The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky

Author:Katie Slivensky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-05-03T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

I sit in our dining hall, prodding at my sandwich. Everyone chats around me, but I can’t talk to them. No matter how I’ve tried to get in touch with Sasha, he still isn’t returning any of my messages. I hate what that’s made me start wondering.

But with our quarterly exams going on once again, I haven’t had tons of time to try and solve this mystery. No one has, which is rough. Our families are flying here today, and since we still haven’t figured out who’s behind the attacks, we’re all on edge worrying about their safety.

“Tomorrow you’ll have your second practical exam,” Dr. Schuber tells us from his seat at the end of the table. I set my sandwich down to listen. “After your families arrive, you’ll have some time with them before the test. The exam itself will begin at fourteen hundred hours.”

I glance at my droidlet. It’s half past twelve. Our practical is in twenty-five and a half hours, but more importantly, my family will have left the house by now. They’re already traveling.

They’re going to be fine, I tell myself. They’ve got loads of guards.

“Please prepare as you would for a real mission,” Dr. Schuber continues, setting his napkin on the table in a rumpled heap. “We will assess your performance throughout the day, and, unlike last time, you will be given a review.”

I look over at Lizzie. She nods reassuringly from across the table. But then Kreshkov smiles at me from the seat next to her, and I suck in a breath, quickly turning away.

“What happens if we fail?” Tomoki asks.

“Yeah,” Esteban chimes in. “Would you really flunk us out? Get replacements for us or something?”

Anna shoots the two boys a piercing glare before I manage to do so myself.

What are they thinking?! Way to fail at subtlety! I want to yell at them both, but they’re giving each other smug looks. They must’ve planned this ahead of time. Ugh.

Dr. Schuber considers the boys for a moment. Rahim barely contains a groan, rubbing his face with his hands. I try to watch Kreshkov’s reaction out of the corner of my eye, but his face reveals nothing.

“If you did poorly on this exam, we would assign you extra training time and take it out of your free time,” Dr. Schuber simply says. “We want you to succeed.”

I wonder if Dr. Schuber has me in mind when he’s thinking about someone needing extra training time. But I also wonder if he avoided the question about replacements on purpose. Has Esteban gotten any closer to figuring out if Dr. Schuber has been my secret messenger all along?

The professor scoots back from the table and stands up. “Best of luck today.” As his eyes make contact with mine they seem to linger for a moment.

“All right, let’s get you to your classroom.” Lizzie claps her hands together. “Calculus exam next!”

I hide a grimace as Anna walks out ahead of everyone else, giving me one last haughty look. There’s just way too much to worry about right now.

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