"Grab a plate. Eat as much as you want." As if to demonstrate, he follows his own advice.
The four of us grab our own plates and make our selections. I take a roll filled with raisins and nuts, a small piece of salmon, an apple, and some of the carrots. Just what I can eat. Although I can see other candidates do not follow that same rule. Many have more than one plate in front of them piled with food. Some are taking a taste of one thing then pushing it away in favor of something better. My father taught me to respect the food we grow and the neighbors we share our food sources with. The idea of blatantly wasting what has taken years to make, grow, and thrive makes me lose my appetite.
The tables closest to us are all filled with candidates. They eye us as we walk down the aisle to an empty table in the back. I put my plate down and turn in time to see a large, scruffy boy with mean eyes stick his leg out in front of Malachi. Malachi loses hold of his plate, which crashes to the ground. Were it not for Tomas's quick reflexes, Malachi would be face-first in stew.
Despite Malachi's dark skin, I can see embarrassment burning on his cheeks. He mumbles an apology and starts to clean up the mess, but Michal stops him. "This wasn't your fault." His eyes flick to the scruffy boy, who is busy shoving cake in his smirking mouth. "Why don't you take my plate while I find someone to clean this up?"
Malachi takes the plate and slides into a chair with his eyes cast down. His shame at causing an undignified scene is almost palpable, and I find my hands curling into fists. Rage, white and hot, burns in my blood. My family is close and encourages discussion to resolve differences. But I have four older brothers. When pushed, I know how to fight. I'm ready to do so now.
"Cia, your food is getting cold." Tomas's voice reaches me through the rage. The mild words hold a warning. We are being watched. Every move counts. Save my fight for later.
I feel my emotions deflate as I uncurl my hands, sit with my companions, and pick up my fork. Tomas nudges Malachi and whispers in his ear. Whatever he says knocks Malachi out of his stupor. He picks up his fork and starts shoveling in food. Michal returns with another plate and keeps a steady stream of conversation going while we eat. In the silences, I hear people from other tables talking about us. Wondering what colony we are. Someone speculates we are from Five Lakes, but that gets shot down with lots of laughter. Five Lakes Colony is a joke to them. The knot of worry in my stomach grows.
I finish everything but the apple. The salmon must have tasted good, but I wasn't paying attention to the flavors. Another group of six candidates arrives and takes a table in the back. They hurry to eat as the rest of our plates are cleared away by women in white jumpsuits. Then a voice begins to talk.
"Welcome to Tosu City and congratulations on being chosen for The Testing."
It takes me a minute to find who is speaking since the sound is being broadcast from speakers positioned in every corner of the room. Through the glass window I can see the woman who greeted us holding a microphone in her hand.
"One hundred and eight of you have assembled to be tested. At most, twenty will pass through to attend the University. I wish you all luck in being one of those who will pass."
Less than a one-in-five chance. Voices murmur around us. Some confident and cocky. Others surprised at the number, but trying hard not to sound worried.
The voice over the speaker continues, "Since everyone has arrived, tomorrow morning will mark the beginning of the Testing process. In ten minutes you will report to your designated sleeping quarters. If you haven't been assigned a room, please ask your travel escort, and he or she will get the assignment for you. I advise you to get as much rest as you can to help you in the days and weeks ahead. Good night and best of luck."
Michal presses a slip of paper with my room assignment into my hand and holds his there for several seconds longer than necessary. In his eyes, in the squeeze of hands, I know he is wishing me luck. Then he is gone.
We head out of the dining hall and split up. Girls to the right. Boys to the left.
Zandri and I watch Malachi and Tomas disappear down the hall. Then together we look for our rooms. I'm in room 34. Zandri is in room 28. As she's about to go inside, I give her a hug. Who knows what tomorrow might hold. I want her to do well. Surprisingly, she tightens her arms around me, and we stand like that for a moment. Bonded by years of shared experiences and the fear of what is to come. When we step back from each other, she smiles. "Give 'em hell tomorrow. You hear?"
