Chapter five Initiation Test
On the second night of school when everyone was tucked in and believed to be sleeping, Devil was awakened. Sylvia stood by her top bunk gently tapping her "Wake up!" she whispered in an agitated voice. Devil's heart began to race. What was wrong? Why was Sylvia so anxious? The panic must have been written on her face because Sylvia calmed down and whispered "Relax, nothing's wrong just get up." Devil tried her best to calm down, and slid out of bed in her nightgown. Sylvia looked at the nightgown and shook her head.
"Do you have anything else to ware, something dark?" Devil shook her head, confused. Sylvia turned and went to her bag. After looking around in it she brought out a pair of black jeans and a dark green shirt. Sylvia shoved them at her and motioned for her to hurry up. As quickly as she could she dressed. Before she could protest that she only had socks on Sylvia scooted her out the door.
In pitch black darkness they headed for the boy-girl lounge. In a semi-circle on the floor was the rest of Devils homeroom class. Lindsey was sitting so close to Kent Devil wasn't sure if he got any oxygen at all. "Bought time you two got here." Dana said pouting, she was sitting between Nico and Kent and couldn't seem to make up witch one she wanted to steal oxygen from. Aquilo sat next to Nico and beside Aquilo sat Brenda then Keith. Only Tue wasn't there. Ethan waved at her a huge grin on his face, even in the middle of the night her was happy. It made Devil relax a bit. If the nurses came in she wouldn't have to hide quickly, simply quicker than Keith. After all his hair was the brightest.
Devil and Sylvia went and sat by him. What was going on, everyone seemed to know but her. Suddenly Tue walked through the door and nodded to us. "Listen up friends, and Devil." Now what did I do to deserve that? Devil thought "Tonight is the night you are either denied or accepted. This my classmates is the… initiation test. You and your partner, the person that you share a table with, will silently collect clues. These clues will ultimately lead you to our graduation year's special sign. After you leave the Ranger School this sign will tell everyone you meat who you graduated with." She has got to be reading this off her arm Devil mused to herself. "We are going to start with the first table- Devil and Keith!"
Devil and Keith looked at each other. Devil wondered whether or not they would let her drop out. "And by the way Devil, if you decide not to do it you and Keith will be outcasts, untouchables." Was she that easy to read? "Don't worry Devil this will be a piece of cake!" I'm doomed! Devil's shoulders sagged. Some chuckles came from the circle. Tue held out a small piece of paper. A little too enthusiastically he grabbed the paper, and dragged Devil out. When outside the door Keith pulled out a suspiciously handy flashlight the note red:
It's the beginning of the race so keep a steady pace
If you go to quick you could miss the hint!
In a smelly place your next hit lay in wait.
"What on earth does that mean! It doesn't even rhyme!" Keith practically screamed. Devil shushed him. "Sorry!" he said looking like a whipped puppy. "What could Tue mean though this makes no sense!" Well, Devil thought what was the smelliest place in a school. Devil wrinkled her nose "What?" Keith said. "The boy's bathroom" Devil said with disgust. She remembered helping Miss. Hilda cleaning that room, even scrubbing it with bleach couldn't make the smell go away. "Our bathroom dose not stink!" Keith said stubbornly. Males, Devil thought flabbergasted are all immune to their own scents. "Well we might as well check it out, but I don't think that it will be there."
They made their way towards the boy's dormitory. Without warning Keith grunted loudly. Using his flashlight they found out that he had whacked his leg on a big box. "How on earth did Tue.." Devil mumbled. "are you ok?" Keith rubbed his shin and nodded. He limped all the way to the boy's room. The boy's room was similar to the girls- cream carpet, white walls, and bunk beds. However the boy's had put up some video game and movie posters. The bathroom was in the far right corner of the room.
Inside of the bathroom was quite different than the girl's bright pink tile. The walls were painted Pidgy egg blue, and the floor was white tile. In Devil's opinion it was better than the girls except for the smell that seemed to have embedded in the room. Keith sniffed and shook his head "let's start looking." They searched the entire bathroom, and couldn't find anything. "Told you it wouldn't be here." Keith said. Devil shook her head, she had been everywhere in and outside the school and there was no place smellier than the guy's bathroom. Then again it was Tue who had hidden the hints, and what would be smelly to Tue? A thought hit her, even though she highly doubted it was there.
