The Mountain

Chapter 11

I stand up next to James to watch the drone land. Intelligence test? James seems to have the same question as we exchange glances. The drone lands and stills for a moment before the voice returns, killing the silence.

"This test will examine you on the knowledge you possess from what you have learned before you came here. You're abilities to follow directions, solve a question, and apply the answer will be used. To begin this test, this drone will lead one of you to the location you will be taking the test. The second person will follow once the drone gets back. Good luck. The first person to go is Adylin."

The drones blades start up again and it begins to hover. I know it's waiting for me to follow it, but my legs are frozen in place.

"You have to go," James nudges me forward. "I'll be right behind you."

I nod slightly and step forward, swallowing my nerves. The drone flies away from me and I follow it, hurrying my pace to keep up.

It leads me back down the mountain the way we came but veers slightly right. The ground starts to slope up and down, curving under my feet. It flies to an area that has an opening, leading underground. It's cut underneath a slight ridge. I walk into the shadows to find a long, narrow walk way inside. It slopes down sharply to avoid going back out into the open. I can tell it's man made, the dirt scooped out for the contestants use.

When the tunnel finally widens, it reveals a small, dimly lit room. There is a metal table and a worn chair in the middle with a few sheets of paper and a pencil.

"Please take a seat and complete the test. Once you are finished, you will know what to do," the drone says, the voice fills the room. It disappears down the tunnel, gone to find James.

I take a seat and pick up the pencil, reading the paper. The first two pages are physics, the next two are for biology, the fifth and sixth are on chemistry, and the last are math of all kinds. I take a breath and put pencil to paper as I begin. Formulas, facts, numbers, and laws fly through my mind as I read and answer. I don't know how I learned this information or who taught me, but the answers fly out of the pencil. The questions are all written answer and I make sure to thoroughly answer each before moving on tot he next. Paragraphs of information fill the page until I have to scrap for room. Fear and determination drive me to squeeze every bit of info onto the lines.

By the time I flip to the second page, my mind is numb and tired. But I have to keep going. I try to do the same thing I did before, but I can see the clear difference between the two pages. Effects of certain chemicals on the human body, population graphs, and invasive bacteria classifications float across the page. My hand becomes sore as I explain the mutations one might receive from different DNA strands.

I turn the page, chemistry. Somehow I know this is my least favorite subject. Before beginning, I stand to stretch and drink water. I flex my writing hand and wave it around to wake it back up and sit down to begin the dreaded page. I'm asked about the causes of radiation, explosive substances, and pyrotechnics. Somehow, I answer them all with ease and end up getting through the pages the quickest. My answers are shorter but they are more to the point.

When I begin the last pages, I breathe in relief. I answer long algebra problems, solver the measures angles and sides of triangles, and find derivatives. These pages are what make my brain almost shut down. I lose focus every two minutes and find myself staring at a wall. My hand cramps up, making my writing almost illegible. One page takes me almost an hour to complete but I try my best to finish strong.

When I close the packet and flip it over to see a blank page I almost rejoice. Almost. The drone said I would know what to do, but I don't. My mind wants to take a four hour nap, but I know I must keep going. I reopen the packet and look for patterns in the questions or answers. When I don't find any, I stand up and look at the dark room surrounding me. The walls are blank except for the bulbs lining the top. I run my hands against the wall, wiping away some of the dirt to see if I can find anything underneath.

I walk down the small path back outside and I'm greeted with fresh air. Nothing waits outside to tell me what to do. I must figure it out on my own. I return to where my test lays and reread everything. Then, something catches my eye. On the bottom of one of the pages is small print that I ignored before. I have to squint to read it.

To return, go through the small passage on the other side of the room from where you entered.

I go to where it instructed and clear off dirt to find a small, dark tunnel. I adjust the backpack so it won't fall off as I crawl through the dirt. The tunnel is long and winding, I feel like turning back a few times but I'm forced forward because I can't turn around. I'm blind as I crawl, the darkness flushing everything out.

I put one hand I front of the other as I crawl. Hoping the tunnel ends soon. My prayers are answered as ten minutes into the crawl the ground disappears under me and I fall.