First Meetings and Strange circumstances
Jared
"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" This is what the newspaper Jared was reading said, he found it odd. Most of the times an ad would be addressed to the adults, or parents, but never to children. Jared was Curious, and he decided that he wanted to go, but he would have to convince the orphanage director. He was an orphan, and like any orphan lived in an orphanage. Jared knew that he would have to convince the orphanage director, as he prepared to go into the Orphanage director's office, he tried to plan out what he would do, and finally he knocked on the door.
"Enter" The voice of the Orphanage director said.
"Um hello" Jared said, taking a seat in a chair.
"Ah Jared, you are here about the ad in the paper this morning?" The director said.
"Uh yeah how did you know?" Jared asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I saw the article as well, and I must admit I am quite curious as to what this is about, so yes, you may go there provided you tell me what it is about." The director replied.
"Alright, the test is tomorrow." Jared said.
"Then you had best go get some sleep."
And with that the conversation ended. The next morning arrived, the morning that Jared had the test. He, like a very large number of children, arrived to take the test. There was a strange lady in the front, she seemed to be the one who ran the tests, and he knew that she would be the one to grade them. She distributed the test, and for some strange reason, many of the kids who got them did not seem distressed at all. Then once Jared got the test he discovered why. There were a few basic questions that made sense to be there, a few geometry, some basic English, but then Jared reached the stranger questions. The first of these questions was, Do you watch TV? This made Jared pause, he watched the news, but even then he couldn't stand it. He rarely even was in the same room with a TV, he almost seemed to avoid them entirely. For that question he put No. the next question was equally strange, it said, Do you listen to the radio? Again Jared paused, he thought he listened to it, but at the same time he knew he didn't. For this question he also put no. There were many questions that were easy, and hard, but at the same time there were only 2 others that caught his attention, one of them asked Are you brave? Jared decided on that one that would put I sincerely hope I am. The other that caught his attention is a very strange chess move. A chess board, it had all pieces but one black pawn moved, and it asked if by the normal rules of chess was that move possible, after a second he put yes. After the test he heard a few people saying that move was impossible, which made him very distressed in the fact that he may cost himself the test. Finally the lady at the front finished grading the tests.
"Alright if you completed the test, you are to report to the monk building at no later than 1 o'clock." The lady said, "I will now read the names of the children admitted into the second phase. At the monk building you will join children from other sessions."
Just before she was about to read the names, the boy in front of Jared asked a question, he asked if there would be a pencil sharpener and the women said if one was needed, there would be one. The very strange thing however was that the boy asked this before anything else happened, before she even read the names. Then the room became quiet, and she read the names.
"Reynard Muldoon, Jared Mills." Jared was so happy, but he decided to hide it, "That is all, the rest of you are dismissed."
Several hours later, Jared was walking up the stairs to the monk building which it took him a long time to reach. The only other boy who was there was near him, and they were both walking silently into the building. There was a girl a bit of a ways ahead talking to a second girl, a girl who was tossing her pencil into the air, and just as Jared believed it wouldn't work out, and it didn't. She dropped her pencil into a storm grate, and somehow they knew that something would happen. By they he meant him and the other boy. They glanced at each other, and decided that they would be helping the girl. While the other boy talked to the girl, Jared examined the grate. There was a very small chance they would be able to get past it, but while he was doing this, the other boy came up with a better solution. While Jared was examining the grate, the other boy broke his pencil in half and handed half of it to girl.
"Thank you for trying to help me." The girl said, "I'm Rhonda."
"I'm Reynard Muldoon, but you can call me Reynie." The boy, now known as Reynie said.
"I'm Jared Mills." The Jared said.
"Well, Jared and Reynie, I'd like to thank you for helping me." Rhonda said.
"No problem, but really we should be getting inside." Reynie said, starting toward the entrance.
"No, I really want to thank you." She said, this time reaching for her pack.
"We have to get in." Jared said.
"I want to offer you the answers to the test." She said.
