Graduation Day (The Testing, #3)(45)
I open my eyes as two officials head into the building, leaving Raffe, Ian, and me alone outside the residence.
“We have to leave,” I say as Ian sets me on the wet ground. “Now.”
“I think I can buy you five minutes,” Ian says. “After that, there’s nothing I can do.”
“You can’t stay here. There’s a listening device planted behind the wardrobe in my room. Whoever put it there will know I told you about Dr. Barnes and Symon.” Even if they didn’t hear the rest, that will be enough to put Ian in harm’s way.
Ian looks back at the residence, then shakes his head. “If someone was listening, I’ll just have to find a way to talk myself out of trouble. I’m not leaving. If you’re right, the students who follow Symon are in danger. I can’t go without letting them know.” Ian puts his hand on the door. “I’ll stall the officials but it won’t be for long. You have to hurry.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I run as rain again starts to pour out of the sky. Raffe reaches the vehicle shed first. He grabs my bike from the rack and wheels it out to me.
“What about yours?” I ask.
“Two of us will have a harder time leaving campus without being seen. You’ll have a better chance avoiding notice if you’re by yourself.”
“What will you tell Professor Holt? She knows you were with me.”
“I’ll come up with something. Don’t worry. I’ll meet up with you tomorrow. I promise.”
[page]I unfasten my bag and pull a hand-held pulse radio from inside. “Make sure this stays dry. You should be able to contact me with it.”
Then I put the strap of my bag over my head and climb onto my bike as the rain pounds down.
“Wait.” Raffe puts a hand on my arm. “You should take off your bracelet. Otherwise they’ll be able to track you. I can plant it in one of the University buildings so they’ll think you’re hiding here on campus.”
That’s a good idea. But as I look down at the bracelet on my wrist and the symbol that was meant to signify who I am now and the future I was to have, I shake my head. “I can’t get rid of it yet. There’s something I have to do first. Remember the building we talked about. If I can get off campus, that’s where you’ll find me. It’s time to act.”
My feet bear down on the pedals. Rain pelts my face and soaks my clothes as my bike picks up speed. Over the bridge. Onto the walkway. Away from the sirens that still cut into the night. Through the rain, I think I see running lights of skimmers approaching in the distance, so I steer my bike onto the grass, away from the street lamps and into the shadows. Although I am not sure I can truly be safe ever again.
The wet ground slows my progress, but soon I spot the fence that marks the right side of campus. There I get off my bike and wheel it toward the arching entrance to see if Safety officials are still keeping watch there. I shield my eyes from the rain and peer into the darkness. When I see no one, I pick up a rock and throw it as hard as I can onto the roadway. It cracks against the pavement and then skitters across the ground until it comes to a stop. If anyone had been standing guard, they would have come to investigate. Enzo has inadvertently caused the diversion Raffe and I had discussed.
I start to get back on my bike but remember something I need to do. I pull out my pocketknife, a flashlight, and my pulse radio. I use the radio first. Making sure the dial is set to Tomas’s frequency, I turn on the recorder. Quickly, I tell him what happened and that I am now outside the University’s boundaries.
“Once they realize I’m gone they’ll come looking for you. Leave your bracelet in your room. I’ll be waiting three blocks directly east of the entrance gates. Please be careful. I’ll see you soon.”
I press Send, shove the radio back into my bag, and turn my attention to the identification bracelet. Remarkably, my fingers are steady as I detach the slick metal from my wrist and flip it over to expose the back. I hold the flashlight in my mouth so I can see what I have to do next.
Using the smallest knife tool, I wedge it into the seam of the center disc of the bracelet. It takes several tries and I cut my finger before the back pops off and I am able to remove the tracking device.
After putting the knife and the flashlight back in my bag, I refasten the bracelet to my wrist and throw the tracking device into the middle of a small group of bushes situated near the fence to my left. Then I ride three blocks and look for the group of trees and bushes that I spotted on the way to my internship. Part of me wants to ride as fast from my tracking device as I can. I don’t want to get caught. But I can’t leave without Tomas. I’m hopeful he will have already seen the indicator light shining. If so, he’ll be here soon. If not, I intend to wait as long as I can.
The clump of bushes I’m looking for is at the end of the third block, a hundred feet from the road. I get off my bike and drag it with me into the middle of a thicket of evergreen boughs. I sit on the ground with my knees pulled tight against my chest. Thunder echoes above. Between the lack of moonlight and the misty rain, visibility is poor. Now that I have nothing to do but sit and think, tears begin to fall. And I let them, because this might be the only time I have a chance to release the feelings inside me. Bitter tears for Enzo. For Kerrick and Marin. For Damone. For Michal. And even more for me. For the girl who was raised to love and respect life and has since been forced to kill.