Charlie left the Headmaster's Office with a skip in her step and a happy smile on her face. The call from her mother was exactly the motivation she needed.
Buckling down to work, Charlie headed to the library. She had yet to prepare for the Skills Assessment Test tomorrow. Hilary told her repeatedly it wouldn’t affect her grades or her chances of being considered for the Advanced Training Center, but Charlie didn’t want to take any chances. Mental agility first; she’d worry about the rest later.
In the library, she bumped into Brianna.
"Oh hi!" Brianna said a little too quickly; it sounded like "ohay" to Charlie.
"Hello," Charlie said with a nod.
She headed to the back of the library to get the peace and quiet to study better, but when she turned, Brianna was right behind her.
“Hey, Brianna. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I wanted to say sorry for what I said in class. I didn’t mean to offend you. I seem to talk too much for my own good,” Brianna smiled goofily and Charlie found it endearing. It reminded her of her younger cousin’s playfulness.
“No worries,” Charlie said, whipping around to head to her destination.
“I like you, Charlie!” Brianna half-shouted, half-whispered. “You’re nice.”
Charlie looked back to mouth a “thank you” before going her way.
When she got to the Philosophy and Religion section of the library, Charlie knew she had picked just the right spot to study. However, as she was cruising between the aisles, she caught a glimpse of someone sitting in the far corner. Thinking it was just her imagination since the entire library seemed deserted, she kept going until someone gasped.
“You’re back?” A girl with long dark curls appeared out of nowhere.
“I’m sorry?” Charlie kept forgetting some students had met her sister.
“Since when? Where did you go? What did they make you do?” The girl was asking questions that Charlie didn’t know the answers to.
“I… I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Jeanne! Did they wipe out your memory, too?”
Oh, she thinks I’m Jeanne, Charlie thought. “I’m sorry, but I’m not Jeanne. My name is Charlie. I’m her sister.” She smiled.
Without warning, the girl grabbed her hand and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the look on her face was utter bafflement.
“So you’re really not Jeanne, because Jeanne didn’t have any parents,” the girl said.
Charlie pulled her hand away. “How did you know that?”
“I saw that your parents left you a message. Ms. Amanda called you to her office to listen to it.”
Charlie took a step back. “Did someone tell you that?"
“Gosh, no. News doesn’t travel fast to the girl who keeps to herself in the Philosophy section of the library. You just came from there before coming here.”
“Then how did you…”
“Don’t act so surprised. You’re at ANDREI, I’m sure you know people here are the realizations of your imagination. I can see people’s history when I touch them. Sometimes, it’s something from their very distant past, sometimes from just a few minutes ago. In your case, your very recent one. It’s called Psychometry.”
Charlie didn’t know what to say.
“I’m Vanessa,” the girl said finally. Charlie thought twice about extending her hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to do it again,” she guaranteed. They shook hands.
“What are you doing here? It’s usually just me and Brianna.”
“I have SAT tomorrow,” Charlie answered, double checking the schedule on the paper she was given.
“Oh, it’s your turn this time.” Vanessa thought out loud. “You’re in the wrong place. They’re not going to ask you about theories.”
“But I thought…”
“Don’t waste your time here. Come with me.” Vanessa stood up. “You’ll thank me later.”
Charlie followed Vanessa to one of the Training Rooms that said Mental and Psychic Endurance.
“What are we doing here?”
“This is what students do for practice. In this room, you’re not allowed to use psychic abilities.” She stepped inside and Charlie did, too. “Right now, we’re both normal people. The SAT gauges your other skills aside from your special skill, the one that brought you here. Which reminds me, what can you do?”
“I’m telekinetic,” replied Charlie.
“Wow, that’s new. Alright, I’m going to give you a bunch of puzzles and you have to solve it within the time limit I set. Understood?” Charlie nodded and for the next hour, Charlie solved riddles that Vanessa set out for her.
“You’re good at this!” Vanessa said, smiling wide.
“Thanks,” Charlie replied bashfully.
“Now off to the next part. Are you physically fit? Turn around for me,” Vanessa said. Charlie turned slowly and she could feel Vanessa’s eyes studying her. “You’re not flabby, which is good. But you need to gain some weight. You’re too thin.”
Charlie felt self-conscious at her assessment and frowned. “I’ve already gained three pounds.”
“Since when, fourth grade?” Vanessa teased. “There’s going to be an obstacle course, but it’s not your normal physically-draining type. It’s also mentally draining since you have to be creative.”
“Creative?”
“You don’t just jump over some fences. You jump over a 20-foot fence.”
“How is that even possible?!”
“They give you materials. But you have to figure out how to use them. As for now, I can only help you with the physical part. Now drop down and give me fifty!”
In her panic, Charlie complied and did fifty push-ups within minutes. After a few exercises, Vanessa finally told Charlie it was time to rest.
“The final part of the exam involves the use of your power. The test depends on your ability, but we never really talked about what we did after the SAT. My test involved a weird-looking shale rock. Turns out it was a 300 million-year old Horseshoe Crab fossil,” Vanessa narrated. “You’re gonna have to prepare for that on your own, but rest for a few hours. Using your powers can drain your energy like a vacuum so you don’t want to exert yourself too much, especially after training.”
