Chosen

by Sarah Swan

  “See what I told you about taking attendance?” Liz said as our ID’s were scanned.

  “No kidding. Are they always so serious?”

  “They just want to make sure everyone’s here. This is the one time the headmaster addresses the whole school, and lays out the rules for the year.”

  “Do the rules differ year to year?”

  Liz looked at me like I was a child. “It’s mostly for the freshmen and new arrivals. Like you!”

  “Then what’s everyone else here for?”

  “You’ll see soon enough,” Liz said. “It’s more or less like a giant assembly.” She stood on her tip-toes, scanning the crowd. “Over there!” she exclaimed, pulling me away.

  I had no idea how she managed to locate anyone in this crowd. But soon enough, I saw a familiar group of girls in the distance. Madison, Eve, and Ashley were there, along with Zoe, and Ann and Jo, who I haven’t seen since leaving the party.

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said to Liz before we got to the group.

  “Sure.”

  “You said not just anybody can use the crystals. Right? That it’s only Ashley, Madison, Eve, and you?”

  “And you,” Liz corrected.

  “Right. But what about the other girls? They were all there at the party with you?”

  “We’re friends,” Liz said simply.

  “Do they know what happened to you?”

  She looked at me abashedly. “Of course not.”

  “And it didn’t worry them?”

  “Well, I’m fine now, aren’t I?”

  “Yes…”

  “That’s good enough, then.”

  “What about the student council? You said—”

  “We’re all a part of the student council,” Liz said hastily. “It’s not as official as you might think. Like I told you before, it’s basically just a party fund that the school gives us. The six of us – not including Ashley – are the members who make it up. Anyway, that’s not important. Hey!”

  We had come up to the girls, and Madison was the first to see us. She waved hello, turned her head briefly to say something to the rest of the group, then ran up to us and threw her arms around me in a hug.

  “It’s good to see you alive and well!” she laughed.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Liz came by—”

  “Err, I met her on the way here,” Liz interrupted, shooting me an unreadable look. “What a surprise! Right?”

  “Well, I was hoping we’d see her sooner or later,” Madison answered, giving Liz an equally confounding look. “Come on, everyone’s missed you!”

  “Already…?” I started to say, but was cut off when Madison grabbed me by the arm and dragged me over to the rest of the group. As soon as they saw me, they started exclaiming how happy they were to see me, how they had been worried about me, and how they wondered where I’d been.

  “ATTENTION EVERYONE!”

  The blaring voice cut off all sounds of the crowd instantly. As one, we looked toward the source, at the center of the square. There, two suited men stood on an elevated platform assembled by the fountain. One of them was overlooking the crowd from behind a podium, while the other had his hands clasped behind his back. On either side were two enormous speakers, presumably connected to the microphone that was attached to the podium.

  The man behind the podium was much taller than his companion. He had closely-cut, dark hair, and a stern-looking face. The man beside him looked just as unapproachable. He also had dark hair, and his upper lip was covered by a thick, bushy mustache.

  “Who are they?” I whispered to Madison, who was standing beside me.

  “You don’t know?” She sounded genuinely surprised. “That’s Headmaster Flydd behind the podium. He runs the school.” I was impressed. Finally, I could put a face to the man who forbade my parents from accompanying me to the island. He looked just as exacting and strict as someone in his position would probably have to be. Despite the various ways Oliver Academy catered to their students, it was still a very well-run place. Everything started with the headmaster. “The man beside him is Professor… oh, I don’t remember his name. He’s never taught me anything. Every year, the headmaster gives the same speech, and every year that professor just stands there. I’ve never seen them apart.”

  “I wonder why that is,” I whispered back.

  “I’m not sure – shh! It’s starting!”

  “THANK YOU ALL.” The headmaster cleared his throat, and continued in a more subdued voice. “First of all, I’d like to formally welcome all of you to Oliver Academy. Although we’ve all been here for the better part of a week, this is the first opportunity I have had to greet all of you. To the many fresh faces in the crowd, I am Headmaster Flydd. My work is to ensure your stay here is as enriching and valuable as possible.” His voice was strong, commanding. When he spoke, the way he looked over all of us gave him an air of supreme confidence. This was his school, and it was going to run to his exact specifications. “At Oliver Academy, we pride ourselves on many facets of our school. One of the most important to us is student learning. We are an advanced institution, of course, and as such the rigors of academic life here might be considered more demanding than at other schools across the country. We have a goal, every year, of a perfect one-hundred percent graduation rate, and a ninety-nine percent college matriculation rate. Every year that I have been headmaster here, we have not only met, but surpassed this goal. In fact, last year, all but one of our graduates entered college in the fall. That is something no other school in the country can claim. It is a characteristic of Oliver Academy for you to cherish…”

  I let his voice drone over me. It was not because what he was saying was astoundingly dry and tedious. In fact, I was interested in learning about Oliver’s college placement programs. But, the professor standing beside him had drawn my attention. Even though I was standing at a distance, there was something about him that seemed vaguely familiar. I couldn’t tell if it was something about his face, or the way he positioned his body, but it was as if he were someone I’d met before, a very long time ago. Of course, that was ridiculous. I would recognize him immediately if I had seen him before. But still, something about him tugged at my memory.

