The Testing (The Testing 1)

“The president will understand that we have to prioritize according to what will help her best achieve her goal,” I reply. As long as The Testing and the University are removed from Dr. Barnes’s control, I don’t think she’ll have reason to complain. “Once Dr. Barnes and the top administrators of The Testing are eliminated, she’ll be able to handle the others herself.”

“What about Symon?” Raffe asks before Stacia can object again. “It’s not going to be easy to get to him. Not in the middle of an armed rebel camp.”

“I think I know a way.” But I do not share it. I will trust Stacia and Raffe to help me end The Testing, I won’t trust them with my brother’s life.

Stacia crosses her arms and leans back. “Okay. So when do we start this plan?”

“As soon as I’ve decided about Ian and Enzo. Once we know the full team, we’ll be ready.”

We fall silent as a group of students approaches. Once they walk up the steps and enter the library, Stacia quietly asks, “Have you figured out how you’re going to test Enzo? Because if you know, this might be the time to do it. He’s coming this way.”

Sure enough, Enzo and Will are walking toward us.

Will spots us first. He waves and yells, “Should we be offended that you scheduled a study group meeting and forgot to tell us?”

Raffe laughs as he climbs to his feet. “It just figures. I finally get Cia to go for a walk with me alone and everyone turns up. A guy can’t catch a break.”

“Probably because Cia is smart enough to know not to be alone with a guy like you,” Will says with a grin as he reaches the library steps. “Colony guys are far more trustworthy. Don’t you think, To

mas?”

“Of course.” Tomas stands and gives Will a tight smile. “Although some of us are more trustworthy than others.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but some of us actually need to get some studying done. We can’t all be like Cia and have our homework already completed,” says Will. Stacia rolls her eyes at me and turns toward Enzo. “Do you guys have time to compare answers on the physics homework? I think I might have gotten number ten wrong.”

“Sure.” Enzo gives her a shy smile. “I struggled with that one too.”

Stacia gives us a triumphant smile as she leads Enzo and Will up the steps into the library, leaving Tomas, Raffe, and me behind.

I wait for Tomas to tell me what he found in the stadium offices. When he doesn’t, I realize it is because Raffe is here.

“I told Raffe what happened at the stadium today,” I say. “You can tell him what you found.”

Tomas studies Raffe for several beats before saying, “There are files on every past graduate of the Biological Engineering program. They aren’t very detailed, but they do list the internships that former students worked on, as well as locations and the length of every job assignment postgraduation. The last time Dreu’s file was updated was five years ago when he began work on a reverse mutation research program headed up by Ranetta Janke.”

Ranetta. The leader of the second rebel faction. Whatever Dreu’s current involvement with her, it’s no wonder Kerrick and Marin were concerned when out of the blue someone asked about him. They thought that by attacking Tomas and me, they were protecting the rebellion, which makes me feel even worse about their deaths. They died for nothing because they did not know we were all on the same side of this cause.

But learning of Dreu’s connection to Ranetta also makes me feel more optimistic. If Dreu is with Ranetta in the rebel camp, Zeen may be able to track him down. The common tie to Five Lakes could help Zeen convince Dreu of the true nature of the rebellion. He could be enlisted to help Zeen in removing Symon. If that doesn’t happen, then it will be up to Stacia, Raffe, Tomas, and me to finish what we will soon start.

“Has anyone noticed Kerrick is missing?” I ask Tomas.

“No, and I doubt they will until tomorrow at the earliest. Kerrick and Marin were together most of the time they weren’t in class. The people in our residence won’t be concerned if they don’t notice him around. We just have to hope the other University members of the rebellion don’t start looking for him.”

The sky rumbles. Several more students approach the library and look at us as they hurry past. The rain will be here soon. “We might want to move this conversation,” Raffe says. “Especially since it looks like we’re drawing notice from one of your friends inside.”

I look toward the library and see Will’s curious face peering out.

“I want to get back to my residence anyway,” Tomas says. “I have some things I need to take care of before this project starts.”

The wind whips strands of my hair free from the tie I have fastened it back with as we start toward the residences. Raffe must understand that Tomas and I need a moment alone, because he walks more slowly until we are twenty feet ahead.

Quietly, I ask, “Are you okay?”

“Sure.” The lie is obvious, maybe just because I was there today and I’m not okay, either. Although, I’m not sure that I should be. That either of us should be. Focusing on the future has helped me build a wall between my thoughts and my feeling about what has happened. But at some point, I know that wall will break. When it does, who knows if I will ever be okay again.

“Remember what you told me,” I say. “We’re going to get through this together.” My fingertips brush his.

Tomas goes still. After several long moments, the tension goes out of his shoulders. When he nods it is accompanied by the dimpled smile that never fails to tug at my heart. “Together.” His fingers close over mine for a few seconds before he walks away.