Independent Study

“Too many people know she plans on proposing a change of law. If she backs off now, she’ll look weak. Dr. Barnes has too many supporters ready to remove her if a vote of confidence is called. The other faction has convinced her that the only way to stay in power and end The Testing is to act now.”

“Did you know this was a possibility when you brought my brother here?” I don’t give him a chance to deny it. “I saw him, Michal. He’s calling himself Cris. Why did you bring him here when you know there’s a chance he’ll die?”

Michal shakes his head. “Zeen overheard your father and the magistrate discussing options to keep students from being selected for this year’s Testing. When he confronted them about their plans, he realized you might be in danger and insisted on coming to help you. Your father couldn’t talk him out of it, so he contacted me and asked that I find a way to bring him here and keep him safe. I thought if he was with the rebels, he’d be less likely to track you down on his own. I was the one who suggested your brother change his name so no one would associate him with you or your family. Just in case . . .”

In case the rebellion isn’t successful. So our family won’t be punished if Zeen is captured or killed. The way it sounds, both are strong possibilities. Unless, in the next couple days, someone can find and present the proof required to remove Dr. Barnes and his officials from power with a point of law instead of a war.

“I have an idea.” Before Michal can inquire about my plan, I ask him to wait for me to return, then I open the door and walk to the exit. For this to work, I have to put everything on the line. I have to once again go against my father’s instructions; I have to trust. Tomas would tell me this is a mistake, but he is not here, and I can see no other way. Zeen’s life and the lives of the other rebels are at stake, not to mention those of all future Testing candidates and the country itself. There is only one way I can think of to find the information the rebellion needs. If I am making the wrong choice, I will just have to live with the consequences.

I find Raffe waiting outside the entrance and say, “I need your help.”

I take Raffe to the same building where Michal once spoke to me in secret. Perhaps I should have asked Michal to come, but he would have objected to taking this risk and exposing the rebellion. So I tell Raffe about The Testing, the candidates who disappear or die, and the need to put an end to the system once and for all. I tell him the end can only come if certain information is found. My throat is still swollen and sore from the abuse at Damone’s hands. My words sometimes drop to a whisper, but I keep talking.

When I finish, the room goes silent. Seconds stretch to minutes as Raffe’s eyes search my face. Is he looking for the truth? Is he trying to decide the best way to report this conversation to his father or to the University officials? I clench and unclench my hands and wait.

Finally, he asks, “Colony students who get wrong answers die during The Testing?”

“Not all of them, but yes. In The Testing, death is often the punishment for failure. And for some, causing those deaths is the path to success.”

Raffe rakes a hand through his hair. “What about Tosu City students who don’t pass their Early Studies exams? My father said my sister was assigned to a job in one of the colonies. Is that true, or is she . . .”

The unspoken word hangs between us as he waits for my answer. For the first time, I understand the motivation behind his aid—the event that happened two years ago and changed everything for him. He is looking for his sister. Now he assumes I might have an idea where she is.

“I don’t know.” The unhappiness on Raffe’s face makes me wish I did. “Maybe if we can get Dr. Barnes removed, we can find out.”

Raffe takes a deep breath and nods. “Then I guess I should get started.”

Before I can ask what he plans to do, Raffe opens and closes the door, leaving me alone to wait and worry.

Time passes slowly. Though my throat is still sore, I eat an apple and swallow some water. I think of Tomas. Did he make it back to the University without anyone noticing he had been absent? Is he worried that I might not return? When I stand and stretch my muscles, my eyes stay glued to the ground below.

An hour passes. Two. Part of me wonders if Raffe was caught, while the other part wonders if he was telling the truth about his sister. Raffe’s father is in charge of the Department of Education. Surely, he would be able to protect his daughter from the punishments Dr. Barnes might exact.

The clock taunts me as its hands move from one number to the next. Closing my eyes, I picture the people I love. My parents. Zeen. My other three brothers. Daileen, who so badly wishes to be chosen for The Testing and join me at the University. Tomas. Would they understand what I am doing now? I know my father would agree that putting a stop to The Testing with bloodshed is just as wrong as ending lives because of incorrect answers. Fighting death with more death was the choice that led to the Seven Stages of War. Our country barely weathered the consequences. We may not survive if the same choice is made again.

I hear footsteps outside and hold my breath. Is it Raffe, or has someone Raffe alerted come in his place? Was putting my faith in him correct, or will I now be punished for once again ignoring my father’s advice to trust no one?

The footsteps pause.

The door swings inward.

Raffe stands alone in the doorway. In his hands are a bag and a gun.

Chapter 19

RAFFE TURNS THE gun around and offers me the handle. I look at him before wrapping my fingers around the hard wood grip, and he gives me a satisfied nod. “I grabbed this out of my dad’s private office. Since you’re trying to stop a war, I thought it might come in handy. This will too.”

He reaches into the bag hanging from his shoulder and pulls out a palm-sized machine. A recorder.

“I’m pretty sure the recording in this machine and the others in the bag are what you’re looking for. And you’re right, Cia.” His expression darkens. “What’s on these recordings needs to end.”

“It’ll end as soon as Michal gets the recordings to Symon,” I say.

But when I leave and return with Michal, Raffe refuses to hand the recordings over. “No offense,” he tells Michal. “But I don’t know you. If you want to deliver this to your people, you’ll have to take me with you.”

Michal stiffens. “I’m not taking the son of one of the biggest advocates of Dr. Barnes into rebel headquarters. Not only do I not trust you, but even if I did, Symon and the other members of the rebellion would see you as a threat. They’d eliminate you as soon as you walked into camp.”

That Michal believes the members of the rebellion would kill so easily makes my blood run cold.

