his task, the floorboards beneath M gave way and she tumbled through the deck into the basement.
The darkness consumed her. She quickly stood and ran her hands along the crumbling walls, trying to find her father’s flashlight, but it wasn’t where it should have been, by the other hanging tools. Then there was a click as a small light shined behind M and cast her shadow on the cracked hairline fault working up the wall. ‘Who’s there?’ asked M as she tried to see past the bouncing glow that movedtoward her. ‘ Who’s there? ’ she called again.
‘Who’s there?!’ M screamed aloud as she launched out of the orange chair and tackled a very surprised Merlyn.
‘M! It’s Merlyn!’ he hollered as she held him down. ‘Wake up and snap out of it before you really hurt me!’
‘I told you not to wake her up,’ said Cal with a snort. ‘You never wake someone who’s in a sleep that deep.’
‘Merlyn, geez!’ snapped M. ‘You freaked me out!’
‘I freaked you out?’ Merlyn replied incredulously. ‘If I freaked you out, then why am I the one scared for my life?’
M looked around the room to see Cal and Vivian regarding her, wide-eyed, as she pinned Merlyn to the floor with a fist raised in the air, ready to strike.
‘Now that’s the M I expected to see in the hallway,’ said Vivian.
Ignoring her roommate’s comment, M unclenched her fist and helped Merlyn back up. ‘Sorry. I wasn’t myself, I guess.’
‘No, that was the same M I remember,’ said a worn-out-looking Jules, leaning against the doorway as if her life depended upon it.
‘Finally,’ exhaled Cal. ‘We’ve been waiting forever for you to get through that Maze.’
‘Wait,’ said M. ‘How long have I been back here?’
As if in answer to her question, the white walls dimmed.
‘That’s the cue for lights-out, everyone,’ announced Keyshawn as he stormed into the room like an angry teacher annoyed by misbehaving students. ‘I wish I could say that this has been a great day for all of you, but it looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us. Get some sleep, and we’ll gatherback in the lab tomorrow.’
Devon drifted into the room soundlessly to collect Jules, as if she had been waiting just outside, while Keyshawn motioned for Merlyn to follow him.
‘Let’s go, Freeman,’ Vivian said as she stood up. ‘Or do I need to make you strike another pose?’
M got to her feet and turned to Cal. ‘What about you? Is your direct coming?’
‘I’m sure he’s on his way,’ said Cal. ‘He’s pretty reliable when he wants to be. You go and get some more rest. And have good dreams this time, okay?’
M smiled at the thought. Good dreams. What would that be like? ‘I’ll try,’ was all she said as she walked into the hallway after Vivian, following her up the first staircase M had seen since coming to the Fulbright Academy, which only led to another dimming path.
CHAPTER 5
MASK
Hours. That’s how long it had taken the others to complete their personal Mazes. M wondered how she could have gotten through her challenge so much faster than her friends. Sure, everyone experienced a different Maze, according to Keyshawn, but that hardly explained why Jules, the most fit person M had ever met, came out last and looking like she’d just run two triathlons.
Vivian remained her usual robotic self on the walk back. It had been a poor effort on M’s part to assume she could give Vivian the slip with a simple lie. Especially when her clothes were monitoring her every biorhythm. If M was going to make any headway with her direct, it was up to her to break the ice that surrounded Vivian.
‘So,’ M started when they were in their room, ‘I don’t suppose you’ve ever had to use that stonewalling technique on another Fulbright before, have you?’
‘First time for everything,’ answered Vivian, nonplussed. ‘Nifty suits Keyshawn tailored for you.’
‘Yeah, fits like a straitjacket,’ said M as she loosely swung
The darkness consumed her. She quickly stood and ran her hands along the crumbling walls, trying to find her father’s flashlight, but it wasn’t where it should have been, by the other hanging tools. Then there was a click as a small light shined behind M and cast her shadow on the cracked hairline fault working up the wall. ‘Who’s there?’ asked M as she tried to see past the bouncing glow that movedtoward her. ‘ Who’s there? ’ she called again.
‘Who’s there?!’ M screamed aloud as she launched out of the orange chair and tackled a very surprised Merlyn.
‘M! It’s Merlyn!’ he hollered as she held him down. ‘Wake up and snap out of it before you really hurt me!’
‘I told you not to wake her up,’ said Cal with a snort. ‘You never wake someone who’s in a sleep that deep.’
‘Merlyn, geez!’ snapped M. ‘You freaked me out!’
‘I freaked you out?’ Merlyn replied incredulously. ‘If I freaked you out, then why am I the one scared for my life?’
M looked around the room to see Cal and Vivian regarding her, wide-eyed, as she pinned Merlyn to the floor with a fist raised in the air, ready to strike.
‘Now that’s the M I expected to see in the hallway,’ said Vivian.
Ignoring her roommate’s comment, M unclenched her fist and helped Merlyn back up. ‘Sorry. I wasn’t myself, I guess.’
‘No, that was the same M I remember,’ said a worn-out-looking Jules, leaning against the doorway as if her life depended upon it.
‘Finally,’ exhaled Cal. ‘We’ve been waiting forever for you to get through that Maze.’
‘Wait,’ said M. ‘How long have I been back here?’
As if in answer to her question, the white walls dimmed.
‘That’s the cue for lights-out, everyone,’ announced Keyshawn as he stormed into the room like an angry teacher annoyed by misbehaving students. ‘I wish I could say that this has been a great day for all of you, but it looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us. Get some sleep, and we’ll gatherback in the lab tomorrow.’
Devon drifted into the room soundlessly to collect Jules, as if she had been waiting just outside, while Keyshawn motioned for Merlyn to follow him.
‘Let’s go, Freeman,’ Vivian said as she stood up. ‘Or do I need to make you strike another pose?’
M got to her feet and turned to Cal. ‘What about you? Is your direct coming?’
‘I’m sure he’s on his way,’ said Cal. ‘He’s pretty reliable when he wants to be. You go and get some more rest. And have good dreams this time, okay?’
M smiled at the thought. Good dreams. What would that be like? ‘I’ll try,’ was all she said as she walked into the hallway after Vivian, following her up the first staircase M had seen since coming to the Fulbright Academy, which only led to another dimming path.
CHAPTER 5
MASK
Hours. That’s how long it had taken the others to complete their personal Mazes. M wondered how she could have gotten through her challenge so much faster than her friends. Sure, everyone experienced a different Maze, according to Keyshawn, but that hardly explained why Jules, the most fit person M had ever met, came out last and looking like she’d just run two triathlons.
Vivian remained her usual robotic self on the walk back. It had been a poor effort on M’s part to assume she could give Vivian the slip with a simple lie. Especially when her clothes were monitoring her every biorhythm. If M was going to make any headway with her direct, it was up to her to break the ice that surrounded Vivian.
‘So,’ M started when they were in their room, ‘I don’t suppose you’ve ever had to use that stonewalling technique on another Fulbright before, have you?’
‘First time for everything,’ answered Vivian, nonplussed. ‘Nifty suits Keyshawn tailored for you.’
‘Yeah, fits like a straitjacket,’ said M as she loosely swung
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