The Initiation

by Chris Babu

  The station was empty. The pledges approached the table which was, as in the first challenge, unnecessarily expansive. Two hourglasses, one taller than the other, sat on the table, a note lay beside them.

  Charlie picked up the note and read. “Logic can show the way, even without the light of day. It is a skill highly prized by the Bureau. Prove your understanding of logic by solving this brainteaser. Doing so will earn you the contents of the metal box, which will greatly assist you in the next challenge. Failing this challenge will not result in exile. The larger hourglass measures eleven minutes, while the smaller measures seven minutes. You must measure exactly fifteen minutes using only the two hourglasses. After precisely fifteen minutes, push the button on the metal box to open it. It will not open one second before or after the fifteen minutes, and you may only push the button once. You will have five minutes to prepare, counted down by the clock above. When it strikes zero, the challenge will begin. Good luck.”

  Charlie handed Drayden the note and knocked on the wood table like it was a door. “Are we supposed to solve the puzzle or have a picnic? The Bureau doesn’t have any smaller tables?” He dropped his backpack on the ground and kicked it. “I know I’m not going to be much help. Score another one for the smart kids.”

  The clock began counting down from five minutes. Everyone except Catrice stared at Drayden.

  He clenched his jaw. “You know, it’s not just me here! You guys can help too!” he shouted, louder than he intended. He shoved the note into Tim’s hand.

  Tim rested his hand on Drayden’s shoulder. “Take it easy, buddy. We’re all going to work on this.” He nodded. “You seem to work best by yourself, so why don’t you go over there and think about it, and we’ll work on it here. Charlie, get over here. You too, Alex. Let’s see what we can come up with.” Both boys joined Tim and Sidney beside the table. Catrice worked off to the side of the table on the ground.

  Drayden ran over to one of the steel pillars. He whipped off his backpack, dug out the pencil and paper, and sat with his back against the pillar. Breathe, concentrate. How could he not know this one either? He played around with the numbers. Flip the eleven-minute hourglass, then the seven-minute one, that was eighteen minutes. Nope. Estimate when one was half done? No, it had to be exact, down to the second. If he were in math class, this would be a cakewalk. Being timed in an abandoned subway station with everyone’s lives on the line, it wasn’t so simple.

  Tim paced alone in front of the table, apparently giving up on Charlie and Alex. “Hey, Catrice!”

  She snatched up her pencil and paper and hustled over.

  “Let’s talk through this together,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  “Any ideas?” Tim asked, tapping his foot.

  “You’re going to ask the mute?” Alex cracked. “Even if she knows, she won’t say. I vote for skipping this stupid one. There’s no exile involved this time. We can just advance to the next challenge. I think it’s more important to keep moving.”

  “We’re not skipping it, you flunk,” Tim snapped. “We need what’s in that box. Go ahead, Catrice.”

  “I was thinking we need to start them both at the same time. When the seven-minute one finishes, there will be four-minutes left in the bigger one. That’s as far as I got.” She checked her notes.

  Drayden bit down on his pencil. She was right. He noted the time: 03:45, 03:44…

  The situation consumed him. Eight hours’ worth of life or death tests, and everyone depending on him to carry them through. The pressure hardened his back and neck into stone. He tried his best to refocus.

  So, start them at the same time. When the seven-minute hourglass finished, there would be four-minutes left in the larger hourglass. If you immediately flipped the smaller one back over, what then? When the larger one finished, four more minutes would have gone by. That would be eleven minutes elapsed, with three minutes left in the smaller one. Eleven plus three was fourteen, not fifteen. He scratched out his notes and slammed his pencil down. His eyes were drawn to Catrice.

  She leaned over the table, buried in her notes. Her blonde hair splashed over her shoulders.

  02:55, 02:54…

  She was just so beautiful.

  Catrice lit up. “I got it!” She cracked her first smile of the Initiation.

  Drayden ran over. Everyone huddled around her.

