The Perfect Ten Boxed Set

by Dianna Love

  Monitors and keyboards.

  Finally, something clicked. I knew what a monitor was, and a keyboard.

  Maybe coming in here would rattle my memory.

  Most of the kids seemed to be my age. As I walked toward the last desk on the left, one of the guys I passed studied me with blatant interest, then softly said, “Hel-looo, baby.”

  I might not grasp every meaning, but I did understand that wolfish look, especially when the girl next to him hissed something angry under her breath. He just kept smiling at me. I might not belong here and had no idea who I was, but I knew when a boy was interested, and recognized female jealousy.

  Some things were universal. But she wasted her energy. I had no interest in him or his leer.

  I kept my eyes on the back corner. All I had to do was stay out of trouble and make it to the meeting in Dr. Maxwell’s office at five o’clock.

  Mr. Suarez stepped behind his desk. He muttered something about finishing rollcall as he glanced up and down, eyes searching out each student after saying a name.

  I settled into my chair, glad not to be in the front on display any longer.

  The teacher scanned the room again. “Where’s Tony?”

  When no one answered, Mr. Suarez scribbled on a paper pad, then turned and wrote words on a white wall behind him that read:

  Deadline for the Top Ten Competition: May 15, 2013.

  Wait, I understood that. The words at least, but not what they meant.

  The instructor set down his pad. “Deadline for this year’s competition. That’s two weeks from today, folks.”

  I toyed with the date in my mind, but 2013 triggered no concrete memories. Surely something significant had happened this year in my life.

  The more I studied the date it did feel familiar, and pressing. Significant. Why?

  I was starting to hate that three-letter word.

  Every time I tried to concentrate hard on anything, an ache bit into my forehead with sharp teeth. I rubbed my temple then dropped my hand. My fingers touched the green book.

  As Mr. Suarez started talking about the project, I propped the book on my desktop and opened it, reading the first page of introduction. Hannah was right about how long it’d take to get through this thing, but I couldn’t get past how special holding a book felt.

  Mr. Suarez paused.

  The silence drew my attention.

  He looked right at me when he spoke. “For those of you who are new, the Top Ten Computer Project’s a special event the Browns created where our best ten students in computer science will have a chance to compete for a full scholarship to any of the top ten universities in this country. You’ll each be assigned a partner for the first phase.”

  Excitement flittered through the room, but I couldn’t have been less interested. I was locked on my book, blocking out Mr. Suarez’s voice so I could read as much as possible in what time I had. I started scanning the pages fast, really fast. Then I felt heat, or energy, swirl in my chest. The same type of feeling I’d had earlier when I listened to the Browns and Dr. Maxwell talk behind the partially closed door.

  I clutched the book tighter and the energy rolled down my arms until my fingers tingled.

  Pages fluttered past as if I fanned the pages, but I only held the book.

  I caught every word, comprehended every sentence.

  In less than a minute, I’d finished the book. And slammed it shut, earning a hard stare from a girl at the next table over. Her gaze ended with a frown that said, “freak.”

  Pushing the book away, I looked at my trembling hands.

  Was that normal?

  Was I normal?

  “Miss Landers and Miss Pearson make up the next team,” Mr. Suarez said, calling out names to match up partners for the project.

  I took a couple of breaths to settle myself and did a quick head count again, relieved at the uneven number of students. No one to match me up with?

  That suited me just fine. I’d only end up proving how clueless I was about everything in this room and in this school, except for the monitor and keyboard in front of me. I might not know how these units worked, but I was sure I’d seen something like them before.

  “Whoa, I know you’re not startin’ my favorite class widdout me, Mr. S,” someone announced as he entered the room. A husky-built guy with chopped-off black hair and an olive tint to his skin.

  He looked about my age but had an attitude years older. His dark-brown, calculating eyes searched out each of the other five girls in the classroom, and gifted them with a wink and a cocky grin.

  I noted that all the girls returned his attention with varying degrees of smiles.

