Ascent (5 page)

It’s funny hearing myself talk about IYD. I sound like a Party commercial.

They nod their heads, like they know exactly what I’m talking about.

***

Later that night, after everyone has gone to bed, I rummage through my suitcase looking for my
Night of the Nocturnal
DVD. I find it buried, wrapped in tissue in the bottom of my suitcase. I carefully unwrap the DVD as the sound of tissue crinkling fills the room. I noticed the common area has a retro DVD player and a huge TV. My room doesn’t have a DVD player. But I’m sure everyone is asleep. They have to be: tomorrow is the first day of leadership development training. The video unwrapped, I tiptoe out of the room and down the long hallway to the common area at the end of the floor where we’re staying.

The TV is off and it takes a few minutes of fiddling with the controls to get everything together. I pop in the movie and make myself comfortable on the couch. I flip forward to the scenes with my mother, then lay my head on the pillow and pull a blanket over myself.

As Mom’s voice plays in the background, I let my eyes close. My mind goes back to when I was a little girl lying in bed, listening to Mom and Dad talk while I drifted to sleep. Mom’s voice in the background is reassuring.

The sound of footsteps startles me from my slumber. Matt appears in the room out of nowhere.

“Hi,” he says as he walks past me towards the kitchen. I sneak a peek his direction. He’s shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of threadbare Bermuda shorts. My eyes linger too long on his back as he opens the refrigerator. The Party keeps our food in there: meats, cheese, fruit, everything imaginable … The Party really knows how to treat their prospects.

“You’re up late,” he says as he searches for a snack.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling.” He joins me on the couch next to me with a Coke and a bag of Doritos. “I can’t wait to find out what this place is all about in the morning. I can’t believe I was chosen.”

I doubt the caffeine and sugar-filled Coke is going to help him sleep.

“What do you think of the hotel?” he asks through a mouthful of chips.

“It’s nice. I’ve never stayed here before and I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

“You look so much like her.” He nods his head at the TV.

Silence floods the room. I wasn’t expecting him to mention Mom. My breath catches in my throat. I give him a weak smile.

“Oh, I didn’t say anything wrong, did I? I’m sorry. My mom’s favorite movie was
Taxi Driver
when I was growing up.”

“Oh. Most people don’t remember her…”

“How could people not remember her? Everyone knows who Lynnette Ryan is. She’s like an icon. Do you mind if I hang out?”

“No, anyone can hang out here. It’s like the only place we’re allowed unsupervised.”

Then we sit in silence, watching the movie. I sneak a peek at Matt. His hair is curly and dark. The ends are tinted blonde from the summer sun. He’s tanned, and freckles dot his nose. His muscles ripple down his arms.

“So, what brings you to IYD?” I ask, breaking the silence.

“I need to do more than just play football. Science was my best subject. I want to be able to make a difference, you know? Being a member of the Party is the only way to do anything that matters. You?”

The real reason I came to IYD sits on the tip of my tongue. Of course I won’t share. The desperation I feel to go back in time and see Mom again is something I’ll keep to myself. “Same reason. I can’t just rely on my acting. IYD can open so many doors. It’s a great opportunity. And maybe being Lynette’s daughter helped me get accepted to the program.”

He smiles at me and my skin flushes hot. I’m glad the room is dark.

“Well, I better get to bed. Class starts at 8:00. I don’t want to be late on the first day.”

I look at my watch and am surprised to see it’s after midnight. “Okay, goodnight.”

“See you in the morning.” Then he walks up the stairs.

After he’s gone I watch a couple of more scenes. Then I turn the TV off and Mom disappears into the past. I watch her go before returning to my room.

Chapter Seven

Farrah-Kate

It’s the first day of class and my stomach is filled with fluttering butterflies. I ride the elevator down to the lobby with a vague feeling I may be sick.