“Thank you so much for helping me, Vanessa,” Charlie said, grateful to get aid from someone else aside from Hilary.
“Don’t mention it.” Vanessa stared at her. “It’s incredible that you look exactly like her, only a lot more mild-mannered and neat.”
“I’ve never met my sister. Amanda said I could once I get into the ATC.”
“You need to go the extra mile and more, then. Only two people in the history of ANDREI were able to get into the ATC: your sister and Aaron. Your sister was promoted even before we entered the school, and Aaron, I forgot his last name, was promoted a few weeks into the training.”
“How did they get promoted?”
“I don’t know exactly, but we went through some tests that-” Vanessa stopped mid-sentence and stared blankly at her. It reminded Charlie of what happened to Hilary the other day.
“Vanessa, are you okay?”
Just like Hilary, within seconds Vanessa seemed to regain consciousness. She shook her head. “I’m tired. We should go back to the dorm. What room are you in?”
“208,” Charlie replied, wondering if Vanessa even knew what had happened to her.
“Ah, I see. You reside with the nerdy newbie. How’s that working out for you?”
"Okay so far."
Vanessa chuckled. "That’s what they all say at first."
"I'll walk you to your room," Charlie offered and Vanessa agreed.
When they arrived at 304, Vanessa waved goodbye. “Good night, Charlie. Sweet dreams and don’t let the bedbugs get you in your sleep!”
“Good night, Vanessa.” Upon seeing Vanessa’s door closed, Charlie hurried to her own room and she succumbed to the call of her soft, comfo
rtable bed. Sleep had always been her weakness, and she willingly surrendered herself to Dream Land.
Charlie opened her eyes to a bright white light. At first she thought it was Madison again, playing another trick. Panic already surged through her veins. She attempted to get up only to find herself strapped to her bed… No, this wasn’t her bed. It had metal sidebars. She screamed but no sound came from her mouth.
Her mind screamed Let me go! People with masks came into view. They were wearing lab coats with a logo she had seen somewhere before. When one of them came near, it confirmed her suspicion.
On the breast pocket was a logo and under it was a set of letters she’d seen a few days ago: GEN.
Another masked person clad in white approached and was holding a big metal syringe. She felt something brewing inside her, like a force building up in her center, waiting to explode. There was something else: she was afraid. Not of the impending injection but of what was going on inside her. When the man poised to inject her, she heard an explosion and everything else drowned in a dizzying orange blur.
The dream ended abruptly. Panting and drenched in sweat, Charlie slapped her forearms to check if she was still strapped to a bed. Looking around the room, she confirmed that she was inside her dorm at ANDREI. Brianna was staring at her from her side of the room.
“Are you alright?” Brianna asked. “I was about to wake you up. You were struggling like someone was holding you down.”
“I-I’m fine,” Charlie said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
“Heard today’s your big day. May the Force be with you!” Brianna said.
Charlie managed a small smile, recognizing the Star Wars reference. “Thanks.”
“The trick is not to panic,” Brianna reminded. With her nerves all jittery, Charlie couldn’t promise to be level-headed but she was determined to do her best. “Go and shower! The SAT starts in thirty!” Brianna said, pointing to the clock. It was 7:30.
Darn, I’m late! Charlie ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower, dressed in the white overalls ANDREI issued and raced to the training rooms. A hugely built man waited for her in front of a training room entrance. He was wearing a plain white shirt that accentuated his muscular torso, camouflage pants and military boots. He also wore a timer around his neck and had a clipboard in his hands.
“A minute early,” he spoke in a low voice. “I’m Marvolo Cray. Nice to meet you, Charlene.”
Charlie cringed upon hearing her full name. “Pleasure to meet you, Sir.”
“How would you like to be called?”
“Charlie is fine, Sir.”
“Alright then Charlie, let’s get down to business. The first part of the Skills Assessment Test is going to test your physical endurance. Are you an athlete?”
Charlie remembered all the times she skipped gym class, claiming that her dysmenorrhea was killing her, which is just a fancy word for menstrual cramps. It always worked, which now put her at a disadvantage. She shook her head.
“Ah, well. Let’s see how you fare then,” he said. He opened the door and Charlie was welcomed by an elaborate labyrinth of obstacle courses. She recognized the orange cones that spanned the entire room, which was about the size of basketball court. There was a rappelling wall at the end, and a zip line above. “You start running nonstop from there, climb that wall, and zip line back. Easy peasy, right?” Charlie shook her head. “Come on, it’s easy! Just get it done. I’ll time you. Okay? Ready?”
She wasn’t even poised to run yet! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Charlie thought. Don’t I get to stretch or anything?!?
“Set…”
Charlie tried to mimic the runners at the local triathlon she watched with her parents. She extended one of her legs, bent the other and put both her hands on the ground.
“Go!”
Charlie ran as fast she could, dodging one or two cones along the way. The running came easy, as she liked running in the park for cardiovascular fitness. Climbing proved to be more difficult than she imagined. At one point she slipped, but when she remembered why she was here, she imagined reaching the top and meeting Jeanne there. The image of reaching Jeanne made Charlie climb a lot faster. She hated heights and though she was sure to be more than twenty feet above ground, she didn’t hesitate to strap on the harness and zip right through the last part of the course.
