Confronting the Fallen (12 page)

“
Yeah,
we noticed,” Tyler said with a grin. Then he sighed. “That
probably means that class is back on this morning. C'mon, Jake. Let's
put the dishes away and go and see.”

Looking
dejected, Jacob wished Chris luck and the two headed off. Chris was
left alone to finish his breakfast and think some more about the test
and, something that made him even more curious, where the judge had
been for the past few days. And why he'd needed a rabbi with him.

Chris
lingered in the library after breakfast until it was time to head to
the judge's office. He was surprised at how nervous he suddenly felt.
The butterflies were definitely playing games in his stomach as he
approached the office door.

Chris
knocked and waited until he heard the call to come in before opening
the door. As he entered, Martin was again with the judge, but left
with a smile as Chris went to sit down in front of the desk. He
waited until he heard the door close before looking at the judge.

Judge
Hawkes looked much the same as usual, but Chris thought he detected a
hint of dark circles under the man's eyes and his skin was a bit
pale. But he smiled as Chris caught his eye and leaned away from his
desk.

“
Good
morning, Mr. Wright,” he said in a friendly tone. His voice was
as strong as ever.

“
Good
morning, sir,” Chris answered. “How was your trip?”

The
man grimaced slightly. “Taxing, my boy. Very taxing. Maybe
we'll speak of it later, but for now, Martin informed me that you had
an important matter to discuss.”

“
Yes
sir.” Chris hesitated. This was it. Time to jump in with both
feet. “I've decided to take the test. That is, if I'm still
allowed to.”

He
held his breath as Judge Hawkes stared at him with obvious surprise.
Then the man smiled widely.

“
Allowed
to? But of course you're allowed to. This is wonderful news, Mr.
Wright. I'm very pleased with your decision.” He leaned forward
and stared at Chris intently. “If I might ask; what exactly
made you change your mind?”

Chris
shook his head. “I didn't change my mind, sir. I came to a
decision. And I guess you can thank Chef for it, at least partly.”

“
Chef?
Really? Well, I shouldn't be surprised. If there is a more
level-headed, trustworthy person on my staff, I don't know who it
is.” The judge's tone of voice became warmer. “So, you've
become friends with Chef?'

“
I
sure have, sir. He's just so, I dunno, easy to talk to. He listens
really good, you know?”

“
I
do indeed, Mr. Wright. He and I have had many a conversation over the
years, about many things.” The judge picked up his cell and
tapped on it for a moment. “Very well. Our nearest tester can
be here by tomorrow afternoon.” He looked at Chris. “Anna
is a bit delicate and it takes some preparation for her to travel, so
I'm afraid that that is as fast as she can get here. I hope that
isn't too long a wait for you?”

Chris
was confused. “Can't someone here give me the test? Like you,
sir?”

The
judge chuckled. “I'm afraid not. I am not qualified to
administer the test, Christopher. We often have a qualified person
with us in residence, but right now things are...a little hectic, so
Anna is our only real option.” As he was speaking, the judge
began typing on his cell again. He glanced at Chris and back at his
typing as he spoke. “She is of an advanced age. I would
normally prefer to ask someone else to administer the test, but we
don't have a lot of time and I believe this is important enough to
disturb her.”

“
I
don't want to be a bother, your honor,” Chris said hurriedly.
“If you want to get someone else, I can wait.”

“
That
is much appreciated, but don't worry.” The judge smiled. “To
be honest, Anna thinks we fuss over her too much. She'll be very
happy to help us. She says she likes feeling useful.” He
finished typing. “I've sent her aide a text to confirm that she
can come. Give it a few minutes. He's usually quite punctual.”
The judge put down the cell and sat back. “So, while we wait,
tell me what you've been up to the last little while. I've had
reports, of course, but I prefer hearing about these things face to
face.”

Reports,
huh, Chris thought. I guess I'm not surprised. He began telling the
judge about meeting the guard dogs and of his talks with the
librarian. It wasn't long into the conversation when the cell chimed
once and the judge checked the message.

“
Wonderful.
He says that Anna would be happy to help us out. She should arrive
around dinner time tomorrow.” He must have noticed Chris'
worried expression because he hastened to reassure him.“Try to
relax, Christopher. You cannot fail the test. It's quick, simple and
once it's done, we'll all have options before us concerning your
future. That's actually when the hard part comes in.” At Chris'
perplexed look, the judge added “When you decide if you are
truly joining us or not. So, take the time before Anna arrives to
relax and try not to think about it too much.”

Chris
stood up and thanked the judge. Then he headed for the door, he
thought of something and turned back to look at the judge,.

“
Sir,
what happens if I pass the test and then decide to leave anyway?”

The
man stared at him thoughtfully. “Then, Christopher, we will
wish you well and send you on your way.”

Chris
felt somewhat reassured, thanked the man again and left.

Once
out in the corridor, he decided to walk around the estate outside
during the day for a change. Anything to pass the time until
tomorrow, he thought with a deep sigh.

The
rest of the day passed uneventfully. Chris met up with Tyler and
Jacob for dinner and they played games until it was time for the two
to do their homework. Chris decided to make it an early night. He
borrowed a book on Troy from the library and headed off to his room,
where he lay in bed and read for hours.

When
Chris awoke the next morning, he sat by the side of the bed and
thought about the day to come. It's T-day, he thought whimsically. I
dunno what this big test is, but I wish I could just get it over
with.

He
got up, got washed and dressed and headed for breakfast. Tyler and
Jacob seemed to be at least as excited as Chris was about the
upcoming test. In fact, Jacob was almost vibrating with eagerness to
tell Chris about his own experience. But dark looks from Tyler kept
him from spilling anything but vague hints. Finally Chris asked him
to stop.

