The Key of Astrea

First Test

Jenny nudged Kensei, "Look." She pointed to the far corner of the room. Lance, and a man in a black uniform stood next to Jack and Mazu. Even from here, Jenny could tell that Jack looked nervous. Maybe it has something to do with what I overheard him saying last night, Jenny thought.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Kensei asked.

"No idea," Jenny said. "But judging by Jack's expression, it can't be good."

A minute later, Lance and the man in the black uniform left Jack's table. Mazu stood up and squeezed Jack's shoulder. She said something to him before leaving the mess hall. Jack remained at the table, looking pale.

Lin, who had been talking to the Selkans, walked over to Jenny and Kensei and asked. "Are you two ready to take your first test?"

Jenny and Kensei looked at each other and said, "Yeah, sure."

Lin led them out of the room and to a large circular room directly below the mess hall. The air smelled of antiseptic, and clusters of hexagonal ceiling lights illuminated a variety of medical appliances. They walked between four mobile examination tables to a corner office in the back. On the door, a handwritten sign read, "Mazu Song, PhD."

Inside the office, posters of anatomical drawings lined the walls. Two tall hardwood bookshelves held tomes on natural studies. A couple of jars containing deep-ocean fish stood next to a taxidermied squirrel, platypus, and owl.

Mazu sat behind a simple wooden desk. When they entered, she stood up and cleared a pile of books from one of two aluminum chairs and said. "Have a seat."

Jenny and Kensei sat down.

"I just made some tea; would you like some?"

"Yes, please," they all answered.

Lin took four small, floral-printed cups off a shelf and set them on the desk. Mazu lifted a white teapot and poured a green-tinted mint-and-floral fusion into the cups.

"Thank you," they said.

Mazu moved a little wooden dummy aside to look at Jenny. "You've probably noticed some changes, wounds healed"—she looked at Kensei—"vision improved."

They nodded.

"Right now, your brain is as malleable as a young child's."

"We have a device called an ADD "—Mazu leaned on her elbows—"that can condense months of training into a single session."

"ADD?" Jenny asked.

"An autodidactic device," Mazu said.

"Automatic learning." Kensei's eyes widened. "You're going to make us smarter."

"The concept of accelerated learning is nothing new, but the ADD is on another level."

Jenny lifted her cup and inhaled. The floral scent was like a mild perfume, and the mint tickled her nose. She took a sip. It was divine.

"So, it's like learning without doing anything?" Jenny asked.

"It's not quite that easy," Mazu said. "It's more like boot camp for your brain."

Kensei set down his cup after taking a sip. "When do we start?"

"The sooner, the better," Mazu said. "The ADD has a strong magnet, so you'll have to leave your metal belongings here." She picked up a wooden bowl and set it on the desk.

Jenny pulled her mother's amulet and Astrea's key from around her neck and dropped them in the bowl. Hesitantly, she unstrapped her burstepi, which Mazu set behind her desk. Finally, Jenny removed her earrings and dropped them into the bowl. "Do you have any other piercings?" Mazu looked Jenny up and down.