  She held up her notes for the others to view. “We flip both over. When the smaller one is done, seven minutes will have gone by, with four minutes left in the bigger one. We flip the smaller one back over, starting it again the other way. When the bigger one is done, four additional minutes will have elapsed. That’s eleven minutes total now. There will be three minutes left in the smaller one, which means four minutes’ worth of sand will be in the bottom of it, because it’s a seven-minute hourglass. We flip the smaller one once more, reversing it again. When those four minutes have run out, we’ll have our fifteen minutes. Seven plus four plus four. Everybody get it?”

  Charlie grunted. “I’m as confused as a fart in a fan factory.”

  “The only tricky part is the actual flipping,” Catrice said. “There’s no wiggle room. It has to be exact to the second, and there are three flips. Each one has to be instantaneous, otherwise we’ll be off by more than a second at the end.”

  Tim took charge. “This is going to start in a minute. The moment that clock strikes zero, we have to flip both hourglasses, fast. And then we’ll have seven minutes to get ready for the next turn. I’ll flip one, and Charlie, you flip the other. I’ll say ‘turn’ when its time and you have to flip it instantly. Got it?”

  Alex shoved his way to the table. “There’s no way you’ll do it simultaneously, or fast enough.”

  00:44, 00:43…

  Tim and Charlie stood side-by-side, their hands on the hourglasses. “Thirty-five seconds,” Tim said, his eyes glued to the clock.

  Drayden made his way over to Catrice, who stared at her feet. “Hey,” he said. “Nicely done. I couldn’t get it. I froze up.”

  She raised her head. The corners of her mouth turned up a tad, not quite a smile, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”

  Dripping in sweat, Tim and Charlie clenched the hourglasses. “Charlie,” Tim said, “remember, fast! Ready? Five, four, three, two, one, turn!”

  They flipped. Everyone exhaled at the same time.

  Sidney clapped. “Looked good.”

  “Only the small one needs turning now, I’ll do it,” said Tim. “Seven minutes. Anyone got a deck of cards?” He wiped his forehead. “Who wants to hit the button on the box when it’s time?”

  Sidney shot her hand in the air, like she was in class. “I’ll do it!”

  Drayden examined the box without touching it. It resembled a safe, but with the door on top and a black button in its center. The note said it contained something to assist them in the subsequent challenge. What if it was some sort of trap? They probably shouldn’t stand over the box when it opened. He returned to Tim’s side.

  The smaller hourglass neared completion. “I gotta do this really quick,” Tim said. “No delay, not even a fraction of a second.”

  Drayden put his face near the hourglass. “The grains are so tiny it’s tough to tell exactly when it’s going to finish.”

  Tim studied the hourglass, flexing his fingers in the air around it. “Damn, my hands are sweaty.” He wiped them on his pants.

  Drayden watched carefully as the last grains of sand dropped. “And…turn!”

  Tim flipped it back the other way, releasing a deep breath.

  Alex flopped down beside Charlie. “Aaannnd turn!” Alex said, mocking Drayden. He fixed his bandana. “You smart guys think you’re all so awesome. Just wait till we face a challenge that isn’t some stupid brainteaser. We’ll see how awesome you are then.”

  Sidney scow
led at Alex, her hands on her hips. “You could try and help us, you chotch.”

  “Oh, like you’re such a big help. At least you’re not crying like a baby this time.”

  Sidney flushed red. She stormed over to the box, glaring at Alex. “Someone tell me when it’s time to push the button.”

  Drayden glued his eyes on the large hourglass, which was almost done. “Tim, get ready to flip the little one. This is the last time.”

  Tim’s hand hovered over it, his fingers twirling. As the final grain of sand cascaded from the large hourglass, he flipped the small one once more. “Whew! That’s it. Four minutes left.”

  “I don’t think you could’ve turned them any faster,” Catrice said. “Let’s hope we’re on schedule.”

  Drayden knelt next to Sidney. “Sid, we have no idea what’s going to come out of that box. When you hit the button, keep your head out of the way.”

  She tilted her head, like she appreciated his concern. “Thanks, Dray.”

  Drayden rejoined Tim at the table. Both were fixated on the small hourglass, hypnotized by the dripping line of sand.

