by Tina Chan
“What would you like to buy?” The bakery girl shifted her weight from her right foot to her left foot.
“I would like a loaf of carrot bread,” Troop said. He was pretty sure “carrot bread” was this week’s password. Or maybe it was chestnut muffins? Oh well, I’ll find out soon enough.
“Hold on a second.” The girl left her position and hollered into the kitchen, “Mr. Vikens, someone needs you.”
So he had remembered the correct password. Mr. Vikens, the tutor provided by the Company, emerged from the kitchen wearing a flour-dusted apron.
“Thank you, Layla. I’ll take it from here,” Mr. Vikens said to the girl. “Troop, meet me in the cellar. I’ll be down there in a few minutes.”
He nodded and headed downstairs. The bakery cellar was located directly beneath the kitchen. The carpeted stairs muffled Troop’s already quiet footsteps to a dead silence; the overhanging lights cast a welcoming glow when he flicked them on.
Troop dropped his bag on the couch and surveyed the cellar; for an unknown reason, something felt off about the room. The tall, magnolia bookshelves were still in the same position, books neatly organized on them by alphabetical order. The smart-glass desk with two wheelie chairs were still as they were from last time. Yet Troop couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was out of place…
Scanning the room once more, he finally spotted the culprit. Someone had left open a hardcover book on a black wheelie chair. Troop flipped the book over, reading the text on the opened page.
“No one ever told her it was impossible.
So she did it.”
“The 1000 Quotes. That’s a good book,” said Mr. Vikens in his deep voice.
“Sorry.” Troop fumbled, dropping the book onto the desk. “I didn’t mean to pry. Were you reading it?”
“No. Layla must have been, though.”
“She knows about your cache of books?”
“Don’t worry, she’s trustworthy. She works part time for the Company,” said Mr. Vikens.
“I see.”
“Your mom landed her the job with the Company.” Vikens clapped his hands together. “Alright, ready to begin today’s lesson?”
“Yeah.” Troop seated himself and waited for Vikens to introduce today’s topic.
“Good. We’ll be covering the Civil War II. First, tell me what you already know of it then we’ll move on from there.”
“Well, it was a war fought between the East and the West Region. The East wanted to make it a requirement for all citizens to be Perfected. However, the West felt that undergoing the procedure should be left up to free will.” He picked at his brain, but that was all he could come up with.
Vikens grunted. “It’s a start. Not a phenomenal one, but a start nevertheless.”
Troop bit the inside of his cheeks. It was next-to-impossible to impress Vikens.
Vikens handed him a list titled “50 Civil War II Facts and Key points” then said, “I’ll give you three minutes to memorize this, starting…now.”
Troop skimmed the list, starting from the top:
1)Started in 2075
2)Ended in 2078
3)Porter Salders led the East Army
4)Joseph Smilton led the West Army
His eyes sped over the words, devouring them like an inferno devouring a haystack. He soon reached the bottom of the list:
47) The Battle of Fox Crossing was the turning point of the Civil War II
48) Joseph Smilton was kidnapped by the East Region on July 5, 2078
49) However, the West Region Army was winning the majority of the battles
50) A compromise was formed between the two sides: Smilton would be released unharmed but the Government would make a law requiring all planned infants to be Perfected
“Time’s up.” Vikens plucked the list out of Troop’s hand. “Start reciting.”
“Do they need to be in order?”
“Ideally, yes, but it’s okay if they’re not.”
Troop closed his eyes and started listing the facts out loud; he always found it easier to recite with his eyes closed. After listing forty-eight facts, his mind drew a blank. “Uh…”
Vikens tapped his pen to a staccato beat on the glass desk.
“That’s all I can remember,” Troop said.
A look of disappointment crossed Mr. Vikens face. “That’s not good enough.”
“Forty-eight out of fifty isn’t terrible,” Troop said before he could stop himself.
“No, it’s not,” Vikens agreed. “But it’s still not good enough. You need to be a perfect Perfect—unless you want what happened at your last school to happen again.”
Troop lowered his eyes, afraid he might’ve been too forward with his earlier words. “Yes, sir. Give me another chance. I won’t let you down.”
Vikens pulled out another piece of paper from his folder and passed it to him. “Let’s try again. Fifty Facts about the Formation of the New Countries. Time starts now.”
“The hack was a success,” said Jack. “I changed Tompkins’ grades as you requested. I only boosted them a few points though—didn’t want to make it look suspicious.”
“Nice work,” Troop praised.
“I also raised a few other members’ grades a point here and there.”
“Did you try to raise mine as well?”
Jack paused, not sure if Troop was asking him a trick question or not. Troop had made it clear to everyone not to delve into his private information.
“No,” said Jack after a second’s hesitation. “I didn’t try to change your grades. I could if you want me to. Just give me the word and I will.”
He brushed Jack’s offer away. “No need. My grades are fine the way they are.”
“Troop! A word with you,” Bruno called across the school courtyard.
“Later,” said Troop to Jack.
Bruno waited for him beneath the shade of an elm tree. The shadows cast by the branches upon Bruno’s face gave him a twisted, sinister look.
“What do you want?” Troop asked.
“You moved here a few years ago.”
“I thought you already knew that.”
“Why?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Your profile’s blocked,” said Bruno.
“What are you talking about?”
Bruno continued on as if he hadn’t heard him. “I couldn’t access your school records even after Jack disabled the network security system. I could access everyone’s records but yours.”
Troop grew stone cold. “And why, Bruno, were you trying to get into my records?” His voice could’ve froze boiling water on the spot. “You know better than that.”
“I was curious. I wanted to know why all your information is classified—ID number, past school records, your address—”
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
Bruno gave Troop a suspicious squint. “There’s something going on here. I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m going to find out if it’s the last thing I do.”
“I simply prefer not to share my personal information with the world,” said Troop.
“You’re hiding something.”
“I’m hiding something? What would I want to hide? You’re being ridiculous.”
“Maybe.” Bruno shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “But remember this: one misstep and I’ll be waiting to take your place at Ludus.”
“I don’t make mistakes,” said Troop. I’m perfect.
“We’ll see about that.”
“If you’re making a threat, Bruno, you may very well end up being the next target of VicDay.”
The corners of Bruno’s mouth lifted slightly. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure. It wouldn’t be wise to target the heir of Ludus High—no matter how popular you are.”
“Was that a threat?”
Bruno shook his head. “No. Merely a warning. Consider yourself warned.”
Troop locked his glare onto Bruno’s icy
blue eyes. Bruno held his gaze, but eventually lowered it. The first bell rang and the two boys went their separate ways.
Troop remained composed and in control on the outside, but on the inside he was shaking. No one could find out the truth about him.
chapter seventeen
[ Kristi ]