In one aggressive motion, she cleared the board with her arm, sending all of the wooden chess pieces scattering on the hardwood floor beneath them.
Surprised, Naz stood up and ordered,“Pick ’emup!”
She stood up angrily with her arms folded, still as a statue.“But I did everything right. My moves were right. I should’ve won.”
“Pick themup now.”
They stood and stared at each other for almost a minute. Finally, Meri’s angry stare transformed into a smile, and the two began to laugh quietly.
“Your moves were right… if your moves were right, you would’ve won,” said Naz.
“You told me always to think three moves ahead, and that’s what I did.”
“But not just with one piece, Meri, all the pieces, including and especially your opponent’s pieces.”
“That’s impossible. How am I supposed to know what move you’re gonna make next?”
“You have to anticipate … or guess.”
“I know what anticipate means.”
“Well, anticipate. You have to look down over the board, see all the pieces and possibilities, and make your moves based on what you know your opponent will likely do next. You have to know what to protect and what not to protect and when and where to sacrifice something. And yes, you have to sacrifice something to win. It might even be your queen.”
“So, look down on the board,” she said, concentrating intently, “and see all the pieces, huh … kinda like how God looks down and sees all of us?”
“Huh? What? No, Meri, not like God. It’s not always about God. God had nothing to do with you winning or losing the game.”
“Momma said that God has something to do with everything.”
“Where was God that day, Meri?”
She put her head down and didn’t answer.
“What did God have to do with Momma being thrown through that table?” he asked.
“Momma said that God works …”
“In mysterious ways,” Naz interrupted, finishing her sentence.“I know, and that we shouldn’t question His infinite wisdom … part of some divine plan … blah blah blah and yada yada yada. I will always question what happened to Momma and injustice in any form, and I don’t like His mysterious ways. When something good happens, it’s always all glory to God, then when something bad happens, it’s always our wretched souls or the devil at work, and I’m not buying it.”
“Don’tyou believe in God?”
He paused for a moment.“I don’t know, at least not the way I’ve been taught for sure. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s why you got kicked out of Sunday school.”
“Clearly.”
“Then, why do you keep that out?” she said pointing to the Bible on his nightstand.
“It was the only thing Miss Tracey let me keep out before, so why put it away now? I think she was too afraid to tell me to put it away. I mean … it is a Bible, after all. Who in their right mind would tell you to put a Bible up and risk the wrath of … well, fire and brimstone?” he said sarcastically.
“How did you learn how to play chess this well anyway?”
“I don’t know. I’m guessing my dad taught me.”
“How does that work?”
“What do you mean?”
“When did you find out you could play?”
“You know the Chess Master at the festival … the one with all the tables?”
“Yeah.”
“The last time we were at the festival with Momma, I wandered off to the tables and just started playing. I guess you could say, I knew without knowing.”
“That’s weird. Did you win?”
“When Momma noticed me over there, she pulled me away, and I never got a chance to finish the game.”
“Have you ever lost?”
“Not that I can remember.”
“Wow, how come you don’t play for Lincoln?”
“Because it’s boring. It’s too easy.”
“So, what else do you think you know … I mean, without knowing?” She asked what he was already thinking and he wasn’t paying attention to her question.
He looked at the clock.“It’s time.”
“But Naz …”
“Go,” he interrupted, pointing at his door.“Go get ready.”
“Not until you pay up.”
He looked at her confused. She started singing “Happy Birthday,” and he begrudgingly began to sing along with her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
THE HELIX
IT was hard for Naz to know what section or borough they were traveling through, as he looked out of the window and down from the automated, high-speed, winding train. They had been out of Marshal Park for over twenty minutes now, but there was no doubt in his mind that he was still in the Exclave—Aquinas Grove, he was thinking. The buildings were the same. The houses were the same. It was as if they were going in circles, and with the never-ending turns of the Helix, he wasn’t so sure they weren’t. It was only the different streets, market names, and strange faces that assured him of their onward progress.
And there it was: the monstrosity. Major General, one of the Mega Chain superstores was now just below him. He had been there once with his mother and remembered how amazing it was. They have everything, he thought. In fact, he couldn’t think of anything they didn’t have. He never told Mr. Tesla he had been to Major General before. Naz wasn’t sure how he would react, with him despising the store so. As the train sped by, he noticed several men on scaffolds as they tried to remove graffiti that had likely gone up the night before.
He looked over at Meri who was fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. She had fallen asleep even before the train left the station, and now the hum and vibration of the Helix began to make his eyelids heavy as well. He had learned a lot about Meri that morning and even more about himself—things that excited him, things that scared him, and things that he wasn’t prepared to believe. Then from nowhere, sleep took him like a hammerblow, and he was out like a light.
