Graduation Day (The Testing, #3)(65)

I agree. Symon is in charge of directing the rebellion, but Dr. Barnes gives orders to Symon. He wouldn’t leave. Not when the events he has orchestrated are about to be put in motion. “According to the president’s information, he spends a lot of time at The Testing Center. I think our best chance of finding him would be there.”

“Getting off campus was hard.” Raffe frowns. “I’m guessing security is even tighter now.”

“If we have to get past the Safety officials, we will,” I say with more confidence than I feel. “But it would be better if we knew for certain if Dr. Barnes is there.” I glance at the papers in piles around the room. “Maybe there’s something here that will help. We might even be able to find evidence of what happened to your sister and the other students.”

That kind of proof to supplement the death of some of the top Testing advocates might aid us in ending The Testing even if Dr. Barnes has gone into hiding. But we can’t stay here for long. My gut tells me Dr. Barnes is still in the area. If we are going to find him, we need to continue our hunt. “Let’s do a quick search,” I say, opening the first folder in the stack next to me. “If we don’t find anything after ten minutes, we should get going.”

As Raffe flips through papers on the desk, I focus on the pages in my hand. At the top of the first page is a name. Ayana Kirk. Beneath it are listed grades for twelve years of studies as well as notes that say the student especially excelled in physics and music. There are several recommendation letters from teachers. In a different hand, I see notes in the margin questioning whether the student’s musical proclivities make her too sensitive to withstand further education or whether she might be better served by a mid-level education job instead of reaching for a higher position. These questions must have been sent to those who wrote the recommendations because more letters follow, addressing the concerns, as well as a note that an invitation to take the University exam was sent. I flip the page and my heart sinks as I see the words “Redirected and assigned to resource program under Professor Cartwright.” Beneath that is Dr. Barnes’s signature and a date. This student failed her examination last year. The signature is in the same hand as the notations in the margins throughout the file.

I skim through the next file. Another failed student. Another Redirection. This one also from last year. As I quickly scan the pages, I notice that all the files stacked here are from the past ten years. No students previous to that time are included. All were Redirected. The older the application file is, the fewer notations in the margins. Not a single question is written for those who applied a decade past. As I do the math, I notice something else. Unless files are missing, over three times as many students were Redirected ten years ago than last year.

“What did you find?” Raffe asks.

“I’m not sure,” I say. Or maybe I am and I don’t want to admit that what I’m seeing is real. Dr. Barnes is the force behind The Testing. He’s the one who created tests that kill and who turned failed University applicants into resources to be experimented on. And yet, if these files are authentic, he’s been working to convince applicants he believes are doomed to fail to choose another path before they make a choice they cannot take back. Just as he did with Raffe’s sister. Why?

“Maybe officials who traveled to the colonies began to notice that none of the Redirected students were ever seen there,” Raffe suggests when I explain what I’ve found. “Limiting the number of unsuccessful applicants means fewer questions he’ll have to answer for officials and families here in Tosu.”

That makes sense. Especially since President Collindar took office just six years ago. I glance at the clock on my watch. Our ten minutes are up. We need to get moving.

“Did you find anything?” I ask.

“A couple of reports suggesting The Testing be limited to a hundred candidates. During the past several years a larger percentage than is acceptable to Dr. Barnes has been eliminated during the first examination. Nothing that helps figure out where Dr. Barnes is now.” Raffe frowns. “Although there’s also a calendar that shows the scheduled meetings for this year’s selection of Testing candidates, along with the preliminary names.”

Raffe holds out the papers and I cross the room and take them. The first page is a list of potential candidates. My soul aches as I read name after name, along with the colonies they belong to. Finally I come to Five Lakes Colony and the names Daileen Dasho, Lyane Maddows, and Christoph Nusman. All students I know. I have played sports with them and studied beside them. All three will celebrate their selection for The Testing, not knowing that the price of failure is more than they should ever be forced to pay. Pushing aside the emotions that threaten to overwhelm me, I flip to the calendar. There was a meeting of the committee earlier today at The Testing Center. I doubt Dr. Barnes would have missed it. The meeting must have ended hours ago. Dr. Barnes could have left after it was over, but this is the only clue we have as to his whereabouts. We have no choice but to follow it.

When I tell Raffe we are headed to campus, he says, “Before we leave, there’s something you need to see. There’s a file here with your name on it.”

He places the file in my hand and watches as I open it. The paper is the same gray color as the one given to me by President Collindar. Only this time, instead of finding Dr. Barnes’s name and information inside, I find my own.