The Initiation

by Chris Babu

  Drayden had almost died on two of the last three challenges. He tried to push the phrase “third time’s the charm” from his mind. How many times could you almost die before it finally happened? He needed to get to the Palace. For Mom.

  Lights blared. A clock, usually found in the middle of the station, hung at the platform entrance. It continued its countdown: 02:55:32, 02:55:31…. Nothing else appeared out of the ordinary. The Houston Street station seemed otherwise untouched.

  Drayden led the way down the platform, everyone crowded behind him.

  A figure emerged in the distance.

  Sidney pointed. “You guys, look!”

  Drayden’s body kicked into challenge mode. His heart rate picked up, and nervous sweat coated his body. He marched toward the person.

  At fifty yards away, the black robe identified him as a likely Bureau member.

  At twenty-five yards, Drayden stopped in his tracks, recognizing him.

  Owen Payne.

  “Isn’t that the guy from the first challenge?” Sidney asked. “The heaven riddle?”

  “Yup,” Charlie said. “Charlie never forgets a face.”

  Owen Payne’s mouth spread into a wide, creepy grin. This time, he stood alone—no computer, no table.

  Sidney looked overjoyed. “Do you think this is the end?” she whispered. “Did we make it?”

  “It can’t be,” Drayden whispered back. “At Houston Street we’re leaving the Lab and entering the Precinct. We’re not in the Palace yet.”

  “Maybe we’ve done well enough,” Charlie said. “I have a feeling this could be it.” Charlie and Sidney locked arms and giggled like little kids.

  The pledges stopped in front of Owen Payne. He spread his arms out as if offering a hug. With his black robe, dark skin, and evil smile, he brought to mind the grim reaper. “Well done, pledges. Well done, indeed. The Bureau sends its congratulations for succeeding thus far.”

  Sidney and Charlie shared a giddy look.

  “As a reward for performing so admirably, the Bureau would like to offer you a choice,” Payne continued. “This is highly unusual, but the choice is the following. You may continue the Initiation, in which case the clock will be adjusted. You will have only ninety minutes to finish, rather than the roughly three hours left on the clock. As formidable as you may believe the Initiation has been thus far, you have yet to encounter the most difficult challenges. It is your option to continue.”

  Drayden broke out in goosebumps. You have yet to encounter the most difficult challenges.

  Payne scanned their faces. “Or you may quit now, without exile. You may return to your lives in Zone D without any repercussions. You’ll receive your job assignments tomorrow with the rest of the graduates. This is a group decision. Either you all continue or none of you do. Since there are five of you now, a majority decision will rule. You have five minutes to make your choice. Good luck.” He stepped back and stood with his hands clasped.

  Drayden was really starting to hate this Payne guy. This was not a “reward” from the Bureau. It was a dilemma.

  The pledges gathered in a circle, each of them studying the others’ faces.

  “I want to quit,” Sidney said. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” She covered her mouth with both hands, on the verge of tears. “I want to go home.”

  Drayden wasn’t surprised. She’d rushed to enter the Initiation without thoroughly considering it. Although she’d believed Drayden could carry her through, he could only do so much. A lot of what the Initiation demanded you had to do yourself, particularly on the bravery challenges, which had been brutal.

  “Me too,” Charlie said. “I’m sorry guys, I just…I wanted some adventure. Who could stop Charlie, right? But this sucks. I don’t need to be a Guardian that bad. I don’t think I care to see the next few challenges. Charlie, out.”

  Alex flicked Charlie on the arm. “What the hell, chotch? We’re doing this. I’m still in. So is Charlie.”

  “Alex, I’m out,” Charlie insisted. “I’m sorry, bro. I know you’ll have a situation with your dad if we quit, and he’s meaner than a sack of rattlesnakes, but I’m not dying for it.”

  “Charlie!” Alex snapped.

  Charlie stepped up to Alex, puffed his chest out, and balled his hands into fists. “I said I’m out.”

  Alex shrunk away from him. “Well I’m in, all the way.”

  Sidney, Charlie, and Alex turned to Catrice and Drayden.

