Level 5

• { 6 } •

I sat in a large couch in the corner of the lounge. I didn't trust anything in this room.

Lining the walls were game consoles of all kinds, and a bunch of old arcade games as well. In the opposite corner of the room where we had come in, there was a door. No one else seemed to be paying attention to it, but I couldn't help but wonder where it led. Whenever I turned my head, in the corner of my eye the door's appearance seemed to blur.

Most of the students had gone straight for the games, but I hadn't. While I do like video games, I wasn't too eager to play them right now. Especially since their owners had just threatened me into staying in this place against my will. I don't know how the other students could be so comfortable here after that.

They're teenagers. They can be comfortable anywhere. I thought.

I was bored of trying to analyse students, so I tried to make sense of my parent's weird behavior recently.

They had both been against me signing up for the Level 5 Program ever since I had first mentioned it. They had tried to get me to stop studying for the test on multiple occasions, like they didn't want me to pass. The very first time I had told them about it, they had acted like they already recognized the name of the Level 5 Program before I had even told them what it was about. As if they... already knew what it was.

I began to wonder; had my parents taken part in the Level 5 Program before? Were they so against it because they knew what would happen to me if I did so as well?

For the first time, I started to think that maybe signing up for this program had not been such a good idea. If they had been so against it... maybe I should be more nervous about it.

Suddenly the doors burst open. A young woman stood there. She was very tall, with her ebony black hair in an elegant braid. Her piercing golden eyes traveled across the room, looking each and every student. She gave off an aura that radiated confidence.

When her eyes found mine, I thought I saw confusion in them for one second before she turned away. I narrowed my eyes; what was that supposed to mean?

She cleared her throat. "My name is Professor Rosewood, I am a teacher at the special school you all auditioned for." Whispers started travelling across the room. I perked up in my seat. Just from the way she said it... I immediately got the sense that she would be the hardest teacher to impress at the school.

"I, along with a few of the other teachers, have finished marking your tests. And I have to admit that I am... disappointed. Only six of you managed to get a 95% or higher. So I'm afraid most of you treated this opportunity as a joke. You did not study, and you did not care." She signed and I could feel how frustrated she was.

"I will now read out your name and the mark you received-" Groans and sounds of protest went through the room. "Don't complain!" she shouted. "If you didn't want others to see your bad marks then you should have studied and gotten better ones! Now, let me see..."

She began to call out names. The first name belonged to a boy who had only scored a 37% on the test. Professor Rosewood really frowned down on him. She continued down the list. I got more and more anxious as she read out names. When would she call out mine? Was I one of the six students who made it into the program or not?

Finally she finished off with a girl who got a 94%. I felt for her, I really did. She had been so close. The girl herself, whose name the Professor said was Jade Everly, looked as if she wanted to kick herself. I looked to Professor Rosewood. She looked as if she was scanning Jade very intently, and after a few seconds, I saw sympathy flash in her eyes.

Professor Rosewood leaned towards one of the supervisors, who nodded at what she was saying. She signed and turned back to the students. "I suppose... we can make one exception. Come stand up here with me," she said. At these words Jade looked as if she would pass out. But she managed to walk towards Professor Rosewood and say, "Thank you so much. I will not disappoint you."

Professor Rosewood moved on. "Now I will call out the names of the six students who were able to meet our standards. First we have..."

The first four students she called were Alyssa West (who scored a 95%), Fred Rivera (who scored a 96%), Peter Jennings (who scored a 97%), and Marie Arden (who scored a 98%). I only recognized one of the people listed.

Professor Rosewood paused. "And now, for the top two students." I leaned forward in anticipation. She hadn't called my name yet. Had she just missed it, or could it be possible that... I was one of the top two scorers?

"The student who scored a 99% is... Ben Shaw. Come up to the stage please." Somehow I held back a groan. Why did he, of all people have to do so well? Ben walked up to the stage with a smug look on his face. I saw Professor Rosewood flash him a smile, but that very quickly turned into a frown. I wondered why.

"And finally," she said, "the student who placed first, with an amazing 100% is... Cassie Winters!"

Shock. It overwhelmed me.

Students started clapping and shouting. Somehow I was able to stand and walk up to the front of the room. I saw Ben and flash me a dark look, but somehow that empowered me to keep moving. Professor Rosewood smiled at the crowd as if this were all fun and games; this whole situation had started to remind me of a television game show. I went to stand at her side, still numb.

"Now," she said. "Every other applicant for the program, please leave. You did not make it and you no longer have access to be in this building."

Groans and sounds of protest came from students as they were forced out of the building by guards. Once the students were all herded out and the doors of the lounge were closed, Professor Rosewood turned to the seven lucky students accepted in the program.

"This way," she said. She began to walk in the opposite direction of where the students had just left, and walked towards the blurry door I had seen when I first entered.

"Are we going through that door?" I asked. I saw a few of the other students flash me crazy looks, as if they couldn't see anything. But that couldn't be right. There was a door, I could see it right in front of me.

Professor Rosewood also flashed me a surprised look, but then it turned to a look of pride. "Yes, we are," she said. Then she waved her hand.

Suddenly the other students gasped. I realized what had happened. Somehow, before Professor Rosewood had just revealed the door the others hadn't been able to see it. How had she...

A possibility was beginning to form in my mind. Something I had been dreaming about for years now. Could it be possible?

I hurried after Professor Rosewood, eager to find out.