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Chapter 7
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"Rise and shine, girls!" Kara's voice echoes around the room as she flipped on the lights, "You two are usually up by now, what's up with that?"
Bea groaned and I heard her feet lightly hit the ground as I twisted to get up, my foot catching in the covers at the last moment. A sharp intake of breath and a thump were heard in the next few seconds as I fell to the floor in a tangled mess.
"Ugh," the laughter of the two others in the room drowned out my groans until Kara managed to ask if I was alright, "I'm fine. Didn't even hurt."
"Well then, get ready and get some breakfast you two." Kara paused in the doorway for a second, "Remember, you have that test from Mr. Ruvie today."
Right, that. I still wasn't too sure how exactly I felt about this test, and it seemed Bea didn't either by the look on her face.
"Kay, are you going to hold back on this test?" Bea faltered a little bit, "I know you held back on the normal school aptitude tests so you wouldn't skip anymore grades. I did too."
"No, I'm not," I slipped on my sneakers and shoved my DS into my jacket pocket, "I'm going to try my best, and you should too."
"What if one of us doesn't pass?"
I paused with my hand on the door knob, "Personally, if both of us don't go, then I'm not going."
A relieved smile flickered across her face, "Yeah, alright, same here."
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They had moved things around in the dining room after breakfast so we could be seated without being too close to cheat off of someone, which was probably a good thing considering some of the kids here. That man, Roger Ruvie, was standing at the head of the room along with the caretakers, ready to get this over with.
It was ironic really. The way Roger Ruvie acted showed that he didn't really like kids, which is odd for someone in charge of an orphanage. Though I suppose it didn't really matter as long as he did a good job.
"Alright children," his accented voice bounced around the room, "There are two parts to this test. The first you will have forty minutes to finish followed by a ten minute break.
"Then," he continued, adjusting his tie as he did, "you will have two hours to finish the second part."
So, we'd be out of here around eleven fifty, just in time for lunch. That was probably why they'd given us a slightly bigger breakfast this morning. My eyes flitted up to look at Gabe as he placed my test down in front of me, a small encouraging smile on his face.
"Good luck, kid," he muttered as he moved on, "do your best."
After they were all passed out, Roger called out for us to start and I flipped open the cover of the booklet. Once I breezed through the first few questions and read the next one, I rolled my eyes. I'd thought it was an IQ test by the first question, but now it was obvious.
I quirked an eyebrow at the questions in this test; there were a lot of question pertaining to finishing patterns and sequences, 'So, he's testing our IQs then?'
By the time I finished the IQ test – because I have no doubt that's what it was – I'd only taken about twenty-five of the forty minutes.
Other kids were still working, grumbling as they did. Bea was on a table across the room and finished not too long after me. At the front of the room Mr. Ruvie was standing with the caretakers, though instead of chatting quietly like them he was gazing around the room. His eyes lingered on the finished Bea for a moment before turning to me.
Our eyes met in a clash of blue and grey. He held my eyes for a few seconds before moving on, leaving me to continue sitting in silence.
Time inched by and soon enough our tests were switched among the groans and mumbles of the other kids. This time the test appeared to be more like the placement tests Bea and I had taken to determine the proper grade for us.
'Some of these are harder than I expected,' in one hand I twirled my pencil, in the other I curled hair around my fingers, 'these are pretty confusing.'
The first problem was some strange analogous mix of word problems, riddles, and math. For all intents and purposes it was the worst kind of problem, especially for those like me that dislike math. My eyes wandered over to Mr. Ruvie before looking back down.
I'd try my best, no holding back.
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"Did you see Danny start crying, Kay?" Bea stretched her arms over her head as we made our way to a willow tree out in the yard, "He got so stressed out he just burst into tears."
My lips twitched up slightly, "I didn't think it was that hard."
Bea sniggered, "Yeah, well, he's not exactly as smart as you. Or me, really."
"True enough," my hands weaved into the grass once we sat down under the willow, the glossy strands still warm from the sun.
That test Rodger had given us was much harder than I expected it to be, so much so that I had to wonder what kind kids were in that orphanage he ran. Mister Jones had said it was for the gifted, and with a test like that I could believe that. The anticipation I felt waiting for the results was the most anticipation I'd felt since the Wara Ningyo case.
I rolled my shoulders and my head lolled to the side to look at Bea who looked somewhat twitchy; unable to hold in her own worry and anticipation regarding the test. Thinking about her worrying made me worry – if she didn't make it, then I wouldn't go. I'd made that decision and I'd stick to it; I wasn't going to lose my closest friend as she was practically family.
But what would I be missing if that did happen.
Would I have a better chance at finding things to intrigue me at Roger's orphanage? Why was it even so important for kids to be smart to get in there in the first place?
