The next time Stacia knocks, I have clasped the silver identification bracelet etched with a single star, the symbol of a first-year University student, onto my wrist and am ready to go. The chatter of voices greets us as we step outside, and when we turn the corner I can't help grinning. I see a banner wishing me Happy Birthday, a large cake filled with candles, and people smiling. Tomas. Dr. Barnes. Our entire University class and a number of the Testing officials are here to celebrate my birthday.
Someone spots us. Everyone turns, and together they begin to sing. I don't know if all colonies sing this song to mark the occasion of one's birth or if Tomas has taught it to them, but the song evokes memories of home. I can't help but cry.
When the song is over, a gentle finger wipes the tear that falls down my cheek. "Hey, this is supposed to be a happy occasion. Maybe the song wasn't such a good idea after all."
"No." I smile up at Tomas. "It was perfect. Honest."
"Really?"
He brushes his lips against mine, and I smile. "Really."
"Hey," a teasing voice calls. "Other guys want to give the birthday girl a kiss, too."
Tomas frowns as Will walks up, plants a kiss on my cheek, and swings his arm around my shoulders. Will's long hair is pulled back at his nape and his eyes flash with humor, which is good to see. As soon as Dr. Barnes finished congratulating us on our acceptance, Will raised his hand and asked about his brother, Gill, who came to The Testing with him. When Dr. Barnes explained that only Will had been accepted and, like all unsuccessful candidates, his brother had been assigned to a new colony, Will went nuts. It took four Testing officials to remove him from the lecture hall and several days before they considered him calm enough to move into his University quarters. Some of the students whispered that the officials were planning on calling back one of the unsuccessful candidates to replace him. But Will returned, and I'm glad he did.
Will gives me a second kiss on the cheek, and when Tomas protests he laughs. "Your boyfriend here is just jealous that the two of us are paired together for city orientation. Personally, I think you're too good for any of us, Cia. But what do I know?"
Will's words feel familiar. I find myself, not for the first time, cocking my head to the side, trying to recall something that hovers just out of reach.
Tomas tells Will he has no need to be jealous. Other candidates join us. A large, quiet boy named Brick hands me flowers. Then the conversation switches to our upcoming orientation. Before classes begin, all students spend four weeks meeting with Tosu City officials and representatives from every colony. We will also travel the city, learning about the place we are to call home for the next several years. The students are paired up for their assigned meetings and tours. That Will is my partner doesn't sit well with Tomas. Not because he thinks there is anything romantic between us. Tomas gets along with most of the other students in our class, but Will seems to rub him the wrong way. I hope the two of them will work out their differences over the next weeks and months ahead.
Someone pulls out a solar radio, and the dancing starts. Even Dr. Barnes gets into the swing of things and twists and twirls with another Testing official who before they leave is introduced as his wife.
By the time the sun threatens to set, my feet are sore from dancing and I've eaten far too much birthday cake. I'm thinking about going back to my rooms when I see a familiar face lounging against a tree. I tell Tomas I'll be back in a few minutes and walk across the courtyard to where Tosu City official Michal Gallen is standing.
"Happy birthday."
"Have you been here all along?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "I figured it would be best if I waited until some of the guests had gone home. Otherwise, you wouldn't have time to talk. Congratulations on passing The Testing. Not that I'm surprised. You're smart. You're strong. I knew you could make it."
The sense of déjà vu hits me again. But as I try to grab on to the memories, they scatter like the wind.
"What's wrong?"
I shake my head. "Nothing. Just, I could swear I've heard you say those words before. Funny, right?"
He smiles, but doesn't deny it. Instead, he says, "I brought you something." He pulls a package from behind his back and hands it to me. When I start to unwrap it, he shakes his head. "Why don't you wait until you're alone or we'll both end up in trouble. University policy states students will have minimal contact with their families, but I couldn't see the harm in bringing you this."
My family. I turn the present over in my hands with wonder. "How? Did my family contact you?"
"There was something I had to take care of in Madison Colony last week. I heard your father was going to be meeting with some people there, too, and decided to give him a call. He asked me to bring your family's gift to you."
The words are benign. A nice guy doing a nice thing for a girl far from home. But just a few minutes ago he didn't deny that there are things he's said to me that I no longer remember. I feel the gift in my hands and know there is more being said here than what it seems.
For a moment our eyes lock. I search his face for answers as someone shouts my name. I turn to see Tomas and some of the others waving their desire for me to return. "I'll be there in a minute," I yell. But when I turn back, Michal is gone.
A few of the other students tease me about a Tosu official bringing me a gift. I explain that he was our escort to The Testing, but that just makes the girls giggle harder. Even Tomas raises an eyebrow, but I give him a look that says I'll explain everything later and keep the origin of the gift to myself. Michal has broken the rules to get this gift to me. I don't want him to get in trouble for his efforts.
The sky darkens, and the party breaks up. Tomas walks me to my door, gives me a tender kiss, and then gives me something even better — his love. When I tell him I think I might love him back, time feels like it stands still as Tomas stares deep into my eyes as if searching to see if I am telling the truth. After one last kiss and a promise to see me in the morning, Tomas leaves. And, finally, I am alone with my gift. A gift from home. While I have forgotten the passing of the days that led to my birthday, my family did not. I open the box and find two cards and a bouquet of dried roses in a small cast-iron pot. Flowers my father and brothers created in the pot that my mother says was handed down from her mother. I couldn't ask for a better gift.
Setting the flowers on the table next to my bed, I read the cards. One from Daileen telling me how much she misses me but promising to see me here next year. Then one from my family. Three of my brothers have scribbled a line telling me they miss me or wishing me a happy day. Zeen's inscription says he's proud of my achievements and sorry for his behavior on the night I left. He also wants his Transit Communicator back.
Laughing, I grab the device out of my Testing candidate bag and turn it over in my hand. No doubt Dad has already gotten a new device for Zeen. But sure, I'll send it back. Just not before teasing Zeen a bit first. After all, what are younger sisters for?
I dump the device back into my bag and shove it under my bed. As I head to the closet to grab my nightclothes, I hear a clicking sound.
Drat. I must have turned the Transit Communicator on when I pushed the bag.
Sure enough, I managed to switch on the two-way radio feature that is too far out of range to communicate with the one my father has in his office. I know because I tried. Who knows, maybe after a year or two at the University, I'll figure out a way to boost the signal so I can talk to my family whenever I want.
I'm about to put the device away again when something catches my eye. A scratch on the back of the device. Something I don't remember seeing there when I took it from home. The scratch is only a centimeter long, but its jagged shape reminds me of something. The lightning bolt on my candidate identification bracelet. As my finger runs over the scratch, I feel a slight give in the metal. A button? Sure enough. It's disguised well, but there is definitely a button hidden on the back of the device. No wonder Zeen wants this one back, I think. Because he turned it into something else. I must have figured that out during The Testing and left a mark as a reminder.
Grinning, I plop down on the bed, push the button, and wait for something unbelievable to happen. Because with Zeen, it's always something unbelievable.
And it is unbelievable.
I blink as the small room fills with a voice that sounds like my own and listen as the voice speaks words I don't want to believe.