The Hubby Hold (IQ Testing Book 2) (15 page)

“Calm down, honey!” Duchie winks. “The first question’s always the easiest. The answer will be green. Okay! So, ya wait, counting out to about thirteen seconds, before answering the question and avoiding missing the fifteen second deadline. Then, I’ll be thirteen seconds ahead of you, giving me plenty of time to answer the other three questions. Does that make sense?”

I frown then nod. “Okay! I can do that. I can wait about thirteen seconds, before answering the first question. Yeah, that should ensure that you drop down into the floor, before me.”

Duchie nods. “Okay, let’s zoom back into the Cubby Hole. I bet we’ll be the only two me-chee chairs in the place. So, the me-chee will, immediately, start the set of questions, like always.”

I nod, skipping towards my me-chee chair. I slide inside, when the fabric quickly cover me.

The chair drops into the dark tunnel, when I scream with anticipation.

Chapter 14

Green me-chee

I rise, first, into the Cubby Hole within the glowing green colors, again. I dropped before Duchie. My me-chee chair jolts into place, glowing with a red shield. Then, I see Duchie pop up then land.

The me-chee stands, raising his arms, glowing in neon puke green.

The color makes my stomach turn, without consuming the food basket, within the red color tone.

The me-chee says. “Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope…”

I tap my foot in nervousness then tune out the me-chee machine from my brain cells, repeating his same practiced speech.

I wonder, if Buffo is thinking of me. I’m thinking of him, since I’ve abandoned him, again. I feel so sad.

But, Buffo has disappointed me, again. He has failed the orange color tone, a second time.

I feel so betrayed.

All the math questions were relatively easy, so far, if you were inside an air conditioning class room style environment. However, this is not a class environment, but a competition environment for five dream jobs, within the city of Colfax.

I feel depressed, leaving Buffo behind inside the orange color tone, a second time. But, we had studied for hours, days, and years, together, preparing for this day, Citizenship Day.

My BPs studied and encouraged me, every single hour of every single day, including the weekends with my test questions. Granted, my BPs didn’t share all the information about Citizenship, including the dreaded Cubby Hole activities. They, sorta, protected me.

On the other hand, Buffo was given more information, than I, about Citizenship Day. Yet, he can’t get out of the third color chart, advancing along with me, into the next series of colors, and finally, reaching the gold circle.

The me-chee says. “The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee, inside the Cubby Hole, presently?”

I exhale, shaking my hands, getting the blood flow surging with worry. I silently count down from zero to thirteen, so Duchie can land inside the green room of mirrors, first.

I wonder, if Rincon is thinking of me. I’m thinking of him, since I’ve abandoned him, again. I feel ashamed, too.

Rincon came back, failing the green color tone, too, to rescue me, inside our secondly shared red color tone. I giggle, feeling safe, secure, and sweet, being with Rincon.

He and I shared lots of time in school, together, during class time, and after school, before Buffo entered my life. However, Rincon has always been there at my side, in my shadow.

He, also, has displayed an exceptional academic performance, within each color tone, today, on Citizenship Day. He, right now, is waiting inside the golden color tone. He will land his dream job as medical technician.

I growl. “My answer is…green.”

The me-chee says inside my me-chee chair. “The mayor of Colfax stays at one of the lovely inns, within the city. The inn charges $199.01 per night plus tax for the luxury room. A tax of 12 percent is applied to the room rate, and an additional one time untaxed fee of $50.00 is charged by the inn. Do not provide the solution to the equation. What is the math equation, representing the mayor’s total charges for one night?”

I’m getting the medical technician position, like my BPs, since I have been studying my entire life, since four years old, for Citizenship Day.

Rincon can become a me-chee technician, or a me-chee designer, or a legal technician. He should become the legal technician, since Marsilla is both dishonest and arrogant. Her BPs are both legal technicians.

I say. “The total charge is the room rate of $199.01, the 12 percent tax on the room rate, and the fixed fee of $50.00. The math equation is 1.12(199.01) + 50.” I clear my throat then wiggle my right boot toe. I study Duchie.

She lies, like a dead person, inside her me-chee chair under the red color shield.

I frown with annoyance, wondering if, she has addressed the easy second question. I should’ve developed a subtle hand signal for when she had finished answering each academic question, so I could finish, answering my own set of academic questions, before the time limit of fifteen seconds.

I exhale with more annoyance. I gotta move along with answering my set of academic questions, too, or face the fear of dropping back into the red color tone. I exhale, saying. “My answer is…1.12 times 199.01 plus 50.”

