QUALIFY: The Atlantis Grail (Book One)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (draft)

“Yeah, there’s no way this girl did anything wrong!” Behind me Dawn pushes forward to stand at my side. And Hasmik is right behind her.

One of the Correctors pauses suddenly and turns to look at us. “This Candidate was found to be in possession of one of the components missing from the shuttles,” he says in a chill and composed voice. “She is being detained until we can further determine the extent of her involvement.”

“Detained where?” Dorm Leader Gina Curtis says, stepping forward to stand next to us. She has a stern intense expression, and I’d hate to be the one who goes up against her.

“The correctional facility space is in Building Fifteen.” The Corrector never blinks as he replies to Gina. “All inquiries may be placed there tomorrow morning after 8:00 AM.”

“But that’s ridiculous!” Other protesting voices rise in the lounge as teens crowd in closer.

“Please do not interfere,” the Corrector says. “Unless you would like to be detained also. Any further interference with this process now will result in your Disqualification.”

We pretty much fall silent at this. Everyone, all at once. So much for solidarity in the face of personal survival. . . .

The Corrector turns away, followed by the second one, and Laronda makes a sobbing noise as she is led outside.

I stand watching her being taken away, stunned with disbelief, and my emotions are in crazy horrible turmoil.

One of the Dorm Leaders blows the whistle. “All right, everyone, back upstairs to bed! We’ll deal with this tomorrow, now, curfew and lights out!”

* * *

I am not sure whether I get any sleep that night, because although I am exhausted, I lie in the darkness of the dormitory, wide-awake for hours, and filled with awful sickening adrenaline rushing through my system. I listen to my own pulse, to the small sleeping noises and bed creaks around me. And the unnerving silence of Laronda’s empty cot is there, right next to me.

“I am so sorry . . .” Hasmik mumbles in the dark several times on my other side, and I whisper back, “It’s okay . . . everything will be okay . . . somehow.”

I don’t know whom that’s supposed to convince or fool. Not me.

I finally fall into some kind of half-frenzied slumber with nightmares about falling shuttles and levitating pieces of orichalcum and lord knows what other evil junk.

When the 7:00 AM claxons alarms peal, I am pulled out of a B-movie level nightmare.

Everyone’s coming awake, and the usual lazy groans are subdued this morning, as we still ponder the events of the previous night. Frightened gossip moves in whispers and waves around the dormitory hall.

“She’s going to be Disqualified, of course,” a girl says, as she collects her clothes and toothbrush and heads to the bathroom. “But what else? Will they put her in jail or harm her?”

“What if they execute people?” another girl squeaks in terror. “Do Atlanteans have capital punishment?”

The sound of that starts another wave of cold fear in my gut. There’s got to be something that can be done to help Laronda!

Okay, I decide, as soon as I am dressed, I will go to that jail building where they’re holding her and see if I can talk sense to someone. Maybe I can find Aeson Kass! I can make him listen at least! He has to be there, right?

As I think this, and get showered and dressed, I see Claudia Grito giving me a snide look as she passes by me on her way downstairs.

Okay, did that bitch have anything to do with whatever happened to Laronda? The thought passes through me like a lightning bolt.