“What do those words on your ring mean?” I asked, gesturing to the silver band on her thumb.
“Ah.” She smiled, glancing down at it. “Veni, vidi, viciis Latin for ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’. It’s a saying that was attributed to Julius Caesar, if you’ve heard of him.”
I nodded. We had some ancient history books back home and though I didn’t know a lot about him, I’d come across his name before.
“It basically signifies what we’ve managed to do here,” the woman went on. “Conquer the ocean, so to speak.”
I nodded slowly, remembering Anna had described it as something like that. “Claiming the ocean,” was the expression she’d used. It struck me as pompous, to be honest. Our Founders never would’ve thought to describe their settlement as “claiming the jungle.”
“And why do only the silver, gold and platinum rings have the words?” I asked.
“Well, I guess it’s just a little perk that comes with climbing higher in our society,” she replied, matter-of-factly. “Makes the achievement feel that bit more special.”
She then stopped walking, and I looked up to see we had reached Number 30. She touched her ring against a small scanner beneath the door handle and the door clicked open.
It led us into another corridor, but this one actually had an end. It was a mini hallway, no longer than ten feet, and contained only two doors. One on the left-hand side and one at the end, straight ahead of us. The woman led me to the latter and, after swiping her ring again, pushed it open.
When I stepped through the doorway after her, surprise jolted through me. I’d emerged in a massive chamber, almost twice the size of our community hall back home. Anna had called this room a “chamber”, but I hadn’t been expecting this. Why did we need such a big meeting room?
And, for that matter, why did the meeting room look so… odd? Its shape was octagonal, its walls, ceiling and floor formed from hundreds of dark-gray metal panels that were pockmarked with little holes.
It was also completely bare, except for a single metal chair in the center of the room. The woman gestured to it.
“Please take a seat and Anna will be with you shortly,” she announced. “I already let her know you arrived from the desk.”
“Wait,” I said as she turned to leave the room. “What is this place?”
She gave me a polite smile. “Not really my place to answer that. Best you ask Ms. Springs.” And with that, she exited, closing the door behind her with a soft click, before I could move or utter another word.
I didn’t breathe for several moments. I turned to take in theroom again. It was eerily quiet now that the door was closed. I couldn’t even hear the woman’s retreating footsteps in the hallway outside, or her exit through the second door. The silence was almost deafening, which made me wonder if the room was soundproofed or something.
Why has Anna brought me here?
I couldn’t help but experience a surge of doubt, with Hayden’s words of caution ringing in my ears, and I found myself hurrying to the door to check if it was locked. It wasn’t, which comforted me somewhat, so I returned to the center of the room, the metal panels creaking beneath my feet, and then lowered myself into the chair.
Chill…
Anna said she was going to help me, and I wanted to believe she was going to do just that. She’d mentioned something about a “screening”, so maybe that had something to do with her choice of setting. Though, what kind of screening would require a strange room like this, I didn’t know.
I drew in a deep, calming breath, then glanced down at the time on my ring, needing to distract my overactive mind. I estimated it had been about twenty minutes since I walked into the reception, since the blonde would have informed Anna of my arrival. Which meant she should be here at any?—
The door opened again and Anna strode through. She wore her usual dark blue uniform, and her bob of russet brown hair was fastened back with a lilac hairband that revealed the full contours of her broad face. She carried a black suitcase in one hand, and in the other a cloth bag that bulged with something.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” she said, her loud, cheerful voice fracturing the silence and immediately easing my nerves a little. “I had a few bits and pieces to pick up on the way here and got held up.”
She strode over to me swiftly, holding up the cloth bag. “Ibrought you some breakfast in case you skipped it this morning.”
“Oh, thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful. I hadn’t had any breakfast. I took the bag from her and glanced down at its contents: a large bottle of water and something warm wrapped in tin foil.
“Waffles,” she explained with a twinkle in her green-flecked eyes. “Mom’s are the best.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“That said,” she added, “I suggest you wait until afterwards to eat and drink, as it’s best the screening is conducted on an empty stomach.”
My eyes lifted to her face. “Oh. Okay. So, we’re doing a ‘screening’ now?” I clarified.
“Yes,” she replied, setting the black suitcase down on the floor and kneeling to flip it open. “Sorry if I didn’t make that clear. It’s what I meant by getting the ball rolling. Before I can commit to accepting you as my mentee or helping you monetarily, I need to see how you cope with a little test.” She pulled out a clear bag containing small, circular black pads, then rose to her feet. “Would you mind standing up now, please.”