  Two out and one in, Drayden thought. Just him and Catrice left.

  She looked deep into his eyes, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I’m in,” she said softly.

  “Thank you!” Alex said, scowling. “Charlie, this tiny girl here is tougher than you are.”

  Charlie showed no reaction. He fixed his eyes on Drayden. “Looks like you get to decide,” he said.

  Alex hooked his thumb at Drayden. “This wetchop gets to decide for me? No way.”

  Oh God. How did this happen?

  Whatever Drayden decided, two people would hate him. He didn’t care about Charlie or Alex, so his decision represented a choice between Sidney and Catrice. But an even bigger question loomed. What did he want to do?

  Sidney slinked up to him. “Drayden…”

  Catrice stiffened, her arms crossed. She glowered at Sidney.

  Sidney took Drayden’s hand and led him back toward the platform entrance. “I just want to talk to you alone for a minute,” she said. “Let’s quit the Initiation. This is crazy. You almost died, and the Bureau guy said we haven’t even seen the worst challenges yet. What if you haggled with the Bureau to score a better job in the Dorms? And…we could be together, me and you. I’m not saying we have to get married or anything. I was obviously joking, but it might be nice if we had each other, you know? I could take care of you like I have been, and you could take care of me. I could make you very happy.”

  Sidney bore her pretty brown eyes into him, stepping closer. She pushed her chest against his, and placed her hands on his hips. “Please, Drayden?”

  Drayden trembled with excitement at what she appeared to be offering. If he had someone he loved, who loved him back, couldn’t life in the Dorms be tolerable? Even pleasant? Also, her idea about negotiating his career wasn’t crazy.

  But, no. That was shkat and he knew it. He needed to move to the Palace to find out the truth about his mother. The Dorms would never be livable, not given what he knew. Something was destroying their world, and the Palace offered the only refuge. Not just for him—for his father and brother as well.

  Unless Thomas Cox was wrong about the surging exiles. Drayden was confused.

  “Sidney…” He wrinkled his nose. “I need a minute to myself, if you don’t mind. I need to think.”

  “All right.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Remember what I said.” She smiled wryly and sashayed away.

  The other pledges were watching. They’d seen everything. Alex and Charlie leered at Sidney. Catrice fixed her eyes on Drayden.

  He eased down, leaning his back against a steel pillar, facing away from the group.

  Quitting did tempt him. His whole body was screaming in pain. If the upcoming challenges were harder, he’d be attempting tougher tests in his weakest state. Any hope the Bureau would be merciful was extinguished when the bomb exploded and killed Tim. Rat bites covered his body, begging to become infected. He had lost consciousness twice in the last hour, for crying out loud.

  While he’d entered the Initiation for multiple reasons, what had nudged him over the hump were Thomas Cox’s claims. Who knew how reliable Cox was? He wasn’t even a senior Bureau member. Maybe he was a fool, and that’s why he held the lowly Dorm rep role. Cox might be known as that guy who said crazy, provocative stuff all the time, none of it true.

  And, dammit…Drayden was scared. He was terrified of even worse injur
y, exile, or death.

  He pulled off his hat and rubbed the Yankees logo. He thought of his mother. Her exile was undeniable. She was gone. Wasn’t that reason enough to go on? She epitomized bravery and strength.

  Drayden reminisced about the oft-told story of how she and his father met. Seventeen-years-old, she was walking down Second Avenue on a Friday afternoon. She passed some little kids playing with a ball. It rolled into the street, which was usually deserted and safe. A young girl sprang out to retrieve it, right into the path of an oncoming bus. Mom didn’t hesitate. She dove into the street and shoved the girl out of harm’s way. The bumper clipped Mom’s leg, badly breaking it. She met Dad at the hospital where he worked, and the rest was history. There was no question his mother would continue if she were him.

  He closed his eyes and imagined himself with Mr. Kale and Tim in Mr. Kale’s office. Drayden warmed at the image. Drayden, there’s no decision to make,” Tim said in his vision. “You have to continue. You have to see this through. There’s no turning back. You can do this. Only you. Be strong. Don’t be afraid. You’ve seen what you can do when you ignore your fear. I believe in you.

