lifeless pupils that dilated when he faced me. The excess flesh on his face sagged while he bit down on his thin lips. My wife faced me, gasped, and strained to cover herself. Suddenly, I was a stranger. A small child who had walked into his parents having sex. I unfurled the door completely. “Get out of my house,” I said. The man stayed in place. “Get out of my house,” I repeated. “Knox,” Spes began. Tears ran down her round cheeks. “Shut up!” I turned to the man, picking up a marble trophy from on top of my dresser. “Get out of my house! I’ll kill you!” “Knox!” Spes sobbed. “God damn it! I hate you! You barely look at me. Every day, there’s less passion. God, God, God, I don’t want to fuck a dead man!” she screamed, “You get out! Get! Get!” My hands wrapped tighter around the statue. That pig of a man was attached to her at the side, his face equipped with a scowl that challenged mine. He thought I was weak; frail like a decaying dementia-ridden senior. I imagined his skull bashed in, his scowl gone, and the feist and confidence in his face beaten into numbness. A new portrait was in order of such brutality, him as a splintered slab of wood, rashed and beaten, a carcass licking my boot. The churning in my brain had come back. Every wall shook. Clock faces came to life and rang in alarm. Indescribable noises caressed my eardrum before breaking into sorrowful weeps. Was it my own? I stared at Spes in motionless frenzy, clenched my teeth, and screamed like a siren. Passionless. What a lie! An excuse, more like. One that erased all my ventures, reducing me to a nobody. But I was not a nobody. I thought of my sect, my campaigns, my endurance through the political brutality of my empty hive-mind world–even my collection of literature, maps, and artifacts. I thought of daring nights alone with Spes when we were young, ravaging each other, two sardonic eggheads suddenly overcome with desire. The veins in my neck throbbed as I gasped for air. It was all I had. I threw the figurine at the man’s head. Eye shut, I heard the thud. A million singing voices of victory flooded out of the cracks in the floorboard. Proving myself a man to the woman I loved in a display of fervent violence was passion. I strained my ears for his cries, though I did not look yet. There had to be a pause, a moment of relief, where I stood tall as a skyscraper and seemingly fought to stay contained in front of my wife and her wounded, quivering paramour. Frantic footsteps rushed off the bed and past my side. I turned and grappled against myself to seize my wife’s shoulder. “Spes!” My eyelids lifted. Escaping was the man with that same numb expression in which I had imagined him. “You’re insane,” he said. I swiveled back towards the bed. With her curly locks flowing over her breasts and her limbs bent at her sides, Spes sat limp pressed against the headboard, her forehead bludgeoned and the statue resting on her stomach. Lips pursed and sweet, my Renaissance beauty reclined there in the guise of a squashed bug. But she was not dead. The desk ornament I flung was only the size of my shoe. Spes, that dramatist, may have been slightly hurt but was far from dead. She only wanted me to think she was to observe me at my most distraught, like a leech feeding on misery. “Get up.” Staggering toward the bed, I said. “You wanted passion? I showed you passion. ‘Shoved it right into your head. Of course, we both know who that gesture was meant for. . .” I fumbled to find my wit. Cold skin met my hands as I stroked her face, unable to resist checking her pulse, even though she was not dead. “I love you, Spes,” I said. Rain pelted against a nearby window. “Spes, please. Please.” No vibration answered my plea. I lifted my hand, sitting next to her now. Tears did not come. There was not any blood on the trophy, but when I picked it up, it felt to be now only a cruel instrument. It depicted a younger me in white marble, with my glasses and collared shirt being the only things painted. Both were in pink. It was a favorable color. I scrambled from the bed to vomit pure digestive bile on the rug. My stomach heaved. I ran my nails along every piece of myself I saw, a dog chasing my tail. As I slammed myself against walls and convulsed, my own heart grew ever louder in my chest. “Dad? I heard–” Ari’s slippered feet hammered across the floor. “Mom? Mom?” I kept my eyes on the storm. Silence fell. “She-She