  “…and so, to all the fresh faces in the crowd: I can see your excitement, your enthusiasm to be here…”

  The professor was just standing there, frowning over something. Perhaps he was lost in his own thoughts. His head swept slowly from left to right. It looked like he was… searching for something. Or someone. As his eyes swept over the crowd, his expression did not change one bit. It was as if his face were carved in stone.

  I tried refocusing on what the headmaster was saying, but my attention continued to be drawn back to the man at his side. What was he doing? Why did he look so familiar? What was he looking for? From where I stood, it almost appeared as though he were scanning the rows of people, one by one, in search for someone. That didn’t make any sense. There was no way he’d be able to distinguish one face from another in this crowd.

  I looked back to the headmaster, who had his arms extended out in front of him in the middle of a powerful motion. He was saying something about school expectations for the year. I started to listen. Just then, the professor’s gaze swept over the group of girls I was with. I looked at him, and for a brief second, our eyes met. A look of shocked recognition blossomed on his face – and was quickly covered up. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile, and he nodded to himself. Then, with no further explanation, he turned back and descended from the platform, disappearing into the crowd.

  I pulled Madison’s arm. “Did you see that?”

  “See what?” she hissed back.

  “The professor. He looked at us, and then left!”

  “Did he?” She frowned. “I didn’t notice. Well, I don’t think any of us knows him anyway, so what’s the difference?”

  “I don’t know. It was just… odd, I guess.”

&nb
sp; “You’ll learn soon enough that the majority of the teachers here are odd. I don’t even think about it anymore.”

  “…and so,” the headmaster finished, “with that said, I hope all of you will enjoy the year. If you abide by our rules, we should have a smooth, functional, and very successful academic year. Thank you.”

  A roar of applause exploded all around me. I found myself putting my hands together as well, though why everyone around me seemed so enthused, I didn’t know. Headmaster Flydd acknowledged the accolades, waved once to the crowd, and stepped down from the raised platform. Shortly thereafter, a ripple of movement started amongst the bodies, and quickly turned into a fully-fledged flood. Everybody was streaming toward the exits, where the attendants had left the gates wide open. Since we were near the outside, we were among the first to get out.

  “Well, that wasn’t much of a speech,” Eve announced once we were a few blocks away from the square.

  Madison laughed. “It’s the same thing every year.”

  “Wait, that was it?” I asked. “Are you telling me they gather all the students out here just for that?”

  “That’s opening days for you,” Liz acknowledged. “It’s the only time any of the students get to see the headmaster – unless they get in some serious trouble during the year. I think it’s more of a way to remind everyone who the authorities at Oliver Academy are.”

  “But we have so much freedom here!” I said. “Why would we need to be reminded of who the authorities are?”

  “If you haven’t noticed, Tracy, we’re on a tiny, isolated island,” Eve put in. “They give us what limited freedom they can only because they know we can’t get into any trouble. It’s not like going to school in a real city, where you drive five minutes in one direction and find yourself in the ghetto.”

  “Everybody tends to be here for a reason,” Liz added, “whatever that may be. All the students know how much their parents are paying for them to be here, and wouldn’t ruin that by getting into trouble.” I started to point out that not everybody was paying, since I was here on a full scholarship. Then, I thought better of it. No point stirring things up without a reason. Plus, now that the gathering was over, I was hoping we could head toward the forest, where I would be shown the crystals again. I made eye contact with Liz, and moved my head slightly in that direction, as if to say, “Are we going there yet?” She nodded quickly.

  “Say, aren’t there some other events that you guys wanted to check out?” Liz asked. “Last year they had a great open buffet set up, and some carnival games. Remember?”

  “Oh yeah!” Madison exclaimed, catching the hint. “We should go check it out. Over by the beach. Right?”

  “That’s right,” Liz said. “You guys can go on ahead. I promised I’d go with Tracy to the, uh, student advising open house.”

  Before I even had a chance to say goodbye, Liz was dragging me away down a narrow side street.

  “Is it just me and you, then?” I asked.

  “The others will come after they split from Jo, Ann, and Zoe,” Liz explained.

  “Do they know where we’re going?”

  “Of course! They’re not stupid.”

  The path Liz took was not the one I had followed before. We went north, through the smaller streets of the main yard, and once we emerged in front of the hills, took an unmarked path across the grass to the edge of the forest. The woods were dense here. We had to push through low-hanging branches and overgrown bushes. Once we were a good hundred yards in, the dense shrubbery became sparser, and it was possible to walk without having vegetation snap in your face.

  Apparently, Liz knew the woods well. There was no hesitation in her in leading me forward. I knew that, without guidance, I would have gotten lost here in an instant. I tried to remember the way we were going, in case it would be useful in the future, but every tree looked the same so I quickly gave up. Unlike my first trek out here, where I was guided by the small orange triangles, there were no markings to go by this time.