“
Jake,
you're making me even more nervous, man,” he said, exasperated.

“
Sorry
Chris,” Jacob said. “You're right. And it wouldn't make
any difference if you knew what Ty and I went through anyway. It was
different for both of us.”

“
Exactly,
Jake,” Tyler agreed. He crammed a slice of toast into his mouth
and spoke around it. “I think each tester decides on the test
we each get. I remember Diego saying something like that.”

“
Really?”
Jacob looked at Tyler curiously. “Margaret didn't mention that.
Of course, she wasn't much for talking anyway, so maybe that's why.”

“
Diego?
Margaret? You guys both had different testers?” Chris asked.

“
Oh
yeah. Jake showed up a month after I got here,” Tyler said. He
swallowed his toast with a loud gulp. Jacob rolled his eyes. “Diego
was long gone by then.” He looked sad for a moment. “He
was such a good guy too. But even old monks don't last forever, I
guess.”

“
Diego
was a monk?” Chris was getting confused again.

“
Yeah,
of course. Jake's tester, Margaret, was a minister. Wasn't she?”
Tyler looked at Jacob inquiringly.

“
Yup.
United or something like that.” Jacob shrugged. “I can't
keep 'em straight in my head. She was neat though. Just way too quiet
for my liking.”

“
Maybe
she never got a chance to speak, the way you chatter all the time.”
Tyler grinned at Jacob, who blew him a raspberry and looked back at
Chris.

“
Anyway,
I've never heard of Anna, but it sounds like the judge really
respects her, so you should be fine.”

Chris
finished the last of his coffee. “Yeah, I guess. You know, I
kind of wish there was something I could read or study or whatever,
just to get ready.” He laughed at himself. “I feel really
unprepared.”

Tyler
got up and gathered all their plates. “I think that's the
point, Chris. They want you the way you are. Best way to test you, I
suppose.” He took the plates away and Jacob got up as well.

“
We're
off to class, Chris,” he said, then he slapped Chris on the
shoulder. “Just chill for the day. Play some games, read a
book, whatever. You can't do anything but wait anyway.” Then he
winked and left the dining room behind Tyler.

Yeah,
great advice, Chris thought and rolled his eyes. There were only a
few adults left in the room finishing their meals, so he headed for
the door. Okay Jake, he said to himself. I'll take your advice. The
library it is.

Chris
spent the rest of the day bouncing between the library, the games
room and the lounge. He couldn't get comfortable and the more he
tried not to think of the test, the more it weighed on his mind. At
dinner, he just picked at his food. Tyler and Jacob tried to
encourage him to eat something.

After
Jacob had waved a third dessert under his nose, Chris had had enough.

“
Jake,
would you please knock it off!” he barked. Jacob jumped and
reddened.

“
Sorry.
Chris. I just, you know, was trying to distract you.”

“
Yeah,
well, it's not working. Look, I'm just not hungry. Maybe after I will
be, but not right now. Okay?”

“
Sure,
of course.” Jacob went back to finishing his own dinner.

“
Chris,”
Tyler said, “Are you up for this? I mean, you're more nervous
than anyone else I've seen before the test, even Jake here.” He
nodded at his friend who stopped chewing to stare at Chris.

“
Um,
yeah man,” Jacob said. “I was hyped up about it but
you're like, bouncing off the walls.”

“
What?
No way,” Chris said forcefully. “I'm fine. I just want to
get it over with, that's all.”

Am
I that obvious, he wondered. I learned to hide my emotions on the
street. Maybe this place is making me soft. Gotta be more careful.

“
Yeah,
I'm just fine,” he repeated. At that moment, his cell rang. He
dug it out of his pocket.

“
Hello?”
Chris said.

“
Good
evening, Mr. Wright. Martin here. The judge would like to see you in
his office at eight tonight, if that's all right?”

Chris
felt his stomach clench. “Oh yeah, sure, Martin. That will be
fine. Thanks a lot.”

“
You're
welcome. And good luck on the test.”

Martin
hung up and Chris swallowed nervously. He glanced at the clock about
the entrance. Six forty-five.

“
You
okay, Chris?” Jacob asked anxiously. “You're white as a
sheet.”

“
Yeah.
That was Martin. The judge wants to see me at eight.” He
glanced down at his plate and then pushed it away. He felt faintly
sick.

“
Hey,
that's great!” Tyler was enthusiastic. “You can get it
over with, finally.”

“
I
guess.” Chris stood up abruptly. “I think I'll go for a
walk, kill some time. Talk to you guys later.”

“
Good
luck, Chris,” Jacob said seriously.

“
You'll
be great!” Tyler added.

Chris
smiled and waved and headed out of the room. He turned toward the
front door. He thought it might be nice to see the dogs. They always
lifted his spirits.

When
Chris left the house, he was surprised to find the dogs milling
around only a few yards away from the door. He looked questioningly
at
Mr.
McKenna, who was at his usual post near the entrance. The man just
shrugged.

“
No,
Mr. Wright. I have no idea what brought them here. They've been
loitering near the door for quite a while now.” He smiled.
“Perhaps they've been waiting for you.”

Chris
laughed but wondered if that was true. The entire pack suddenly
surrounded him, woofing gently and brushing up against him. He was
always surprised at how gentle they were. With his size, any of them
could have easily knocked him over, but that had never happened.

He
distributed pats to all of the dogs but knelt down and wrapped his
arms around Eliza's neck. She stood quietly, too dignified to make a
big fuss over him, but she rested her jaw on his shoulder and leaned
her head against his. She smelled of grass and wind and freedom,
Chris thought, although the freedom might be in his imagination. He
suddenly felt that he was heading for something inevitable, something
that would set him on a path with no chance of turning back.