After all that time suffering and hiding from her bullies, Naya finally felt like her life was coming together–that it might have some greater, beautiful meaning to it. Although most of the other teenagers she attended school with were dating or experiencing the excitement of “teen love” for the first, second or hundredth time, that was one thing Naya didn’t feel like she was missing out on. In fact, she’d never felt more secure with her life than right at that point in time.
She knew love—or whatever it was that teenagers thought was love—wasn’t something she needed right now. So she was fifteen and had never been kissed? So what!
That being said, even Gladys had found her love during the extracurricular hours she spent working at the library. It seemed like everybody had a boyfriend or girlfriend, or was pursuing one person or another.
Everyone except Naya…
But she was fine with that. Naya had her parents as the example of what love was supposed to look like, and she’d promised herself she wouldn’t accept anything less. That meant, even if Naya never found true love for herself, she could at least still say she’d witnessed the greatest love story ever told—that of Claude and Maryanne.
A romance like theirs wasn’t something you’d find making out with somebody behind the bleachers. It had to be right. Naya felt like there was so much other stuff to work on in her life that pursuing something like love probably wasn't the right fit for her at that time.
Besides, Naya was enjoying this period of her life, with or without love. Sometimes, it felt easier and freer to live life without knowing what love tasted like. Naya had seen so many girls sobbing in the bathroom, overwhelmed and heartbroken because their ex-boyfriends had cheated on them or were now dating a different girl. She’d witnessed so many guys fail their exams because they were too distracted sending texts and notes to the girl they liked. It was all just silly—it wasn’t real.
The longest relationship she’d even seen at school had been the one between Ryan and Beatrice—but even though they’d proclaimed their love to each other, and everyone had seen their heated and public displays of affection, it had been only a few weeks after Ryan's disappearance that Beatrice had started dating another guy.
What could Naya learn from that? Only that teenage love wasn’t anything like her parents’ love.
Of course, secretly Naya did dream of having something like that—but how could she plunge into that huge pool of uncertainty when she didn’t even know the first thing about navigating those waters? It wasn’t fair for her to even try! Naya had decided she was better off on her own—and this current point in time, when everything seemed to be going so right for her, was proof of that.
From the outside, everything was fine, so it should be the same from the inside, right?
It had been almost a year since Ryan had mysteriously left the school—and that meant it was also another anniversary of the “pad girl” incident.
“Damn,” was the one word that came to Naya's mind as she woke up on that inauspicious morning.
As she started to get ready that morning, Naya found it difficult to focus on whatever she was doing. Too many thoughts were filling her head—and somehow, the anxiety she’d felt so free of the past year had come back with a vengeance.
On one hand, maybe today would be an opportunity. It had been a year since Ryan had left—and her life had become so good ever since that awful, sick person had departed the school.
But, on the other hand, Naya knew she couldn’t do anything about social media—and that morning it would throw up reminders of what she’d been doing two years earlier. Social media would always serve as an annual reminder of that awful day.
She could only hope for the best, although as Naya got ready that morning, there was an awful feeling inside warning her that this morning might be more difficult than usual.
As if sensing that, Naya’s dad was even nicer than usual at breakfast.
"Sunshine, do you want me to take you to school? We could stop for ice cream on the way!" Claude winked at her.
"Oh no, Claude!” Maryanne’s mom seemed less enthusiastic. “It’s 7:15 in the morning! How could you give her ice cream this early? "
"Relax, my sweet love,” Claude reassured his wife with a laugh. “It’s just a one-time treat. Naya has been exceptional these past months—both in school and with us. Doesn't she deserve a small reward?"
Naya laughed at her indulgent father.
"Thank you, Dad, but, seriously… Today, I’d rather walk to school by myself. It’s early, so I just want to take the time.” She headed for the door. “Love you guys!"
Claude stared with wide eyes as he watched his daughter close the door on them. She’d rejected a morning ice cream! Maybe Naya wasn’t a kid anymore, he wondered.
Claude worried about the implications of that—and what it meant they had to do…
Although to take that step, Maryanne had to agree to it first.
Claude thought to himself about whether or not it was the right time—and if his wife would agree with him. If it was, he considered himself pretty clever. He’d know how to warm his wife's heart and convince her of the inevitable.
He stepped up to the kitchen window—the one they’d watched those black cars arrive at Ryan’s house from exactly a year earlier.
"Bye, Naya! We love you, too!" Claude screamed from that same window as he watched his daughter walk past.
It was a tough decision, turning down Claude’s offer that morning. Naya was really craving that sweet, sweet ice cream, even this early. But turning it down meant getting to school right on time—just in case.
Maybe she was being crazy, but what if Beatrice and Sebastian weren't as dumb as she’d come to believe they were over this past year? What if they were waiting for Naya with some awful surprise to mark this grim anniversary?