I nod. "You, too." She disappears into her room, and I go in search of number 34. I find it a few doors down. Someone is moving around inside. Taking a deep breath, I turn the handle on the heavy wooden door and push.
"Hi." The room is large, filled with two big beds, two desks, and some chairs. It takes me a minute to spot the source of the wispy voice. When I do, I'm surprised to see it belongs to a tall, beautiful girl with broad shoulders and long blond hair. She gives me a shy smile. "I'm Ryme from Dixon Colony. I guess we're rooming together."
I nod and take several steps into the room. The door clicks shut behind me. "I'm Cia from Five Lakes."
Her lips spread into a delighted smile. "That's amazing. Everyone at dinner was talking about Five Lakes and saying how no one from there has been tested in years. They thought it meant the colony died or failed or something."
"Five Lakes is still around. We're just small compared to other colonies."
"Dixon is small, too." She sits on the bed against the far wall and curls her legs up under her. "We only have about fifteen thousand people. So it was really exciting when eight of us were chosen this year."
Her smile is warm, and I find myself smiling back. Taking a seat on the other bed, I say, "Fifteen thousand is big to me. Five Lakes is just under a thousand."
"How many of you are here?"
"Four. A quarter of our class."
She asks about Five Lakes. Where we are located. What kinds of foods we grow. What kinds of animals frequent the area. From what she says about her own colony, it sounds like Dixon is about three hundred miles southwest of Five Lakes. While her colony is larger, its resources aren't as developed. Maybe with so many people it's just harder to stretch the resources they have, or maybe it's because a large part of their adult population works on creating batteries and electrical supplies instead of developing the land. Since Ryme's family runs a farm they aren't hungry, but many in the nearby town are. Ryme says the compensation money her parents will receive is going to be used for more farming and food-storage equipment. Both will add to the food resources for her family and those around them.
Ryme sounds proud to have a hand in providing those things to her community. Even though I planned on keeping my distance from candidates from outside my colony, I find myself liking her.
We talk on and off for the next hour. Ryme shows me the design on her bracelet. A triangle with a decorative-looking A in the middle. Not my group. She offers to help me unpack, but I tell her I am keeping everything in my bag. Who knows when The Testing might come to an end for any of us? She smiles and agrees, although I can see two billowy dresses hanging in the closet in front of her bed. My mother would approve of the impression Ryme's clothes will make. We both use the small bathroom adjoining our sleeping quarters, change into our pajamas, and climb into our beds. Ryme asks if we can keep the lights on for a while. She is sitting cross-legged, flipping through a photo album she brought from home. The tears in her eyes tug at my heart, reminding me that I, too, left my family behind. That if this was any other night my mother would be sitting in front of the fire, asking about my day. My father would brainstorm ideas with my brothers while we played cards around the kitchen table. Swallowing down the wave of homesickness, I tell Ryme to leave the lights on as long as she wants before I curl up under the covers.
She thanks me. I'm about to close my eyes when she adds, "If you get hungry, I brought some corncakes from home. I made them myself. Help yourself."
I sleep with my bag tucked in beside me.
My dreams are troubled, although I can't remember them when I awake to a voice over a loudspeaker telling us that we have an hour to get dressed and eat before the first phase of Testing begins. I pull on a pair of dark brown pants, an off-white tunic, and my boots. Then I fold my nightclothes and the pants and top I wore yesterday and shove them in my bag. Ryme raises an eyebrow at my repacking, but doesn't say anything. She is wearing a flowing buttercup yellow dress and shiny white slippers. She's even added touches of lip stain and eye makeup.
Across the room, I can hear her stomach growling, but I notice she doesn't touch the corncakes. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I do a quick count. There are nine of them. If there are still nine after today, I'll know for certain not to trust Ryme with my possessions or my secrets.
I twist the bracelet around my wrist. Then check my bag one last time and hoist it over my shoulder. Ryme walks with me down to the dining hall, ignoring invitations from others to join them. I'm not sure why she wants to stick with me, but I'm guessing she's curious about the rest of the Five Lakes Colony candidates. From the way she was talking last night, it sounds like the other colonies have some communication with one another. Five Lakes is truly the unknown.
