She slid the photo across the counter. It was a school photo with the crest of the Academy in the lower right corner. I recognized the younger version of my dad right away. I looked down at it for a moment before reaching for it. Just as I put my hand on it, she covered my hand with hers. It was as cold as ice. I yanked my hand away.
“And I wanted to offer you the chance to back out now. If you fail, you’ll lose every memory of Supers and anything related to Supers. I don’t know if you know that will include a lot of memories of your father.”
“I know,” I squeaked out.
“If you give up now, I’ll still erase your memories but I’ll make sure to leave you a lot of good ones about your father.”
She had offered it like she was doing me a favor but I could read between the lines. There were no favors being offered. “I want my memories, though. So, no thank you.”
“Are you sure? You won’t even miss them.”
“No.” I tried to sound firm, not scared. I failed.
“Fine.” She rose from her seat. “I wanted to know all of your options. I owe Dan at least that.” Miss Fine went to the door. “Good night, Penny. And good luck.” And with a jangle of the bells on the door, she was gone.
I took my first deep breath since Miss Fine had entered the diner. I looked down at her cup. She hadn’t even taken one sip.
Chapter 16
What would your dad want you to do?
I texted Audrey as soon as Miss Fine left. She texted me back immediately with a question I just didn’t know the answer to. I couldn’t say what my dad would do. I really just wished he were around to tell me. I finished closing up and went upstairs to bed.
That night, I had the dream again. I was still in the hallway with the offices that wouldn’t open but this time I couldn’t find the elevator. And when I opened the book I was holding to look for some answers, all of the pages were blank. I woke up in a terrible mood.
Me and mom were still not really on speaking terms so I grabbed my backpack and left without breakfast. I didn’t want to go through that awkward show again. I thought about stopping by the cemetery but realized I didn’t even want to see my dad. I didn’t know what to say to him, either.
After school, I headed over the Council building. I checked in and went upstairs to the eighth floor. I was alone in the waiting room this time so there was no people watching to do. By the time Lindsey appeared, I was ready to get the whole thing over with.
“Hi Penny.” She shook my hand enthusiastically and started to guide me down the hallway to our testing room. “I’ve been thinking about you all weekend. I’ve never given a test to someone who scored so high. I mean, I’ve only been working here for a few weeks but it’s still exciting. I feel like I’m witnessing the beginnings of something great. And I’m sure you’ll do just as great today.”
I wasn’t anywhere near so sure. But I just nodded my head along with her.
The testing room was just a table with a chair on either side. In one corner, an overhead camera recorded the whole scene.
“Let’s see. . . you sit here,” Lindsey pointed at the chair facing away from the camera. “No, wait. You’re supposed to take the other one. Sorry! This is my first time doing this test,” she added.
I sat down and tried to compose myself while Lindsey set up on her side of the table. She pulled out a file that I assumed was mine, a stack of notecards, a notebook, and a pen. “Penny, I’m going to pull cards from this stack and I want you to tell me which ones they are without me telling you. Simple, right?”
“Right.”
“Let’s get started.” She pulled the first card and cupped it with her hand as if I might see around the sides. “What do you think is on this card, Penny?”
“Are you going to tell me what the options are?”
She seemed a little confused by my question. “Well, no. You just tell me what you see. Well, not what you see,” Lindsey quickly corrected herself. “I mean, what you see.” She used the air quotes and everything.
I took a deep breath and tried to access my powers deep inside my mind. I thought of my dad. I thought about what I was fighting with my mom about. I even thought about Audrey. “The king of hearts?” I didn’t sound confident, which made perfect sense because I wasn’t confident.
Lindsey wasn’t very good at hiding the disappointment in her voice. “No. Try again.”
“A star?”
“How about we move to the next card, hmm?” She pulled another one from the pack and held it up so that the back faced me and the front faced her. “What about this one?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Lindsey, maybe I should take a break or something.” I put my head on the table.
“But we just started.” She adjusted her glasses. “Just try. No one is expecting you to get every single one right. Just try,” she repeated.
I picked my head up and looked up at Lindsey, grateful that she seemed so invested in my success but also kinda sad for her. And that’s when I saw the card reflected in her glasses. I could clearly see that the red circle on the card, right in front of Lindsey’s encouraging gaze.
I took a moment to think about whether taking advantage of this person’s trusting and encouraging nature made me smart or a monster. “Circle.” I’d made my decision.
“Yes!” Lindsey was so excited. “And this one?” She pulled out another card and held it exactly the same way.
“X.”
“What about this one?”
“Cross”
“Oh my God, you’re doing so well!”
It went on like that until the cards were gone. I made sure to miss a bunch, though. I didn’t want a repeat of the last test. When we were done, Lindsey looked at her notepad with delight. “You did well, Penny. Sixty percent. You know the average person with no abilities probably only gets about twenty-five percent.”
“So what’s next? Am I in?”
Lindsey opened the file in front of her. “Yes, you did awesome on both tests. Congratulations, Penny. It looks like you’re—” She stopped herself in mid-sentence. “Wait. There’s a note here that you have to have a meeting with Miss Fine before you can go any further.”
