Crucible Station by Julianne Q Johnson

Author:Julianne Q Johnson [Johnson, Julianne Q]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: k'12
Publisher: JQJ Books
Published: 2018-01-25T16:00:00+00:00

Eleven

There was a door at the end of the long corridor. When they reached it, Frankie grabbed her hand gently in his mouth. It startled her. She’d never been around a dog in her life. While he wasn’t hurting her with the light grip, for all she knew he was tasting her before the first big bite.

Instead of eating it, Frankie pulled her hand towards a red button on the wall and then released it.

“Blerf!”

“Shall I push the button then?”

“Brark!”

“All right. Here we go.”

Marj pushed the button, and the door swung open.

“Hey! Frankie’s got us another one!”

She entered a large room with tables and chairs. The room was filled with people, most of whom looked to be at least a bit older than she was herself, though few looked much over twenty. A girl with startling red hair had been the one to speak, and now the entire room burst into noise. Frankie danced among the young people, getting a pat here and a scratch there.

“Good boy, Frankie!”

“The new girl made it through pretty quickly.”

“Didn’t she only start about half an hour ago?”

“More like twenty minutes, if you ask me.”

“No one asked you.”

The redhead walked up to Marj and held out her hand. “Hello, newbie. I’m Thistle.”

Though a little taken aback by the informal greeting, Marj was too relieved to see a friendly face to make a big deal about it. She decided to answer in kind. Perhaps the people taking The Trials were less formal than she was used to.

“Hello. I’m Marjoram.” She shook the older girl’s hand.

“You were quite quick through the first two trials, and you look very young if you don’t mind my saying.”

“I don’t mind. I suppose I am young, at least in this group. I’m fourteen.”

“I’m twenty-one. I’ve been here for four years now. So if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

“You’ve been taking The Trials for four years?” It was a shocking thought. Marj had assumed she would take a few tests and either pass or fail.

“Oh, heavens no. You should finish The Trials within a couple of months at the longest. I passed ages ago…now I work on The Project. Doggy trial dumps you out in the mess hall is all. We all eat together. Don’t ask for information on The Trials though. We won’t help you cheat!”

“As if she needs to cheat!” A boy who looked perhaps a few years older than Marj walked up and held out his hand. “Finished the first two in twenty minutes. I’m Mouse.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mouse.”

Mouse had shaggy brown hair and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was very striking looking, and she had to remind herself not to be rude and stare.

“She might beat your trial record, Thistle.” Another older girl walked up and introduced herself. “Basil.”

“Nice to meet you, Basil. I’m Marjoram.”

More people were crowding around, but Thistle waved them off. “That’s enough for now, you reprobates. Let’s not crowd the newbie. Besides, it’s dinner time.”

On one wall of the dining room, a metal gate rolled up to reveal a twenty-meter countertop.

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