  In his visualization, Mr. Kale held up his hand to cut Tim off. Drayden, what you heard from Thomas Cox is true. Even if it wasn’t, you need to move to the Palace. You’ll never be content in the Dorms. We all need you in the Palace.

  Tim winked at him. C’mon, kid. You know what to do.

  Drayden pushed himself up, growing used to the pain everywhere. He pulled his hat down tight and returned to the group, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

  All eyes were on him. Owen Payne stepped forward. “You’ve reached your decision?”

  Drayden stood tall, his shoulders back. “We’re going to continue.”

  Sidney drew in a quick breath, unable to hide her shock. Her teary eyes burned like fireballs of fury. She shoved Drayden out of the way, snatched up her backpack, and stormed down the platform.

  CHAPTER 18

  Alone once again.

  The others stared at Drayden.

  Catrice wrapped her thin arms around his waist and nuzzled her head into his neck. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Drayden peered over her head at Charlie. He looked pissed.

  Was it the show of affection from Catrice, or his deciding vote on the Initiation? Either way, they needed Charlie’s strength to conquer the rest of the challenges.

  Drayden cleared his throat. “Charlie, I’m sorry. I know you wanted to quit. But I promise you I’m going to get us through this. I know I can’t do it alone, and we can’t do it without you. I won’t let us down on any more intelligence challenges. I’ll solve them, or Catrice will. We can do this. We can win.”

  Charlie turned away and kicked his backpack. He exhaled, looked back at Drayden, and nodded.

  Owen Payne took a step forward. “The clock has begun. I suggest you move along.”

  Drayden scanned the platform. Sidney must already be on the tracks. “Ninety minutes? We need to run. Now.”

  The pledges grabbed their backpacks and darted down the platform. His ankle throbbing with each step, Drayden led the group down to the tracks and into the darkness. He caught up to Sidney, who moped along with her head down. After her blow up, couldn’t someone else be the one to tell her they needed to run? Everyone flew by her without a word.

  “Hey, you guys!” Drayden shouted. “Slow down for a minute.” He walked beside Sidney.

  She sniffled, and wiped her eyes.

  “Sid, I’m sorry. The decision to continue had nothing to do with you.” He remembered they were being observed and recorded, and knew he had to be careful what he said. “It’s just, we can’t go back to the Dorms. You have to trust me. We need to make it the whole way. I’m scared too. If we all work toge—”

  “Leave me alone!” she yelled and sped up.

  “Sidney, listen,” he said, after catching up to her. “You hate me now, fine, but I like you, and if you don’t start running, you’re going to be exiled. We’re in it now, whether you wanted to continue or not.”

  She turned her head away from Drayden and held her hand up to his face. “We’re done,” she murmured.

  The others waited further down the tracks.

  “Sid!” Drayden said, lacking any trace of tenderness. “We have to run, dammit. Let’s go! Now!”

  “Fine!” she yelled. She broke into a jog, distancing herself from him.

  Drayden ran behind the others. He’d taken Sidney for granted. Her attention and support meant a lot to him. He’d enjoyed it. Now she hated him. No girl had even acknowledged his existence before Sidney. He’d focused so much on Catrice that he’d failed to recognize what he had until it was too late.

  He should be so lucky to snag someone like Sidney. Brave, strong, and caring, she was a catch. Without her support, who did he truly have? He’d won Catrice over a bit, though she wouldn’t gush with praise anytime soon. The only other people who boosted his self-esteem were Tim and his mother, both now gone. He hated to admit how much those words of encouragement helped.

  Drayden ran in the narrow lane outside the rails. Even that contained the ends of the railroad ties. Spacing his strides correctly without tripping proved nerve-wracking. Throwing in a bum ankle that could be rolled at any time with the utter darkness, and running demanded constant attention.

  Drayden hopped onto the actual tracks and sprinted by the others. He ignored the pain in his ankle and back so he could reach the front of the group. He needed to lead. He’d forced Sidney and Charlie to continue the Initiation. He needed to get them through it.