I groaned and banged my head down on the desk. “Noooo!”
“Don’t be so worried, Penny. Miss Fine is actually really good at her job. She probably just wants to be the one to tell you the good news since you’ve done so well. I’m sure that’s exactly what it is.”
I looked up at Lindsey’s bright, shiny, optimistic face. I wish I could be as full of hope as she was. Unfortunately, I just knew too much about what was happening to do that.
* * * * *
I took the subway home in a daze. Lindsey said she’d report my results to Miss Fine and someone would be in touch about when I could meet with her. She mentioned that Miss Fine would be going on vacation next week and be gone for three weeks. I wasn’t actually worried about that.
I had somehow bluffed my way through two separate assessments for Super school and I would still have to get through Miss Fine. I was the closest I’d ever been to finishing this and yet, I was still so far away.
I headed home but at the last minute I decided to take a detour to the cemetery. The sun would be setting soon but I wanted to visit Dad. As I entered the cemetery, my phone buzzed. It was Audrey.
So?????????
I was so blown away by the last minute development that I’d forgotten to update her. I quickly texted her what happened. She took a moment to digest everything but then echoed what I’d been thinking the whole way home.
Just do what you have to do. You’re too close to give up now. Want me to go with you? She hates me so much that might distract her from hating you.
No thanks. I think I need to do this on my own.
But I was happy she offered. It’s one thing to decide to go it alone. It’s another thing to have no choice but to go it alone.
OK, Kid. Just remember that her name is Elphaba. Don’t be scared of he
r. Feel sorry for her.
That made me laugh out loud.
“Penny?”
I looked up when I heard Mom’s voice. I’d been concentrating on texting with Audrey and hadn’t realized I was walking up on Dad’s grave. Or that Mom was standing there all bundled up holding her rosary beads.
Suddenly, I was shy. “Um, hi. You, um, come here?”
Mom stiffened. “Of course. He was my husband. I didn’t know you came here. Must be another secret of yours.”
Oh she’s still mad. But I didn’t say anything.
A few seconds later, Mom said “Well, if it wouldn’t be too smothering, maybe we could stand here together.”
I nodded and took my place next to her. For fifteen or twenty minutes we stood quietly next to each other. From the way Mom was holding her rosary beads, I could tell she was saying silent prayers, probably for Dad. I was just thinking of whether Dad would be pissed or proud about recent developments in my life.
It was Mom who broke the silence. “Penny, I’m happy you’re taking control of your schooling. I’ve always prayed that you’ll be more motivated and now you are. It’s a blessing. I want you to go to school wherever you want and grow up to be whatever you want to be. The only reason I treat you like my baby is because you are my baby. But you’re growing up so much so I’ll try to hold back.” She paused. “A little.”
I hugged her. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”
Mom squeezed me back. “I know. Just promise me you won’t keep things from me anymore. It’s just me and you. We have to be there for each other.”
“I promise.” But I knew it was a promise I’d have to break. Well, unless my memories get erased, I thought. Then I won’t remember any of the secrets I’m keeping from her.
My phone rang in my hand and I pulled away from our hug. “I’ll let you get that,” she said. “I’m going to give you some alone time with your father.” She pointed to my phone. “And I’m not even going to ask who that is.”
When she was gone, I looked at the caller ID. It was just said UNKNOWN, but I had a feeling who it might be. “Hello?”
“Hello, Penny.”
I recognized the voice on the other end immediately. “Miss Fine.”
“I can see you tomorrow at four. How’s that for you?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good. See you then.” The line went dead.
Elphaba, Elphaba, Elphaba, I repeated to myself in hopes I might catch a bit of Audrey’s confidence. Then I ran off to catch up with my mom so we could walk home together.
Chapter 17
It felt like I’d been to the Council Admissions department every day for the last year. In reality, it had only been a few times over a week. But for all the times I’d been here, this was only my second time in Miss Fine’s office.
Miss Fine was just sitting at her desk looking over the folder I assumed was my own. I sat in front of her trying not to look nervous. Having the home court advantage probably made her feel good. Then I remember how terifying it was when she showed up at Poco. Nah, she’s scary wherever she is, I told myself.
Finally, she closed the folder and tented her hands together over it. “Penny.”
I didn’t say anything. She wasn’t asking a question. She was just saying my name—something I’d noticed she did a lot of. I had no idea why I was there but I wasn’t going to give her a reaction until she actually said something.
The silence was super uncomfortable but I promised myself I wasn’t going to say anything until she did. If she felt the tension she didn’t show it. Instead, she just burned me with her stare. But I still refused to speak.
Finally, she did. “Your scores were impressive. I reviewed both your written test and the video of your card test several times. It seems you have a special gift.”
“Mmmhmmm.” That’s all I could get out. Inside, my stomach was churning. It felt like she was laying a trap and just waiting for me to fall into it. Not today, Fine.
“Lindsey is sweet, isn’t she?”
That threw me off. I wasn’t expecting her to say that. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, she is.”
