by C. L. Stone
It wasn’t until we’d gotten through half the line that I figured out that once a kid had spoken to the circle of Academy adults, most of them would join people waiting for them in the bench seats. A team would then leave the area, new kid in tow, getting their maps and walking away.
Some didn’t go to a team and instead were directed to sit on the bench closest to the stage area, waiting. They didn’t sit close together, although some of them talked. I didn’t think they knew each other.
There were ten adults with Dr. Roberts making up his circle. They were all middle-aged and older.
They would have the person at the front of the line step forward, then they’d surround the person to talk to him or her privately. It took only a few minutes, but then they’d be directed either to join a team or to the bench in front, what I started to realize was a spare team.
A spare team.
I might get put on a spare team.
When Miss Winchester was called up, I stood alone, but I eased a few steps closer, trying to hear so I could go in more prepared.
Dr. Roberts stood beside her in the circle. “I believe I’ve told a few of you about Miss Kayli Winchester. She’s a very special recruit.”
“I’m not a recruit, yet,” she said. “I want answers. That’s all. No promises.” I could only see the back of her, but she stood tall, her hands clenched at her sides.
I almost envied her directness. Could I be so bold?
“We never hold anyone against their will,” Dr. Roberts said. He then turned toward the group, introducing Mrs. Rose and the others, although, by the end of the list of names, I lost track of most of them.
“And you’re a local, like me, aren’t you?” Mr. Duncan asked, standing with his hands tucked behind his back. “Born and raised in Charleston?”
“I’m sure that’s what my file says about me,” she said. She eyeballed one of the women. “I know you’ve read it.”
Mr. Duncan bowed his head and pressed his lips together. The middle-aged woman with fine wrinkles around her eyes looked her dead on. “I have,” she said. “You’re welcome to peruse mine if you’d like.”
Kayli’s head jerked back. “I...yes,” she said. “I’d like to read it.”
“I’ll bring it over sometime,” the woman said, a satisfied smile on her lips.
When no one said anything else, Kayli looked suspiciously around the group. “Well? Was that it?”
“Sure,” Dr. Roberts said. “Unless you had questions for us.”
“Tons,” she said. “But most importantly, I want to stay with my current group. I understand that’s possible.”
There was a pause as some of the members of the circle looked at each other. I had a feeling they knew each other very well, like my own team. They could understand what they were thinking without saying it.
My heart beat wildly. Kayli was like me. She wanted to stay with her group of guys. I glanced back at them as they watched on intently, except for the one that sat apart, who looked fierce now. I cringed and looked at my feet, suddenly worried for her. Did he not like her? Did he not want her to stay with them?
Would Kota look like that if he knew about the plan?
Dr. Roberts broke the long silence. “Sometimes it’s better to get to know other teams. You can learn more by simply getting to know...”
“No, thank you,” Kayli said quickly. She motioned back to her team. “I’ll ask other people, but if I’m free to get straight answers from my team now, they’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
“As you wish,” Mr. Duncan said, looking at her steadily. “We hope you find what you’re looking for.”
Kayli turned, but as she left, Dr. Roberts followed her, leaning in to say something. I couldn’t help hearing as they passed right by me.
“I hope you’ll remember, nothing you see or hear while with us here should pass your lips once you leave. Not even to Blake Coaltar.”
“He can be trusted,” she said.
“That’s yet to be determined,” he said. “But I’m not asking for myself. I’m begging you, for the safety of these kids here. You cannot comprehend the potential for tragedy if the wrong people get wind of this.”
“Then maybe my team should explain it to me. From the outside, it looks like a cult that just happens to blend in with the rest of society, so no one notices.”
A cult? She thought the Academy was a cult?
I couldn’t hear anything else, but kept my eyes on them until I heard Mr. Duncan asking for the next person in line.
I turned toward the circle, to Mrs. Rose and then the others, waiting with their expectant eyes on me.
Dr. Roberts was still walking away with Kayli, leaving me to walk into the crowd of strangers.
