Project Alpha

Chapter 16

Gracie was right. Opal and Noura were waiting at the table closest to the window, pale morning light streaming against their backs as they picked at their food. Beyond the glass, surf churned against rock and gulls slid on the wind.

"Welcome to Meta," Opal raised a glass of chocolate milk as we approached the table.

"Hi guys," Noura's eyes skipped from Gracie to me, then shifted down to the scrambled eggs on her plate. Piercing an eggy yellow cloud, she took a bite.

Wow. Was that an actual acknowledgement? Pausing for a second, I placed my tray down and sat beside Opal. "Hi." Noura didn't look back up, but progress was progress. Maybe Opal had convinced her to fly her bitch-flag at half-mast for the day.

"Oh my goddess, I'm hungry." Gracie swiped her beach-blonde hair into a ponytail and flopped down beside Noura. In between bites of cereal, she swigged the remainder of her smoothie. "So ... are we gonna talk about whatever ... that was out there?"

"What's there to talk about? I start every day in a hallucinogenic future-egg followed by pointed questions and a surprise blood test." Opal's voice was dry as a wishbone left on a windowsill.

Gracie snorted. "Thank God you're here, Opes." Forehead crinkling, she paused for a second. "Oh crap. Do you think every day of Meta starts like this?" Leaning an elbow on the table, she sighed. "I really don't want to do that virtual maze again — it screwed with my head."

Huh? "What maze?"

Gracie's eyebrows scrunched together. "The one ... in the egg thing. You didn't have to do it?"

Rubbing my thumb against my index finger, I stumbled to find the right words to explain what I'd seen. "No. I had to focus on a virtual butterfly. Its wings lit up, kind of like a kaleidoscope on steroids, and it made music play in my head ... it's hard to explain."

"It was reverse-engineering your synesthesia," Noura caught my eye again. "I saw the same thing... I heard it, too."

My eyebrows jumped in response. "So, you're a syn?"

Noura nodded and took a small bite of oatmeal.

"I didn't see a maze or a butterfly," Opal shrugged. "The egg showed me pictures of collapsed shapes and I had to build them into 3D images before they disappeared. As I got them right, shapes started flying at me faster and faster." She twisted her napkin into a tight tourniquet. "It was kind of overwhelming, actually."

"No offence, guys, 'cause I love you and all, but I kind of wish I were still back home on summer vacation." Gracie sighed.

"I hear ya, Grace. But summer's over and there's no going back. At least we're all in this together." Raising her chocolate milk again, Opal lifted her chin. "I propose a toast. To the four of us, making it through Meta as a team." Hoisting a brow, she shot Noura a pointed look. "C'mon girls, are you with me? Let's kick some PACK ass."

Sunlight shot through our glasses as we clinked them together and a glimmer of confidence sparkled in my tummy, inspired by the glow of Opal's gap-toothed grin.

Overhead, a bell chimed three times and I blinked as fiery particles lit up the space behind my eyes. Across the table, Noura placed a hand at her temple.

"Good morning, everyone!" Dean Hawthorne's voice flooded the Great Hall and I turned to see her standing in the centre of the room, mike held confidently in-hand.

"Welcome to PACK assessments! I know we may have surprised you with our pre-entry appraisals this morning, but I've received preliminary feedback and everyone did very well." Shoulders thrown back, head held high, the dean beamed like a proud parent.

"Each component of PACK testing has been carefully crafted to stream students according to their greatest strength. Our assessments are based on ten years of intensive research preceding the opening of Mendel's campus, so I can assure you, you're in good hands!"

Not that we could do anything about it if we weren't in good hands though, huh dean? We're kind of stuck here either way. A tiny shiver ran down my back and I shifted in my seat to shake it off.

"Each one of you has more than one potential gift, but the question is: which one is dominant? We need to narrow down our choices, and the next few exercises will help us calibrate our approach."

Calling them 'exercises' made things sound deceptively simple, like we were taking a new unit in gym class instead of determining our supposed genetic gifts.

"Please use the next few minutes to finish your food. Attendants will visit your tables to swipe wristbands and share the next location you'll need to visit. Thank you for your cooperation, and enjoy the day ahead!" With a flash of her red soles, the dean left the Great Hall behind.

Hm. 'Enjoy' was a bit of a strong word, but I was curious to see what came next. Pushing my plate away, I felt my pulse skip as nerves swarmed my stomach like ants devouring a sugar cube.

"Wristbands, please." A handsome attendant wearing a Mendel-issued blazer nodded at us to lift our bands for him to swipe.

Gracie's wrist was first. "You're blue — please arrive at the field house in fifteen minutes." A small smile curled on her lips as she reacted to his instruction. She'd spent so much time training in freshman year, I was sure the space brought her some comfort.

"And you're orange. Please visit the conservatory on level two." Opal nodded and my brain rewound to the first time we'd met, when her fingers flew across the keys in the sunlit conservatory and she'd labelled me a syn.

The attendant passed his device over Noura's wrist. "Green. That's the sensory room on level one. Fifteen minutes, remember."

Hovering over my left wrist, the attendant cleared his throat. "This one reads gold. Please visit the lab building across from the field house."

Turning his back to us, he began swiping wristbands at the next table. Without saying a word, Opal stuck her hand palm-down in the centre of the table. Catching her eye, I reached out and placed my palm on top of her hand. Gracie's long fingers soon covered mine and, finally, Noura rested her dainty hand on top.

"A promise is a promise," Opal reminded us. "Remember, we're all in this together."

***

I wonder which gifts will determine the girl's' final stream selection. Where do you think they'll all net out?