The Test [Book One of The Test] (Watty Award Winner 2014)

Chapter Twenty-nine

The Test

Chapter Twenty-nine

I was in a place of darkness, climbing my way out of a hole I didn't know I had fallen into. It was surprisingly easy to lift myself out of it, feeling the grass my hands were touching but looking down to find only black nothingness. I looked behind me to see that the hole was now gone.

"Where am I?" I asked nothing and got nothing in return but the echo of my words bouncing off nonexistent walls. I got up from the ground, begging my eyes to show me some light. As if they heard my thoughts, brightness shined from my right. A person came walking towards me, steadying me and wrapping me in a hug. It wasn't something I enjoyed, feeling an awful cold feeling instead of the warmth I had always received from Jack. I pulled away, pushing him down and finding myself running in the other direction. I hit my head on something, causing me to look up, catching a glimpse of pink icicle leaves hanging over my head instead of the blue ones from the memory wipe tree. Something inside me moved, making me reach up to touch them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, princess." I heard, followed by a light chuckle. I turned to find Jack walking towards me.

"You're alive?"

"I think so." He said, sounding unsure, checking his body for signs of injury and laughing again. I ran to him, forgetting about the horrible feeling of coldness I felt from the last person, forgetting about everything I did. I only needed him, right now, right here, with me. Safe. 

"Is it really you?" He nodded and I sank deeper into him, taking in his warmth. "Jack, I was supposed to die, when I shut down the test, that was supposed to be it for me."

"Looks like you're a fighter. You must be more powerful than Reid said." He was probably right. Except I never told him Reid said I was more powerful, I never got the chance before Luke hurt him and I was taken. I found myself pulling away.

"How did you know that?" I asked. I looked over at the tree again, taking in the pink leaves but the trunk looked normal. "Why don't you want me to touch the tree?" 

"You over think things, Lexi."

"Answer the question."

"Just close your eyes and take deep breaths. It'll help you make sense of what's going on." He said. 

"No." As I said it, someone grabbed me from behind. The cold feeling came over me again from the other person, it had to be them.

"Do as he says." They told me. I found myself elbowing them in the ribs, causing them to topple over but only for a second. But still enough to get me free. I made my way to the tree, there had to be a reason that this Jack, probably a trick from Reid, didn't want me to touch it.

"Don't." They both screamed as I reached my hand up, lightly running over the icicles. I felt a shock go through me and then more trees began growing, making me fall to the ground like the dream where I came to the test. I could feel myself beginning to pass out but I managed to mumble something.