The Hubby Hold (IQ Testing Book 2) (8 page)

I gasp, stopping under the clump of shade trees. I sit with Rincon on the smooth grass. “But, you answered the questions, correctly, inside the green color tone. I saw Marsilla turn blue, within her me-chee chair, then, I saw that Rincon was missing, too.”

Rincon nods, cuddling Ketona. “I passed with hundred percent the four academic questions, landing, first, before Marsilla, inside the blue color tone. She was not happy girl. I think she’s got some kind of cat scratch fever. Anyways, I was correct. The blue color tone contained puppies, then the puppies…”

I exhale, tossing my arms. “Wait! Hold up! I’m totally confused and totally appreciative of your rescue. But, you, both, are missing, being the first and second me-chee chairs, inside the gold color tone, your dream jobs in Colfax. Marsilla is there, first, so she wins, getting her pick of her dream job…”

“Naw,” Nephella shakes her curls and body piercing, sitting next to Ketona. She holds the single cotton boll in her free hand, lighting it with the burning cigar, watching it burn into a puff of black smoke and gray ashes then laughs. Lamis shifts over away from the mean girl. Nephella giggles, saying. “It actually doesn’t work, like that. I mean, Marsilla doesn’t win, alone. There are five dream jobs, within the golden circle, designated by my mama, the mayor of Colfax, so up towards five teens can take possession of the five dream jobs by answering the single difficult question…”

I gasp. “So, every teen can qualify for their dream job.”

Lamis nods and frowns. “We have discussed this, already. There are five dream jobs, but you must answer the single golden color tone question to be awarded your job.”

I gasp with shock. “I don’t understand. Why did you fail the two questions and then come back to the red color tone?”

Rincon cuddles Ketona. “For you!”

I gasp with shock. “For me!?”

Lamis frowns. “If you have failed the two academic questions, dropping back down into the red color tone, then you take a big chance that you won’t make it into the golden color tone for your dream job?”

Rincon chuckles. “Naw, I’ll make it into the golden circle, along with my girl,” he kisses Ketona’s cheekbone.

I giggle then say. “Okay. Ya’ll come back for us. Thank you, very much. Second question, how did ya come back? You would have had to return into the Cubby Hole, then would have had failed the questions, within the blue color tone. Then, you would have dropped into the green color tone and done ‘the thing.’ Then, you would have returned into the Cubby Hole and then would have failed the new questions, within the green color tone. Then you would have landed into the red room of mirrors, along with the crowded me-chee chairs. But, how can ya do this? I thought all the teens, within the current park place, had to leave the room of mirrors, together, all at the same time. Then, the same group of teens entered the Cubby Hole for the next round of academic questions. So, how did ya fake out the Cubby Hole?”

Nephella grabs and burns a second cotton boll for her fun, laughing. “We didn’t fake out the Cubby Hole. Believe me! You can’t fake or fudge with the Cubby Hole, simply, because of the cat suits. We, the cat suits, and Cubby Hole are both entwined and interrelated, kinda like your blood proteins. You need blood, air, and water to live and breathe, like the three items, during Citizenship Day. Okay. Ketona is partially correct. A teen can slide into her me-chee chair, after doing her ‘the thing,’ within the current park place. The me-chee chair soars back into the Cubby Hole for the next round of questions for the next color tone. However, the teen could be the only me-chee chair, inside the Cubby Hole. The Cubby Hole is a computer, sorta, zapping the teens back and forth inside the wind tunnel, all over the place. So, one single teen could, if academically driven, single-handedly advance through each color tone and then into the golden circle, first, after properly answering the academic questions, with a passing score of 75, of course. If not, the teen’s stuck in the current, or previous color tone.”

I nod. “This is not an IQ game. This is a psychology game…”

Rincon frowns with worry. “The Cubby Hole is more than a psychology game. The game’s designed to entrap both your mind and body with paralyzing fear. The first me-chee chair to land into the park place is modeled, after the teen’s fear, which is tested by every single teen. After the fear question is used up, within one of the park places, if the same me-chee chair and teen land inside a new park place, then the park place is designed, after the teen’s love question. That’s make good sense. Exception, we’re discovering that the nice love event is laced with fear elements, too. Inside the green color tone, Marsilla landed, first, again. She had used her fear factor, inside the red color tone, with the cliff jumping event. However, almost all the teens enjoyed that particular sport of jumping off the limestone rock, but her. Then, inside the green color tone, she loved flowers. However, both the flowers and teens were attacked by flying bees, stinging some of the unlucky teens. I used my fear factor, within the orange park place of ants. However, inside the blue color tone, my love of puppies turned into howling and vicious wolves that run from the forest woodlands at us.” He exhales. “Ya see, each color tone is getting more complex and complicated, as you advance up the color chart.”

