test, but it was so random and violent. I can’t see how it tests anything useful.’ I pull my arms in tight around myself. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Why are you apologising?’
‘You were happier not knowing all of this, right?’
‘No. Thank you for telling me the truth.’ He grips my hand tight, but it’s not flirty Gecko now. ‘Now, what am I going to do with it?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Nothing. Everything.’ He shakes his head, and turns back to me. ‘And what about you, Luna? The RQ test is tomorrow morning. Take the test, go home, go to university and live happily ever after. Put all this out of your mind.’
I bristle. ‘That is so not happening. Besides, I’ve got dysrationalia reject stamped in invisible ink on my forehead right now.’
‘I can’t see it.’ He grins. It is a cloudy night, no stars – no silver around his eye tonight, but I know it’s there. Just like the stamp put on me. I sigh. Lean back into the bench, and he slips an arm around my shoulders.
‘I thought I was so lucky to get this Test appointment. Even though I was scared of flunking. Rafferty told me they were giving me a chance, because of how smart my mother was.’
I feel rather than see him shake his head. ‘Giving you a chance out of the goodness of PareCo’s black corporate hearts?’ He snorts.
‘Well, it sounded good at the time.’
‘It is probably more like this: they are scared of you, Luna.’
‘What? Scared of me ? What nonsense.’
‘They don’t know who you are or anything about you, because you haven’t got an Implant. That, together with Astra being your mother, made you a risk they needed to investigate.’
‘Oh yes, I’m very frightening to them .’
‘Maybe your RQ test will be like my IQ.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I failed the IQ; they said I passed. They said you are failing your RQ. What if it is all smoke and mirrors, and no matter what, we’re both through? Because we’re too dangerous to leave alone.’
‘There go your delusions of grandeur again,’ I say, but this time he laughs. He takes his arm off my shoulders, turns to face me. His smile is a sexy ghost in the darkness.
He leans forward and my breath catches in my throat. His lips brush my forehead, warm and soft.
‘I’m the one who should be apologising.’
‘What for?’
‘I didn’t take you seriously the other day. I should have told you how to get through a force field, but now it’s too late. You’re marked.’
A shiver runs down my spine. ‘So, how do you get through a force field?’
‘Don’t push. As soon as you apply pressure, it pushes back. Just close your eyes and very, very gently become one with it until you get through to the other side.’
‘Become one with a force field? Now you’re making fun.’ But even if I could get through it, is there any point to running away now? Could I get away before they label me, officially? And monitor me for the rest of my life.
‘Tempted to run?’
‘Very. But where would I go?’
‘Already more rational than when I first met you.’ I hit him on the arm. ‘Ouch. But just as violent. Go, get some sleep. Try on that RQ test tomorrow, and who knows? Anything may happen. Whether you want it to, or not.’
The next morning we all report to the hall as instructed. Langdon is there.
‘Good morning, everyone! You are probably expecting to do your RQ test now. But I’ve got news for you. You’ve already done it.’
Murmuring quickly spreads through the crowd.
‘Listen, and I’ll explain. We’ve found in the past that some of the very intelligent dysrationalic are adept at giving the answers we want to hear on an RQ test, and some were slipping through our attempts to catch them out. The solution? Reality tests. That has been what has been going on the last few days. All week we’ve being keeping an eye on each and every one of you, how you react in group tasks, to each other, to challenges. This data will be analysed to reach your
‘Why are you apologising?’
‘You were happier not knowing all of this, right?’
‘No. Thank you for telling me the truth.’ He grips my hand tight, but it’s not flirty Gecko now. ‘Now, what am I going to do with it?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Nothing. Everything.’ He shakes his head, and turns back to me. ‘And what about you, Luna? The RQ test is tomorrow morning. Take the test, go home, go to university and live happily ever after. Put all this out of your mind.’
I bristle. ‘That is so not happening. Besides, I’ve got dysrationalia reject stamped in invisible ink on my forehead right now.’
‘I can’t see it.’ He grins. It is a cloudy night, no stars – no silver around his eye tonight, but I know it’s there. Just like the stamp put on me. I sigh. Lean back into the bench, and he slips an arm around my shoulders.
‘I thought I was so lucky to get this Test appointment. Even though I was scared of flunking. Rafferty told me they were giving me a chance, because of how smart my mother was.’
I feel rather than see him shake his head. ‘Giving you a chance out of the goodness of PareCo’s black corporate hearts?’ He snorts.
‘Well, it sounded good at the time.’
‘It is probably more like this: they are scared of you, Luna.’
‘What? Scared of me ? What nonsense.’
‘They don’t know who you are or anything about you, because you haven’t got an Implant. That, together with Astra being your mother, made you a risk they needed to investigate.’
‘Oh yes, I’m very frightening to them .’
‘Maybe your RQ test will be like my IQ.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I failed the IQ; they said I passed. They said you are failing your RQ. What if it is all smoke and mirrors, and no matter what, we’re both through? Because we’re too dangerous to leave alone.’
‘There go your delusions of grandeur again,’ I say, but this time he laughs. He takes his arm off my shoulders, turns to face me. His smile is a sexy ghost in the darkness.
He leans forward and my breath catches in my throat. His lips brush my forehead, warm and soft.
‘I’m the one who should be apologising.’
‘What for?’
‘I didn’t take you seriously the other day. I should have told you how to get through a force field, but now it’s too late. You’re marked.’
A shiver runs down my spine. ‘So, how do you get through a force field?’
‘Don’t push. As soon as you apply pressure, it pushes back. Just close your eyes and very, very gently become one with it until you get through to the other side.’
‘Become one with a force field? Now you’re making fun.’ But even if I could get through it, is there any point to running away now? Could I get away before they label me, officially? And monitor me for the rest of my life.
‘Tempted to run?’
‘Very. But where would I go?’
‘Already more rational than when I first met you.’ I hit him on the arm. ‘Ouch. But just as violent. Go, get some sleep. Try on that RQ test tomorrow, and who knows? Anything may happen. Whether you want it to, or not.’
The next morning we all report to the hall as instructed. Langdon is there.
‘Good morning, everyone! You are probably expecting to do your RQ test now. But I’ve got news for you. You’ve already done it.’
Murmuring quickly spreads through the crowd.
‘Listen, and I’ll explain. We’ve found in the past that some of the very intelligent dysrationalic are adept at giving the answers we want to hear on an RQ test, and some were slipping through our attempts to catch them out. The solution? Reality tests. That has been what has been going on the last few days. All week we’ve being keeping an eye on each and every one of you, how you react in group tasks, to each other, to challenges. This data will be analysed to reach your
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