Graduation Day

by Joelle Charbonneau

  Still, while I want those answers and understand his anger, I cannot believe Raffe would really want to see his father killed. But when I ask him about it, his answer is immediate. “My father has chosen his side. Now I’m choosing mine.”

  I study the anguish and resolve on his face. I have seen the same expression in my reflector. It is the look of a person who has come to a crossroads and chosen the more difficult path.

  The sound of people in the hall tells me it is time for dinner. After the meal, I will have to find a way to test the last two potential members of our team. Perhaps Raffe can help with that and with planning the next stage. He seems to have already helped by possibly limiting the number of people we need to target. But to be certain, I need to learn more, which is why I ask Raffe if he’d be willing to meet later tonight to compare his thoughts to the information I received when I got the list.

  “We can meet after dinner and go for a walk,” he says with a smile. “After our disappearance into Tosu this weekend, everyone already assumes I have a crush on you. This will seal the deal.”

  “They don’t know you very well, do they?” I ask.

  Raffe’s smile fades. “Not many people do.”

  A reminder that despite his having passed this test, neither do I.

  Shaking off my concern, I return the list to my bag and slide the strap onto my shoulder. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

  “Wait,” Raffe says as I head for the door. He disappears again into his bedroom. When he returns he hands me the pulse radio test I designed. “You forgot this. I didn’t listen to the message.”

  “I know.” I take the device and carefully set it in my bag.

  Raffe folds his arms over his chest and leans against the wall. “What would have happened if I had turned those switches?”

  My heart skips a beat. “You knew it was a test?”

  “Not right away. But after thinking about it, I realized I would only leave something that important with someone for one of two reasons. If I had no choice or if I wanted to see what they would do with the information. Once I decided this was your way of having me prove my trustworthiness, it was harder to ignore it sitting on my desk. I wanted to know what you’d designed it to do. Was it going to give me false information?”

  “No.” I shift my feet. “It was going to explode.”

  There is silence as Raffe gapes at me. I wait for anger. Instead, Raffe lets out a bark of laughter. “I’m glad I’m such a trustworthy guy. That would have really sucked.”

  “You’re not mad?” I remember how I felt when I realized my life was on the line because of Dr. Barnes’s tests.

  “You did what was necessary. And now I’m especially glad I spent the afternoon doing this instead of tinkering with your toy.” Raffe grabs something off a small table near the far side of the couch and hands it to me. “Here.”

  I take the six-inch-square piece of paper. Painted on it is a purple circle against a red backdrop. In the center of the circle, forming an X, are two yellow lightning bolts outlined in white.

  “What is this?” I ask.

  “Symbols are important, especially to those embarking on change. The revolutionaries who formed the United States had their stars and stripes. The European uprising against their coalition used a closed fist. I decided to create a different version of your symbol for ours.” He nods at the band that circles my wrist. “In mythology, lightning represents either the loss of ignorance or punishment for those who overstep their bounds. I used two bolts since we intend to do both.”

  The lightning bolts look powerful against the colors of our country. Up until now, I’d looked at the symbol Testing officials gave me as an acknowledgment of my mechanical abilities. I thought it represented the ability to create solar cells and light sources. But this . . .

  “It’s perfect.”

  The loss of ignorance. The punishment of those who created The Testing. Maybe the punishment of those of us who fight against it. Despite that possibility, there are now four of us, five if Zeen is still alive and well, who will see this through to the end.

  Chapter 11

  MY INJURED LEG is starting to throb when I go upstairs to my room to drop off the books I don’t need. I open the door carefully and see the tiny slip of paper that I had slid in between the door and the frame flutter to the ground. Not the most sophisticated of warning systems, but it was effective. As far as I can tell, no one has been inside since I was last here.

  Closing the door behind me, I put my bag on the table. Gently, I remove the metal box containing the black powder and place it in my top desk drawer. When I have time, I will dismantle the device so there is no chance of it exploding accidentally. While I am here, I place a new change of clothes in my bag, put more healing ointment on my leg, and check my gun. Only one bullet left and I do not have any others. A problem I can remedy with a trip to the president’s fifth-floor room. I will have to find a way to make that journey before my team is forced into action.

  I notice that the light on my pulse radio is illuminated, and I go into the bathroom and turn on the water so I can listen to Tomas assure me he is safe. So far no one is looking for Kerrick and Marin.

  I record messages for Tomas and Stacia, letting them know Raffe passed his test. I tell them that the device I built to test him is now back in my possession and that Raffe wants to discuss the names on the list after dinner. I tell each of them to join us outside the library. If anyone is watching, they will assume we are meeting for our study group. For Tomas, I add “I love you” before pressing Send. Thinking about those I love, I try to contact Zeen to see how he is doing. I want to tell him about Dreu Owens and the tension on campus. But he doesn’t answer. Hopefully, he will find time to contact me soon. Then, sliding the Communicator back in my bag and the small slip of paper back into the frame, I lock the door behind me and hurry downstairs.