NEW RECRUIT
I clasped my hands behind my back, the only way to hide their shaking, as I stood as tall as I could, keeping my spine straight. Even the kids waiting on the benches had quieted and it felt like everyone was watching me.
I entered the circle and waited, my eyes glancing from one face to the next but not meeting anyone’s gaze. I wanted to appear friendly, but I couldn’t push myself to look at them straight on. It was the best I could do while feeling so anxious.
Mrs. Rose started to move her hands, and that attracted my attention. “Would you like to tell us your name?” she signed.
“She’s asking...” Mr. Duncan began.
“Sang Sorenson,” I said quickly. I’d been practicing a lot more while we were sick and since we weren’t going to regular classes. Luke had helped a lot.
“Oh,” Mr. Duncan said. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you could read sign language.”
“An impressive skill to have,” someone else said, but I didn’t see who as he was behind me.
There was a murmur of agreement and a few nods around the circle.
Mrs. Rose continued, smiling brighter now. “And where are you from?” she signed.
Did they mean the street I lived on? “I was born in Illinois,” I said and then stopped. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say beyond that. Kayli’s demand to stay with her own team invaded my brain. Could I tell them I wanted the same? It didn’t seem like they would stop me if I tried.
However, I remembered Mr. Blackbourne’s words and how he had wanted me to be willing to participate. He said to save stating my desire to stay with my team for the end. I wished I’d talked to him last night or this morning for one more check-in to make sure it was the right thing to do.
Dr. Roberts returned to the group and said, “Miss Sorenson has a very impressive skill list in her file. She volunteered to be of assistance for the camp, even though it’s her first year. She’s already started since the team who invited her came early.”
Heat burned through my cheeks. Was I supposed to say something about this? I hadn’t realized there would be a file about me, but it did make sense if Kayli had one. I wondered what mine said. Who put it together?
“Interesting,” Mr. Duncan said, looking behind me toward Dr. Roberts and then focused his curious eyes on me. He shifted his tie as he spoke. “How were you able to help?”
My heart thundered in my ears. I couldn’t focus on their faces at all now. I opened my mouth to answer, but no sound came out at first. I swallowed.
What had I done? “I...helped make the map,” I said in a small voice. “And...” I couldn’t think of what else to say, what I’d done that they’d want to hear about. My brain froze and seized my tongue.
“Miss Sorenson,” Dr. Roberts said after a long moment.
I turned, looking at him for direction.
His smile lit up his clever eyes. “Show them where north is.”
I assumed he meant North and picking him from the crowd. I started to look among my team handing out maps.
“Or east,” he said. “Whichever.”
Oh. I pointed immediately toward north. “That’s north,” I said. And then redirected my pointer finger toward the ocean. “That’s east.”
Ho
w was this interesting? They had a vast pool of talented Academy people. I’d seen what Kota and the others could do so I imagined they all could do extraordinary things, even if those things were different among them.
Heads shifted as I pointed, and then one of them, a woman, pulled a compass from her pocket. “She’s right.”
“How did you do that?” Mr. Duncan asked. “We’re surrounded by trees. The sun isn’t visible to tell direction.”
“She helped make the map,” one of them said before I could answer. “She’s been here before, so she probably knows. She has a great memory, right? That’s what you’re saying.”
Dr. Roberts stepped forward, shaking his head. His hands were clasped behind his back like mine were, as he addressed the group. “This girl can find her way north in the middle of a pitch black night. A testimonial from Mr. Lucian Taylor, validated by several members of her adoptive family.”
“She can identify direction by feel?” one of them asked. “Like a sense?”
“Correct,” Dr. Roberts confirmed. “As you know, research shows we have more than five senses, like our sense of balance for example. Miss Sorenson here seems to have a highly developed sense of direction.”
“And knows sign language,” Mr. Duncan said. “That’s an asset. She’s already got a head start.”
“And she can do a lot more,” Dr. Roberts said. “I’ve been following her progress for some time. We’ve barely scratched the surface with this one.”
