I cracked an eye open, only to be met by a blinding ray of sunlight streaming in through a crack between the drape and the window frame.
Son of a bit–
“Becca?” Chloe called louder this time. “It’s past almost noon, are you even in there?”
“Yeah, hang on, I’m coming.” I stumbled out of bed and over to the door, letting her in.
“Oh, dear! I knew it, you slept in,” she said, as I slumped over the couch. “Alex and Taron are back with Cormac, and everyone is setting up.”
Alex was back? “Setting up for what?” I yawned, ignoring the small burst of energy I got at the news.
“For the test. Ryland’s test is this afternoon, remember?”
I rubbed my hands over my face. “Oh, hell, that’s right. OK, hang on, let me get dressed.”
Twenty minutes later – after Chloe sent me back to change twice, saying I should look “nice”, then insisted on gelling and scrunching all the curl into my hair – we emerged downstairs to find everyone gathered in the lounge. Mr Anderson, Mr Reid, and Taron (oh joy) were talking with a man I’d never seen before, while Min was sitting by the door with Alex. As he looked up he gave me a smile that made my toes curl. I shook off the remainder of my unease, and stepped over to join them.
“Didn’t want to get up this morning?” he asked with a grin.
“Chloe’s been wearing me out the past two days,” I teased, bumping her with my elbow. Cheap trick, I knew, but it was better than saying, “I was tired because it seems I can’t sleep without you wearing a hole in the floor above my head” or something else equally crazy and looking like a total nut-bag. “When did you get back?” I asked quickly, hoping to change the subject.
“Late last night. That’s Cormac Dullin,” he said, motioning over his shoulder toward the stranger. “He’s our Reader. He’ll be able to tell us exactly what is going on during and after the test.”
From what I could see, this Cormac person seemed a very pleasant man. He appeared to be in his sixties – though Lord only knows how old he actually was – and had that certain look an older person can sometimes have, where it is obvious that they were extremely attractive in their youth.
“Speaking of the test,” Alex said, turning to me, “we thought it might be best to send Anderson over to get Ryland, if that’s all right with you.”
Mr Anderson was about the happiest, most laid-back person I’d ever met, and much as I would have liked to be the one to bring Ryland over, I understood. If anyone could set Ry at ease, it was Anderson.
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Well, I best be off to class,” Chloe said, pulling on her coat, a small pout on her lips.
“You’re not going to be there?” I asked. I guess I’d just assumed she would be.
“What, me? No, of course not. I’m not cool enough to play with the big boys,” she sneered playfully at Alex.
“You know we love you,” Alex said, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her head, turning my brown eyes green for just a second.
“Yeah, yeah,” she laughed pushing him away. “All right then, good luck and I want to hear all about it tonight!” She waved and was gone.
“I ought to go and fetch the lad!” Mr Anderson said coming across the room, following Chloe’s example. “Is everything ready?” he asked Alex, nodding toward the Inner Chamber.
“Should be. Becca will be here waiting for you, the rest of us will be inside.”
“Righto.” Anderson smiled, gave me a wink, then headed out into the windy afternoon.
“What did he mean ‘is everything ready?’ What’s there to get ready?” I asked Alex.
“Come on, I’ll show you.”
We walked down the hall toward the Inner Chamber when suddenly I realized something. Jocelyn wasn’t in the lounge. That meant he could be…
“Where’s Jocelyn?” I asked, really not wanting to run into him without a large crowd as a buffer.
“His office,” Alex smiled, probably guessing why I’d asked. “He had a few things to finish up before we start.”
The large door to the Chamber was unlocked this time, and when we went in I saw that everything was as it had been the first time I’d been there, with one notable difference. The center of the room, which had before been open, now held a small table with two