"No thanks." Both boys said at the same time, and they walked inside with a girl watching them, one who was very surprised they turned her down. Reynie sat in front, and then Jared sat behind him to make sure he wouldn't be tempted. After he finished the test (Which was the hardest test yet until he discovered it was a puzzle) He noticed the girl dropped her answers, and he saw Reynie kick them aside. Finally Reynie finished, only a few moments before time was up. After a while the test lady finished grading the tests. Finally she said the name of those who passed the test.
"If I call out your name, you have passed on to the third stage and are to see me after the test." The lady said, "Reynard Muldoon, Jared Mills, the rest of you are dismissed."
The two boys went up to the front.
"Alright, you two boys go wait in the room down the hall; I will come get you when it is time for the third stage, and tell you what to do." The women said, obediently the boys went down the hall only to find a third boy in the room. This third boy, was completely bald, and was wearing spectacles. He was dressed quite ordinary, and for some strange reason, he seemed to be polishing his glasses every five minutes. The boys sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes, and then Reynie turned to Jared and started a conversation.
"So, I'm Reynie." Reynie said, formally introducing himself to Jared and the other boy.
"Nice to meet you Reynie, I'm Jared." Jared replied, looking at the third boy.
"I'm Sticky." The third boy said.
"So are you here for the third test?" Reynie asked the other two.
Both of the other boys nodded
"I took the second test earlier this morning, at roughly 9, the test ended at 10. If I hadn't had an apple I may have starved." Sticky said.
"Did anyone else aside from you pass the test?" Reynie said.
"No, which was odd because…"Sticky started.
"Because someone tried to cheat?" Jared asked.
"Yes, how did you know?" Sticky asked.
"There was someone in our group who cheated." Reynie explained.
"Did she have…" Sticky started again.
"Long green hair and dropped her pencil down a sewer grate?" Jared asked.
"Yes, do you think she was a part of the test?" Sticky asked.
"Possibly." Reynie said.
Before any of them could say another word a girl came running into the room. This girl had blond hair tied into a pony tail, she was dressed in ordinary clothing, and she carried a bucket at her side.
"Why were you running?" Reynie asked.
"Because it was faster." The girl replied.
"What's with the bucket?" Sticky asked.
"I use it to carry items I think are handy." The girl replied, "I'm Kate."
The boys reintroduced themselves and began to talk to Kate, they talked for a while and learned that she had passed the test because she saved the test lady from the parents of those who had not passed, then after about 5 minutes, Kate revealed she was 12( and got the boys to reveal they were all 11) and started questioning Jared about the satchel he carried at his side.
"So what's the satchel for?" Kate asked.
"To carry around my books." Jared replied.
"Your what?" Stick said, suddenly taking an interest in the conversation.
"My books, here let me show you." Jared said, opening his Satchel.
Inside there were a surprising number of books for an average sized satchel. There were books on mathematics, a few books on code, a leather bound journal( which Jared refused to say what it was), and several novels and other books. Before any of them could say another word (Including Kate starting to say what was in here bucket) the test giver came back.
"Alright, you all are to report to room 7-b." The lady said, then she walked out.
The four of them walked out of the room, and went to the stairs. They walked up to the seventh floor, and started looking for 7-b. First there was 7-a, then 7-c, there was a door between 7-a and 7-c which the children assumed was 7-b. Suddenly a man was behind them.
"When I tell you to, you will walk into that room and follow the instructions, are you ready?" The man said.
"Wait, first I'm Kate, that's Reynie, Sticky, and Jared." Kate said, introducing herself, "Now then who are you?"
"You may call me Milligan." The man said, "Now then the first of you to go is… George."
"Didn't you hear me? Kate, Reynie, Sticky, Jared. There's no George." Kate argued.
"Actually my real name is George." Stick said.
Sticky went through the door, then after a while Milligan returned and said the name of the next person to go.
"The next one of you to go is Jared." Milligan said.
And then with that Jared stepped through the door into the unknown, not knowing what he would find on the other side of the door.