I bit my lower lip, unsure of what else to say. Dr. Roberts was interested in my abilities? I didn’t know he’d been paying attention, or even that I was interested in the Academy. I’d only guessed him to be Academy after the others had mentioned the hospital he worked at was Academy.
“Then perhaps you’ll grant us a favor,” Mr. Duncan said to me. “You see, we’ve been assigned to be managers for the new recruits. We’re about to split them into starter teams.”
“I want to lead a team,” Mrs. Rose signed. “But my translator is busy; your doctor volunteered for the first aid tent this year.”
My doctor. She had to mean Dr. Green. Luke could read sign language, too, better than I could. I wondered why they hadn’t asked him.
“I’ll help if you need me to translate,” I said. Was that good? I’d be helping out and showing I could support the Academy in whatever way they needed. If I had an assignment and participated in the different activities, the week would be over in a flash. Then, at the end, they’d ask if there was any team I’d like to join, and I’d just say what Kayli had said...only nicer.
Perhaps I wasn’t the best interpreter, and I was nervous, but maybe it wouldn’t be so hard. Why had the guys made such a big deal about it? I wished I knew sign language as well as Luke, though. I was getting better, but he occasionally had to spell things out for me.
Mrs. Rose smiled brightly and then nodded at Mr. Duncan. She signed to him, “I believe I have my volunteer.”
“Take good care of her,” Dr. Roberts said, giving her a small salute with a single finger. “And I trust, she’ll take good care of you, too.”
I pressed my lips together, forcing a smile. I hoped I appeared sincere, even if I was incredibly nervous.
Mr. Duncan clapped his hands together. “Okay, then let’s pick out our temporary teams. Miss Sorenson, stick by Mrs. Rose this week. Don’t let her talk her team into going into caves or doing anything crazy.”
I glanced at Mrs. Rose, who was grinning, a wild look of excitement in her eyes. She had soft white hair tied into a bun in the back of her head. She wore a bulky sweater that had pastel flowers woven into the design, gray cotton pants, and brown hiking boots. She might look like a frail lady, but I sensed that Mr. Duncan was absolutely not kidding.
Hadn’t she just gotten out of the hospital after breaking her hip? Maybe I should keep my phone on speed dial for Dr. Green.
Where was my phone? I tapped around my bra and pockets as the older Academy leaders shuffled toward the collection of boys and girls waiting for them. I suddenly remembered mine had fallen in my tent and I had no idea where it might be now. Hopefully, Kota or the others had fished it out.
I hoped it wasn’t broken again. But even if it wasn’t, I was without any means of communication now.
The girls and boys sat up straight in their seats as the adults approached. I stood a little behind Mrs. Rose at first but then realized if she needed me to translate, I wouldn’t be able to see her hands, so I stepped forward. I couldn’t remember if she was deaf but she seemed to react to sounds around her. Maybe she was just mute?
“Thank you all for waiting,” Mr. Duncan said in a booming voice. I checked the stands. There weren’t any teams left, save mine, waiting at the crest of the hill for the last of us to get maps. “You’ll have a chance to find your friends and talk with them this week, but I want you all to get familiar with each other in this group. We’re going to stick together.”
“Is this our team now?” one of the guys asked. “What about—”
Mr. Duncan shook his head and spoke over him. “Hang on, and no. This doesn’t have to be your permanent team. You may pick anyone you like. We’re just keeping you together as something of an orientation so you can all learn together.”
“Just for the sake of simplicity,” Dr. Roberts said, stepping up beside Mr. Duncan. “If you are thirteen or younger, come with me to this bench to the right here.” He pointed to the far right. “And split off into two groups. Boys and girls.”
“Why are we splitting?” One of the girls asked. “I’m as good as a boy.”
“Because, among other reasons, some of us have to have a birds and bees talk later and I don’t want you embarrassed by having the boys giggling. Don’t worry. You’ll have a chance to show boys up plenty this week.”