  As much as he yearned to fix things with Sidney, finishing the Initiation needed to be the focus. Wesley and Dad needed him to rescue them from the Dorms. Mom deserved answers. He felt a tinge of excitement, a renewed sense of purpose.

  The choice presented at Houston Street wasn’t an actual challenge. Was it? Something bugged him about that choice. It didn’t make sense. Why would the unmerciful Bureau suddenly show mercy? He couldn’t put his finger on it.

  Either way, it was unclear what would be waiting for them at Canal Street. Even if the Bureau threw a deadly bravery challenge at them, he would lead the charge. Drayden couldn’t sort out the paradox of the Bureau seemingly trying to kill them while also allowing them to advance. If the Bureau truly wanted to kill them, they could storm the tunnels at any time with guns and open fire. Nobody was watching. They didn’t have to go through the trouble of the Initiation just to kill a few teenagers. That must mean the test was legitimate, existing for its stated purpose, right? He wasn’t sure. Maybe they were sadists and wanted to see how much the pledges could endure.

  The faint lights of Canal Street shone up ahead. Catrice followed right behind him, with Sidney behind her. Alex and Charlie ran together in the rear. Alex was muttering to Charlie, soft enough not to be heard, pointing at Drayden.

  What were they up to? The last time Alex and Charlie schemed, bad things happened. Not only was Tim not around to help fight them off, but for the moment, he couldn’t count on Sidney either.

  Charlie remained an enigma. He showed flashes of decency, like pulling him to safety on the rock wall, and saving his life in the pool. He’d helped Catrice too, though with ulterior motives. Yet he was so easily controlled by Alex.

  Alex steadfastly insisted he would be the one chosen to join the Bureau in the Palace. And Charlie mentioned dealing with Alex’s dad if they quit the Initiation. Alex’s father must have forced him to enter, possibly to expand his drug-dealing business. Whatever the reason, Alex’s combination of desperation and craziness spelled danger.

  The light from the station grew bright as they arrived at Canal Street. The station’s glaring lights revealed heavy modifications. The Bureau had extended the platform across all four tracks to the platform on the other side. They’d created one giant room,
once again.

  Drayden took charge. He held his chin up and advanced down the platform. He stopped in his tracks.

  “I’m sorry, guys,” he said. “I messed up. We should have quit. I can’t do this one.”

  A white wall with three circular holes carved into it cut off the room a quarter of the way into the station. The holes began a few feet off the ground, each spread about fifteen feet apart. A clock dangled above a long table in front of the right hole.

  Drayden doubled over. And to think, he’d considered the underground pool a test of his claustrophobia, which he was overjoyed to move past. He should have known better.

  “What’s wrong?” Charlie asked. “What the hell is that? What are those holes?”

  “They’re tunnels,” Drayden said.

  “For what?” Charlie asked. “To where?”

  Drayden felt nauseated now. “I don’t know. But even from here you can see they’re the only way through the station.”

  Charlie pointed. “Wait, we have to shimmy through those little pipes? Man, I don’t think they’re wider than my shoulders.”

  The others groaned. No one liked the idea of being trapped in a constricting tube, for God knew how long. Even Alex didn’t look pleased.

  “Let’s go then,” Charlie finally said. “We gotta do it. Dray, is ninety minutes not enough time?”

  Dizziness rocked Drayden when he stood. He pictured the Watchers mocking him right now. He had to try. He needed to reach the Palace.

  “I don’t know for sure, but ninety minutes sounds tight to me. We have no idea how long the challenges will take. I think we need to hurry, yes.”

  They dashed to the table. The clock displayed the time remaining: 01:24:43, 01:24:42…

  Drayden picked up the note. “See the light if you manage your fright. Prove you can solve problems under uncomfortable conditions. To advance, you must find your way through the tunnel maze. While there is only one exit, several paths exist to reach it. You may leave your backpacks here and they will be waiting for you a hundred yards down the tracks. Good luck.”