The Testing (The Testing 1)

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nbsp; “As much as I appreciate that,” I say, “your sparkling personality is keeping me from getting this work done. If the two of you both leave, I can get back to it.”

“I’m not leaving until he goes.” Will picks up some papers and takes a seat on the small couch.

I look at Raffe, who raises his eyebrows at me. The expression is almost identical to one Zeen gives when I try to convince him to do something he has no intention of doing. It makes me want to stick out my tongue like I used to do when I was little.

“Hey, this report is about Madison Colony.”

I turn to reach for the papers Will’s holding, but the naked longing on his face makes me stop. Reading about my colony made me feel closer to those I love. As much as I want to hurt Will for all that he has done, I can’t deny him this glimpse of home.

“These plans are about the railway expansion,” I explain. “Four departments involved drafted opinions on how best to build a train system to the colonies that aren’t part of the current system. I’m supposed to review them and report to President Collindar on which ideas have the most merit.”

“Well, whoever drew this map should be pitched off the project.” Will holds up the diagram of Madison Colony. “The paper mills are over here.” He points to the outskirts of the city, where the report shows only unrevitalized buildings. The perfect site to build the train station. “And this area is all farmland. And why do they think we have corn and soy farms in the middle of the city?”

Raffe laughs. I sigh. “The Five Lakes Colony maps are wrong too. If both the Madison and Five Lakes maps are inaccurate, the others must be as well. I can’t give the president a recommendation if the information I’m basing my judgment on is wrong.”

Less than a day into my internship and I have already failed. So much for thinking I would get this assignment done quickly enough to strike out on my own.

“I can help,” Will says.

“Me too.”

Will rolls his eyes at Raffe. “Have you ever been outside Tosu City?”

“No.” Raffe shrugs. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t find people who have. Give me the maps for the other colonies. I’ll find students from those colonies who can look them over and tell us the things that are wrong.” When I hesitate, I see that glint of passion fire up again in his eyes. “Trust me. I can do this.”

Perhaps it’s because I see my brother in Raffe that I consider his request. This is my assignment, but it’s sheer folly to rely only on yourself when you don’t have the knowledge required. My father and Magistrate Owens delegate work all the time. If anyone questions Raffe’s assistance, I can say I was only doing the same.

But then I realize I don’t need to.

The mistakes in the reports about Five Lakes bothered me, but I could reason them away. Five Lakes is the smallest colony. The most distant. The least communicated with by the leaders here in Tosu. But Will’s observations about the flaws in the Madison Colony reports are not so easily explained. Every day the departments that created these reports make decisions that affect citizens across this country. I find it impossible to believe that a project so important would be treated with so little care. Or that the president would put so vital a task in the hands of an untried first-year University student.

I think back to the night Ian asked me to meet with him. He said his own internship was filled with writing summaries of old reports. As an intern, he was being tested on his ability to identify which facts and ideas were most important. The work wasn’t real. It was a test.

Just as this must be.

I look at the papers scattered across the room. While paper is utilized more frequently at the University and within the United Commonwealth Government buildings, it’s still precious. Ian’s internship tests were based on documents that already existed and were being recycled for his task. These reports, with their incorrect facts and mislabeled maps, could not possibly have been used before. They were created just for me.

Why? What purpose does this test serve? Did the president want to see if I would rely solely on my own knowledge or search for assistance on the colonies that I have never seen with my own eyes?

No, my gut tells me this test is not about teamwork or being confident enough to ask for assistance when it is warranted. There are ways to determine those skills that don’t involve wasting what at my school in Five Lakes would be a year’s allotment of paper.

I close my eyes to block out Raffe’s stare so I can think. The volume of papers and the short amount of time to read and report on them ensured I would have to work almost every moment until the deadline in order to complete the task. There would be little time to confirm the information I was reporting on.

And why would I? The documents were created by government departments. By people we depend on to make decisions for the good of our country. They are supposed to be the best at what they do. But if I used these reports to make recommendations and my recommendations were followed, then time, energy, and resources would be wasted. All because I trusted something created by people who are supposed to be experts.

And I understand. This wasn’t a test I was supposed to pass. Just like the final task during the Induction, this was an assignment designed for failure. The president wants me to learn that just because something is created by people in power doesn’t mean it is to be trusted. A lesson I learned in The Testing. And I will not forget it now that I have learned it again.

Opening my eyes, I thank Raffe for his offer but say I don’t need his assistance. I have enough information to write my report. I see annoyance color Raffe’s face before he gives a shrug. When I close the door behind Raffe and Will, I wonder about Raffe’s irritation. Did my refusing his aid injure his ego, or is he frustrated that he lost the opportunity to report that I could not complete this task on my own?

I’ll probably never know.

Sitting on the floor, I write a short list of recommendations for the president, including that she ask the colonies to provide accurate maps of their areas. I also suggest that when building the railway, engineers avoid laying tracks in the middle of already revitalized areas where healthy crops and trees could be affected. There’s no point in negating the important and successful work that has already been done. Something I’m sure the officials in charge already know.

Once I’m done, I pick up the papers strewn across the room, pile them neatly on the table, and head for my bedroom. President Collindar’s lesson has made me remember something important. The signs the government posted on the fence at the airfield imply that it is dangerous to venture into that area, but this doesn’t mean the government believes that to be true. Something lies behind those fences. It is time to find out what that something is.

Chapter 16