isn’t—your—.” Gasps interrupted every syllable she spoke. “You’re a murderer. Bad. Like they said,” she breathed, “ You beat her!” The words became mush, alphabet soup. Ari ran back down the hall. “My-My mom is dead. . . .Yes. . . Manor of the Trials Sovereignty. . .Ari Sorkin. . . I’m afraid he’s going to hurt me,” she said, presumably over the phone. It was all too fast. I crawled onto the windowsill, opened the glass, and let myself plummet into the alley below. Gusts of wind howled. The lack of motion or sensation informed me I had passed and again lived. Another Palatium Infra, another strange planet in which the celestial endowed rotting men with the opportunity to inhabit. Was this it? Was it all just an impossible limbo of galactic traveling? My surroundings were overwhelmingly gray, an abyss of clouds. Perhaps I had now met the real coming world, and my family and old friends lived here, ready to rush to my sides, lift me up, and jump for joy. Spes would be there. She would be enraged, but at least she’d be there. You are a bad man. You are a bad man. My eyelashes fluttered. There was a tugging sensation in my leg. The fog was wavering along with my ascendance. “No,” I yearned, trying to grip the clouds and stick them in place. “Stay with me.” But the peace was fleeting. I felt the cement under me and the moist garments clinging to my figure. My leg burned. Carefully, I craned my neck, only to observe the promenade as my surroundings. The most underwhelming of filth and danger, individually Infran. Forever my coming world. What a fool I was, having forgotten my blessing. Those idiot Gods could not tell the difference between assassination and self-infliction; a faulty insurance plan. The urge to cry at last set over me, and so I sat and wailed hot salvia into my palm, shielding my mouth to muffle the noise. Thunder echoed my hushed howling. Raindrops turned to pebbles. Under the ambiance of the stormy night, I could have sworn I heard troops stomping, guns cocking, and the chanting of my name. They had all been waiting for this. Billboards came to life, and I could only sit and spectate as the scenery flashed red. I inhaled fear and sobriety through runny nostrils. “Trials Sovereign Vsevolod “Knox” Sorkin is currently at large for the suspected homicide of Spes Sorkin, breaking the first term of the Sovereignty Charter. We now instruct you to report any sightings of the Earth-born, caucasian, roughly 195 centimeters tall, brown-haired, and brown-eyed man to your local Guard post. One can identify the suspected convict specifically by an occult tattoo of Purity’s Coronet on his lower back. No attempted execution or elongated punishment will take place until our Guards conduct an autopsy proving his guilt, per Life’s 1238 commandment. We cannot be sure when or if the Gods will revoke his blessing. Remember, when Gods frown upon strife, opt for a peaceful life. We permit all grieving festivities until Cagidus 4th. Good year!” towering buildings sang out in broadcast, repeating that same convoluted message quicker the instant it ended. Sometimes, the announcer spoke in Latin for the Infran children, other times in Chinese, Hindi, or Spanish to cater to those of irrelevant tongues. You aren’t a bad man. You are a stupid boy. Puddles sloshed. Somebody was approaching. I didn’t dare waste any remaining energy avoiding the Guards and their prodding blades. How did that phrase go? You dug your grave. Now lie in it. And so I embraced the cement. “Knox?” said the Guard. No, her tone was too sincere, and no authority would proceed in such a manner. There wasn’t confirmation on whether or not I was armed, and it wasn’t as if she could shoot me first. She was a partygoer, having just left from the cellar’s backdoor. I shooed her away with my hand. She hovered, and I discerned her shadow hesitating over my body. A man could not rot in peace. “Come on, get up! They’re after you!” Hands reached around my torso, struggling to handle my weight as they urged me onto my feet. That leg, the burning one, my right, trembled and bent unnaturally upon impact with the ground. The partygoer slung my arm over her shoulder, balancing me. My eyes caught a glimpse of a cyan mop. “Anwen?” I rasped, “hu-who let you out?” Keys jangled in her hands–my keys. “I escaped,” she said casually, coercing me to walk beside her. “Quicken your pace. I just heard somebody