Lamis flips her hand, smiling. “But, we’re almost finished, here, so, no more fear elements. But, we gotta go through a second green color tone and then a blue color tone. That’s it and easy,” giggling.

I gasp, studying Rincon. “Your hands are cut and bleeding.”

“They’re small cuts and healing. I slapped one of the wolves from another teen…”

I gasp. “So, that explains why the color tones below us keep changing their park place theme from the original one. When a teen fails, the teen modifies the park place, based on their particular fear or love answers, from the submitted the app for Citizenship Day.”

Nephella nods, holding another burning cotton boll. The boll fires into ashes then drifts away into the sunlight. “Absoultootly correct, Ketona. The Cubby Hole is both might and fright wrapped into a single chair for each teen, except, for the mostest dead pan seriously minded teens, who can overcome both the fear, within their mind and body, like us. The IQ questions test you mind, when the park places test your body. So, there are only five dream jobs, for only five teens. Some of the teens are happy, living and working in Dookie Town, or Albend, or Montag, so they answer the right proportion of questions, then they stay put inside their particular color tone. Once Citizenship Day ends, each teen is assigned a job, within their current tone color. However, based on our new experimental information, a teen can surf forwards or backwards, numerous times, also. I’m the mayor’s daughter. I’m expected to advance into the golden circle, but I’m going to have some more fun, before, I finally end up there. I will. I do. I am performing for my mama, too…”

I view the sky then Nephella. “So, you and Rincon did ‘your thing’ with his love answer of real puppies then dropped back down into the green color tone. I thought the first me-chee chair modified the current park place…”

Rincon laughs. “It Absoultootly does. Nephella beat me by 3.2 seconds, landing her me-chee chair, first, inside the green room of mirrors. Then, the dang rain and bright lightning storm started…”

The sky rumbles in far distance of thunder. The clouds turned black.

I stand, walking from the tree shade and dropping my mouth. “Nephella has modified the park place from the original pretty and nice bright sunny skies into an array of angry purple clouds of approaching rain storm. Some of the teens haven’t gathered the cotton bolls for the first red color tone park place.”

Nephella stands next to Ketona, nodding, flicking the cigar ashes. “Yes, you are correct, Ketona. You did, but those teens, out there playing around the cotton fields, must gather both the cotton bolls plus get wet from the thunderstorm, before they can…”

Lamis stands, exhaling, standing next to her. She growls. “We gotta get wet, too, again. Why did you come here, Nephella?”

Nephella smirks over short Lamis. “For fun, my fun and your fun…”

Rincon nods, standing next to Ketona. “This is both an IQ and psychology game. We be done, here,” he grabs Ketona by the hand, smiling.

The rain starts along with the loud thunder and white lightning strikes.

Nephella runs through the rain, getting wet for the requirement of meeting her second trip into the red color tone, running towards the room of mirrors, along with Lamis.

Rincon squeezes Ketona by the hand, smiling and winking. “Time to plot our bodies towards the golden circle, for our dream jobs…”

We dash into the rain.

Rincon and I slide over the wet floor, inside the room of mirrors, then hug and giggle into each other’s face. We separate, flinging wet droplets from our hair and face, meeting the new thing to fly back into the Cubby Hole. We walk towards the rear of the room.

I gasp and stop, staring and fingering Lamis, sitting two rows before mine.

The me-chee chair belongs to Lamis.

We were the only the teens of our friends, left behind inside the red color tone, until Rincon and Nephella came for our rescue, like good friends.

Lamis views the ceiling then frowns at Ketona, softly saying. “I…have a confession to make, Ketona. I dropped, before you, from the Cubby Hole, not realizing that my me-chee chair was gonna land, inside the red color tone, again. I really thought that I had gotten three out of the four questions correct for the 75 percent passing value. However, when I emerged into the room of mirrors, I was the first me-chee chair…”

I smile and slap her collar bone, nodding. “Congrats! You’re the first one, here,” then I exhale, frowning with confusion. I view the ceiling, then the floor, and finally the opening. “I don’t understand. You were not afraid of the cotton plants, or the cotton bolls, or the spiders, either.”