  “Sid, it’s close,” Tim said. “Put your finger on the button, and I’ll say—this is just a test; don’t do it—I’ll say ‘now’ when it’s time.”

  “Got it,” she said.

  “Get ready. Finger on the button,” Tim said.

  Charlie and Alex joined Sidney beside the box, with Catrice right behind them. Drayden stayed with Tim. This was it. Almost there…almost…

  “Now!” Tim yelled.

  Sidney pushed the button, and jumped away.

  Everyone held their breath.

  Silence.

  Nothing.

  Shkat. Guess we were too slow, Drayden thought.

  The box’s lid slowly creaked open.

  CHAPTER 11

  Charlie frowned. “Gloves?”

  The pledges crowded in to check. Gloves, indeed. Nothing else.

  “I hope they’re not one-size-fits-all,” Charlie said, examining his own banana-like fingers. “Well, that’s great,” he said sarcastically. “I was just thinking how cold my hands are right now, and I could totally use a good pair of gloves. Thanks, Bureau!”

  “Knock it off, Charlie,” Tim said. He picked up a pair. “They have our names on them. Oh man, and they’re super sticky on the palm side.” He smelled one of the gloves, making a sour face. “Smells like ack. I’ll pass them out and then we need to get going.”

  Drayden tried on his gloves, as did the others. What would they need sticky gloves for? To catch something? To hold onto each other? More notably, needing sticky gloves for anything terrified him. Even though he’d struggled with the challenges so far, they’d been brainy tests, not physical ones. Sticky gloves pointed to a bravery test.

  With Tim leading the way, the pledges marched to the end of the platform and down a second set of stairs, returning to the blackness of the tracks.

  Tim had already established himself as the leader of the pack. It didn’t surprise Drayden at all. While Tim may not have been the smartest or strongest among them, he excelled at decision-making, directing, and motivating. He had no fear. When Drayden mentally curled up in the fetal position at the hint of a challenge, Tim was unflappable.

  Charlie and Alex hurried ahead to separate themselves from everyone else. Catrice followed behind them by herself. Drayden, Tim, and Sidney formed a group in the rear.

  “Man, these gloves are tighter than a baby on a boob,” Charlie called back to no one in particular.

  Tim leaned into Drayden. “What is it with Charlie and the one-liners anyway?”

  “I don’t know. He’s a nerf, always making jokes,” Drayden said. “He seems to have an endless supply of them.”

  Dim light brightened the tunnel up ahead, more expansive than from a grate to the street above.

  Sweet mercy. Another challenge already?

  They reached the Fiftieth Street station and found it abandoned like Sixty-Sixth Street. Though sunlight shone down from the street above, it too was mostly dark. Grime smudged the tiled walls, and ancient plastic bottles littered the platform. Everyone stopped to shine their flashlights around. No challenge. Another clock, however, displayed the remaining time: 06:58:22, 06:58:21…

  Drayden’s muscles relaxed, a wave of relief washing over him. They were an hour into the Initiation, however, and had only reached Fiftieth Street. That last challenge took a while.

  As the group continued past the station, Charlie stopped abruptly and shined his flashlight on the wall. “Bureau sucks. Huh.” His expression morphed from curious to concerned. He looked up at the ceiling. “Oh no! I’m not saying the Bureau sucks! Cameras and microphones, I’m just reading from the wall. I love you guys!”

  The other pledges noted the graffiti. It was written in red ink that appeared fresh, just past the Fiftieth Street station.

  “Wonder who wrote that,” Tim said.

  “Probably some kids who snuck down into the subway, not that much of a mystery,” Alex said.

  “Yeah, but this part of the Dorms is off-limits,” Tim said.

  “Wait,” Charlie said. “You mean you guys have never snuck into off-limits areas?” He and Alex looked at each other and burst into laughter.

  Tim and Drayden exchanged a glance. “No,” Tim said. “Let’s get moving.”

  After a few minutes of cautious walking by flashlight, Tim broke the silence. “So, Sid, why’d you enter the Initiation? Because your parents were exiled?”