The me-chee says inside my me-chee chair. “What is the probability that a number selected at random from the set of number listing as 2, 3, 5, 12, 17, 29, 72, 108 will be divisible by both 2 and 3?”

I exhale and shake my legs and arms, releasing the worry, fright, fear, and tension. This question is not hard, but time consuming within the fifteen second time limit. I whisper. “The number 12 is divided by 2 producing 6. The number 12, also, is divided by 3 producing 4. The number 72 is divided by 2 producing 36. The number 72, also, is divided by 3 producing 24. And, the number 108 is divided by 2 producing 54. The number 108, also, is divided by 3 producing 36. The only numbers from the vocal listing divisible by both 2 and 3 is 12, 72, and 108. So, the probability that the number selected at random is 3/8.” I stare at Duchie.

She lies, again, like a dead person.

I frown with a distorted face, flipping my hands in frustration. “Come on, Duchie! Answer the freaking question. I’ve already puzzled it out! I don’t have time to waste. My answer is…3/8.”

The me-chee says within my me-chee chair. “When hydrogen chloride and ammonia vapors react, what do the two vapors form?”

I exhale, flipping both my hands and feet from the chair. “This is too easy, Duchie. Answer the dang question. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight seconds have passed ya bye-bye, darling,” I giggle, seeing her me-chee chair turn neon puke green. I giggle then say. My answer is…the solid ammonium chloride.”

My me-chee chair turns puke green, also. The fabrics wrap around me then I fall down into the darkness.

I scream with delight.

Chapter 15

Green park place

The chair slowly emerges then jolts near the one of side wall of mirrors, like always. I giggle. “Second place, again!” I scoot from the chair, dropping my mouth at the presented view. I stand inside the archway.

Duchie landed, first, and then slapped the green colored wall. It is open.

I walk into a large field filled with only yellow sunflowers, smiling and nodding.

Duchie stands in the front row of numerous rows, going for miles, until it hits the barrier wall, probably, like the other park places.

There are horizontal rows of sunflower parallel to the archway. Then, there are vertical rows of sunflowers perpendicular to the horizontally rows. Then, there are diagonal rows between the vertical and horizontal rows of sunflowers. There is a white fence separating the sunflowers from me. Then, there is a circular pond separating the fence from me.

I exhale, slowly walking then stop at the pond. I see the bottom then locate the first watery stepping stone. I march one slick watery stone, at a time, across the shallow water pond, extending my arms for balance. I don’t wanna get wet, again. I walk to the next sunflower then stand beside Duchie, touching the petal. “Soft and big and bright yellow, the center is not a center. It’s a pod of seeds…”

Duchie smiles, touching the flower. “This is a sunflower field full of healthy and tall upright stalks of big yellow daisy-like flower with big yellow petals and brown flower head. They grow taller than most floras. These stalks stand at two and half feet, half of our height,” she giggles. “The stem is rough and hairy. The leaves are sticky and heart-shaped, a beautiful flower and they always face east.”

I frown with puzzlement then swing around, seeing the yellow sun. “The flowers always face east. Hmm, that’s interesting. I thought the park places were computer generations of the first me-chee chair, within the teenage mind.”

Duchie nods, touching the flower. “The park places are the images of the teen, who lands, first, into the room of mirrors, but the park place is a real place, somewhere on the planet. I don’t know where, either. However, this particular park place is located south.”

I frown at the sun, covering my eyelashes with my hands. “How da ya know that?”

She says, spinning in a circle. “The flowers are facing east on my right, so ya finger the eastern skyline then twirl around the landscape in a geographical direction. The trees are north, facing ahead. The valley is west, on my left. And, the little creek water is flowing south, behind my butt.”

I swing to the flower, touching it. “The petals are soft. The center has a pod of brown seeds.”

She picks the seeds. “Sunflower seeds are, also, a healthy food source, so we are to eat the seeds from the flower.”

“Eat the seed!?” I frown with annoyance, picking one seed from the flower head. “It is a black shell with black and white stripes.” I press the seed. “It is firm feeling. This is going to break my tooth.”

She nods, chewing on the seed. “Naw, you separate the shell from the seed. You’re holding the sunflower shell, not the seed. The seed is inside, like an apple seed is located, inside the apple core, city slicker. This is ‘the thing,’ here to do to re-activate our me-chee chairs. Ya eat and get one of the sunflower seeds, then we get back into the me-chee chairs and advance into the blue color tone.”

