I find them at the end of the corridor and begin to climb. The building is large. The task of finding someone in this place is daunting. When I reach the second floor, I step out into the hallway and shine my light down the corridor. I could search floor by floor, and I will if I have to. But for now I follow my instincts, turn back to the stairs, and climb to the third floor. It was on this floor that Dr. Barnes spoke to us about each phase of The Testing and gave us each set of instructions. This level was also the location of our interviews. It was during mine that I learned Tomas was responsible for Zandri’s death, although Dr. Barnes refused to tell me how. When I step out of the stairwell into a dimly lit hallway, I am certain that Dr. Barnes is near.
Sliding the flashlight into my bag, I pull out my gun and walk toward the lecture hall. Blood pounds in my ears as I approach the large double doors that lead to the room where I began and ended my Testing. When I take hold of one of the door handles, I feel the same anxiety and fear I did when I entered this room for the first time months ago. Inside, the stage is dark. In the shadows I see the same podium Dr. Barnes spoke behind standing at the center. The tiered seats are empty, but if I close my eyes I can see the faces of those who died. If Dr. Barnes has his way, this room will soon be filled with more candidates ready to be tested. Knowing that steadies the gun in my hand as I turn and walk to the very end of the lecture hall toward the room where I was interviewed. I see a thin slice of light under the door.
I put my hand on the knob. In my mind I list the names of the candidates who walked through the doors of this building. Those names give me courage as I slowly turn the knob, push open the door, and step inside.
Seated at a black table near the back windowless wall with a pen in his hand is Dr. Barnes. I wrap both hands around the butt of the gun, plant my feet firmly on the floor, and prepare to fire as Dr. Barnes looks up from the table and smiles.
“Good evening, Cia,” he says. “We’ve been expecting you.”
Before I can wonder who “we” is, I hear a click and feel the cold metal of a gun barrel as it is pressed against my head. And I know I have failed.
Chapter 19
A HAND REACHES out and wrests the gun from my hand. Another person grabs the bag off my shoulder and laughs. I know that laugh. Turning, I see a sneer spread across Griffin’s face as he drops my bag to the ground.
“You might want to be careful with that.” Dr. Barnes rises from behind the table and crosses toward me. “Ms. Vale may have one or two more tricks up her sleeve.” He reaches out and takes my gun from a third-year Government Studies student I have never spoken to. “Thank you for your assistance. Now, if you don’t mind waiting outside, Ms. Vale and I have matters to discuss. You’ll both be rewarded once our conversation is complete.”
Annoyance flickers across Griffin’s face as he stalks toward the door. The other boy follows. When the door clicks shut, Dr. Barnes picks my bag off the floor, walks back to his chair, and places the bag on the table. “Please, have a seat. I know you haven’t gotten a lot of rest in recent weeks. You’ve been quite busy, Cia. So busy, in fact, I was concerned something might happen to you before you had a chance to meet me tonight. That would have been a shame, since there’s much to discuss.”
He motions for me to sit in the black chair that is situated across from him at the table. The smile Dr. Barnes wears is familiar. It is filled with warmth and concern and is designed to elicit trust. His expression turns puzzled when I do not take a seat. “You did come here to talk to me, didn’t you, Cia?”
“I came here to kill you.”
“Of course you did.” His smile widens as he sets my gun down on the table in front of him. “And I intend to let you. Of course,” he adds, “you will still have to deal with the individuals outside if you succeed. I apologize for that, but I couldn’t take the chance of you killing me before we had this conversation.”
“You’re going to let me kill you?” Confusion, nerves, and fear make me laugh, although nothing has ever seemed less funny.
Dr. Barnes leans back in his chair. “You don’t believe me, Cia?”
“No.”
Now he laughs. “I suppose I don’t blame you, although do you really think you’d be standing here right now if I didn’t intend for you to complete your agenda? You’ve come a long way since first stepping into this building, but there’s still much for you to learn.”
I think of the lock that was disengaged downstairs, the lack of dishes and clothes at Dr. Barnes’s house, the papers and files in plain sight in his study, the explosion that burned his house, and the ease with which I crossed campus despite all the fighting going on. Even the guard outside who had the chance to fire at me before I shot him. While the plan that I embarked on was well thought out, I could not have made it this far without some kind of help. Help Dr. Barnes is now claiming he provided. Why?