  She sighed. “Yeah.” She flicked her flashlight on and off while she spoke. “My grandparents are pretty old, and if anything happened to them, me and my sister would be all out of family. We haven’t had the best life at home, and I just want something better for my sister.”

  Sidney shined her flashlight in Drayden’s eyes. “Now, if I got married to someone in two years, that could have worked.” She grinned. “Honestly, if I hadn’t seen Drayden enter the Initiation, I never would have. Since he’s doing it, I know we have a chance.”

  Drayden closed his eyes, his heart sinking into his belly. So that was why she’d entered. He already bore responsibility for Tim entering, and now Sidney as well.

  “What about you?” Sidney asked Tim.

  “Great minds think alike!” He gently punched her in the arm. “I entered because of Dray too, so I could protect my boy, make sure he gets through this.” He winked at Drayden.

  Charlie slowed ahead. “You guys want to know why I entered?”

  Tim made a funny face at Drayden. “Sure, Charlie,” Tim said. “Why’d you enter?”

  “For the hell of it! For the adventure. How boring are the Dorms? It sucks there. Charlie’s destined for much bigger things. Hey, you guys remember that time I jumped out of the second-floor window at school?”

  Drayden snickered. Who could forget that? It was equal parts stupid and fascinating.

  “This is like that, only, uh, a lot bigger,” Charlie said. “I know everybody else wants to be picked for the Palace. But I’m just hoping to get moved into the Precinct so I can be a Guardian. There’s nothing Charlie can’t do, or is it can do…no I was right, can’t do, if he wants to.”

  Drayden whispered to Tim, “Apparently that includes referring to himself in the third person.”

  Charlie let Catrice catch up to him. His tall, stocky frame dwarfed her in the darkness. Not too many Dorm boys grew big and muscular because of the insufficient nutrition. A few did after they graduated and worked in physical labor, like Wesley. Charlie proved a rare exception, and would make an ideal Guardian. “Hey there, Catrice. Charlie wants—I mean, I want to know…why did you enter?”

  Drayden stiffened. What made Charlie think he could talk to Catrice?

  Catrice walked past Charlie, her eyes locked straight down the tunnel. “Catrice doesn�
��t want to talk about it.”

  Drayden and Tim both laughed. “Nice one, Catrice!” Tim said.

  Charlie scowled at Tim before catching up to Catrice. “Gotcha. I don’t like to talk much either. Maybe you’ll wanna talk about it later.”

  Sidney shined her flashlight on Charlie. “Charlie, leave her alone. She obviously doesn’t like talking.”

  “What about you, Alex?” Tim asked. “Wanted to make some new enemies in a different zone?”

  “As if I’d ever tell you wetchops,” Alex retorted. “I have my reasons.”

  “Like making my life more difficult,” Drayden mumbled under his breath.

  “Light up ahead!” Charlie yelled.

  His announcement was unnecessary. As the tracks rounded a bend, the light shone brightly, blinding, much greater than in the other stations. It was so glaring the tracks appeared to lead outdoors.

  Alex and Charlie jogged ahead to check it out. Alex spun around, his arms crossed, a wide grin spread across his face. “Looks like you smart guys are out of luck.”

  Drayden’s eyes bulged, his hand over his mouth in pure terror. His eyes weren’t fixed straight ahead at the station, or rather where it used to be, but up in the air.

  The pledges stood in a silent line, looking up to the sky. The Forty-Second Street station was also known as the Times Square station. It had served as a major hub in the former Manhattan, according to the map. Except, no station remained—no tracks, no platform, no ceiling.

  They were in the base of a hollowed-out building, a skyscraping one. It rose directly above the missing subway tracks. The Bureau had scooped out the guts of the building, leaving only the outer shell of glass and steel. What sat in the center of the building rendered everyone speechless.

  A giant rock wall towered before them. It stretched over a hundred feet tall by Drayden’s estimate. Blazing sunlight reflected off the smooth brown monolith. The Bureau left no instructional note on a table for this challenge. It was obvious. The only route to the tracks past this station was traveling over that wall. If they didn’t attempt it, they would be exiled. Failing while doing it would most likely mean death, or severe injury, which would also lead to exile.