I shake my curls. “I don’t know.”

“The seeds taste, like nuts. Enjoy, sugar!” She winks, tossing the whole shells into her mouth.

I frown with annoyance. “Can’t I break, or bust it open?”

“Naw, this is art form, eating sunflower seeds.”

I smell the shell, inhaling a fresh odor.

Duchie laughs. “Don’t sniff it, like a dog! Eat it, like a girl!”

I touch the shell. “This is not hard, but firm. Are you certain, Duchie?”

“Look around ya, what’da’ya see? I will answer my own question, lots and lots of sunflower stalks, which contain zillions of sunflower seeds. Ya eat the seed then we leave,” she giggles. “I rhymed, like a dime, within our limited time,” she giggles, also. “Eat the freaking seed, Ketona. I wanna go and rub my victory into Marsilla’s me-chee chair seating position,” she laughs.

I tap the hard shell. “I cannot possible eat this firm outer smooth shell, coming from a sunflower plant, but I will consume the seedling inside. So, how do I get to the seedling, inside the shell?

Duchie exhales then laughs, holding her hands in the air filled with fresh batch of sunflower shells. “Okay, I’m going to narrate, while ya do it, all at the same time. One, place the shell into your mouth…”

I frown with annoyance then place the shell onto my tongue. “Yuck!” I spit the shell onto the ground.

She laughs. “Okay, go back to step one, place the shell into your mouth.”

I frown. “It tastes salty and yucky. I can’t do this.”

“Please, we survived both slithering snakes, and growling cougars. Now, you can’t crack one soft shell for the meat…”

I toss my hands, picking another seed. “Okay, placing the shell onto my tongue.” I place the shell onto my tongue, when my mouth salvia drools from both sides of my lips.

Duchies laughs, shaking her curls. “That has to be the most disgusting eyeball vision, ever. Okay, second, move the seed inside the cheek of your mouth. This is the easiest way to crack the seed, inside the cheek, rather than with your front teeth. I will wait for that maneuver…”

Using my tongue, I maneuver the shell towards my cheek, inside my mouth then my tongue flips the shell down my throat. I gag then cough, then gag, and finally spit the shell out of my mouth. I drool from the awful choke.

Duchie laughs. “Girl, you are so disgustingly ugly and entertainingly amusing. Okay, I feel bad for ya, but I can’t eat your seed from the sunflower. We will stand, right here, all night, until you eat that seed.”

I exhale, picking my third sunflower shell. I don’t bother with a narrative. I place the shell into my mouth then my tongue holds it against my cheek.

She nods. “Three, place the seed between your teeth. Use your tongue to place the shell between your molars. I, personally, prefer the vertical pose, but it your preference.”

I drop my jaw open, when my tongue maneuvers the shell between the top and bottom row of molars.

Duchie laughs, without instructions.

My mouth salvia drools and drops over the sides of my lips.

Duchie laughs then calms her giggling. “Now, crack the shell with your molars. Apply a firm and steady pressure onto the seed, until it cracks open. The hull is going to resist, so apply more pressure. Don’t…”

“Ugh,” I spit the cracked shell and white seed onto the grass.

Duchie eye rolls, frowns then laughs. “Dang, I just told ya. Do not bite the shell, so hard, that you crack it. Now, start all over from step number one, again, Ketona.”

I exhale, picking a fourth shell. I place it into my mouth with my fingers then shove it into my cheekbone, not bothering with my useless tongue. My mouth is open with the shell, standing vertical between the top and bottom rows of molars. I slightly apply pressure from both rows of molars, hearing nothing. Then, I slightly apply more pressure to the shell from my molars, hearing a tiny crack. Then, I slightly apply some more pressure to the shell between my molars, hearing a big crack.

The shell breaks in two pieces.

I frown with disgust, feeling the slightly touch with my tongue tip of three foreign objects inside my mouth. My drool falls over my lips then down the sides of my neck and then into my collar of my cat suit.

Duchie claps and smiles. “Good, ya cracked the shell in two halves, which look like a clam shell, but you can’t see. Anyways, now, free the little seed from its warm home by letting it fall onto your tongue.”

I stand with my mouth open, showing a split shell, exposing the seed. My lips are flowing with stingy mouth salvia down both sides of my neck. I can’t talk, so I stomp my feet.

Duchie laughs. “Free the seed, now, Ketona. You’re almost done!”