Naya knew that there hadn't been any suggestion that they would. In fact, there hadn’t even been any sign that her former bullies even registered Naya’s existence anymore…
But while Beatrice and Sebastian had been ignoring her all this time, what if that was part of their plan? What if they were playing the long game, trying to fool her into believing that everything was back to normal?
What if the mastermind behind the bullies hadn't ever been Ryan, as everybody had suggested, but instead was really Beatrice or Sebastian?
Naya accepted that perhaps she was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t risk it. Not today.
If her dad ever learned how they’d been treating her—especially if they revealed some cruel new stunt today—it could open up a whole new can of worms. There was no telling how it would all work out.
Claude and Maryanne might force her to change schools, just as things had started to get good here! Or maybe he’d report them to the principal, and Sebastian and Beatrice would be expelled—or maybe even take them to court for their cruel and criminal antics.
Or, there was the worst possible scenario—that Maryanne and Claude would totally overreact and upheave all their lives to leave their jobs and move to another city, all because their stupid daughter couldn’t handle a couple of lame bullies!
All those unlikely but potentially possible scenarios were why Naya felt like she needed to get to school early today—and all by herself. She needed to be there before anyone and everyone else, and be alert to whatever disasters the rest of the day might bring.
As part of Naya’s usual routine whenever she sneaked into school early, she first went to say hi to Miss Elizabeth. Something about Elizabeth always calmed Naya down—and that morning, with her anxiety so strong, Naya felt like she needed Elizabeth’s reassuring company more than ever.
But that morning, as Naya approached the faculty offices, she heard some loud, heated voices from near Elizabeth’s desk.
The voices were male and loud. Whoever they belonged to—whatever they were discussing—it seemed serious, so Naya instinctively pressed herself against the wall, right next to the door, to list
en in and overhear what was going on.
Through the crack in the door, Naya identified three separate voices. One, she was sure, belonged to Elizabeth. Glimpsing through the crack, she spotted the shiny resplendence of the principal’s bald head. The second voice belonged to him. What about the other one? The third figure was burly, wearing a dark green blazer, and Naya didn’t recognize him as any of the teachers at her school.
“The tests must be administered during the first period—immediately—and the blood samples are to be given straight to my second-in-command, Terrence.” The burly man in the olive-green blazer jabbed his finger toward the ground. “He’ll be waiting right here—with the sample courier van waiting outside to take the samples for processing.”
Tests?
Of course, Naya had been so preoccupied with thoughts of the “pad girl” anniversary that she’d forgotten entirely that today was when the students newly turning 15 would receive their ATTP tests—just as she had, a year ago exactly.
As she remembered that, Naya peeked once again through the crack in the door. She hadn’t recognized the man in the olive jacket as any of the teachers at her school, but now she remembered the ATTP test, Naya realized she did recognize him…
He was one of the same men who’d rolled up in black cars outside Ryan’s house the day after Naya and her classmates had all received the ATTP test…
…the day before the principal had announced Ryan’s sudden and mysterious transfer to another school.
“This year, we’ll also be testing the blood of all the students who took the test last year,” the military man told the principal.
“That’s unorthodox,” the principal complained. “We’ve never been expected to before…”
“Well, you’re expected to now,” snapped the man, offering no further explanation.
How did this news escape all the gossipy kids, who always seemed to know things like this ahead of time?
Still, doubts sprang in her mind. She remembered the events of the previous year in which she’d felt that incredible surge of power inside herself, and the poster Ryan had been taunting her with had just disappeared, disintegrating into dust
What if something like that happened this year, too? What if that somehow impacted her test results? Would she be sent away, as Ryan was? That would be even worse than her parents finding out she’d been bullied ever since preschool and never told them.
As Elizabeth and the principal nodded, acquiescing to the military man’s demand, he growled, "Perfect. Terrence is on his way with the tubes to begin administering the tests. I'll leave you in his capable hands.”
The man in the olive-green blazer turned to leave—and Naya panicked.
She knew if she got caught eavesdropping that it wouldn’t be good. More than that, the thought actually scared her. Something about all these seemed sinister… Suspicious. For one wild second, Naya even worried that if she was caught listening in to the conversation, she’d be singled out, even to the point that her blood test results might be altered to give these military men an excuse to take her away, as she suspected they had Ryan.
In her heart, Naya knew she was probably freaking out over nothing—thinking about all these conspiracies far more seriously than she should—but something in her gut told her to be cautious.
She didn’t know how she knew, but she did know that she couldn’t be spotted by that terrifying figure in the olive-green blazer. She grabbed her backpack and scurried away, back around the corner, moving as fast as she could without making too much noise…
As she turned back quickly—just to check that the man in the olive-green blazer hadn’t spotted her—she walked right into something large, unyielding, and solid enough to knock her onto her backside on the hard, linoleum floor.
For a second Naya was stunned, and, as she looked up, the lights blocked all but the silhouette of whoever it was she’d accidently bumped into.
“I’m really sorry." Naya struggled to clamber back to her feet, and the dark silhouette stepped forward to assist, revealing himself to be a large, solidly built man.