on your front porch. ‘You see that compost bin down the alley? We’re gonna burrow right down into the depth of that. If they open it and uncover us, I’ll be on top, and I can hide you and act like I’m just a homeless amica trying to take a nap.” With a tightening grip, she led me like livestock to the stinking crate. “I don’t understand, Anwen,” I said. “They’re going to torture and kill you, stupid. You know they’ve been wanting to, and you just handed the opportunity to them!” “I understand that.” It was becoming increasingly challenging to hide the fragility emerging in my voice. “You said you were escaping. Why stop and help your captor?” “What else could I do? Leave you there?” Attempts to shove my wounded body inside its mass of discarded fruits and vegetables began. She yanked down upon my head and submerged me in the fertilizer sea. The evidence grows indisputable, I thought as I stared at the abruptly humane Infran girl, diving in after me, that I belong here. “Damn me to hell! I’ve killed her! My love is dead!” an uncontrollable cry leaped from my mouth. “Shut up! Soon you’ll be, too, if you don’t quiet down.” The actual noise of the Guards darted past us: disorientated marching, guns clanking against each other, cluttered belts rattling, the Latin squawking. One paused to open the bin’s lid, though only rummaged through the surface layer of peat before carrying on. “What are they talking about? I struggle with my Latin,” I whispered. “The search, mainly.” Aggression remained firey in Anwen’s clenched jaw. Though she sat on top of me, there was a monumental distance between our rain-soaked forms. I curled up into a ball, ducked my head between my knees, and dreamt of Spes, ignoring the stench of spoiled food rising from every crevice of my dwelling. The next coming world was due to adopt me again as I forced sleep. I prayed for a canyon of fluffy haze, where I waltzed with pale memories but found nothing but the petrifying stillness of my mind. Killed and ran. Violent as a Guard just to prove a point and watch it backfire. Why would any heaven want to welcome me? I clung to the picture of Spes in my head like it was the last ember of an extinguished flame. “Did you mean to kill her?” Anwen interrogated. “Someone like you would immutably believe yes.” “And who is someone like me? You can’t even treat me like a person for a moment, can you?” grating drama decorated her words. “You know my opinions. I have not seen much of your or your breed’s faces besides that of cruelty and ignorance.” I retorted. “I just saved you! Does that make me cruel and ignorant?” “It makes you an idiot, which is another word for somebody ignorant.” “And why am I an idiot?” She asked. “Because you helping me does no good. Thank you anyhow. Now, do yourself a favor and scram.” As she bent her leg in anticipation, preparing to strike me on the forehead, I sensed an invisible withdrawal widening the gap between us. “You never answered my question,” Anwen took me by the end of my tattered tie suddenly and started her game of shepherd and sheep over again, pulling me back up to the crate’s exit. It appeared as a shining light at the end of a maze of rubbish and mold. “No. Of course not. Spes was my everything,” I sniffled. “I knew it. You couldn’t even bring yourself to hit us, let alone murder your wife. The girls and I always figured you were sensitive.” My heart rate quickened. Today was one of humbling and misery–one to pray a hail spike would fall from the sky as sharp as a needle, pierce into my eyelid, and lobotomize me. I wished I could have merely died or hit my head hard enough not to have to deal with it all. No, I wished I was Anwen with her snarky, careless glow and lack of depth in her eyes. As we emerged from the compost bin together, I fantasized about strangling her until her face turned purple, her weakening spirit no longer categorizing me as “sensitive”, but the thought could only remind me of wielding that trophy and the microscopic traces of my wife’s tender skin tainting it, which turned my guts inside out. “That’s why I think you could use a little help,” Anwen said, “It seems like you can’t walk, either. Your leg is all twisted up.” She undid one of her trim pigtails and handed me the band. “Take off your tie and put up your hair. ‘Will make you less recognizable. Then swallow your pride and stick with me.”FOOD HANDLERSfood handlers test