  Even Hannah, whose lips quirked when she tossed a brief glance his way.

  Mr. Suarez paused to frown. “You’re late, Tony. I told you the first day of school I don’t tolerate tardiness from anyone.”

  “My apologies, Mr. S. A young lady needed my personal assistance.” His hands moved constantly, as expressive as his I’m-the-man tone. Here, there, touching a silver medallion at his neck, punctuating his words in the air. “Being a gentleman and all yourself, I know you wouldn’ta wanted me leavin’ the young lady on her own.”

  “What kind of assistance?” the instructor asked, wary-eyed.

  This Tony guy beamed a sneaky-cat grin I didn’t buy any more than I bought the grandiose performance.

  And what was this guy’s strange accent?

  Tony opened his hands in a what-else gesture. “New kid from Jersey and Italian, like me. Got lost her first day. I delivered her safe and sound to the front office. But I didn’t waste no time humpin’ it here. Like I said, sorry I was late, Mr. S, but I’m ready for the Top Ten Project. Seein’s how my last name starts with an S, I’m thinkin’ I’m paired up with the delicious Miss Georgiana Sanderson, right?”

  A look came over Mr. Suarez’s face that knocked the foundation out from under Tony’s grin. “Miss Sanderson has been paired up. In fact, everyone has a partner. In light of your charitable nature to help new students–”

  No. No way. Don’t do it. I sat up straighter.

  “–you’ll be teamed up with our newest student. Rayen.” Mr. Suarez pointed in my direction. “Take your seat, Tony.”

  Tony’s eyes finally lit on me. All his smug attitude slid away leaving disbelief. He stepped over to the teacher and lowered his voice, but my sharp hearing caught every word he said.

  “You kiddin’, Mr. S, right? You know how bitchin’ I am on computers. I need someone who can hang with me, not...” Tony cut a sharp glance at me then his face smoothed, all charm by the time he faced Mr. Suarez again. “Not somebody just off the reservation.”

  One of Mr. Suarez’s eyebrows arched at a sharp angle. “If this was so important you should’ve been punctual and I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that last comment. Rayen is your Top Ten partner until I say differently. Take your seat.”

  “But–”

  “Now, or you’re out of the competition altogether.”

  That had Tony snapping to attention.

  I’d grabbed the seat closest to the corner from which I now watched as Tony swaggered down the center of the room, scowling. As he drew closer, I could see part of an image in black ink that crawled up his neck, peeking out from beneath the collar of his shirt. The design was a creature with sharp pinchers.

  Some memory niggled at me. Neck markings meant something, but what?

  When Tony reached my table, he dropped into the chair and crossed his arms.

  The minute Mr. Suarez turned to the white board again, Tony leaned over, a nasty smile on his face when he whispered, “Find a way to disappear or I’ll do it for you, sweet cheeks.”

  CHAPTER 5

  “Unfreakinbelievable!”

  I ignored Tony’s latest outburst since we’d left Mr. Suarez’s classroom and concentrated on searching the equipment room for a computer we’d been instructed to rebuild.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d read
that green book in seconds, yet I now stood here staring in confusion at tables filled with equipment that had monitors.

  Wish I could get through this assignment as easily as I fanned through that book.

  Much of the terminology in the classroom hadn’t clicked for me. When Suarez had explained the principles of what he expected to see built from outdated equipment in storage, I’d rolled my eyes. The jumbled words still spun through my mind, some pinging a trickle of memory but others sliding past.

  I hadn’t minded that Tony dragged his feet to leave the classroom since it meant everyone else had already been here, chosen the parts they wanted, and left. Now it was only the two of us. Not ideal, but easier to escape one than a roomful.

  This Top Ten Project had something to do with taking an old computer and rebuilding it into an AI or Artificial Intelligence unit. I did understand those terms, had heard of a computer and an AI somewhere, but I knew as much about turning a computer into an AI as I did about flying to Mars.

  At least, I didn’t think I could build an AI unit or fly to any of the other planets in the solar system. Though I did know the planets, and knowledge of space travel tapped at the edge of my mind.