"Stay here and keep looking." Devil said as she walked out. He heard Keith mumble something in protest but she was already too far away to hear. After walking all the way around the dividing wall Devil arrived at the girl's dormitory. Suddenly anxious Devil hurried into the girl's bathroom. It did have an odd baby powder scent to it. Low and behold there was a note taped on the garbage can. Devil quickly took it off and hurried back to Keith.
Apparently while she was gone Keith decided it could have been behind the huge mirror above the sinks, and was currently lying flat on his back. Devil smirked she could play what had happened in her mind….
Keith suspiciously eyes the mirror "what if she hid it behind there to through me off!" he puts his fists on his waist "Challenge accepted." He says loudly to no one. He climbed on the large sink, but couldn't see over the mirror. Clumsily, he tried to pull it off the wall. In a desperate struggle to pull it off his foot went of the counter and the rest of his body with it.
Keith groaned. Devil helped him up. "You ok?" she asked smoothly. "Yea, did you find the next clue?" Devil nodded, but realized his eyes were closed and said yes. Opening the paper she read,
so you found the next clue, good for you
Unfortunately the next won't be as easy.
So careful, careful as you go
The next clue is where the wind blows.
"That makes no sense at all!" Keith groaned. Devil only looked at him and thought Could he really be this dumb? Yea, probably her conscience answered. "Uh, Keith this one is easy, in the school the wind blows through the bell tower." His eyes snapped open "Devil I just thought of something! Doesn't the wind blow through the bell tower?" "I-I just said that!" didn't I? "Really? Than you must have mumbled cause I did not hear you."
They left that bathroom and headed to the stairs. The stairs to the tower were hidden in the farthest corner of the school. As they climbed the stairs (still looking for rouge boxes) Keith constantly complained the spiraling stairs were moving downward. Devil did what she did best, kept silent. Along the walls of the stair way were etched in names- Mary, Joseph, Thomas, George, Carrie, and many more. At last they made it to the top. In front of them was a wooden door. Keith jiggled the door knob- locked. Keith freaked, and started banging on the door. Shocked Devil tried to stop him "Stop, you're making a racket!" Devil snapped. Keith turned on her, his face a mask of unhappiness "You just don't get it do you? Do you know what happens if we don't get those class symbols? We become outcast, untouchables for the rest of our lives!" No wonder it's so important to him, without this he won't be able to realize his dream. "And if we get caught?" He stopped.
"Now, I am going to do this for you, but you gatta swear you won't tell a soul." "I swear." He said immediately. "Ok, give me your shoelace." Confused he took of his shoe lace. Using the aglet Devil picked the lock. "You know how to pick a lock with a shoe lace?" Keith asked flabbergasted. Devil couldn't help but look smug. They walked into the bell tower. A cold breeze came in and Devil shivered. Keith and Devil split up and looked around the tower. "I found it!" Keith shouted, and was quickly hushed by Devil. They both looked at the next clue,
One more to go,
But don't fret this is the easiest one yet,
After all it's in the same place
"Well, that's not very, helpful." Keith said unhappily. "Well, Tue did write these." Keith looked shocked "Devil that was mean!" Devil felt self-conscience and sad she hadn't meant to be mean! Keith laughed "just kidding that's actually true." Devil was still upset, as they split up to look again, and after half an hour they grouped together again. "We have searched every inch of this place it is not hear!" he's right there is something tricky about this one Devil's conscience said. Keith walked around the bell. "Wait," Keith said "what if she meant 'the same place' as in the same place, but under it. I mean, isn't there a closet in the back of where the stair begin?" Devil nodded. "Come on then!" She hurried after him.
The closet was naturally locked. After unlocking it they went in. Lying on the floor was a small wooden box. Inside were two necklaces and a note, the note read,
Congrats you are now officially part of the class!
The two necklaces had both Keith and Devil's name on them written in metal letters. In the middle was a diamond shaped stone. It was almost comical Devil's name was put on the necklace in silver letters De- then the stone –vil. Keith's was no better his written in bronze Kei- stone –th. Devil picked it up and put it on her neck. The silver chain was short enough to be a loose choker. Devil had never had a necklace before… it kind of itched. Knowing they had wasted enough time they headed back to the room.
Every-one in the circle already had their necklaces, each of them a different color. As they walked in everyone clapped without making a sound. "Good-night" every-one said to one another, then they headed to bed.