The elevator opens and I see everyone waiting. Rick stands against the counter wearing his skinny clothes and sunglasses. I don’t think Rick is grounded in reality. At least not the reality the rest of us live in. I walk towards the group. Rick starts pacing.

The anticipation is killing him.

“Good morning,” Casey says to me. She’s sitting on a couch in the lobby. I take a seat next to her and look around. Even though it’s early, the hotel lobby buzzes with guests checking in, vacationers leaving. We wait behind the red velvet rope that separates us from the crowd. Beyond the lobby are the slot machines and tables for those who want to try their luck. My classmates’ voices mix with the sound of slots. I capture bits and pieces of conversation.

I feel so far on the outside.

The nagging feeling I’ve made a mistake picks at my brain. I can’t get the thought out of my mind. I shouldn’t be here. I’m the last person who should become a member of the Party. They’ll find me out I’m not loyal to the Party and I’ll be put in prison. I never should have come.

Liam is coming to take us out to the Institute. Only people approved by the Party are allowed inside the Institute. IYD was built in Nevada because of the lack of earthquakes and natural disasters and because it’s Marvin Winn’s home. Nothing is going to ruin his super high-tech facility. The brochure says the facility can withstand an explosion from an atomic bomb.

Not that I want to find out.

I have no idea what to expect. Everything that happens at IYD is secret. I’m excited and nervous at the same time.

Matt stands outside the circle, staring at the ground. I try to get his attention, to offer him a smile and look for reassurance, but he doesn’t look up.

“What do you think the first day is going to be like?” Casey whispers in my ear. She’s twisting her hands together and looking around.

I go to say something, but Liam walks into the lobby. My mouth sticks in a perpetual O. He’s wearing all black with an assault rifle strapped to his side and a large gold badge on his jacket. He’s followed by two men dressed the same way. Big men. Men I wouldn’t like meeting in a dark alley.

“Okay, folks, I see everyone is here.” He claps his hands together as he examines the group. He’s happy we’re not late. No one can be late at IYD. Everyone knows that rule. “Follow me. It’s your first day of class and we’ll be traveling out to the Institute.” He gives us each a stern look. “And don’t forget, you’ve all signed a confidentiality agreement. What you are about to see isn’t to be spoken of outside of IYD. Understood?” He looks around for affirmation and we all nod our heads, too scared to do anything else. “Good. Let’s get going then.”

***

Our driver is the same one who drove us from the airport. He nods at us as we step up the stairs to the bus, but he doesn’t say a word.

The bus pulls out onto the Las Vegas Strip and for a moment I forget why we are here. It all seems so
normal
. Tourists out on vacation, oblivious to what occurs in the upper levels of Winn Hotel and Casino.

We drive out of town to the east, away from the city. There are no buildings in sight; just hard dirt, lonely cacti, and shrubs.

I close my eyes. The bus is smooth and quiet. Voices talk around me. I pick up smidges of conversation.

I feel the motion of the bus slow and my eyes squint open. I look around. We’re in the middle of the desert. With the exception of the of the dirt parking lot, we’re in the middle of nowhere.

Liam stands up with a stack of what look like goggles. “I need everyone to put these on.” He hands me a pair. They’re heavy and black with a light on the top. “When you get these on they will attach to your face. A light will come on so I’ll know they’re sealed. It’s important that you don’t witness anything else past this point. We can’t disclose the location of IYD.”

To my left Rick nods his head, like he knows something the rest of us don’t. I wait until everyone is holding a pair of goggles. I don’t want to spend more time than I need to in the dark. I watch Rick put the goggles over his eyes and I follow suit.

Once we’re all wearing our goggles the bus moves forward. The road gets bumpier. I count the seconds in my head. I feel the bus make turns on the road and I try to keep a mental record of where we’re going. Ten minutes after we’ve put the goggles on, the bus comes to a stop.

“We’re here; you can take off your goggles.”

I pull the goggles over my head and the sun stabs my eyes. I squint as I wait for my eyes to adjust.