  Not that I expected anyone to keep me in this program, but until I met with Dr. Maxwell at five o’clock I might as well pick my way through this clutter to see if I could find something to use. The green book had made multiple references to accessing information on the computer, so apparently computers were used to store a lot of documentation and records.

  If one of these worked, I wanted to see if I could use it to find out something about myself.

  Tony shoved a monitor dusty with age out of his way, grumbling, “I should be with four-point-oh Sanderson, not some mute who doesn’t even understand English.”

  I swallowed my smile. Tony would think I was unable to speak since I’d refused to answer any of his obnoxious questions like what tribe had I come from. How many scalps I’d traded to get into this place? Did I have a clue how lucky I was that they let the terminally clueless into the Institute?

  Did I even know where Jersey was?

  No.

  I’d shrugged in answer that time, amused when Tony went off on a rant over how he wished he were back in Jersey if this was as good as it got here.

  He pitched a thing he’d called a mouse into a box of miscellaneous parts and turned on me. “You’re not screwing up my chance at MIT.”

  That term again. MIT what?

  Crossing my arms, I faced him, more curious than anything to see what this blowhard would do next. He might have two inches on me since I was maybe five and a half feet tall, but he was the one terminally clueless if he thought his loud mouth intimidated me.

  Just then the door over in the corner opened and a girl backed into the room, humming a strange, but interesting, tune as she dragged a cart with cleaning products, a broom and dust mop.

  But there was no mistaking all that bizarre color. Gabby.

  Still humming, she turned around and jerked back when she saw us, dropping her can of drink that rolled across the room, sloshing brown liquid everywhere.

  Tony jumped sideways. “What the ‘ell? Watch whatcha doin’.”

  I gave him a dark look of warning. The poor girl had been startled. Just an accident.

  “My bad,” she said, sounding amused until she let out a weary sigh and grabbed a towel from her cart. She dropped to all fours to wipe up the mess.

  “What’re you doin’ here anyhow, sweet cheeks?” Tony asked in his Mr. Nice Guy voice–Were all girls “sweet cheeks” to this guy?–but he looked around warily as if keeping an eye out for Mr. Suarez.

  Gabby drew an exaggerated breath, eyes staring up in serious thought when she answered, “Getting ready for the prom, but I’m still waiting for my white mice and glass slippers to arrive. Until they do, I’m relegated to two hours of cleaning up. An unfair penalty for telling the truth.”

  Mice and glass slippers?

  Tony rolled his eyes, dismissing her with a shake of his head, muttering, “Good practice. World needs more hamburger flippers.”

  “Your ridiculous opinion has been duly noted.” She smiled sweetly at him with eyes twinkling as if she knew her reaction bothered him.

  He turned his back on her and mumbled, “First Sacagawea. Now Cindereller.”

  Sacaga-who?

  Shrugging at his back, Gabby bumped her shoulder into the mop hooked on her cart, knocking the stick loose. She had quick reflexes, grabbing the mop handle before it whacked Tony in the head. But when she slapped her other hand down for balance, it landed on my foot and her finger grazed the skin of my bare ankle just as I thought, If I’m Sacagawea and she’s Cindereller, that must make Tony the Jersey Jerk.

  “Jersey Jerk. That’s too funn–” Gabby sucked in a breath and shoved up on her knees, snatching her hand off my foot. For a few seconds she sat there, staring ahead, frozen. Silent.

  Tony kept muttering to himself, so apparently he hadn’t heard her, but I’d caught what she’d said.

  Had she heard my thoughts?

  I’d had weirder things than that happen today already, so I kept my face blank and acted as if I hadn’t heard her. I returned to moving computer parts around on the table.

  That must have worked to convince her I’d heard nothing, because her shoulders slumped, as if in relief. She continued cleaning up the spilled liquid.

  The door still stood propped open with her cart half in and half out.