“She’s new, though. I’m still trying to see if she will make it through the probationary period. To tell you the truth, a lot of the young Supers that come to work here in the Admissions office just aren’t ready for meaningful work.”
Was she trying to say that Lindsey was about to be fired because of me? I wanted to get in but I didn’t want to get Lindsey in trouble. She had been nothing but nice to me. “Well, Lindsey has been doing a great job, in my opinion.”
Miss Fine narrowed her eyes. “We’ll see.”
“Besides, you don’t want to make any personnel changes before your trip.” I had no idea I was going to say that. But Lindsey did say that Miss Fine was going on vacation. And then I remembered seeing that book about Greece on the first day me and Audrey were in Miss Fine’s office. “Better to wait until after you come back from Greece,” I finished.
“How did you know that?”
“Know what?”
“About my trip?”
I shrugged in what I hoped was a casual way. “You know how it is. Sometimes things just come to me. I’m hoping to actually get better at it at the Academy.”
“No one told you about it?”
“Nope. Who would tell me?”
“How long do you think I’ll be gone?”
Oh crap! I searched my mind for any more clues from that first day. All I could come up with was that terrible salad she was eating. But then I remembered what Lindsey had said about scheduling my meeting. I held my hand to my head in the way that I’d seen psychics on TV do it. “Um, something is telling me that you’re leaving next week and you’ll be gone for three whole weeks. Nice! Sounds like you’ll have a great time,” I added.
I need to buy Lindsey something awesome, I thought to myself.
“You really think that?” There was something changed in Miss Fine’s voice. She wasn’t testing me. She really was asking me if she was going to have a good time. She reminded me of my mom when she had to take off time from the diner. She really was worried about it.
“Yes, you are. Everything’s going to run smoothly while you’re gone. All of your instructions will be followed perfectly. When you get back, you’ll be so rested that you’ll be more productive than ever. You’re going to have so much fun. Oh, and you’re gonna meet someone special. I don’t see much more than that but I’m sure of it, Elphaba.” The last part I threw in just for kicks. Something told me she needed it.
She didn’t even flinch when I used her first name. “Are you sure?”
“Come on. Of course I’m sure,” I said, doing my best impression of Dale.
Miss Fine picked up a stamp from her desk and pressed it down on the front of my folder with authority. “Welcome to the Academy, Penny.”
I wanted to jump up and hug her but I knew that was the wrong reaction. So I just sat primly in my seat while the fireworks went off in my head. Miss Fine handed me some paperwork and a big book. “Here are your admission papers and your handbook. Read it. Study it. Know it by the time school starts in the fall.”
She went on and on about housing and uniforms and a few other things but I was not paying attention to her. I was trying very hard to keep from bursting into tears of joy right there. When she was done, she asked if I had any questions. I shook my head no. If I spoke I might not be able to keep myself from crying.
Miss Fine stood up and she shook my hand. “I’ll see you in the fall. If you have any questions, give my office a call. After I get back, of course.” I nodded so hard I thought my head would fall off and roll across the floor.
Outside of Miss Fine’s office, I didn’t say anything. I walked down the hallway, through reception, and out into the main hallway. It was only when I walked through that door and closed it behind myself that I screamed at the top of my lungs “YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!” and burst into tears.
“I’m in! I’m in! I’m i
n!” I yelled, jumping around the hallway in half a dance and half spaz out. I did that until I realized I was still in an office building full of Supers and someone was bound to see me if I didn’t stop.
Now that I’d gotten control of myself, I looked down the hallway and recognized it from my dream. I didn’t know how to feel about actually having a vision come true right after I’d just faked a vision, but I settled on feeling good.
Maybe everything would work out after all.
Chapter 18
“Sooooooooo?” Downstairs, out on the street, Audrey was sitting on one of the benches that line the sidewalk, wearing sunglasses, sipping a Slurpee, and scrolling through her phone.
I pointed her Slurpee. “Isn’t it kinda cold for that.” We were both wrapped in coats, hats, and scarves.
“The stomach wants what the stomach wants, Penny.”
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “Just because you didn’t want me to come doesn’t mean you didn’t need me to come.”
“Oh.” That seemed a thousand percent more insightful than the Audrey I’d come to know. “Well, I’m in.” I plopped down on the bench next to her and told her everything that had happened up there.
“Good job!” She gave me a gloved high five. “How do you feel?”
It took me a minute to figure out what I wanted to say. “I feel good, I guess. But now I’m going to have to go to school with other kids who actually have powers. How’s that going to work?”
Audrey shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I wouldn’t exactly call you powerless. You had that vision that told you about me. You had the dream about getting your handbook. Maybe you’re just a late bloomer.”
“But—” I started.
But she cut me off. “Listen, Penny, you got exactly what you wanted. There was no chance and you still made it happen. Let’s just celebrate that for a minute before we start worrying about what’s going to happen next. Besides, I’m pretty sure everything’s gonna be fine.”
I was a little shocked. That’s not what she’d been saying the whole time. “That’s the exact opposite of what you’ve been saying since I met you. Why should I believe you now?”
Super Secret (Book 1): Super Model Page 7