They got a sex talk here? Then I realized this was a group of teenagers meant to sleep in tents and with lots of woods and places to hide. I thought of Ashley Waters, where there were rumors of people having sex in the bathrooms. I supposed getting a talk of camp rules in that regard needed to be done first thing.
There was a lot of muttering as the new recruits split apart.
Dr. Roberts, one of the women, and four more men went to go talk with the younger kids. Each one of the men split the boys even further, and the girls remained with the woman. They moved into their own sections of the stands and talked quietly among themselves.
“You older kids,” Mr. Duncan said, drawing our attention back to him. “You’ve all had basic sex education classes in school, right? That’s the lecture they’re getting. I’m just going to remind you about the legal mumbo jumbo. By South Carolina law, anyone fourteen and older may engage in sexual activity legally, but only with someone eighteen or younger, unless you’re sixteen and then it’s legal in general. But,” he said, scanning his eyes around to look pointedly at each of us in turn. “Even saying this, you should know your parents or legal guardian can press charges against another teenager or someone over eighteen if they believe it wasn’t consensual.”
“Why are you telling us?” someone asked from the group.
“We give the same speech every year simply because we can’t keep our eyes on you at every second while at camp. Also, because you should know about all the consequences of any sexual activity—including legal ones, not just the medical ones,” he said.
“You’re free to make the right choice for you and we encourage you to give a lot of thought to your choices, but any Academy boy will back off the moment you tell them no. It’s drilled into them. Same with the girls. They’ll never pressure you. Consent is of the utmost importance.”
“But we have to talk about boundaries,” another one of the men said, stepping up next to Mr. Duncan. He was tall and pale, with black hair sculpted to perfection around his head. He wore all black, and while the material appeared rugged, he didn’t seem to be the outdoor type. He reminded me of Mr. Blackbourne: someone who would wear a suit and tie to the park. He gave a seri
ous eye toward the boys mostly, but also to the girls. “We do not tolerate peeping toms in the latrine, or spying on other teams in their tents. Trust me, you don’t want to find out what other teams will do to you if you’re caught.”
I glanced at the others, particularly the boys. Many had wide eyes and stern faces. They were taking this seriously.
“And you will get caught, so don’t even think about it,” Mr. Duncan said. “You know as well as I do what they’re capable of. Always be respectful. You wouldn’t be here unless we thought we could trust you, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences if you break that trust.”
“Also, hands off unless there’s consent,” the tall, pale man said. “Consult with any of our doctors if you are in need of supplies or have questions.” He paused, giving everyone a long, solid stare. “I don’t want to have to repeat myself this week on that topic. Anyone reporting that you’ve crossed a line and put pressure on anyone for sexual activity will immediately be sent home and will not be invited into the Academy. That decision is permanent.”
“Are we clear?” Mr. Duncan asked.
I supposed it made sense to get this out the first day. It was strange to me to see they accepted sex among teenagers could happen and were so frank about it. But I appreciated that they were serious about unwanted sexual attention.
It hadn’t been on my mind at all until now that it might be an issue with so many teens in one place. It made me feel safer that it was spoken out loud, and that they seemed to be taking it very seriously.
As people nodded in agreement, the tall man spoke. “However, you will be very busy every moment of the next few days, so I highly doubt you’ll want to do anything but sleep at night. This brings us to rule number two. In your tents at ten, not a moment later. Anyone caught outside a tent at that time better be on fire, or have a solid reason. Tent walls are thin; respect your neighbors and give them a chance to sleep.”
I wondered who was on his team. He had a power and directness in his eyes that I suspected only Mr. Blackbourne could match.
“Rule three,” Mr. Duncan continued, smiling. It was like good cop, bad cop with the camp rules. “We are going to split you up into teams now. I want you to remember your team manager. That would be myself, or Mr. Buble.” He clapped a hand on the tall, serious man’s back. “Mrs. Rose or Mr. Olson here.” He motioned to Mrs. Rose and the final man in turn.