Liam stands in the front of the bus and motions for us to get off.

Casey stands and looks back over the seat at me. It’s a look of nervous anticipation.

I step off the bus. It’s nine o’clock in the morning and it already feels like a blow dryer is aimed straight at my face. The sun is a huge globe in the sky and I wonder if Las Vegas is somehow closer to the sun, like Nevada is a bulge on the side of the earth.

All around is hard-packed dust and brush – the kind that doesn’t need water. At least, not much water. A dirt devil sends sand into my eyes. We’re in the middle of the desert and for a minute I think there’s been a mistake. We’re lost. Or maybe there’s no IYD and we’re about to be offered to the Gods of the Desert. I wipe the back of my hand across my forehead and come back with a handful of sweat. The sun burns the top of my head.

It’s hell on earth.

And the Institute is nowhere in sight.

Panic builds. What are we doing out here?

It’s only been a few minutes but sweat is already dripping down my face. My back is soaked under my shirt. My eyes sting. I can’t wait to get back inside. Casey’s in front of me. She reaches up and pulls her hair back away from her face.

A couple of salamanders dash under a dying shrub. Everything in the desert looks like it’s dying. A jackrabbit dashes across the desert. It stops and gives us a curious look before sprinting away.

Liam holds something in his hand that looks like a compass. He stops and examines the reading. I can see the dial on the device move from where I’m standing. He takes a couple of steps and reads it again, then moves a few feet to the left before he stops.

“Okay, everyone, stand ten feet behind me and don’t come any closer.”

No one moves.

Liam spins the hand on the device he’s holding. The ground shakes and Casey gives me a worried look. I glance at Liam. His expression gives the appearance that nothing’s wrong, that everything going on is absolutely normal.

Liam takes one step back.

The ground shakes harder and then opens up right in front of us, exposing a big black hole. Liam presses a button on the device and light shines from the hole in the ground. He waves us forward. A gush of cold air blows out of the cavity, cooling my face. “Come along, it’s time for class.”

We inch closer to the hole and see stairs that lead down to a hallway that glows blue. Liam goes first, followed by Rick. I’m part excited and part scared. Casey turns and gives me a look before she starts walking down. I follow. I can barely see her in the hallway.

The hall is a dark, round cement tunnel with lights on the sides. The lights on the wall are like the color of the sky. I try to keep my eyes on my classmates. I’m worried if I lose them I won’t find my way. We walk down to the end of the tunnel in complete silence and stop at a circular steel door. Liam takes out the device one last time, presses a button, and the door slides open.

He addresses us before letting us walk into the room. “You are entering a place only a select few have been. Everything that happens behind these doors is a secret of the Party and the Institute for Youth Development. From now on, every morning we’ll go through same process: meet in the lobby and we’ll come out here together. You won’t know the location of the Institute; we can’t risk giving away the location.” He claps his hands together. “Now, let’s get started.”

Rick walks in first and the rest of us follow behind. Rick is so anxious to get started that he
smells
of excitement. It’s a weird acrid smell that’s part metal, part sweat.

We enter through the door and into a domed room lit with artificial light. Desks face what looks like a chalkboard – only it’s more like a huge TV screen. There are no windows. In front of the TV the air seems to be moving. I squint my eyes and realize it’s an illusion.

Each of the desks is illuminated with a soft glow. We get closer and notice that lights on the desk tell us where to sit. I spot a desk that says Farrah Ryan right next to Matt’s. I take my seat.

There’s a podium in front of the board with metal letters that say
Dr. Thompson
. The board gives off a hazy glow, adding more illumination to the room. I try to take in everything in the classroom. It’s like something out of a movie. Everything looks like it was dropped in from the year 2100 or from an Apple product show from the future. Maybe everything got here with one of Marvin Winn’s travel devices. I glance at Matt and see him looking around the classroom with the same interest as me. All I know is that whatever happens at IYD this summer, it’s going to be real.