In what seemed to him like seconds later, his eyes popped open in surprise, as Meri nudged him with her elbow.
“Look,” she said, pointing out the window.
They were in the Exclave no more, and there were trees as far as the eye could see.
Naz rubbed his eyes and took in the gorgeous, dense green forest that the train was now weaving through.“What time is it?” he asked concerned.
Meri was too caught up in the spectacle to hear his question. She had been to the suburbs twice before with their mother, but never on the train where she was so high up and so close. Naz pulled out his phone to check the time. He had been asleep for almost an hour, which meant they would be at International Academy soon.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She didn’t answer.
“Meri!”
“How can you think about that stupid test when you look out there and see all of that?” She pointed out the window to the wall of trees.
“They’re just trees … and I knew you heard me. You know, we do have trees at home.”
“Not like those.”
“We’re almost there. You need to get ready.”
“And how do you suppose I dothat?”
“I don’t know. Think smart thoughts or something.”
The train rolled into a clearing to reveal a row of buildings with brilliant architecture encircling a lavish park, much like what Meri had described earlier that morning. Naz immediately looked at Meri. She shook her head. A little further along there were more majestic trees and a series of small lakes, followed by a stretch of elaborate buildings, some seemingly made of all glass and some made of glass and smooth shiny stone, maybe marble, thought Naz. There were structures so breathtaking that neither Naz nor Meri could remember seeing their equal before other than on television or in the movies. They could not predict what would come next because no building was like the one that preceded it, and there was no rhyme, reason, or
pattern to the landscape. The sun reflected off the buildings and lakes to add to the grandeur of it all. Then another park came into view that was even more magnificent than the first, and Naz again looked at Meri in hopeful anticipation. She again shook her head.
“Now tell me again. Why do you wanna live in the Exclave?” asked Naz.
“Because it’s my home. Why can’t our home look like that?” she asked pointing out the window again.
He thought about her question but didn’t respond, assuming it was a rhetorical one. The two watched in silence as the train finally began to slow.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE BURBS
BEFORE exiting the train Naz took one last look at the map Dr. Gwen had given him. He then folded it and put it in his pocket for good. During the mile-long walk from the train station to International Academy, he didn’t want to look lost or like they didn’t belong, and in his mind, walking around reading a map would reveal just that. In the Exclave, walking around in a similar way was akin to bleeding in shark-infested waters, and it was only a matter of time before a predator would strike.
But here, it wasn’t that way. There was calmness all about—still waters. It was an open area with spacious scenery, breathtaking houses, and well-manicured lawns. Naz felt calm in this setting, a calm he never knew at home. After a few blocks they approached what appeared to be a strip of stores and other businesses. Because it was still very early, most of these were closed, and there weren’t many people out and about.
Even though most of the stores and businesses were closed, you could still see in through the huge walls of windows and glass doors, and just like the houses and buildings, they were all different. In one store, there were racks and racks of fancy clothes, some sported by aerodynamic-looking mannequins. In another store there were endless shoes in every aisle. In still another, there were rows and columns of glass bottles in different colors, shapes, and sizes, some like the kind“he” always brought home, Naz thought. And there were restaurants—a myriad of restaurants.
In the Exclave, it was either the Market Merchants for most things or the Mega Chains for everything else. And when they were closed, they were closed, locked down with no way to see inside. A flexible bulletproof metal door covered the only glass window of the markets when they were closed, and the Mega Chains had no windows to cover up.
When they reached the corner,Meri said in surprise,“Look,” then took off in the direction she was pointing.
Naz, being used to her impulsiveness, didn’t cry out, but instead he shook his head and followed her. He looked around only to discover this wasn’t a strip at all, but a maze of stores, shops, restaurants, theatres, and other businesses.
By the time he caught up to her, she had found a hobby shop. In front of the shop was a life-sized chess set. In the shop window could be seen chess sets with pieces made of glass, stone, wood, metal, and other materials. There were computerized and electronic chess sets, and even chess sets where the pieces were moving by themselves. There were also toys, model cars, boats, and planes, and a variety of train sets in motion, but Meri only had eyes for the chess sets.
“Well?” she asked.
“Well what?” He was as impressed as Meri but was determined to arrive at International Academy on time.
“Let’s play,” she said deviously, as she tried to move one of the giant pawns of the chess set. It was as tall as she was, and she couldn’t budge it.
“Good,” he laughed.“Serves you right. Now who’s stalling? Didn’t you get enough of losing this morning?”
“Look!” She ran over and jumped on the back of one of the giant knights.“I’m Ron,” she said in a passable English accent.
“No, that would be me. Now let’s go. You’re not gonna be late for this test, Meri.”
She shrugged, as he grabbed her hand, and they went back in the direction from which they had come. But, as he feared, they were now turned around. He wasn’t even sure if the map would help at this point. He tried to retrace their steps but nothing looked the same.
