The Testing (The Testing 1)

Raffe rises and walks the length of the room. “For the last two years, I’ve been looking for her and the other students who didn’t pass the entrance exams. That’s how I found the street you saw today. The people who stay there want to live separately from the government, but are too afraid of what lies in the unrevitalized parts of the country to travel outside the Tosu boundaries. A few were students who fled before the entrance exam results were posted—certain they had failed. The others—they all have their reasons for not wanting to be a part of what the United Commonwealth stands for. I had hoped someone there would know where Emilie was. Instead one person told me he once heard that students who failed were taken to an unrevitalized area to the east. He didn’t know why. I didn’t want to believe him, but part of me has always wondered if it’s true. My father’s position in the government has made it easy for me to meet officials who’ve traveled to the colonies and to ask questions, and I’ve learned that not a single person I’ve inquired about has ever been seen in the colony they’d supposedly been Redirected to. They’ve just disappeared. Since Tosu officials aren’t in frequent contact with Five Lakes Colony, I couldn’t verify whether Emilie was there. When I heard about you and Tomas, I asked people what you’d told them about your colony. I learned that until the official arrived to escort you to The Testing, no one from Tosu had come to Five Lakes for years. Emilie never set foot in Five Lakes Colony. I don’t know where she was sent, but I intend to find her. She deserves that much. They all do.”

I think of Will’s twin brother and all the other students who did not pass the first round of Testing. After The Testing was over, those of us who were accepted into the University were told that the unsuccessful candidates were directed to jobs in colonies other than the ones where they were raised. When questioned, Dr. Barnes said sending them to new locations allowed them to take their places in society as adults instead of as children who would have to convince those around them to see them as full grown and capable of meaningful contributions. The explanation was logical, but after I listened to the recording on the Transit Communicator, I knew it was false. At first, I thought all the unsuccessful early-round candidates had suffered the same fate as those who failed during the fourth exam—death. But hearing Raffe’s story confirms the theory I’ve recently considered and just today heard Stacia echo. Those who are tested for the University are the best and the brightest. Killing all those who do not succeed in their candidacy is wasteful. And Dr. Barnes is not one to waste resources. Not when they can be used. The question is, for what and where?

Still, while I want those answers and understand his anger, I cannot believe Raffe would really want to see his father killed. But when I ask him about it, his answer is immediate. “My father has chosen his side. Now I’m choosing mine.”

I study the anguish and resolve on his face. I have seen the same expression in my reflector. It is the look of a person who has come to a crossroads and chosen the more difficult path.

The sound of people in the hall tells me it is time for dinner. After the meal, I will have to find a way to test the last two potential members of our team. Perhaps Raffe can help with that and with planning the next stage. He seems to have already helped by possibly limiting the number of people we need to target. But to be certain, I need to learn more, which is why I ask Raffe if he’d be willing to meet later tonight to compare his thoughts to the information I received when I got the list.

“We can meet after dinner and go for a walk,” he says with a smile. “After our disappearance into Tosu this weekend, everyone already assumes I have a crush on you. This will seal the deal.”

“They don’t know you very well, do they?” I ask.

Raffe’s smile fades. “Not many people do.”

A reminder that despite his having passed this test, neither do I.

Shaking off my concern, I return the list to my bag and slide the strap onto my shoulder. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Wait,” Raffe says as I head for the door. He disappears again into his bedroom. When he returns he hands me the pulse radio test I designed. “You forgot this. I didn’t listen to the message.”

“I know.” I take the device and carefully set it in my bag.

Raffe folds his arms over his chest and leans against the wall. “What would have happened if I had turned those switches?”

My heart skips a beat. “You knew it was a test?”

“Not right away. But after thinking about it, I realized I would only leave something that important with someone for one of two reasons. If I had no choice or if I wanted to see what they would do with the information. Once I decided this was your way of having me prove my trustworthiness, it was harder to ignore it sitting on my desk. I wanted to know what you’d designed it to do. Was it going to give me false information?”

“No.” I shift my feet. “It was going to explode.”

There is silence as Raffe gapes at me. I wait for anger. Instead, Raffe lets out a bark of laughter. “I’m glad I’m such a trustworthy guy. That would have really sucked.”

“You’re not mad?” I remember how I felt when I realized my life was on the line because of Dr. Barnes’s tests.

“You did what was necessary. And now I’m especially glad I spent the afternoon doing this instead of tinkering with your toy.” Raffe grabs something off a small table near the far side of the couch and hands it to me. “Here.”

I take the six-inch-square piece of paper. Painted on it is a purple circle against a red backdrop. In the center of the circle, forming an X, are two yellow lightning bolts outlined in white.

“What is this?” I ask.

“Symbols are important, especially to those embarking on change. The revolutionaries who formed the United States had their stars and stripes. The European uprising against their coalition used a closed fist. I decided to create a different version of your symbol for ours.” He nods at the band that circles my wrist. “In mythology, lightning represents either the loss of ignorance or punishment for those who overstep their bounds. I used two bolts since we intend to do both.”

The lightning bolts look powerful against the colors of our country. Up until now, I’d looked at the symbol Testing officials gave me as an acknowledgment of my mechanical abilities. I thought it represented the ability to create solar cells and light sources. But this . . .

“It’s perfect.”

The loss of ignorance. The punishment of those who created The Testing. Maybe the punishment of those of us who fight against it. Despite that possibility, there are now four of us, five if Zeen is still alive and well, who will see this through to the end.

Chapter 11

MY INJURED LEG is starting to throb when I go upstairs to my room to drop off the books I don’t need. I open the door carefully and see the tiny slip of paper that I had slid in between the door and the frame flutter to the ground. Not the most sophisticated of warning systems, but it was effective. As far as I can tell, no one has been inside since I was last here.

Closing the door behind me, I put my bag on the table. Gently, I remove the metal box containing the black powder and place it in my top desk drawer. When I have time, I will dismantle the device so there is no chance of it exploding accidentally. While I am here, I place a new change of clothes in my bag, put more healing ointment on my leg, and check my gun. Only one bullet left and I do not have any others. A problem I can remedy with a trip to the president’s fifth-floor room. I will have to find a way to make that journey before my team is forced into action.

I notice that the light on my pulse radio is illuminated, and I go into the bathroom and turn on the water so I can listen to Tomas assure me he is safe. So far no one is looking for Kerrick and Marin.

I record messages for Tomas and Stacia, letting them know Raffe passed his test. I tell them that the device I built to test him is now back in my possession and that Raffe wants to discuss the names on the list after dinner. I tell each of them to join us outside the library. If anyone is watching, they will assume we are meeting for our study group. For Tomas, I add “I love you” before pressing Send. Thinking about those I love, I try to contact Zeen to see how he is doing. I want to tell him about Dreu Owens and the tension on campus. But he doesn’t answer. Hopefully, he will find time to contact me soon. Then, sliding the Communicator back in my bag and the small slip of paper back into the frame, I lock the door behind me and hurry downstairs.