Prism Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter Five: We Have Company

We hangout in Gladden's room a while longer, watching TV until it's time to go to the testing rotation. Gladden's face is lost in concentration again, and I nudge him in the arm and give him a smile to lighten the mood. He grins and puts an arm around me for a brief hug, then let's me go. I think about the hug for the entirety of the elevator ride to the 6th floor.

The testing space looks exactly as it appeared on the surveillance monitor. The room is large and bright, full of tall walls that don't reach the ceiling. We are mice in a maze. Director Callahan, Rej, and Lacie stand in the center of the room.

"Welcome prisms!" Director Callahan is beaming at us. "I hope you all read your message today. I was just telling Lacie, here, how exciting this was for us. We were skeptical when SSIA first notified us about another possible prism bunch. It's truly a pleasant surprise." She smiles. "Do any of you have questions?"

Chelsea's hand shoots up and I stop myself from rolling my eyes. I shake my head slightly.

"Yes, Chelsea?" Director Callahan calls.

"Does this new group have its own pair of twins?" Chelsea asks, sounding worried.

"Not that I am aware of, Chelsea. If I find that there is, you will be the first to know." Callahan gives her an amused smile. Chelsea seems to like that answer and nods. "Okay, let's begin our testing. All of the exercises here are relevant to your unique special abilities. They will help us to better understand your individual light codes and how you process information. Ladies you'll be with Reginald, and gentlemen, you'll be with me. Let's begin!" Director Callahan walks off to the right and the guys follow after her. Gladden waves at me and gives me an exaggerated puppy dog pout as he leaves. I laugh as I wave goodbye.

"Ladies," Rej, says. We follow him to the left. Walking around a maze of walls, we end up in a small walled off section. A single helmet-shaped item hangs on a wall, as well as a TV screen on the adjacent wall.

"This is the Concentration Test. For this exercise, you will put on this helmet. Here you will meet virtual reality characters Robert, Timothy, and Samuel. The three men will all be having simultaneous conversations with you. Your job is to listen only to the character you are assigned to. Your score will depend on how accurately you are able to answer the questions you will see at the bottom of your vision screen. Make enough sense?" He asks us. We all nod. "Great. Who wants to go first?"

I raise my hand. "I'll do it." I hate awkward silences, so I do what I must to end them. I have to go eventually, why not get it over with?

"Great, Iris. Step on up." He extends his hand, gesturing towards the helmet. He helps me place the load onto my head, and it lowers, covering my eyes. A screen reads, "Starting Up."

"Best luck to you, Iris," Rej says somewhere to my right.

I manage a weak, "Thanks."

The screen blackens, and an image of a restaurant pops into view. I'm sitting at a table by myself. To my left I can see cartoon people and hear their mumbled conversations. Three men robotically make their way over to me. One is blond with a blue shirt. I think of Gladden. One is tan skinned with a white shirt. The third is dark skinned and bald with a red shirt. They sit at my table, all across from me.

"Hello, Iris, I'm Robert," the blond one says in a robotic voice. I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to answer or not, so I say "hi," anyway. I am interrupted by Timothy's introduction, the tan one. Finally, the dark skinned one introduces himself as Samuel. They stare at me as the sounds of the restaurant behind them grows louder. Font at the bottom of my vision appears. "Please drag this font to Robert." I reach out in front of me and see a cartoon arm appear in my line of vision. I point the arm at the words and the text attaches to my virtual finger as I move to Robert, who blinks and nods.