Chapter 5

5

    Katelyn woke when Johppa signaled at her door.  Katelyn’s cuts from the thorns ached dully.  “Come in,”
    Johppa entered, laden with a tray of food and a drink.  “I was told you hadn’t come to the common room for your lunch.  You need to eat.  These next few days are going to be difficult enough without you skipping meals.”
    “Thank you, I am hungry,” Katelyn said. “When is the next event?”
    “The next event is in ten minutes. Eat while I tell you about it,” said Johppa.
    Katelyn took the tray and began eating. Johppa’s eyes widened. “What’s happened to your hands!”
    “I ran into a briar patch.  For your information, at the end of the cave on the second path there is a large patch of thorny bushes and at the top of the incline there was a goat-like creature that chases away strangers.”
    “Oh Katelyn, what ever possessed you to take that trail?”
    “I didn’t choose to, I was shoved off the edge.”
    “Oh well, the race is done.  Here in this drawer is a first-aid spray.  It stings when you spray it on, but then you don’t feel any more pain and it heals quite quickly.”
    Johppa sprayed the wounds on Katelyn’s hands, arms and legs.  The spray stung and made Katelyn’s eyes water, but then the pain was gone.  
     Johppa explained the next event while Katelyn resumed eating. “The next event is called ‘Piece’. You’ll sit at a table littered with parts to a gadget.  No one knows what the gadget is, not even those who set up the tables.  You’ll be given two hours to put the gadget together as best as you can.  You need to try to use all the pieces.”
    “It sounds ridiculous, what is the purpose of this test?” Katelyn asked.
    “To test your mechanical skills.”
    “Wouldn’t they get a more accurate picture of our skill level if we knew what we were building?”
    “In real life you won’t always know what your dealing with.”
    “I see.”  Katelyn didn’t understand at all.
    After a  quick change of clothing for Katelyn, Johppa guided her to the testing room.  Katelyn sat next to a very large girl.  Large not fat.  She was muscular and she looked to be six feet tall.  
    “Security guard type” was Katelyn’s immediate thought.  “Hi, my name is Kate Williams.”
    “I am Reva Noe.”
    “Good luck,” Katelyn said.
    “What do you mean?” Reva demanded.
    “Oh, that’s just an Earth expression that means I hope you do well.”
    Reva smiled. “Ah, I hope you do well also.”
    A Cressian officer entered the room. He wore four braids, the scarlet, and white, purple, and green.  He was short.  He scowled at everyone.  
    “Your coaches have explained to you what to do. You will have two hours to complete the project.  Are there any questions before we begin?”
    Katelyn raised her hand.  He nodded to her.
    “How often does an officer actually get in a position where they have to assemble something they know nothing about?” she asked.
    He stared at her not saying a word until she grew uncomfortable under his stare.  “I thought so,” she said. “I’m ready to begin.”
    The Cressian officer walked to a desk and pressed a button.  “Begin.”
    Katelyn looked at the pieces in front of her.  There were several odd-shaped do-dads.  Where to begin?  Katelyn picked up the largest piece and begin to build on that piece.  She used her arm to clear a place for already tried pieces and systematically used all the pieces in all the places.  When she found pieces that fit places she cleared a spot again and tested all the pieces over again.  
    When the two hours had passed, the Cressian pressed the button again which caused a loud clang.  Half of the people in the room including Katelyn jumped.  “Time’s up. Place your project on the table,” he said.    
    Katelyn placed her project on the table and stared at it curiously. “It looks like a pig with wings and a horn.”
    The other children laughed.  The Cressian looked at Katelyn crossly and ordered the room cleared.  Johppa was waiting for Katelyn, and they left together.  
    The Cressian walked over to Katelyn’s project.  He looked at it a moment and then smiled.  It did look like a pig with wings and a horn.


Reviews

[Jenni-Chan]

totally.