Rosalyn and the Secret of the Bluebloods

Chapter Two

   I step warily into a white-tiled testing room, the only objects in it two chairs and a computer. The doctor looks up with a friendly smile as I walk in, but it does nothing to ease my nerves. Today, my father's fate rests on my shoulders. Rests on what I'm willing to do for him.
"Rosalyn Steele?" the doctor confirms.
I nod.
"Take a seat."
I obey, running a hand along the smooth blue chair in an attempt to soothe my racing heart. The doctor takes my hand, the needle glinting ominously in the light. With a shudder, I turn my head.
"Deep breaths," the doctor coos.
I inhale sharply as the needle pricks my index finger.
"Good," she smiles, removing the instrument.
I hold my breath as the medic rolls over to her computer and begins typing. Type A, I plead silently, straining to see over her shoulder. Please be type A. The thought reminded me of the screaming Blueblood from this morning, insisting he had that same type. Please don't be a Blueblood. Please don't — The doctor hesitates, staring at something just out of my reach. The silence seems to drag on forever, until she finally clicks away from the screen.
"Congratulations," she says politely, turning to face me. "You're type A."
She stamps the letter in red ink on my hand as euphoria courses through me. It's an effort not to jump up and embrace her.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I breathe, practically sprinting out the door.
"Go to Room 2400!" the doctor calls after me.
I follow the signs through the pristine halls of the testing building until I come to a room labeled Room 2400 — for type A's. Jittery with excitement, I scan the brightly-lit room of about thirty teenagers. A familiar face in the back waves me over.
"Damien!" I exclaim, taking a seat beside him.
"Hey, Rosalyn," he drawls. "Congrats!"
"You too!" I return genuinely. "You're going to be a Clean Water Scientist!"
  "If they recruit me," he admits, avoiding my gaze. "They only take the top thirteen."
  Before I can respond, Haleigh Georgiou draws my attention to the front of the room, causing Damien to tense visibly beside me.
  "Greetings, and congratulations!" she announces, clapping her hands together.
  As the lights dim, movement catches my eye at the edge of the room — the boy from this morning. For a split second, our eyes meet as he sifts through the rows ahead of me. Haleigh, too, glances at him briefly before reading off a list of names.
  "The thirteen Clean Water Scientists we've selected this year are ...Damien Keys!"
He leaps to his feet with a grin as the room applauds politely. No surprise there.
"Cassian Volt."
The tardy stranger follows my friend to the front of the room, a half-smile tugging at his lips. Haleigh gives him a poisoned one as he approaches, reading off ten more names with ease. After an eternity of sitting in tense silence, she rattles off the last name.
"Rosalyn Steele."
  A mixture of emotions floods through me, but above all, relief. As I rise, as I stride across the room to stand next to Cassian, it's an effort not to allow my knees to buckle. I'm going to save my father. I'm going to save the water. I'm going to save the world.
"Congratulations, type A's. You're going to do great things," Haleigh promises.
She says it with such confidence that for a moment, I let myself believe her.
~
After the other type A's are assigned, we begin filing out of Room 2400. A tap on the shoulder keeps me from catching Damien in time.
  "Rosalyn?"
  Curiously, I turn to face the familiar voice, which, to my surprise, belongs to none other than Haleigh Georgiou.
  "It's an honor to officially meet you," she says, shaking my hand vigorously.
  "Officially?"
  "I knew your mother, of course," Haleigh reveals, her eyes lingering on my necklace. "We worked together for many years."
  Taken aback, I finger the pearls uneasily. My father never told me about this. Why would he hide their relationship from me, unless it had something to do with Cate's disappearance?
"Given my history with your family, I have a feeling I can trust you, Rosalyn," Haleigh says candidly with a practiced smile. "You see, I have an errand for you. Two errands, to be precise."
She waits until the door closes behind us with a subtle click.
"Be aware that the purposes of these tasks are purely for science," Haleigh clarifies. "Ask no questions unless absolutely essential."
She takes a seat and gestures for me to do the same. Against every fiber in my body, I settle uncomfortably into the chair. She analyzes me briefly, noting my set jaw and tense posture.
"I need you to attain a reagent from the West Province – by any means possible," Haleigh elaborates, studying me carefully. "It's called, as I understand it . . .Ravenwood. Another recruit, Cassian Volt, is going to help you locate it."
  As she speaks, I wonder why would the mysterious stranger know where to find such an object, unless he'd been to the West Province before?
  "You are to get close to him in the process," the scientist orders. She gives me a calculated smile. "I want to know everything about your tasks when you return."
  To put it bluntly, I have a terrible feeling about this mission.
"And what does . . .Ravenwood look like?" I ask uncertainly.
  "It's a bit of bark with an intricate design on it," Haleigh answers vaguely.
  It occurs to me that she, herself, has never seen Ravenwood before, and why would she have? From what I've gathered, it only grows in the West Province. If she tries to harvest it herself, the natives will undoubtedly kill her on sight. That must be where I come in – if they don't know Cassian and I are Clean Water Scientists, then theoretically, they have no reason to kill us.
  As if hearing my thoughts, Haleigh confirms, "You will keep your identities a secret." She slides a piece of paper across the table -- a map of the West Province. I glance up at her, stunned. According to this piece of paper, our province has been exploring the other for a long time . . .all under the public radar. Seeing my surprise, Haleigh chuckles.
  "You're type A for a reason, Rosalyn," she muses, pointing to a red dot on the map. It's just a stone's throw from the border . . .on the other side. I shift uncomfortably in my chair.
  "Yes, that's where the ingredient is," Haleigh sighs. "When you leave tomorrow morning, it'll take you two days to get there on horseback. A car would be too obvious and out of place."
  For Da, I remind myself as she continues. For him, I'll mask my fear and venture into the unknown. And maybe . . .maybe then I'll learn why he kept my mother and Haleigh's relationship a secret. Maybe then, I'll discover clues to the truth behind Cate's disappearance. The only way to find out is to swallow my questions, and obey.