Lamis giggles, covering her mouth. She nods. “I am not afraid of spiders. I’m afraid of spider webs, like you experienced, with the sticky netting. Feeling or touching the netting freaks me out! Thanks, Ketona! You’re a good friend to me. I couldn’t have done what you did touching the spider web…”

Nephella slaps Lamis on the collar bone, sneering. “Congrats, too, working the team for the cause…”

Rincon shoves Nephella from Lamis, sneering. “Enough love taps, ladies. We work great, as a team, so we’ll work great, as both friends and neighbors, living within Colfax, too, our home. Let’s go and get Marsilla, being all alone inside the golden color tone,” he chuckles and grabs Ketona by the hand. He escorts Ketona to her me-chee then swings around. He kisses her then pulls back, smiling. “I’ll see ya on the other side, love.”

I giggle and nod.

Rincon swings around, dashing towards the rear of the room.

I spin to my me-chee, patting the metal, smiling.

Nephella slaps Ketona onto the collar bone, standing taller than the petite girl. She giggles. “I don’t believe the city of Colfax allows two wedded husbands that I know of…”

I gasp, swinging to Nephella. “What!?”

She leans into Ketona, grinning. “You need to pick your beau, now? Rincon’s smart, but Buffo’s cute. I know why ya failed and fell into the red color tone, but that’s my secret.” She winks. “If’an ya don’t want Buffo, I…”

I growl. “Duchie failed and fell into the orange color tone.”

Nephella drops her mouth. “I see more clearly. Go and get your man, honey from the dookie girl!” She views the cigar, exhaling. “The rain ruins the smell.” She leaves Ketona, walking along the mirror towards her me-chee, pitching it into the wall.

I exhale, viewing the mirror. I have a decision to make, now.

Rincon has disappeared from the red room of mirrors.

Buffo is trapped inside the orange room.

I slowly slide into my me-chee chair, without any stinging pain, but dripping wet hair.

The fabric cloth wraps about my body then the floor drops.

I barely scream.

Chapter 9

Green color tone

My me-chee chair rises into the green colored room, in the same spot, with a heavy jolt, like always. I see the green shielding chairs of Lamis, Nephella, and Rincon.

We are the only four me-chee chairs and teens inside the glowing green wall, missing the other 300 plus teens.

The me-chee does not waste his time, or the teens’ time. He stands, raising his arms.

This the first sign of the next set of academic questions for the next color tone of green.

I wiggle side to side, not smiling, with mixed feeling.

I wanna see Buffo, but I wanna advance with Rincon, too.

The me-chee says. “Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope you have enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. Please sit back and relax into your assigned me-chee chair!” The red shielding shimmers, around each teen, inside the me-chee chair. He says. “Close your eyelids! I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is fifteen seconds for each posed question. To remind, each schooler, again, for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is…then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths, or more, of the academic questions, correctly, you will advance to the next color of green. If you answer one-fourth, or less, you will remain stationary inside the color tone of red. If you, incorrectly, answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back into the color of orange. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee, inside the Cubby Hole, presently?”

I exhale, wiggling with nervousness and indecision.

Rincon is cute and gentlemanly.

Buffo is cute and gentlemanly, too.

Rincon is sweet and tender.

Buffo is sweet and tender, too.

I exhale. “My answer is…green.”

The me-chee says. “A star ship orbits the planet, moving in a circle, experiencing a gravitational force in relationship to the planet. If the star ship reduces its thrusters then slides down into a new orbit of a smaller radius, how does the gravitational force and speed affect the star ship?”

I exhale. “My answer is…not affected.”

Rincon kisses, good.

Buffo kisses, good, too.

Rincon is advancing into the golden circle.

Buffo is advancing into the golden circle, too.

The me-chee says. “The first of the year 2160, the world is populated at 2.6 billion. Assuming a growth rate of 3 percent, the population of the world, in billions, for z years after 2160, what is the population equation? Do not calculate the answer for the word problem.”

I exhale. “My answer is…p equals z times (2.6 times .03).”

Rincon loves me.

Buffo loves me, too.

The m-chee says. “A circle has a circumference of 16 feet. What is the radius of the circle, in feet?”

I say. “My answer is…nine.”

I giggle, seeing my me-chee chair turn bright orange. The fabrics wrap around my body.

The me-chee chair dumps down into the dark tunnel, as I scream with excitement and happiness.