Graduation Day (The Testing, #3)(38)
“She got accepted to take the entrance exam.”
“She did.” The words are filled with regret and pain. Raffe shoves his hands into his pockets and turns to face me. “My father was thrilled, and all the extra studying had me so far ahead that I was guaranteed a spot in my University class. Before Emilie began attending prep classes for the Early Studies exam, Dr. Barnes himself came to our house to inform me and my father that my teachers had recommended I apply to the University and take the Early Studies entrance exam a year early. I was ready to go, but Dr. Barnes believed I would do better if I had the extra year to develop my other talents. I was so proud knowing I was going to be able to attend the University like I’d always dreamed. Never once did I consider what could happen if I didn’t pass the entrance exams and get assigned to a field of study. It’s probably not surprising that I was too excited to sleep when I went to bed that night. So I went downstairs to get a drink and heard my father’s voice. Dr. Barnes and he were talking about some possible changes to the current education program in the city that would better prepare future University students so that a higher percentage would pass the Early Studies entrance exam.”
Raffe gives me a bitter smile. “Had I gone upstairs at that moment, I wouldn’t be talking to you now. I’d be pissed you’re so damn smart, and I’d be studying day and night to make sure my grades were better than yours.”
“I would’ve liked to see you try,” I say with a grin. The passionate way he talks reminds me of my brothers. Proud. Stubborn and strong in their convictions. Not always the easiest to work with, but people who would die before betraying what they believe. That thought comforts even as the strain in Raffe’s voice makes me ache with sympathy and dread.
“When this is over, I promise to give you a run for your money.” He walks over and sits back down in the chair across from me. The humor in his eyes fades as he says, “Things would have been easier had I gone back to my room, but I liked how important I felt listening to that kind of conversation. I was so busy imagining how it would feel when I was able to make decisions that changed the course of people’s lives that I almost missed what Dr. Barnes said next. He asked my father if he was sure he was willing to risk Emilie sitting for the entrance exams. If not, Dr. Barnes would allow her to back out of her acceptance. He assured my father that the list of accepted students had not yet been made public. Emilie could be removed without anyone being the wiser.”
“I’m surprised Dr. Barnes offered to let your sister step away from her application acceptance,” I say. “It’s considered treason for a colony candidate to refuse to appear for The Testing.”
Raffe shrugs. “Dr. Barnes and my father have worked together for years. My father considers Dr. Barnes one of his closest friends. So I wasn’t as surprised as I might have been, especially since I understood the concern. Emilie’s smart, but she takes a long time to think through answers. She doesn’t perform well on timed exams. Especially when they are math-or science-based. Her teachers mentioned that issue in her evaluations, which is why Dr. Barnes presented my father with an opportunity to withdraw her name. I assumed Dr. Barnes wanted to give my father the option of having his daughter remain in Tosu City, because failure on the exams would ordinarily mean a job assignment in the colonies. But when my father refused the offer, Dr. Barnes said something that made me wonder if there wasn’t something more.”
“What did he say?”
“That once the list was public there would be no going back. If Emilie failed her exam, she would face the same consequences as the others and become a resource for the Commonwealth. No exceptions could be made, not even for the daughter of a good friend.” Raffe’s gaze drifts to the portrait. “My father said he didn’t care. If Emilie wasn’t strong enough to take her place at the University, then her Redirection would mean she’d still make a valuable contribution to her country. Nothing else mattered.”
Redirection. “Maybe your father just meant that your sister would have a purpose in one of the colonies.”
“You didn’t hear the tones of their voices, Cia.” Raffe closes his eyes as if hearing it all again. “Whatever Dr. Barnes was talking about had nothing to do with a remote colony job. If it had, he would never have asked my father to withdraw Emilie’s name. That night I lay in bed, thinking about the words Dr. Barnes had used. He said Emilie would become a resource. Something to be used. Since my father refused to change his mind, I did all I could to help Emilie pass the exam. I made her study late into the night and practice taking timed tests. But no matter how hard we studied, it wasn’t enough. I should have told her what I’d heard and made her run, but I didn’t. I thought my help was all she needed. She didn’t pass.” Tears color his words and pull at my heart. “When my father told me the news, he said she had been assigned to a job in Five Lakes Colony.”
“Five Lakes?”
[page]“I know.” His eyes meet mine. “There’s no one named Emilie Jeffries working with first-and second-year students at the school in Five Lakes Colony.”
“No.”
Raffe rises and walks the length of the room. “For the last two years, I’ve been looking for her and the other students who didn’t pass the entrance exams. That’s how I found the street you saw today. The people who stay there want to live separately from the government, but are too afraid of what lies in the unrevitalized parts of the country to travel outside the Tosu boundaries. A few were students who fled before the entrance exam results were posted—certain they had failed. The others—they all have their reasons for not wanting to be a part of what the United Commonwealth stands for. I had hoped someone there would know where Emilie was. Instead one person told me he once heard that students who failed were taken to an unrevitalized area to the east. He didn’t know why. I didn’t want to believe him, but part of me has always wondered if it’s true. My father’s position in the government has made it easy for me to meet officials who’ve traveled to the colonies and to ask questions, and I’ve learned that not a single person I’ve inquired about has ever been seen in the colony they’d supposedly been Redirected to. They’ve just disappeared. Since Tosu officials aren’t in frequent contact with Five Lakes Colony, I couldn’t verify whether Emilie was there. When I heard about you and Tomas, I asked people what you’d told them about your colony. I learned that until the official arrived to escort you to The Testing, no one from Tosu had come to Five Lakes for years. Emilie never set foot in Five Lakes Colony. I don’t know where she was sent, but I intend to find her. She deserves that much. They all do.”