She panted and puffed her way back to Marvolo, who stood at the door with a wide grin on his face. He clapped his hands as she approached.
“That was fantastic!” Marvolo exclaimed. “2.41 minutes! That’s a record-breaker!”
Charlie was shocked. She never broke any record, athletically-wise, due to her lack of hand-eye coordination. It was Jeanne. She helped me, Charlie wanted to say. But Marvolo probably wouldn’t understand, so she kept it to herself. She beamed her best smile and thanked Marvolo.
“Now, let’s not get excited. We still have two more tests to do. Follow me.” Marvolo walked past the training rooms.
“Where are we going?” Charlie asked.
“To the infirmary,” he answered.
Charlie patted her face and body. “I’m fine, Sir. No damage acquired.”
“Oh, no, no. We’re not going there to have you checked out. That’s the venue of your next exam.”
A confused Charlie complied, walking beside Marvolo. He stopped before entering the infirmary. “This is where it gets tricky. This is the mental part of the SAT where you are required to be creative. When you enter this room, I will lock this from the outside and you have to find a way to get out.”
Charlie’s expression must have resembled a huge question mark that compelled Marvolo to explain further. “Do you know those escape room games?” She’d seen one of those in amusement parks but never entered them. “This is similar to those.”
“Oh,” she managed to say.
“This test specifically requires the use of your physical and mental facilities without the aid of your telekinesis. The infirmary is designed to temporarily disable your abilities. It will just make your head ache if you try. Other students have experienced nose bleeds sometimes, so I strongly suggest you don’t attempt. It’s futile, trust me.”
Charlie remembered what Hilary said during the tour. The room was built with material designed to block out their powers. “What are the mechanics, Sir?”
Marvolo looked at her seriously. “There are none. Just get out of there alive.” He opened the door and Charlie stepped inside the dark room. She looked back just as Marvolo closed the twin doors on her. “Good luck, Charlie.”
As soon as the doors were shut, the room went pitch black. She walked around slowly, feeling her way around the room. Charlie found a candle atop something flat but had nothing to light it with. She slowly scanned with her fingers the flat surface, figuring it was a table, then patted something very small. It was a match stick. The walls were smooth so striking the match against it was out. When she touched the table’s underside, it was rough so she struck the match against. With a meager source of light, the room came into full view.
Charlie saw numbers and letters scribbled on the wall, written in a pattern that didn’t make sense to her. Aside from the table and the graffiti, there was nothing in the room. A few minutes passed and she still hadn’t figured out what the writings on the wall meant. Her thin candle wasn’t going to stay lit for long. Charlie inspected every inch of the room. The floor was marble, and she knocked at every square tile. 120 tiles later, she was certain none of them held clues to unlock the door. By then her candle was only half an inch tall and panic began to set in. She knocked on the walls but the concrete material hurt her knuckles.
She sat in the room’s corner in defeat. For some reason, her gaze landed in the middle of the room where she imagined a steel bed that held her in place. Her nightmare played out right in front of her. She was struggling, and there were people in white lab coats surrounding her like a swarm of bees. When the man holding the syringe came close, she felt a force inside he
r begging to be released. The lights around flickered and the man peeked behind him to check on the fluctuating electricity but quickly resumed what he was about to do. Charlie felt the syringe’s cold thin metal filled with a green viscous liquid about to pierce her skin when the force inside her tore through her flesh and exploded into a giant white light.
Charlie didn’t realize she was screaming at that point, and the entire room was already flooded with light from the open door. Marvolo rushed to her and shook her gently. “Charlie? What happened? Are you alright?”
Charlie was anchored back to reality by his voice, unable to resist hugging Marvolo. She shook her head, not finding the will or voice to speak. After the initial shock wore off, Charlie was able to stand up and move to sit on the floor outside the room.
“What happened back there?” Marvolo asked her gently.
“A really bad case of cabin fever, I reckon,” Charlie joked, but no hint of a smile appeared on her face.
“Did you hear me from outside? Was that why you opened the door?”
Marvolo looked at her, puzzled. He pointed to the double doors lying flat on the ground. Charlie didn’t notice that she had actually stepped on them on the way out.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! Did you have to break down the door to get to me? Oh my goodness, oh my goodness,” Charlie shook her head, facing down.
Now Marvolo was really baffled. “Charlie, I didn’t break those doors...”
Charlie looked up. “Huh?”
“I didn’t break those doors,” Marvolo repeated. “You did.”
Charlie didn't know how to respond. She had no idea how she could possibly break down those doors when she didn't consciously use her powers. Besides, the infirmary was designed to disable her telekinesis. How is this possible?
Marvolo wrote something on the clipboard and Charlie quickly regretted when she peeked. At the bottom of the paper he wrote: "Unfit to proceed."
Marvolo stood and helped Charlie to her feet. "Come on, let's get you back to your room. You need to rest."
"May I retake the test?" Charlie asked, disappointment radiating from her like rays of light.
The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) Page 10