  During dinner it is announced that Damone has still not been found. Also, the ban on leaving campus will continue throughout the week. Most students appear unconcerned by their fellow student’s disappearance and the requirement to stay on campus, but I notice that a few upper years, including Ian, exchange nervous glances.

  The dining hall is still filled with students when Raffe stands up, holds out his hand, and asks if I’m ready to go. As I let him pull me out of my seat, I try to ignore people’s snickers, but I cannot help the knot of anxiety that tightens in my chest when I walk by Griffin. His grim smile is not directed at me, but at Raffe—who nods to acknowledge Griffin and then winks back.

  The air outside is chilly and damp. Dark clouds dim the sky. Wind whips the willow tree branches as we walk by. It feels like a storm is coming.

  “I’ve asked Tomas and Stacia to meet us at the library,” I say as we approach the bridge. “Before they meet us, I’d like you to tell me more about the people you said you believe don’t belong on the list.”

  Raffe glances at the residence before saying, “I could be wrong, but there are a lot of names that don’t make sense to me.”

  “Like who?”

  “Professor Lee, for one. I remember my father saying that the country would fall apart if ever Professor Lee was put in charge of the University. My father believed Professor Lee always saw the best in students and wasn’t decisive enough to cut away the ones who weren’t strong enough to lead.”

  I think about Professor Lee’s kindness during Early Studies and about his lecture today. The combination makes it hard to believe he’s an ardent advocate of The Testing.

  “What about the others?”

  Raffe names Professor Markum and Professor Harring. Heads of Medical studies and Education. Both people with whom Raffe’s father has clashed in recent years. Both professors petitioned the Education Department to expand the number of colony students allowed in the University. Then there’s Official Parkins, head of the Resource Allocation Department, who suggested a new colony be created in the unrevitalized area southwest of the city that was once Chic
ago. An area that years ago was allocated to Dr. Barnes’s father for The Testing.

  Those five are the ones Raffe marked earlier, but there are two others that worry him. Official Frank Alkyer and Official Liza Yamatchi, whom Raffe has never heard of. “If they are important enough to keep The Testing and the current University program going, I probably would know who they are. Dr. Barnes oversees the University and The Testing. Professor Chen coordinates selection of candidates with the colony educators. Professor Holt is Dr. Barnes’s second in command. My father works with all of them to make sure they have whatever is necessary to select and educate the next generation of leaders. Those four have the most power. Removing them should cripple The Testing enough for the president to stop it for good.”

  Four lives—five when we include Symon, whose removal is not in question—but only if I believe Raffe is being truthful about what he knows. The president gave me the list of names. She must have reasons to believe these people should be removed. But who is to say those reasons are specific to The Testing? The first directive I was given as an intern was to have faith only in the information I verified on my own. Until this moment, I had forgotten that lesson. While I am not certain Raffe’s information is accurate, I do know that I cannot follow the president’s orders blindly. Not questioning her list was my first mistake. I cannot afford to make another.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Raffe asks as we take a seat on the stone steps that lead up to the entrance of the library. “Or do I have to wait to hear it until Stacia and Tomas arrive?”

  “I don’t know.” I thought I did, but now . . . When I chose this path, I convinced myself that the people on the list had earned their fate. “How can I plan anything without being sure who these people are?”

  “Could you live with yourself if you sit back and do nothing while The Testing continues and the rebels are betrayed and killed?”

  I want to say yes, but it would be a lie. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Yes, you do.” Raffe’s voice is soft but firm. “You ask yourself what your goal is. You look at the facts as you know them, and you make the call.”

  “What if I’m wrong?”

  “Then you’re wrong.” Raffe’s voice cracks though the swirl of confusion like a whip. “If you’re looking for guarantees, you’re asking the wrong person. Leaders don’t get guarantees. The only thing they can do is make the most educated decision they can and hope for the best. Isn’t that how you got through The Testing and our Induction?”

  I shake my head. “That was different. I’m not sure I can do this.” There has already been so much needless death. The weight of those lives presses on my chest, making it hard to breathe. Whom do I trust? The president? Raffe? Tomas? Myself?

  But if Raffe sees my trepidation, he doesn’t show it. Instead he says, “Well, if you can’t, then none of us can. One person can’t do it alone, and I doubt Stacia and Tomas would help if I asked. The only way this works, Cia, is with you.”

  “I know.” I see Tomas approaching and am certain Stacia isn’t far behind. Neither of them would have picked Raffe for a teammate. I doubt they would even pick each other. Raffe is right. The future is on me.

  Ever since I was little, I wanted to be like my father—someone everyone turned to for answers. Until now, I’d only thought of his successes. I never considered how alone he must have felt or the courage it took to take the next step forward knowing that another wrong move could ruin us all. But though he might have wanted to, he didn’t walk away. He didn’t have guarantees that things would work out. He made the decision he believed was best because that was all he could do. Just as it is the only thing I can do now. I think of the symbol Raffe created for me. For us. For this purpose. I came to Tosu City because I wanted to be a leader. I thought that would come after I graduated from the University. I thought that event would signal my readiness. But I can no longer wait for Graduation Day. The time to lead is now.

