Independent Study (34 page)

The Testing was created to ferret out the best and the brightest young minds and mold them into leaders. But the best leaders form their own opinions. They want to go their own ways. How better to control those differing opinions than to allow them to think their views are being heard and even acted upon? If those who want change think they are part of a rebellion, there’s no reason for them to start one of their own. By allowing them to think they are helping one or two students like me during The Testing, Symon has convinced them that they are having a real effect. Symon’s argument for a peaceful solution wasn’t to save lives; it was a delaying tactic to ensure that The Testing could continue to take them. To ensure that the rebellion would never take place. Year after year of caution. Year after year of Testing candidates’ deaths.

Until now.

After so many years of inaction, the rebels to whom Symon has counseled patience are no longer willing to wait. They have planned an attack. An attack Symon and Dr. Barnes know about. Possibly they’ve even encouraged it to eliminate those who have become too hard to control. To keep The Testing safe to select the next generation of leaders even if it means plunging a country into war.

If nothing happens to alter Symon’s plans, my brother, the rebels, and hundreds of selected Testing candidates will die. Dr. Barnes and his team will win.

I refuse to let that happen.

But the only way to stop it is to create a new rebellion. A rebellion free of Dr. Barnes’s control.

For that, I will have to step up and be the leader the University is teaching me to be.

Deep in my heart, I hear Michal’s voice whisper the words he said before I began the fourth phase of The Testing.
“You’re smart, Cia. You’re strong. There are people like me on your side who know you can make it. Please, prove I’m right.”

I’m not sure that I can, but I have to try.

Raffe and I ride to the University in silence as we absorb what we have witnessed. As our bicycles glide under the iron entrance, I put my hand in my pocket to signal to Tomas that I am back and realize my pocket is empty. The switch I created is gone. So is the special transmitter I created to prevent University officials from following my movements.

When did I lose them? Have Dr. Barnes and his officials been able to track our movements the entire time we were away from campus?

Raffe doesn’t seem to notice my concern as he suggests we split up. He will go to the residence and see whether Damone’s absence has raised an alarm. I will wait fifteen minutes and then follow. If it’s safe, Raffe will be standing near the entrance.

But even if an alarm hasn’t been raised, it still may not be safe. Not if Dr. Barnes knows I was not on campus. That Raffe and Tomas were with me. Before I can warn Raffe about the tracking devices and what Dr. Barnes might know, he rides off, promising to see me soon.

I notice the dirt streaked on my hand and head for the library.

My eyes dart around as I look for friends and enemies while I prop my bicycle next to the building. Taking measured breaths, I walk straight to the bathroom and scrub the dirt from my hands and the tears from my cheeks. I straighten my clothes and unfasten my hair, untangling it with my fingers. Then I step back and study myself in the reflector. Aside from the grass stain on my right knee, all evidence of my actions is gone. My appearance will give no one reason to question where I have been. I look normal. And yet I barely recognize the girl staring back at me. I wonder if when this is over, I will know her at all.

As I walk back outside to my bicycle, I finger the bracelet on my wrist and see the faces of those who have died. Michal. Damone. Rawson. Zandri. Malachi. Ryme. A scruffy boy named Roman. A stunning redhead called Annalise.

Face after face. Some I cannot name. All are dead. Soon more will follow. Unless I am as smart as Michal believed me to be.

If Raffe can get more recordings, there is hope. If not, the president’s vote will fail. By the end of the week, most of the rebels, including Zeen, could be killed. The city might be at war. I have almost no time to make a plan. To decide who I trust. Who will trust me.

Tomas. My heart wants to keep him from harm, but I cannot do this without him, and I know he will not let me. The only way to dispel the shadows that chase us both is to face them. I know he will agree and we will face them together.

But no matter how much I might want to, Tomas and I will not be able to do this alone. More help will be needed. But who?

Raffe.

He says his sister sat for the University Early Studies exam and failed. His quest to find her makes him a natural ally, but I cannot help but wonder if he will be like Will and ultimately betray us.

Can I trust Stacia and Naomy? Nothing in my Testing memories says that I can’t. But I remember Stacia’s cool smile. One she gave as she approved of choosing leaders who will do whatever is required to win.

As my residence comes into sight, I scroll through names and faces. Vic. Enzo. Brick. Kit. Will. They all are smart. Some have skills I know I will need. Others are willing to do the unthinkable to survive. I think of Ian and wonder what he will do. Will he take up arms with the rebel faction, or can I convince him to join with me? If I am to succeed, I will need to stop the rebels from attacking. To do that, I need someone on the inside who can give me information or convey my messages.

I stop on the far side of the bridge. Raffe waves to me in the distance to signal it is safe to return. But I hardly notice as I reach into my bag and close my fingers around the Transit Communicator. Zeen’s device. The one that has pointed me in the right direction, hidden my secrets, and kept me safe. A device designed to communicate with another that has been too far away to reach.

Could it be close enough now? Knowing that I have this half, could Zeen have brought the other one? Is he waiting for the right time to contact me? Or for me to reach him?

Raffe waves again, but I don’t put my feet on the pedals. Instead, I hit the Call button and say, “Hello.”

The seconds stretch to minutes as I wait for a response.

Finally, I tuck the Communicator into my bag and head across the bridge. As I stash my bicycle in the outbuilding, I look for signs of my confrontation with Damone. But all I see is grass deepening to a rich green. Trees stretching to the sunlight. Spring is ready to bloom, bringing with it another demonstration of how the conviction of a people to bring hope to the world can succeed.

I don’t know if I am ready to be a leader or if I can stop the war that threatens all I love, but as I hurry up to my rooms and close the door behind me, I know I will do everything in my power to keep the hope of our country and those who struggled for it alive.

And that’s when I hear it. The sound of static. A muted voice. It makes me want to cry with relief and fear.

“Cia. Are you there?”

Tears threaten as I lift the Communicator out of the bag and answer, “Yes, I’m here.”

I just hope I am ready for what comes next.

C
IA HAS LEARNED A TERRIBLE SECRET
about the rebellion that has arisen in an effort to put an end to the deadly University selection process known as The Testing. One that not only could ensure that The Testing continues but could also guarantee the death of all those who oppose it. No longer depending on those in charge of the United Commonwealth to end The Testing on their own, Cia knows she has to step up and finally become the leader she always hoped she’d be.

Now determined to put an end to The Testing once and for all, Cia must assemble her own rebellion from the best and brightest who surround her—if she can trust them. Gambling the fate of not only her friends and family but also her country with her plan, Cia needs to find a way to bring down The Testing without launching a civil war that could destroy their world for good. And because leadership comes with a price, Cia finds herself having to choose between not just what is morally right and wrong, but what is necessary. For this GRADUATION DAY, Cia must decide how far she is willing to go to achieve her goal.

Visit
www.hmhco.com
to find all of the books in the Testing trilogy.

J
OELLE
C
HARBONNEAU
began telling stories as an opera singer, but these days she finds her voice through writing. She lives near Chicago with her husband and son and when she isn’t writing, works as an acting and vocal coach. Visit
www.joellecharbonneau.com
.