“Raffe is on our side. He’s trying to find out what happened—”

“Look,” Raffe says, cutting me off. “There’s nothing I can say that will make you trust me. All I know is I have the recordings from The Testing. If you want them, you’ll just have to make sure your friends don’t see Cia and me. Otherwise, the two of us are walking out the door and taking the recordings with us.”

I blink at Raffe’s assumptions not only that I will side with him over Michal but that I plan on going back to the rebel camp. However, when I think about it, I know he’s right. I have to go. While I do not doubt Michal’s dedication to ending The Testing, President Collindar’s first assignment taught me that the only way to know the truth is to see it for myself.

But while I know what I need to do, I hesitate. If Tomas safely returned to the University, he is now waiting for me to signal him. Hours have passed since the time he must have expected me. Does he think I have been killed or captured? Will he stay in his residence and trust that I will make it back, or is he already planning to leave in search of me? I should let him know I am okay. But without knowing if my absence has been noted by Professor Holt or my fellow students, I cannot take the risk. If I return to campus now, I may never have this chance again.

Straightening my shoulders, I walk over and stand next to Raffe to show we are united. We will all go to the rebel camp.

Michal sighs. “It won’t work. The three of us together will attract too much attention on the Tosu streets.”

Raffe smiles. “Cia and I already know the way to the airfield. Just tell us where to meet you, and we’ll be there.”

That Raffe knows the location of the rebel camp decides the issue for Michal. He tells us to meet him at the fence near a revitalized evergreen tree whose trunk is surrounded by a circle of stones. Once we arrive, he’ll lead us to a place where we can watch Symon’s headquarters unobserved.

“Wait ten minutes before leaving the building, and make sure you aren’t followed.” Turning to me, he says, “Those recordings better be exactly what we need, or I’m turning him over to Symon as a potential traitor.” With this threat hanging in the air, Michal disappears out the door.

“That went well.” Raffe looks at his watch and takes a seat. “I can see why you like him. He’s a lot of fun.”

Despite my concerns about Michal, I leap to his defense. “Michal lived through The Testing. He helped me survive it. The two of us will do anything it takes to bring it to an end.”

“He might do anything, but you won’t. You’d never kill someone for being a potential threat.”

“How can you be sure? Look what I did to Damone.” The blood has been cleaned from my fingers, but I can still smell the stench and feel the way it spilled across my hands.

“Damone attacked you. You had every right to defend yourself. If you hadn’t, you’d be dead. If I didn’t trust your judgment, I wouldn’t have brought you the gun. The only question is whether you know how to use it.”

I clutch the wooden handle, remembering the feel of pulling the trigger, the kick of the weapon, the way eyes widen when the bullet you shot punches into a body and ends its life. The scars on my arm tingle.

“Yes,” I say, sliding the gun into the pocket of my bag. “I know how to shoot.”

“Good.” Raffe checks his watch and heads for the door. “After what I heard on those recordings, I think there’s a good chance that even if everything goes according to your friend’s plan, you’re going to need it.”

Raffe leads the way as we ride through the sunlit Tosu City streets. Though we are both tired, he sets a fast pace. Every couple of blocks, he points out a landmark as though giving me a tour. Occasionally, he waves to someone as they pass. I understand. He wants us to be seen and remembered as two University students enjoying a beautiful day. Because no one who sees us would believe we have caused death and are now working hard to bring part of the government down.

My muscles are taut. My pulse races but I smile and laugh. I tell myself that everything I have done will be worth it in the end. The recordings are the proof the rebels have been looking for. The president will play them on the Debate Chamber floor. Those who support Dr. Barnes will have no choice but to vote with the president and remove him from office. The Testing will end without bloodshed. No one else will have to die.

We arrive at the fence and look for the tree Michal indicated. I spot it four hundred yards from where Tomas, Raffe, and I entered before. We hide our bicycles in a thicket of weeds, scale the fence, and wait for Michal. Fifteen minutes later, he appears on the horizon from the south.

“Ranetta and the other faction’s leaders are scheduled to meet soon to finalize plans for their attack. As soon as that happens, they’ll start deploying to positions around the city as well as coordinating with the rebel University students and Tosu citizens who are willing to fight for their cause. Symon plans to make one more plea for peace. He’s at headquarters now, trying to come up with a way to convince Ranetta and her faction to hold off on their attack. You can’t go inside headquarters without being seen, but there is a broken shed in the middle of a copse of trees where you’ll have a good view of the building. That’s the best I can do.” Michal holds out his hand. “Before I take you inside, I want to hear one of the recordings.”

“Fair enough.” Raffe digs into his bag, pulls out the recorder, and hits Play.

“I guess I’ll be walking the rest of the way.”

I jump at the sound of my own voice.

“Don’t worry, Cia. You won’t be alone. I’ll walk with you.” Tomas.

“You don’t have to.”

The words are familiar. I close my eyes and try to remember. I see a road. A bicycle broken into pieces.

“Yes. I do,” Tomas says. “I guess this is where we part company again. Cia and I wouldn’t want to hold you back.”

“Funny, but I was just going to say the same thing.” Will’s voice. Then a gunshot.

Suddenly, I am back on the road. Tomas doubles over. His hands turn red as blood from the gunshot spills over them.

“What the hell are you doing, Will?”

I see Will smile at me from behind his gun. Feel the fear as I relive the understanding that I have been betrayed by a friend.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m getting rid of my competition. I didn’t lose my brother and come all this way just to be told I’m not good enough to make it into the University. I made that choice early on. Only you wouldn’t die. Thankfully, a couple of the others were easier to kill before I ran out of quarrels. Both Gill and I are championship crossbow marksmen. He always takes first, but I give him a run for his money.”

“And you think I’m just going to let you shoot me now? I’ve already proven I won’t go down without a fight.”