  “We can’t reach everyone on the list,” I say when Tomas and Stacia join us on the stairs. Tomas’s eyes looked tired and strained. When I touch his hand, he flinches. Stacia, however, appears not only rested but eager to take the next step.

  Quickly, I give them a summary of Raffe’s knowledge of those on the list. “See if you can learn anything more about them. That will help us decide which people are to be given priority. Even if Enzo and Ian join us, there’s no way the six of us can hit all the targets. Out of the four of us here, Raffe is the only one who knows Tosu City well enough to get to specific addresses quickly. That’s going to slow us down. And once they break the ban on students leaving campus, Professor Holt and the other residence leaders will start looking for us.”

  “Unless,” Stacia says, “we find them first.”

  Raffe shakes his head. “We can’t remove them before we take out Dr. Barnes. Right, Cia?”

  Stacia looks ready to argue but stops when I say, “Raffe is right. The minute people on the list begin to die, Dr. Barnes will know someone is coming for him and will find a way to prevent it. Removing the other targets on the list won’t mean anything unless Dr. Barnes himself is taken out.”

  “The president wants all the targets eliminated,” Stacia reminds me. “Not just the ones you pick.”

  “The president will understand that we have to prioritize according to what will help her best achieve her goal,” I reply. As long as The Testing and the University are removed from Dr. Barnes’s control, I don’t think she’ll have reason to complain. “Once Dr. Barnes and the top administrators of The Testing are eliminated, she’ll be able to handle the others herself.”

  “What about Symon?” Raffe asks before Stacia can object again. “It’s not going to be easy to get to him. Not in the middle of an armed rebel camp.”

  “I think I know a way.” But I do not share it. I will trust Stacia and Raffe to help me end The Testing, I won’t trust them with my brother’s life.

  Stacia crosses her arms and leans back. “Okay. So when do we start this plan?”

  “As soon as I’ve decided about Ian and Enzo. Once we know the full team, we’ll be ready.”

  We fall silent as a group of students approaches. Once they walk up the steps and enter the library, Stacia quietly asks, “Have you figured out how you’re going to test Enzo? Because if you know, this might be the time to do it. He’s coming this way.”

  Sure enough, Enzo and Will are walking toward us.

  Will spots us first. He waves and yells, “Should we be offended that you scheduled a study group meeting and forgot to tell us?”

  Raffe laughs as he climbs to his feet. “It just figures. I finally get Cia to go for a walk with me alone and everyone turns up. A guy can’t catch a break.”

  “Probably because Cia is smart enough to know not to be alone with a guy like you,” Will says with a grin as he reaches the library steps. “Colony guys are far more trustworthy. Don’t you think, Tomas?”

  “Of course.” Tomas stands and gives Will a tight smile. “Although some of us are more trustworthy than others.”

  “Well, I don’t know about you, but some of us actually need to get some studying done. We can’t all be like Cia and have our homework already completed,” says Will. Stacia rolls her eyes at me and turns toward Enzo. “Do you guys have time to compare answers on the physics homework? I think I might have gotten number ten wrong.”

  “Sure.” Enzo gives her a shy smile. “I struggled with that one too.”

  Stacia gives us a triumphant smile as she leads Enzo and Will up the steps into the library, leaving Tomas, Raffe, and me behind.

  I wait for Tomas to tell me what he found in the stadium offices. When he doesn’t, I realize it is because Raffe is here.

  “I told Raffe what happened at the stadium today,” I say. “You can tell him what you found.”

  Tomas studies Raffe for several beats before saying, “There are files on every past graduate of the Biological Engineering program. They aren’t very detailed
, but they do list the internships that former students worked on, as well as locations and the length of every job assignment postgraduation. The last time Dreu’s file was updated was five years ago when he began work on a reverse mutation research program headed up by Ranetta Janke.”

  Ranetta. The leader of the second rebel faction. Whatever Dreu’s current involvement with her, it’s no wonder Kerrick and Marin were concerned when out of the blue someone asked about him. They thought that by attacking Tomas and me, they were protecting the rebellion, which makes me feel even worse about their deaths. They died for nothing because they did not know we were all on the same side of this cause.

  But learning of Dreu’s connection to Ranetta also makes me feel more optimistic. If Dreu is with Ranetta in the rebel camp, Zeen may be able to track him down. The common tie to Five Lakes could help Zeen convince Dreu of the true nature of the rebellion. He could be enlisted to help Zeen in removing Symon. If that doesn’t happen, then it will be up to Stacia, Raffe, Tomas, and me to finish what we will soon start.

  “Has anyone noticed Kerrick is missing?” I ask Tomas.

  “No, and I doubt they will until tomorrow at the earliest. Kerrick and Marin were together most of the time they weren’t in class. The people in our residence won’t be concerned if they don’t notice him around. We just have to hope the other University members of the rebellion don’t start looking for him.”

  The sky rumbles. Several more students approach the library and look at us as they hurry past. The rain will be here soon. “We might want to move this conversation,” Raffe says. “Especially since it looks like we’re drawing notice from one of your friends inside.”