The Testing

Disappointed, Cia finds a place to privately sit during the post-graduation party. Zeen finds her and they discuss their shared disappointment. Zeen wants to do something bigger and see more of the world but leaving the colony without an invitation by Tosu City is illegal.

The next day, the colony’s magistrate sends a message asking Cia to meet at her home. She finds three other recent graduates there: “Gray-eyed, handsome Tomas Endress. Shy but sweet Malachi Rourke. Beautiful, artistic Zandri Hicks” (20). An official from Tosu City is also there—delayed a day by a mechanical problem with his vehicle—to tell them they’ve been chosen for Testing. They will leave early the next morning. Zandri asks what happens if they don’t want to go. The official, Michal Gallen, tells them refusing is a form of treason and treason is typically punished by death. They are all shocked. Michal explains these are old laws developed because “there were lawless factions that wished to tear apart the new government and tried to convince Testing candidates to rebel” (23). Michal tells them about the limited number of things candidates can bring with them to the Testing: “two changes of everyday clothing,” “two sets of undergarments,” “one set of nightclothes,” “two pairs of shoes,” and “two personal items,” that cannot include books or papers (23).

Cia returns home to her graduation party. The news that Cia has been chosen is bittersweet for her family. They are excited for her, but they know it means they will likely not see her again for more than brief visits. Those who pass the testing are sent where their skills are needed but almost never back to their initial colony.

Cia’s friend Daileen is happy for her but obviously very upset that Cia will be leaving. Four years ago, Cia stopped Daileen from committing suicide and continues to be her closest friend. Cia asks another friend, Lyane Maddows, to watch out for Daileen while she’s gone.

Cia’s father pulls her aside after the party and tells her she should never have been chosen for the Testing. He says that candidates’ memories are wiped when the testing is complete, but that he began having nightmares after he finished University. He remembers scenes: a friend “giving [him] a thumbs-up from across a white room with black desks. A large red-numbered clock counting down the time as my fingers manipulated three blue wires. A girl screaming” (30). The dreams evolved into a longer scene wherein Cia’s father and his two friends were injured and tired and searching for shelter in a destroyed city. There were predators. There was an explosion and Cia’s father finds his friends dead.

After he was sent to Five Lakes colony, Cia’s father was able to talk to other University graduates. Many of them also had nightmares that felt like memories. The head of the Five Lakes school denied having the nightmares, but Cia’s father knew she was lying. He says it’s not a coincidence that no Five Lakes students were chosen for The Testing while she oversaw the school, but there’s a new school leader this year. Cia’s father also tells her he’d denied Zeen credit for the potato so the Tosu City official wouldn’t question whether previous students should have been chosen. People who leave for Testing rarely return home or see their families again.

With her father’s words in mind, Cia packs practical clothing and durable shoes. For her two personal items, Cia selects a multi-tool pocketknife and a Transit Communicator that has a compass, calculator, and short-range communication system. The communicator belongs to Zeen, but Cia knows he won’t mind that she’s taken it.

Cia’s father tries to reassure her as they walk into town the next morning. He says it’s possible that the dreams are just dreams. He warns her to watch out for other candidates and tells her that several people were poisoned by other candidates during his time at University. Michal gives Cia two bracelets, one to wear on her wrist and one to attach to her bag. The bracelets are engraved with a lightning bolt in the center of a star. The star represents Cia’s testing group while the lightning bolt is Cia’s individual symbol. He tells her that the star group is for kids who show “aptitude in a lot of different areas,” and that it’s a good group (45). Zandri arrives late, which makes everyone nervous after the discussion of treason the day before. Right before Cia gets into the skimmer vehicle to begin the trip, her father hugs her and whispers to her to “trust no one” (45).

The skimmer floats up to 15 feet above the ground. The children are impressed by it. Cia sees that Malachi is in the triangle group. The group talks amongst themselves. Cia thinks Tomas is handsome and charming and has a crush on him. While Zandri and Malachi nap, Tomas and Cia move to the back to talk. Tomas is also in the star group; they both think the other is going to be the best in the group. Cia reflects on the new teacher they’d had that year—she had shown up with preconceived notions of Five Lakes as a colony full of stupid, backward people and talked to the students as though they were very young children. This changed after she gave them an easy assignment to write about how they’d spent their breaks: When students turned in papers detailing the complex infrastructural projects they’d worked on, the teacher started treating them like real candidates. Their poor reputation is likely because of Five Lakes’s small size and its lack of a Testing candidate for 10 years.

Cia realizes that there must be a camera in the room where she and Tomas are, because just as Tomas picks up a packet of crackers, Michal shouts back that they’re about to stop for lunch. They stop for lunch at a small building. Michal sees Cia noticing the cameras and smiles at her to silently acknowledge her observation.

After eating, Cia asks to go for a brief walk. Tomas joins her and tells her that she can trust him. Cia tells him about the cameras. When Tomas wonders why someone would be watching them, she says, “The Testing has already begun” (58).

Cia tells Tomas everything her father told her and Tomas says they should be cautious even if there is a chance that the dreams are not memories. Cia and Tomas decide to be partners. Once in the skimmer, Michal talks to Cia and she realizes he’s pleased with her so far. She sees that Zandri is in the square testing group and has a flower as her personal symbol. Cia asks the others questions about projects they’ve been working on so they will also have the opportunity to impress the watchers.

Tomas wakes Cia from a nap as Tosu City comes into view. The history is that Tosu City was created 99 years ago “as the first tangible sign that we as a people had survived the Seven Stages of War—the Four Stages of destruction that humans wrought on one another and then the following Three Stages in which the earth fought back” (61). While the rest of the colonies are smaller and more rural, Tosu City is a major metropolitan area. All the students are overwhelmed by the size and population density.

When Michal hands Cia her bag, he cautions her to always keep it with her. They enter the Testing facility and are shown to the dining hall where they are obviously a subject of great interest for the other students. Because no candidate from Five Lakes has been selected for Testing for a decade, there are more rumors than real knowledge about their colony. One of the other candidates trips Malachi as he walks by.

After they eat, they are given their room assignments. Cia’s roommate is a girl named Ryme who tells Cia they’d all thought the Five Lakes colony had died or failed. She offers Cia some corn cakes but Cia declines. Cia sleeps with her bag tucked next to her in bed. She takes it with her to the dining hall and meets the roommates of the other Five Lakes students.

They are told that The Testing consists of four parts. After two days of written exams, the first cuts will be made. Part two consists of “hands-on” exams that test the ability to practically apply knowledge. Part three consists of team examinations. Part four is said to “test your decision-making and leadership abilities” (75). Following this, each candidate meets with the selection committee. The students are called by testing groups. Each group has around 20 students, except for Cia and Tomas’s, which has 10. When they enter the testing room, Cia recognizes it as the room from her father’s nightmares: white walls, white floors, and black desks.