The Fringe

Chapter 6

The end of the two weeks was fast approaching and I had managed to finish four of my mother's journals when I wasn't at training or studying with Ben for any possible outcome of what our final test might be when the training was over.

                Each journal was more detailed than the last. Mom wrote about a refugee camp that was set up just outside the fence for anyone who was looking for safety inside the city before the fence was completely closed off to anyone outside. I had learned it took them just over a year to build the fence around the city entirely. Which apparently meant the loss of many lives in the process.

                The camp was set up by the military and was open to anyone who needed it. That's where they found Markus. My father had thought Markus was still on the east coast but he was sent back home to help out with the disaster and they finally reunited and Markus did everything he could to help us out. Until the camp was moved when the fence was finished.

                I know I needed to talk to Markus about these journals, to ask him questions to find out what really happened all those years ago, but I couldn't bring myself to talk to him. I didn't know where he stayed, which us finding out where our mentors lived was prohibited anyway, but there was really no way for me to get him aside privately and talk to him about it. Ben was always with us, or another mentor. I couldn't trust anybody else other than Markus, and the separation that lies between us was beginning to grow bigger and bigger as each day passed and I finished another journal.

                While reading another, I was distracted by knocking on my door so I quickly hid the journal in the couch cushion and opened the door to see Ben standing outside. I furrowed my brow and he just shrugged.

                "Emergency meeting in the conference hall. Markus told me to extend the word." He told me.

                I nodded. "Let me get my shoes on." I said and left the door open for Ben to walk in and wait. I sat at the table in the nook and slipped on my shoes and quickly tied them. "Did he say what it was for? Is everything okay?"

                Ben shrugged again. "He just said we'd find out in the meeting and that we needed to hurry." I nodded then shot up, grabbing my ID and card from the counter and we both walked out of the apartment.

                We were the first ones to arrive in the room and we took our seats and Markus arrived shortly after. He looked at us then peeked out of the room before approaching us quickly. "What we're about to discuss, you aren't going to like. I suggest you react as everyone else does and pretend you didn't have suspicions all along. If you are going to have any shot at learning the truth, you need to play dumb." He said then walked back to the front just in time for Jury and Destin to walk in with the others not far behind.

                The others took their seats and Jury leaned against the desk at the front and let out a sigh. "We have received word that somebody here has been chipped." Everyone gasped and I furrowed my brows. Markus shot me a look and I dropped my jaw, but I could tell it looked fake because I heard Ben groan. "There is no word on who or why yet, but believe me we will get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, everyone is on lockdown."

                I shot a look at Ben and he shook his head and we looked back at Jury. This was serious news and it made sense that Markus expressed his concern and wanted us to react like everyone else. Showing any signs that we had already known something would definitely put us on a blacklist and we were already on the red flag team as it was thanks to our scores.

                "Because you still have to finish your training, we're cutting it short. Tonight will be the final test of your training. You will be given a set of orders by us and you will follow them through on your own. Once your testing is done in the morning, you will be dismissed back to your apartments where you will find schedules of the times you are allowed to leave." Jury looked over the group and then waved his hand. "Dismissed to your mentors." He said and everyone stood up and followed their mentors out of the room.