  Luckily, I had Liz. It didn’t take long for us to emerge to one side of the lake. The trees here let the sun shine through. Again, I was struck by the serenity of the spot.

  “That’s where I found you last time,” Liz said, pointing across the water. I squinted, because the sun’s rays reflected brightly off the surface of the lake. After a moment’s search, I recognized where Liz was pointing. “What were you doing sleeping there, anyway?”

  “I came out there expecting to find you,” I explained, “and when I didn’t see you, I decided to wait under the shade of a tree. The lake was just so peaceful, I guess, I drifted off.”

  “I wouldn’t have expected you to appreciate nature like that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Never mind. Do you see how to get to the clearing from here?”

  I scanned the lake before me, remembering the way Liz led me last time. It took me a few seconds. Eventually, I found the path we took deeper into the woods. “Over there,” I told her, pointing.

  Liz smiled. “Right. Do you think you can lead us there on your own?”

  “Why? Is this some kind of test?”

  “No test. I just want to see how well you remember the place.”

  “I guess,” I shrugged, and set forth. Liz followed after me, not saying a word. I wasn’t exactly sure of the way, so I went around to the little pebble beach to start from a familiar location. Finding the right way proved slightly difficult. The first time I was here it was not only darker, but I was also following Liz without trying to remember the way. For some reason, with the light shining brightly through the tops of the trees, I was somewhat thrown off by the difference. I led us one way at first, then stopped, backtracked, and set off in another. And again, after walking that way without recognizing anything around me, I backtracked and started again.

  Liz followed behind without saying a word, although I could feel her eyes on me. I was sure she was judging me, and likely as frustrated as I was by following someone so obviously clueless. The fourth time I had to turn back because I had no idea where we were going. I threw my hands in the air in frustration.

  “It’s impossible! I thought we were going the right way the first time, but…”

  “But it’s trickier than it seems, isn’t it?”

  “Yes!” I exclaimed, annoyed at having to swallow my pride. “Why don’t you just lead us there? At the rate I’m going, we’ll still be circling the lake by the time night rolls around.”

  “I wanted you to try.”

  “I know, but it’s – frustrating!”

  Liz smiled, and for a second, I thought she was gloating. But then, on second glance, I realized that her smile was sympathetic.

  “Good. It’s not supposed to be easy to find. We’ve had to keep the existence of the seekers a secret. If just anybody could stumble upon the clearing, we’d have a lot of explaining to do. We worked hard to make sure finding the space is no small feat.”

  “So you were testing me!”

  “Not you so much you as us. I wanted to see how difficult it would be for somebody to come back to the clearing. I know the forest like the back of my hand, so for me, it’s always hard to put myself in somebody else’s shoes and imagine not knowing the way. You just helped confirm what I wanted to know.”

  “Great. But since you do want to go there, are you going to finally take me there?”

  “Of course! It’s just this way.”

  I followed Liz as she led away from the lake, deeper into the forest. The path she took this time was not at all what I remembered. Soon, we came to that familiar hilly rise, at the other side of which was the clearing.

  As we picked our way down the other side, I could see the spot in the middle of the clearing where the bonfire had been burning.

  “How’d you find this spot in the first place?” I asked Liz.

  “It wasn’t hard. There was a sort of resonance that the crystals seemed to be in tune with. It came from over there.” Sh
e pointed to one side, where a series of waist-high rocks stood out from the ground.

  “What’s over there?”

  “You’ll see when everybody else is here.”

  “Why not now?”

  “It’s better to wait. I promised the others not to show it to you without them.”

  “How come?”

  “Everything we do, we do together. Especially when it has to do with introducing somebody new to the group.”

  “So you won’t give me the crystal to try yet?” I felt a horrible longing for it, and not getting it right now felt like a sort of betrayal.

  “Not yet. We need to wait for the others.” Liz must have picked up on how I was feeling, because, after a second, she added, “Don’t worry though! You’ll get your chance soon enough.”

  ‘Soon enough’ proved to be longer than either of us expected. Liz and I sat on the logs around the fire pit while the minutes dragged slowly by. Every time the wind rustled the trees in the distance, my eyes shot to the top of the hill, searching for a sign of the others. I was on edge. To be so close to using the crystal again, yet unable to do so because of a decision Liz made was unbearable. For a completely irrational moment, I contemplated jumping Liz and prying the crystal from her. Then, I threw away the thought disgustedly. That wasn’t like me at all. What was I becoming?

  Thankfully, that was when Ashley, Madison, and Eve finally appeared at the top of the hill. I realized I was tapping my foot anxiously, and stopped it. It would be no good for them to see my desire for the crystal.

  “So, you finally decided to come back, huh?” Eve said in a tone that was almost derisive. It was so completely at odds with how friendly she was back at the opening days’ assembly that it caught me off guard.

  “Eve!” Madison exclaimed admonishingly. “We’re happy you’re here, Tracy.”

  Ashley didn’t say anything. Her head was down, and she had both hands in her pockets. It looked like she was taking the withdrawal pretty hard.

  “I just got, uh, curious,” I told them. “I had time to think about everything you guys showed me, and it seemed best to give it another chance.”