I fill a plate with strawberries, orange melon, a roll that smells spicy and sweet, and two strips of crisp bacon. Ryme kids me about nerves zapping my appetite while she piles a plate high with pancakes, waffles, eggs, sausage, and fried potatoes. We each grab a glass of milk, and I look around for my Five Lakes compatriots. They are at the same table we occupied yesterday, along with a few unfamiliar faces. I am not the only one who has picked up a passenger.
Malachi and Zandri introduce us to their roommates — Boyd and Nicolette. Both have dark hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin. I am not surprised to learn they are from the same colony to the east and south, Pine Bluff. Boyd is in Zandri's group. I can't see Nicolette's bracelet very well. Her dress has long, flimsy sleeves that keep fluttering over it. Something with a heart, I think. I slide in next to Tomas, who is the only other Five Lakes candidate with his bag in tow. Although I notice that at least a third of the candidates, including the two additions to our table, have theirs with them.
Letting the chatter swirl around me, I take small bites of the sweet fruit and try not to think about what is coming. If what I have learned thus far isn't enough, there is nothing I can do to change that. By the time I've finished my breakfast, I've learned that Nicolette and Boyd are cousins. Their two families operate a rice farm and have been struggling with their water management system. Rice is a crop I have never eaten and know next to nothing about. Tomas is unfamiliar with it as well, but hearing them talk about irrigation issues is enough to start a lively discussion. I even have a few ideas to add to the mix that Boyd thinks are of use.
We are having such an interesting conversation that I forget my anxiety until a voice announces, "Testing candidates, please report to the elevator banks, where officials will direct you to your first round of tests. Best of luck."
My heart swoops into my stomach, unsettling my breakfast. A hand takes mine and holds fast. I turn and look into Tomas's eyes. Is he nervous? I can't tell. But I am glad for the warmth and steadiness of his hand as I rise to my feet. Almost every girl is wearing her prettiest dress and her most polished and scufffree shoes. I would feel out of place in my wardrobe if not for Tomas standing next to me. His black boots are worn. His cot ton shirt and brown pants are faded. Regardless of what tests they throw at us, I can almost guarantee that Tomas and I will be the only comfortable ones taking them.
Testing officials in dark purple and deep red jumpsuits herd us into the two elevator cars and direct us to the third floor. Tomas tightens his grip on my hand as we stand in the back of the small silver room and descend two floors. Some of the other candidates give Tomas's and my joined hands a knowing look, and I start to pull away. But Tomas won't let me. I don't know why he has singled me out for his attention and support, but a small, terrified part of me is glad for it. Partners he called us. A word that doesn't begin to account for the bubbles of anxiety in my stomach that have nothing to do with the tests and everything to do with the way my hand feels in his.
The elevator door opens, and we are greeted by more officials. It occurs to me that they are dressed in formal colors that announce their status. They are making it clear that they are adults. They are in charge.
We are directed into a large room filled with seats and a stage. The lights on the stage are bright, illuminating a grayhaired, bearded man wearing a purple jumpsuit. He holds a microphone in his hand and is clearly waiting for us all to be seated.
Hands linked, Tomas and I slide into seats in the back. We look for Zandri and Malachi, but don't see them. The last students sit. The Testing officials from the hallway come into the room and assume standing positions in the aisles. Finally, the man up front begins to speak.
"Welcome to Tosu City. My name is Dr. Jedidiah Barnes. I speak for myself and all of my colleagues when I say we are honored to have you here." His smile and voice are warm. "You are here because you are the best and the brightest. On your shoulders rest the hopes of everyone in the United Commonwealth. Here among you are the future leaders of our country. All leaders must be tested, which is the process that you will begin today."
People fidget in their seats. Nerves? Excitement? I admit I feel a combination of both.
The man smiles again. "The Testing process consists of four parts. Over the next two days, you will sit for the written exams. These will test your knowledge of history, science, mathematics, and reading as well as give us an idea of your logic and problem-solving skills. After these tests are evaluated, we will make our first cuts."