The Untouchables

The Escape

At some point, I noticed the boy that came in with me was finished. He picked up his backpack and walked out of the classroom, but before he could make it far, Mr. Fares stopped him, slipping a piece of paper into the boy's hand. Whatever the paper held within it's folds must have made Mr. Fares nervous with the way that he gesticulated wildly as he whispered. I shook my head, trying to get back on task before I got too distracted. 

With a quick glance around the room, I saw that more than half of the people in the classroom were already gone. I looked back down at my tablet. 'Only eight questions left...' I sighed inwardly, quickly tapping through the questions. 

Then, something strange occurred. As soon as I hit the 'Submit' button, the tablet flashed a red 'Error' sign, but was quickly replaced to a green 'Test submitted, you may now leave.' I did a double take, my head tilted as I tried to process what just happened. 

Shaking my head, I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door, but just as I was exiting the room, I felt a slip of paper slide into the palm of my hand. I went to open it, but Mr. Fares closed my hands on the paper before I could read its contents. 

"Not now." He whispered. "Head for the forest and open it up there. All will be explained later on." He tried to push me out of the room,but I stood my ground. 

"Is it bad?" I asked through gritted teeth, clutching the piece of paper against my heart. He gave a sad smile that made me feel anxious. 

"There isn't much time, you need to go now." Mr. Fares said, giving me a final shove into the hallway and closing the door on me. I looked at the door, my stomach clenching at the thought of not feeling safe. 

Before walking away, I took one last glance inside the classroom, feeling as though it would be a long time before I saw the people still testing again. 

~

The journey to the forest was hot and long. In order to reach the perimeter of the tree lining, I had to cross our small town, which could take up to 15 minutes on a normal day, but for some reason, my legs felt as if they were being weighed down. I could also tell that there was a breeze flowing, but no matter what, it still felt as if my skin was burning. 

At one point, I was tempted to stop at a corner store and buy a sandwich, but decided against it after reasoning that I could just make one as soon as I got home. Instead, I pulled out one of the tangerines I had packed earlier and began to munch on it, savoring the cool juices that flowed from it. 

When I felt like I was about to pass out, I spotted the entrance to the ominous-looking forest. I ignored the feeling of danger and kept trudging on, gripping the straps of my backpack for reassurance. 

Once I decided that I was deep enough into the forest, I set my backpack down and leaned against a tree, fingers unfurling the note in my hands. My eyes settled upon the words that kept changing on the paper. 

According to your test results, you have been found to have special abilities that The Government wants to harness to pursue complete control of the world. 

"What?!" I breathed, my eyes squinting as I began to read the next line as they began to shift into words on the iridescent page. 

In order to remain safe, you are to make your way to our safe place.  You do not need instructions to reach this place, he is right behind you.

Confuses, I put the paper down and looked behind me to find no one there. "Hmmph." I said, picking up my backpack and turning around, only to be met with the face of the boy that entered the classroom with me earlier.

"Hiya."

"AHH-" I was cut off by the boy's hand. his other hand grabbing mine as he began to run.