The nerves all around my body started itching and twitching and I kept weaving and unweaving my fingers in the grass; I needed to move.
"Bea," her short blond hair glistened as she turned to look at me, "What do you say we make one more kitchen run? It could very well be our last."
Bea's responding grin was almost blinding, "Sure!" She paused for a moment, "…Hey, why don't we start from somewhere new? More challenging that way, yeah?"
The smile I sent her was probably the biggest I'd given anyone since I met Watari, "Start in the commons and end in the hallway where Kate's room is?"
"Kate'll skewer us if she sees…let' do it!"
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On the way to the commons we passed Roger Ruvie who sent an inquiring look as he sipped on a cup of steaming tea; though he didn't do much aside from that luckily enough. Our only roadblock was Gabe who was watching some sort of news program in the commons. Unlike Mr. Ruvie, Gabe stared us down as we meandered around the room.
"So," he drawled as he stood to face us, "What are you brats planning?"
Bea blinked up at him with her best doe eyes, "What makes you ask that, Gabe?"
He scoffed and ruffled her hair, his eyes zeroing in on me. Gabe's voice was laced with amusement, "Because I just know you two are up to something. One of your famous kitchen heists, possibly?"
Before we could really attempt to say anything, Gabe laughed.
"I'm not going to stop you," even his eyes were smiling, though they gained a somewhat sad quality to them, "Use the vents to your hearts' content. I have a feeling this'll be your last go at 'em."
Bea and I shared a look before moving to hug the now somewhat surprised man and he pulled us tight before letting us go and ruffling our hair. From the time we helped each other into the vent and stuck the cover back on, he watched us with a smirk before leaving with a wave. I sucked in a deep breath –
"Let's get a little something extra for Gabe."
After she agreed I focused on the task at hand and closed my eyes. I brought up the old blueprints of the building and the picture twirled in my head until it focused on the common room; a minute later and I knew just what path to take to get to the kitchen and then to the desired hallway.
Three minutes of vent shuffling later and we dropped into the currently vacant kitchen. Bea covered the door by jiggling a bobby pin into place so the door would be jammed and we stole around the kitchen. We shoved oranges in our backpack for me, a bag of cookies for Gabe, and a bag of caramel candies for Bea.
"C'mon,"I motioned for her to hand me the bag after she unstuck the bobby pin before making room in the vent for her, "I know just where to go."
We had to backtrack when we were halfway out of the vents to avoid Kara, but in the end our adventures ended on a good note. Even if Bea had to use a bobby pin to pick the lock on Gabe's door and then relock it after we left him the cookies.
Soon after we were back under our tree; Bea chewing on caramels and me picking apart my orange. Kids were still running around and the grass was still warm, the only different thing about the scene was the feeling that it was all about to change.
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Dinner was much quieter than it normally is and the subdued atmosphere didn't suit the kids here, not by a long shot. Perhaps it was because it had been such a tiring day; there was an early morning and two tests, much more than anyone was used to. Even the adult seemed more melancholy than usual, including Gabe and Kate.
"Kay," Bea's voice was soft, "doesn't this give off the feeling of loss? Like that one time when the older girl that the kids really like got adopted?"
I pursed my lips and looked around, "Kind of, yes. Perhaps some of us really are leaving with Roger nd they know who."
When Gabe called for us to stay after dinner shortly after Bea and I's conversation, I had a feeling we were right. The fact that Roger was waiting with him basically confirmed that, along with the fact that we were left alone with the man.
"I must congratulate the two of you," Roger adjusted his tie, "Both of you passed the tests and have earned places at Wammy's over in England."
Bea smiled lightly, proud that she'd passed. My own face remained somewhat impassive as I looked up at him; I'd expected to pass, it was no surprise.
"I suppose we'll be leaving soon?" I questioned lightly.
Roger nodded and turned away from us, "We leave at noon tomorrow. Pack everything that you have, and do come up with new names."
Bea jerked forward, "What? Why?"
"Your real names must remain hidden," Roger turned his head toward us, "you'll be safer that way. More will be explained to you when we leave."
Roger left and we did as well soon after. The walk to our room was silent, both of us most likely considering what Roger had just told us. With some mirth I realized I didn't even know Bea's real, full name just as she didn't know mine; no one did except maybe the caretakers.
I finally spoke once the door to our room clicked shut, "Cadence Farraday."
Bea looked at me with wide eyes, "What? Is that your name?"
"Yeah," I shuffled over to lay down on my bed, "if we have to keep it hidden when we leave, why not have one person that we completely trust know?"
She made a noise of understanding and agreement, "Beatrice McKinley."
I lifted myself up onto my elbows, "Nice to meet you, Beatrice."
Bea grinned, "Nice to meet you, Cadence."
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