"Are you okay?" The stranger offered Naya a hand, hauling her to her feet. “You should watch where you’re going.”
Naya opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught on her tongue as she finally got a clear look at the man she’d bumped into.
He was wearing the same type of olive-green blazer as the military man who’d been speaking with Elizabeth and the principal. As the man towered over her, Naya glanced behind him, towards an open fire escape that had been propped open to allow him to enter. She realized why: The stranger had been pulling a large lab cart behind him, stacked from top to bottom with empty glass sample tubes.
Blood sample tubes.
Naya’s eyes flickered to the tag on the stranger’s chest and saw that it listed his name as “Terrence.” Naya made the connection immediately, remembering the other military man speaking about an associate called Terrence just a few moments earlier.
Naya’s first instinct had been warmth towards the stranger, but now she shivered.
"Yes,” Naya stammered. “I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…” She turned her face from the stranger and muttered, “I need to go…"
Nara hefted up her bag and practically ran down the hallway.
Since it was the day of the ATTP test, Terrence and the mysterious man in the olive-green blazer were not the only military officials at the school today. She was nervous about the test, but saw it as an opportunity.
Naya knew she had to play her cards right. If she hadn’t heard any of the rumors about the last year having to retake the ATTP test, it was likely nobody else had—and that meant it was the perfect opportunity to spread a little gossip and get the other kids talking about that, rather than “pad girl” or the anniversary of Ryan’s mysterious disappearance.
If it took making her fellow students be anxious about that, instead of focused on mocking her, it would be a pretty good way to keep everybody distracted as they went from class to class.
As soon as Naya arrived at her first class of the day, she spotted Gladys sitting at one of the old desks and immediately thought to herself: Okay, she’s as good a person to start this off with as any.
She and Gladys had made definite inroads into rebuilding their friendship over the past year, but Naya knew she’d never feel the same way about the quiet, mousey girl ever again. It stung that while it was the bullies that were the cruel ones, Gladys had let her take their ire.
“Hey, Gladys!” Naya’s forced smile stretched so far across her face that it hurt her cheeks. “Did you remember that today is the ATTP test? I just saw some kind of military guy walking around with a bunch of sample tubes…”
Naya paused, watching the reaction on Gladys’s face. As her eyes widened, she dropped in the kicker, “I really hope this year nobody has to…ahem…get transferred, like Ryan did last year."
Naya had strategically planned to deliver that last line just loudly enough so that the other students in the classroom could hear her words very clearly.
Her plan worked.
Instantly, eavesdropping students pulled their phones out of their pockets and bags, tapping at the screens as they messaged each other and spread the news across the school far faster than Naya could ever have done on her own.
Gladys looked aghast… There’d been whispered rumors about Ryan’s mysterious transfer having had something to do with the ATTP test, but this was the first time Naya had directly made the connection, and out loud.
“You really think that’s why Ryan got transferred?” Gladys was turning pale. “The principal said he’d just transferred to another school…”
Naya shrugged her shoulders. She was kind of enjoying playing this part – it made the emotional intensity of being surrounded by other students so much easier to deal with.
“I don’t know.” said Naya, in the way she’d seen Italian gangsters do in those old movies Claude liked to watch. The way that sugg
ested they did know but just didn’t want to admit to it. “It just seems like too much of a coincidence that the ATTP was one day, and Ryan was gone the next.”
Gladys’s jaw dropped. She was clearly buying Naya’s story—making the connections in her head like a giant join-the-dots puzzle.
Of course, if Naya told her everything—like seeing those black cars roll up outside Ryan’s house the following morning, and no less that General Nikit stride out and bang on the door—it would sell this little conspiracy theory even harder…
…but Naya didn’t need to sell anything. The power of gossip and rumor was strongest when it remained unsubstantiated and just believable enough for people to convince themselves that it’s the truth.
As Naya sat there, she tuned out Gladys’s hushed concerns, and listened to the whispers and murmurs from the other students sitting all around her.
Her simple statement had been perfect propaganda. Within seconds of her uttering it, Naya already heard other students repeat her words, but embellishing them to make the rumor even more sinister and dramatic.
Soon, every student in the room was turning to the kid sitting next to them and whispering something about “Ryan is gone” and “it’s because of the ATTP test.”
This was going to be the highlight of the day’s gossip—and Naya was actually surprised and a little scared about how easy it had been.
Class came and went, and the hours went by seemingly without incident.
Naya still felt her nerves gnawing away at her, but apparently nobody cared about “pad girl” anymore. Barely a soul gave Naya a second glance—instead gathering in corners in the hallways and whispering about the presence of the military officers and the sinister implications of the ATTP test.
Naya smiled to herself each time she heard one of these breathless whispers.
A good plan, she thought to herself, and well-executed.
The Mage-Blood Test: A YA Paranormal Romance (Arumrose Academy Book 1) Page 5