I wiggle my tongue sideways, trying to separate the seed from the shell. Both food items are getting wet and soft inside my mouth, while my salvia is drowning my lips and my neck. I am trying to separate the seed from the shell, feeling the smooth seed. I shift the rough shell to the other side of my cheek, when I gag.

The seed flips from my other cheekbone then slides down my throat.

She grins. “The shell is rough. The seed is smooth. That’s the difference between the two textures to your tongue. Use your tongue and your teeth to pull shell and the seed apart.”

I gag then cough and then gag with mouth spit. Only spit comes from my drooling mouth and pink tongue, I have swallowed the seed whole.

She laughs. “Okay, ya, sorta, ate the seed. Last step, spit out the shell, before choking…I mean chewing it. Now, you’re a mistress seeder, so let’s go back into the Cubby Hole and finish the other thing, inside the blue color tone.”

I spit out the soft shell then cough, slapping my breasts, trying to breathe more air molecules. I swing from the sunflowers, slowly stomping and slapping my chest.

Duchie swings around, walking towards the fence.

“I…” cannot talk. I scan the landscape, clearing my throat. “Duchie, where’s the fear factor?”

“There ain’t one.” She climbs over the fence then stomps towards the pond.

I slowly climb over the fence post. “Yeah, there’s a fear factor. Remember, Rincon said, each park place has one fear factor associated with a love factor. This is your love question. You love sunflower. So, where is the fear factor attached to the love factor?”

Duchie smiles and swings around, standing on top of the single stone, surrounded by water, inside the pond. “Yeah, I agree. There’s a fear factor, the fear of ya chocking to death, which you almost did from one tiny little sunflower seed.” She extends her arms outwards, shaking her hands. “Move your boot toes, Ketona. We’re almost finished, here,” when a tiny splatter of white liquid lands upon her collar bone.

I fall over the fence post then stop, narrowing my eyelashes at the big gray circle in the sky.

Duchie frowns, examine the white liquid. She gasps. “Ugh! It’s bird s…”

“South, there’s a swarm of birds coming at us, due south,” I finger the birds then run towards the pond.

Duchie stands on the stone, frowning at the white spot as it slides off her collar bone then down her arm of her cat suit. “It’s bird pookie…”

I stomp onto each stone then fling my body at Duchie. I connect to Duchie, sliding us into the pond water, when the swarm of birds swoops down upon her former standing position.

We dive into the water then emerge upon the surface, coughing and gasping for air molecules.

The birds attack the sunflower pod of seeds.

I exhale. “There’s the fear factor.”

She coughs, dog pedaling towards the grassy shore. “Good, it’s done, too. Let’s leave, here!”

I follow behind Duchie, scanning the blue sky. Then, I see a second swarm of birds.

Duchie swims ahead of me, when the birds swoop down, again, firing their white splatters of liquid, specifically at her.

I gasp then stands on my knees.

Numerous white bird pookie drops hit and splash onto her cat suit, her hair, and her face. She wipes the pookie from her face, “Uoo! Yuck-o! This is both disgusting and unsanitary.” She dives into the pond.

I frown with puzzlement, whispering. “How did the birds know to attack, only, Duchie, not me?” I see a third swarm of birds coming from the south. They are flying directly towards Duchie.

She swims under the water, holding her breathe from another attack and cleaning the pookie off her face and hair roots.

I gasp, watching the swarm drop towards the tree tops then target Duchie, again. I stand, running towards the fence post. I sail over the fence post then rip off four of the sunflower stems. I swing around, running back to the fence post then tumble over the railing onto my face, without feeling pain, only fury.

I stomp over the slick wet steeping stones inside the pond, batting the sunflower stems in the air. The pod of seeds pops then flies into the air, also.

The swarm of birds targets the flying seeds, instead of Duchie. I yell. “Run, get into the room. I’m holding them off, temporarily.”

Duchie stands then scoots up onto the stones, running and jumping each one then lands on the grass. She runs into the room for safe protection.

I bat the birds, popping more sunflower shells into the air then toss the stems into the air. I turn then jump over each stone, landing on the grass. I glide into the room, panting and sweating.

Duchie stands, in front of her me-chee chair, draining water from her ponytail and face. She pants, growling. “I hate Citizenship Day.”

I giggle, wiping the sweat and clinging seeds from my face and neck then frown with worry. “Why did the birds target, only you, Duchie?”

She snarls. “Naw, they targeted both of us. I was the unlucky victim, first, getting wet, only. Let’s get outta, here.”

I nod then exhale. “Wait! Snakes versus knives?”