  Temptation hit me square in the chest. All at once, I wanted to leave, even just far enough to find a place to sit and think. Anything would be better than being stuck as Tony’s shadow for the rest of the day, as Mr. Suarez had instructed me to do. I didn’t want to build a computer or go to another class. I wanted to go home, wherever that was.

  With Tony distracted removing the cover off one computer, I slipped out the door. Two steps into the hallway I smelled something rank, and familiar.

  The beast. I swung around, looking everywhere until I spied a black bird, a raven maybe, perched on the top edge of an open door at the end of the hallway.

  So it could morph into a winged creature. But why hadn’t the thing done that out in the desert?

  Instead of questioning my good fortune that I’d escaped it once, I backed up, slowly. I stepped into the room again, tugging Gabby’s cart all the way inside and closing the door. Sweat dampened my palms.

  Tony turned around, scowling at me, but an undercurrent of worry he hadn’t managed to hide tinged his words. Something was bothering him. “Suarez finds you here doin’ nothin’ he’s hangin’ it on me. You gonna help or not?”

  With that beast outside, waiting, I needed to figure out a plan. A way to escape. One that wouldn’t get these two hurt. The thing might look like a simple bird right now, but no telling what it could become in the next minute.

  I stepped over to the last worktable where...what were those? Laptops. That’s what Tony had called the thin units that opened like a book. A mix of styles and colors sat open in rows, facing forward like good little soldiers. I started fumbling with the closest one.

  Appeased, Tony returned to tinkering with a computer on his side of the room.

  Nothing happened to the one I’d chosen, no flickering lights when I hit a couple of buttons, so I stared at the worktable as if one of the devices would choose me. I had a hard time believing what had been left here would work at all if the cracked faces and beat up exteriors were any indication of functionality. But if I managed to get one of these turned on, maybe I could send a message for help.

  I paused. How’d I know these things could do that? Searching my thoughts ended in a blank again. I felt eyes on me and glanced over at Gabby who still sat on the floor with a curious squint in her gaze, though she said nothing.

  She shot Tony a weighted look then made some decision and stood up next to me. “The universe can be a strange and wonderful place...” She paused, glancing over at Tony for a moment be
fore adding, “If not for those who should have remained a glint in their parents’ eyes. Don’t you agree?”

  Nicholas’s warning about Gabby came back to me, but this girl didn’t seem dangerous. Just unusual, different from the others, but so was I in their eyes.

  And other than Nicholas, she’d been the only friendly one around my age so far. But Nicholas might be snitching on me at this very minute.

  Gabby didn’t wait on my answer, moving ahead to say, “We didn’t get a chance to meet earlier. I’m Gabby.”

  I started to offer my hand to her–some strange reflex that felt like what I should do to greet someone–but I left my arms hanging at my side, wary of touching anyone.

  On the other hand, she didn’t reach out either.

  Where had I gotten that stupid idea anyhow?

  Tony turned halfway, took one look at the taunting smile Gabby sent him and shook his head in disgust before giving us his back.

  I got it. She wanted to poke at Tony by being friendly with me.

  “I’m Rayen.” I was glad to offer her something in return, even if it was only my name. All I had for now.

  Tony paused when I mentioned my name, shook his head and muttered something about low placement standards.

  Gabby studied me with her odd, mismatched eyes. “I presume you’re one of the chosen few offered a spot on the Top Ten Project.”

  How could I answer that? I was none of those things, but I was here for the stupid project. Had it not been offered to others, like Gabby? I lifted my shoulders and let them drop.

  “Ah, the rare humble academic. Found a suitable computer yet?”

  I shook my head.

  Tony kept his back to us when he said, “Fat chance of Sacagawea pickin’ a decent computer.” He sent a pompous smile over his shoulder and told Gabby, “Why don’t you call up your fairy godmother, sweet cheeks? See if a magic wand can help her.”

  When he returned to whatever held his attention, Gabby’s lips curved up. She touched her finger to her lips, looking as though a devious idea fueled her thoughts before she whispered to me, “Put your hand out and see which computer calls to you.”