Elevators and Other Fears of Mine

Chapter 4

"And who can tell me what the procedures of..."
Where was Marie?
I slowly raised my hand.
"Rose! What a surprise!" Mrs Jackson is being sarcastic. She has it out for me, I knows she does. It's sarcastic comments like these that make we wonder what I ever did to her.
"Where's Marie?" My quiet voice echoes over the even quieter room. Nobody is even scuffling or clearing their throat.
Mrs Jackson looks surprised. "Oh, she's getting extra tests, Rose. Marie is very smart, so..."
She has this look on her face and I can tell she's lying. Or maybe it's true, she is getting tests, but Miss can't tell me what the tests are. My brain decides to select this thought as the truth, although there's still that little niggle at the back of my mind telling me not to believe her.
I choose to ignore it.
Usually Marie comes top of the class in our weekly tests, but this time I'm top.
Marie is never going to know you scored highest
Don't be silly! She'll be back next week!
As the guards escort our class back to the dorms, I keep an eye out for the Camera Room. We pass it every week, and more often than not the door is open. The cameras always show a place with green grass and blue skies. I have never once seen it rain there.
In my ten second glance I see there are lots of people gathered around one screen. They are shouting directions at each other and all I see on the screens is a large wall.
When they shut (and lock) my dorm door I lie in my bed and don't sleep. I can't even pace around the room because it is tiny, just enough room for a bed and chest of drawers.
I kept thinking about Marie. Where was she? What were these 'tests'? Would I be getting tests?