Chapter 13

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"Opal already left with Noura." Gracie's long stride was worth two of my steps. I skittered along beside her as she loped down the hall.

"We didn't talk about dinner last night and I wanted to make sure you're ok." Her voice was tentative. "I'm sorry Noura took her stress out on you. I told her it wasn't fair."

Shrugging, I avoided looking Gracie in the eye. I hated to admit it, but Noura's rejection hurt. It wasn't that I needed her approval, it was more that I didn't need her negativity. Being exposed to Noura's insensitivity was like rubbing sandpaper against a sunburn.

"Yeah, Opal told me she's had it rough, but Noura's issues have nothing to do with me." Pushing open the door at the end of the hallway, I blinked as sunlight cast a golden halo around us. Stepping onto the path, I noticed a slow stream of students trickling towards Mendel's main entrance. If their slumped shoulders gave anything away, they were as tired as I felt.

"Well, I'm glad you're here. Opal was right ... you're cool beans, Marin."

"Aw thanks, Gracie. You know what's not cool beans?" I waited a beat. "... saying cool beans." Laughter bubbled up from the pit of my stomach as I grabbed her arm playfully. It felt so good to smile, momentarily owing nothing to anyone.

"Hey!" Gracie protested. "It's purposely uncool ... which, you know, actually makes it cool." Sticking out her tongue, she bumped me with her hip.

"Keep telling yourself that," I giggled and we linked arms, sauntering down the path until Mendel's crest, etched in glass over the massive doorway, came into view.

Pausing for a second, we looked up simultaneously and our laughter faded away.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for this." Gracie sighed.

A shiver scuttled across my skin and an invisible hand squeezed my heart. "Me neither." Forcing a breath, I caught her eye. "But at least we're doing it together, right?"

"Right." Gracie nodded, her face unusually grim. "Okay, let's go." Together we climbed the stone steps and blended into the group of students chattering nervously at the door.

Inside, attendants greeted us and confirmed our Mendel-issued clothing. Then, they waved a slim bar over our wristbands, waited for a beep, and directed us up to the Great Hall.

"I don't see Opal and Noura down here; I think they must be upstairs already." Gracie stood on tiptoe to scan the room. She was a good six inches taller than me, so her bird's eye view was much better than mine.

Students were lined up at the bottom of the stairway and progress ascending the steps was slow.

"I thought the dean said seven forty-five sharp? At this rate we'll all be late." Gracie shifted from one foot to the other.

"I'm pretty sure she added some buffer in the schedule to get us up there on time. There's gotta be a reason we're moving so slow."

Pushing forward in fits and starts, the crowd hugged our sides until we reached the top of the stairs where the wide corridor yawned open to greet us. Looking around, I did a double-take. The space had been completely transformed overnight.

Kids were being streamed into two parallel lines on either side of the corridor, each featuring three stations to pass through before entering the Great Hall.

The first station was manned by an attendant who carefully scanned wristbands before sending kids to another area dominated by a shiny white pod standing at least ten feet tall. My face scrunched up as I tried to decipher what it was for. One by one, students entered the pod alone. They disappeared for what felt like few minutes, then reappeared again, moving on to a final kiosk at the end of the line. I craned my neck, but it was hard to see what was going on there from where I stood.

"Next, please," the attendant managing the flow of students called out to us. My eyes skidded to meet Gracie's before we split to join separate lines.

"Welcome to the first day of PACK assessments, honey." A woman greeted me with a smile that smoothed my chafed nerves. "Can I please see your wristband?"

Raising my left hand, I let her press the side of the band. Turning pink, a message scrolled across the screen: Grey, Marin. PA 101. Confirmed.

"That's great, hon. Please head on down to the next station over there. Best wishes to you."

"Thanks." My legs shook a little as I walked toward the attendant manning the scanner.

"Wristband, please." The attendant was matter of fact, but his blue eyes were kind. As he pressed the band's opposite side, it flashed green and a mix of letters and numbers scrolled across the screen: P - 45; A - 10; C - 40; K - 5.

Pulling a small device from his pocket, he touched it against my wristband until it beeped.

"Thank you. Please step forward into the scanner. You'll see there's a set of footprints on the base to show you where to stand. It'll just take a few moments, not to worry."

Biting my lip, I walked toward the large white pod. Its sides were open, like a shiny futuristic egg with a tunnel running through its middle. I looked back at the attendant for reassurance and he nodded, encouraging me to step inside.

Sighing, I walked into the egg and planted my feet according to the instructions on the floor.

"Can you hear me?" A screen at the front of the pod came to life, projecting the attendant's face, and I jumped in surprise.

"Uh, yeah. I can hear you. I can see you, too." My voice sounded nervous to my ears and my cheeks burned.

"It's ok. Listen, I'm going to close the doors for just a minute — it's no big deal, really. The only thing you have to do is keep your eyes on this screen and your feet planted exactly where they are, alright?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Good. Doors are closing in three... two... one..." The attendant's face disappeared from the screen and two panels slid down from either side of the giant egg, closing me inside.

Just look at the screen and stay still. He said it's no big deal. Chill, Marin. It's fine.

Squeezing my hands into fists, I felt my nails dig into my skin as the lights went out.

***

PACK assessments are about to heat up! Thanks for reading — I'd love to know what you think, and please consider voting if you're enjoying Project Alpha!

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