The Testing (The Testing 1)

We leave the fire burning as we assign pairs to keep watch as the others sleep—Vic and Tomas, me and Tracelyn. Stacia doesn’t even question not being assigned watch duty as she curls up in a ball and falls asleep. I give my gun to Tomas, since he has first watch, and close my eyes while wondering if these people are worthy of the little trust we have given them. If not, I doubt I will live to see the morning.

But I do.

Tracelyn and I are awakened after several blissful hours of sleep and together watch the sun rise on a new day. In the peacefulness, I learn that if she makes it to the University, Tracelyn wants to be a teacher. She is also in love with a boy back home and was planning on marrying him. He wasn’t chosen for The Testing, which means they will most likely never see each other again.

“You’re lucky both you and your boyfriend were chosen,” she says with quiet sincerity.

“Tomas isn’t my boyfriend.” I feel the blush on my cheeks.

“You could have fooled me.” She gives me a wide smile. “I think he’s in love with you.”

“He’s just watching out for me. You know, since we’re from the same colony,” I say, but I can’t help the thrill I feel at her words. Deep down I hope she’s right, because with every day that passes I am more certain that I am falling in love with him.

She changes the subject and we talk about our families, the tests we’ve taken thus far, and the distance we still have to travel in order to pass this test. She seems so genuinely sweet and a touch too trusting, which coming from me is saying something. I share our experience with the clean pond of water and the perfectly green glade of grass that ultimately exploded. Whether or not she believes me, I know I’ve tried to help make her aware of the dangers out here.

As the sun rises, so do our companions. Stacia sits far away from us as we eat breakfast. Tomas and I barely rate a glance as we say goodbye and head out before the others can follow. We find the thicket where we hid our bikes, carry them to the road, and begin to pedal. As the miles pass, I cannot help but think of the candidates we left behind and wonder if they will cross the finish line. There is a quiet determination about Stacia that makes me think she’ll make it, but something about her fierce smile and the logic she ascribes to the Testing committee gives me concern for her companions.

As our bicycles eat up the miles, I think again about how the Testing committee will evaluate us when we arrive back in Tosu City. From everything I have seen thus far, I cannot believe Dr. Barnes and the other officials would be content with candidate reports on what occurred during the test. Which means somehow we are being monitored. If not all the time, then off and on. Enough for them to make their decisions.

By the time we pull off the road and find an abandoned farm to make camp at, I am certain I know how the Testers are keeping track of us. But I’ll have to wait to check my theory until we have settled in for the night. If I’m right, the Testers will know if I deviate from the routine Tomas and I have set since starting our journey.

There are clouds gathering to the west that indicate a storm is coming, and neither Tomas nor I have any interest in sleeping in a downpour. A faded, gray wooden barn that tilts to the le

ft catches our eye. Despite the leaning walls, the structure appears to be sound.

We step into the barn and startle a group of wild chickens. Four gunshots later we have three of them ready to be plucked and roasted. Their nests yield four light brown eggs, which we save for breakfast tomorrow. I try hard to act normal as we make and eat dinner, although Tomas shoots me more than one questioning look as we work. Finally, dinner is over. As I store leftovers in my bag, I use the opportunity to dig for something else. The minute my fingers close over it, my heart skips in anticipation and I pull it out into the light.

The identification bracelet I took from the girl we buried.

Every Testing candidate has one—two, actually, since a smaller band with our symbol is attached to our bags. We’ve all been instructed to wear them at all times. Since the clasps are hard to detect, I am certain most Testing candidates have heeded this rule. The bracelets are our identification. Could they also be an invisible leash designed to tell the Testers where we are and what we are doing?

The bracelet is a quarter of an inch thick and made of a silver metal. The disk affixed to the top contains an etching of the Testing candidate’s design and the back . . .

There. In the middle of the area directly behind the etched Testing symbol are three small holes. Pinpricks, really. So small, I would never have noticed them if I hadn’t been looking for something specific. But they tell me what I need to know.

Someone is listening.

Chapter 14

A SURGE OF satisfaction streaks through me, the kind I always feel when I ace a test. This time the pleasure is gone as quickly as it came, replaced by the slick, acrid taste of dread.

Have the Testers been recording every word we have spoken? Did they listen in on my conversations before I reached Tosu City or would they have not thought to bother since almost every move I made was recorded by their tiny cameras? I cannot help but pray for the latter to be true. Otherwise, they know. They know about my father. His nightmares. The warnings he gave me. He told me to trust no one, but I didn’t listen. I decided I knew best. I trusted Tomas. I told him everything, and in doing so, I might have jeopardized my father’s life. Because any government that is willing to stand by and watch as candidates commit suicide or ingest poisonous plants because they gave a wrong answer won’t shrink from eliminating a man they might see as a threat. And Magistrate Owens. Dr. Flint. Our old teacher. Everyone who worked hard to keep Five Lakes Colony graduates safe from The Testing is at risk. Because of me.

“Cia, are you okay?”

I whip around and see Tomas staring at me. I must look pretty awful to warrant the concern in his eyes. Forcing a wide smile, I say, “Yeah, I’m just worried about Tracelyn and the others. I hope they find shelter tonight. It looks like a big storm is coming.” Then I put my finger to my lips, point to the bracelet in my hand, and show him the almost imperceptible holes on the inside. With unsteady fingers, I probe for the clasp on my bracelet, work the fastening free, and set it on top of my bag. I then take Tomas’s hand and remove his before heading out the door into the swirling wind.

“They’ve been spying on us,” Tomas says. “I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise after the exploding pond. Listening to private conversations is minor compared to that.”

“But how long do you think they’ve been listening? Just this test or since the beginning?”

I watch him consider the question and see the moment he remembers our conversation under the tree—away from the cameras. “Maybe they weren’t listening then. I mean, at that point, there were one hundred and eight of us. Most likely they were just using the cameras so they could observe us all at once. Listening to over a hundred different microphones would take a lot of time and people.”

I can only hope he is right. I don’t know if I can live with the alternative.

“Cia, I know this is hard, but you can’t worry about what might be happening to everyone back home.” His hand brushes over my cheek. I catch it and hold it like a lifeline. “The only way for us to help anyone at home is to survive this test.”

My throat tightens as desperation takes hold. “If we pass, they’ll remove all our Testing memories. We won’t remember there’s anything we need to help with.”