My mind danced as I thought about the possible outcome tomorrow. No, I thought. Stay focused. Who knows what will happen tomorrow if I don't finnish this test in time. The test, named the boundary tests was an important test that every 16 year old took. It determined how smart a student was, and if the student wasn't smart enough to pass... No one ever hears from the students who don't pass. No one knows what happens to them, not even the teachers. I had studied long and hard, I told myself. There was no way I wouldnt pass. Concentrate, i thought.
As I scrribbled in the last answer, the timer flashed red and the sound of pencils dropping onto desks and the ruffles of paper being handed to the front of the class filled the room. "You may go," an older woman said with a strict voice. "You will get your results in the morning." I looked around at my classmates. Lucy, my best friend looked upset. She must of not finished the test. An expressionless girl, Jayde, I think her name was, rushed out of the room before any one could ask her how she did. Others followed, a quite chatter growing amognst them.
I waited for Lucy to pack up her array of pens and pencils and walked out of the room, trying to make small talk with her. She wasnt listening. She was in another world, far, far away from the grim possibility of being taken away from our homes. I was getting used to her zoning out. She's being doing it more latelym the stress of the test was getting to everyone. I made sure that she got onto her bus okay and wandered home, thinking over and over my answers. Fretting that I got a answer wrong, or missed a question. Mum was waiting at home with dinner already. The Boundary test organisers didnt want to interupt school, so they scheduled it for after school. They had always been incouraging us to aim for high standards since we started high school.
Mum was quieter than usual during dinner. I knew what she was thinking about. The results tommorow. She knew I was smart, but even the smart ones are taken sometimes. "Don't worry,' I smiled, "I'm sure I did fine." This was almost more stressful for her than it was for me. I was all she had left. If I was gone, there would be nothing left for her. Dad died years ago in a car vs truck crash. My only brother was presumed dead, having gone missing the day he turned sixteen. His 22nd birthday was in just 3 weeks. The police never found out what happened to him. He left our little wooden cottage to go to his birthday party at the park, but never made it to the park. The only thing unusual about that day was that a strange black SUV was seen in town, around the time he disapeared. I had given up hope a long time ago, but I think Mum still hopes that the next time someone knocks on the door that it'll be him, with his big smiley grin.
I couldnt help but think about all of the possible scenarios that could happen tomorrow as I drifted of to sleep. Even when I finnaly slept, I still dreamed about the worst that could happen in the morning. I felt tired, as if I hadnt slept when I woke to my alarm at 7am. I went about my usual morning routine of getting dressed, eating breakfast and making my lunch. Once my lemon honey sandwiches were neatly packed into my bag, I still had a little time to spare, so I took Mum a cofee in bed. She liked being treated like that, especially when she works from home during the night.
Lucy was waiting for me outside our classroom, and we went in together. It was already packed, no one wanted to be late to find out their results. A moment before the bell shreeked, a tall lady with her nose held high, accompanied by two men in black official-looking suits entered the room, followed by our teacher, Taylor. The two men stood either side of the lady. One of the men was big and muscly, as if he worked out a lot, the other being the complete opposite; tall and thin, as if he spent his life behind a desk.
Taylor checked of the role and then introduced the woman beside her, waiting with an impatient look. "Students, this is Glennis, who will be giving you your boundary test results. If your name is called please leave your things where they are and wait by the door". She turned to Glennis with a smile. "Glennis?" Glennis was dressed in black pants and a jacket, to match the men beside her. Her blonde hair was sleeked back into a tight bun, with not a single hair astray.
Glennis smiled, showing her pearly white teeth. "Thank You. To begin with, Daniel Gunn." A small geeky boy with big round glasses stood and walked to the door, avoiding eye contact. Everyone looked a little confused. Daniel was just about one of the smartest kids in the school. Why was his name called? " Lucy Giles." Glennis looked up from her folder to look for the face belonging to the name. Lucy. My friend. My only friend. Lucy looked at me with wide teary eyes as she stood and walked to the door. She was trying not to cry. Ms Glennis continued. "Jayde Arizon." Jayde, her face once again expressionless stood and quickly walked to the door. I studied her, but any thing to show me what she was thinking was hidden. "Last of all, Jacinta Valin." The name bounced around my head a few times before it hit me. I knew that name. That name was my name. I stood, my eyes hazy. I could feel every pair of eyes in the room on me. I rushed to the otherside of the room where Lucy stood.
The two men ushered us out the door, followed by Glennis, who was handing the other results to Taylor, a minute later. "Where are we going?" Asked Daniel, putting on a brave face. "I'm sorry, but that's confidential. Besides, it won't matter soon anyway." The skinny man grinned. I was too frightened to ask what that meant, and I think the others were too. I shivered as we stepped out into the rain. A black SUV sat by the school gates waiting. The bigger man quickend his steps to arrive at the car. He opened the back passenger door and grabbed something, a case of a sort. My mind buzzed. It was a gun case, wasnt it?! He was going to kill us! Wait... That wouldn't make sense. If they wanted us dead, they wouldn't do it in public. As we approached the car, the man turned around, a big needle filled up with some whiteish stuff. Before I could protest, he grabbed my arm and stuck the needle in, pushing it down carefully. My vision started going misty as I saw was another muscly man getting out of the front seat and grabbing Daniels arm. I felt the tension in my arm realese, just before I passed out.
Bang. Bang. Bang. I woke suddenly. Where was I? What happened? Am I alive? As my vision cleared, I studied my surroundings carefully. Desk. Bookshelf. A seat. A single door. The bed I was on. And a giant glass window. It appeared to be a normal bedroom, only there was a giant window opposite the bed. I looked through the window. Outside was a small brightly lit room, with desks and lab equipment. It looked like a office, of a sort. Outside was a short lady wearing a white lab coat, who seemed to be studying me in return. She looked down at the book in her hand and scribbled something in it. "Um... Hello?" I said quietly, not sure if she could hear me. "Hello Jacinta." The woman said politely. I was about to ask her how she knew my name when I realised I still had no idea where I was. "Where am I?" I asked, trying to not let my voice quiver.
The woman looked at me. "I'm sorry. I really do wish I could tell you that." She gave me meaningful apoligic look. All of a sudden, I understood. She was being forced to keep me here by the people who took me. "Where are the others?" I tried, and was surprised by her answer. "Lucy and Daniel are gone. Jayde is in the next cell over." I atempted to peer around the window to see what she meant. "She's still asleep. I'll wake her soon." I thought about what "Gone" meant. Were they elsewhere? Or... I stopped myself before I could think about it. "It's okay. They're just in a different place. They're safe, I think."
Before I could say anything, the woman, whos name I still did not know, walked to the front of Jaydes cell. She knocked on it. Bang. Bang. Bang. So that's what woke me up. I heard Jayde grumble and stand up. "Jayde!" I called out. A voice from the other room squeaked out. "Who's that? Where am I!?"