He noticed that some of the restaurants were open and one in particular with outside seating was serving breakfast. As Naz and Meri walked by, they were greeted with friendly nods, something unseen in the Exclave. Eye contact with strangers was a no-no in the Exclave, signaling disrespect, fear, or a show of intimidation, depending on the parties involved.
Naz thought, if I don’t find the way soon, the opportunity will be lost, and like Dr. Gwen said, there will be no second chance. I will have failed Meri. He cast the thought out his mind, and at that very moment a couple walking their dog stopped them, asked if they were brother and sister, and if they were lost. Was it that obvious even without the map in my hand, Naz thought? Naz nodded and told them where he and Meri were headed. The couple smiled and pointed them in the right direction. They thanked the couple and were off.
With no time to lose, once they were out of the maze, Naz told Meri to get on his back, and he ran. He wouldn’t chance her being even one minute late. All the while he quizzed her on the words Dr. Gwen had given him that would help her with the test. With each word she grew more and more irritated and impatient. But he didn’t care. Then, he had a flash—a memory. Someone, somewhere had treated him this same way before, the way he was now treating Meri.
“What does categorize mean?” he quizzed her.
“To place in a particular group or class,” she rattled off, robotically.
“Use it in a sentence.”
“I categorize these questions as useless because I already know this stuff.”
Naz tutted.“State the meaning of the word, hypothesize.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes!”
“To put forth a hypothesis.”
“Define hypothesis.”
“An educated guess.”
“Use summarize in a sentence.”
“Really?” She was just about at the end of her rope.
“Really!”
She thought for a moment and then in her best Southern belle accent said,“Summarize … Dis summer I’s goin’to da festival wit ma big brutha.”
Naz stopped dead in his tracks and put her down.“What?”
“Summarize … Dis summer I’s goin’ to da festival wit ma bigbrutha,” she repeated playfully.
He thought about it and started laughing.“You foolish. You shoulda just said so if you didn’t wanna study.”
“Do I have to spell it out?”
“Yup,” he said, laughing as they approached International Academy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY
WHEN they arrived at International Academy, it wasn’t at all what he expected. There were no modern buildings made of glass, granite, or marble, but a historic little village of sorts. It seemed to be completely surrounded by a tall wrought iron fence. At the gates, there were cars pulling into a drive, and on each gate were the giant Old English style letters I and A, just like on the letter Dr. Gwen had given him, and it made Naz think of the raised crest on the envelope. As the cars were going through, he noticed the people in the cars showing someone at a booth a letter similar to the one Dr. Gwen had given him. He and Meri got behind the last car and followed the line of cars up to the booth. Naz showed the letter to the attendant and was given a map directing him to the building where the test would be given.
They got to the building with a little time to spare. There were many children, big and small, some with their parents waiting in line to enter. Naz knew from the instructions in the letter that he would not be allowed to enter the building with her, so he bent down where he stood and began taking out one of his shoestrings.
“What are you doing?” Meri asked.
“I wanna give you something.”
“A dirty shoelace?”
“It’s not dirty … well, not that dirty.”
The night before, he planned to give her something. He pulled the key Dr. Gwen had given him
out of his pocket, threaded it with his shoelace, and then made a knot with both ends of the shoelace so the key would not come off. He didn’t believe in luck, so he called it an unlock and put it around her neck.
“What is it?” she asked.
“A key,” he said, waiting for some kind of sarcastic comeback. He couldn’t wait to give her the same answer Dr. Gwen had given him, but it just didn’t have the same effect on Meri. She just gave him a cold stare.
“To what?”
“Well, actually I don’t know, but I call it an unlock because it’s not good luck. It’s a symbol to remind you that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
She looked at the key closely.“What do the markings mean?”
“They mean you’re gonna ace this test. Now get it done.”
They were now at the entrance and he could go no further. They shook hands and gave each other reassuring nods. She then turned and disappeared into the building.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
THE BLIND PATH
THE test would take two hours. While the parents of the other children drove off or waited in their cars, Naz figured he would investigate the grounds of International Academy more closely until Meri was done. At first he thought that someone might stop him and make him leave or call security or the police to arrest him for trespassing. But just like in the neighboring town, everyone that saw him just gave him a friendly nod, wave, or some other pleasant greeting.
After twenty minutes or so he started to get bored. His shoe with no lace also began to annoy him as it flopped around on his foot loosely when he walked. There was a long, straight, narrow path with grass and trees on both sides before him. It was tranquil. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so at peace with himself and the world around him. There were no human sounds, no voices, no cars, or other machinery, only the sound of the wind through the trees, the birds, and insects—the sounds of nature. He knelt down to touch the ground with his hands and take it all in.
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