Unmasked (4 page)

Suddenly an alarm clock sounded as she nearly bolted out of bed when the clock read “9:00”.

She was late for her meeting with the Author.

She sprinted out of the cabin toward the campus gates. She paused only a moment to catch her breath before she dashed into the café. She spotted the Author immediately at a table for two.

She felt slightly relieved that he was there. There and not imaginary.

Although, it might have been the poor lighting in the café, but the Author did not seem to radiate as bright or as powerfully as before. Unquestionably from an unbiased perspective, he did not in fact glow any less than Noelle’s first encounter with him. However, given that campers had painted a false caricature of the Author, to Noelle, he seemed nothing less than a great big tiger shrinking into the body of a housecat.

Undangerous and unmighty.

Nevertheless, despite this new perspective, Noelle so badly wanted to drag Erin to the café and show her the evidence, but she was late as it was.

“Sorry,” she said hastily. “The alarm clock – I promise that next time I won’t be late.”

She descended on the table across from him and waited anxiously for his reply.

He smiled forgivingly, and relief flooded Noelle once more.

“How are you?”

“Fine,” she replied automatically. “No – not fine! I’m freaking out! Orientation and placement are today, and I need to be placed high in order to do great things. And last night the most awful boy was handling me roughly, and all these people were telling me that you weren’t real. But I knew you were – I’m just glad you’re here – sorry I’m talking a lot.”

Noelle felt suddenly as if Elm had overtaken her body momentarily.

The Author smiled humorously as if he was used to people talking more than listening.

“Fear not, child. I know that plans that I have for you. The plans will not harm you, but will help you prosper.”

“Right,” she added hastily again not really sure what to make of his speech. “But tell me that I at least land a Supporting Role.”

“Wait,”
he replied simply.

The answer clearly did not satisfy Noelle.

“‘
Wait
’? What kind of answer is ‘wait’? If you have great plans for me, then that must mean that I land a high role in order to do great things, right?”

Before the Author could answer, a vendor rolled her cart up toward the table as her brown eyes brightened. She dramatically threw her dark brown hair backwards as she reached into her cart and pulled out a hot dog.

“Want one?” she asked earnestly.

“What the heck?” Noelle blurted out. “This is a coffee shop, why are you selling hot dogs?”

“My friend lost his hot dog stand in a super hero story,” the girl answered bitterly. “Can’t be too careful…”

After several minutes, Noelle successfully shoed her away, but she couldn’t help notice that the café had grown very empty since her encounter with the hot dog vendor. It turns out the failed entrepreneur proved an excellent distraction from both the Author and her fellow peers.

The remaining campers in the café began filing out mentioning something about placement.

“Orientation!” Noelle snapped as she bolted from her seat toward the door.

“Sorry,” she called from over her shoulder. “But I really have to go!”

And without casting another glance behind, she sprinted toward the other campers.

The air was thick with anxious muttering when Noelle entered the Rec Center. The dim lights let out a soft groan, and they dully illuminated the very old looking arena. Noelle trotted across the slick wooden floor grateful for shoes. She was certain that without them, a splinter would be inevitably protruding out of her foot.

Noelle quickly spotted a seat next to Elm on the rickety, wooden bleachers and slumped down before another camper could take it. The seat moaned it’s discontent when she plopped down on the wood hard and fast.

Noelle began tapping her legs nervously as her thoughts raced faster than her heartbeat.

She quickly began to talk to Elm to avoid any inevitable thoughts about instant failure during the test. She had to earn a strong spot in a good genre in order to complete the Author’s task set before her.

“S-so,” she stuttered, unable to grasp the words exiting her mouth, “H-how are you E-Elm? Nervous t-t-too?”

Elm didn’t reply. She simply stared off into the great unknown with a deer-facing-headlights expression etched onto her face. Her wide glassy eyes froze in such a dramatic, petrified state, that Noelle had grown certain that it would last that way forever.

Noelle took Elm’s lack of a reply, considering her friend’s talkative nature, as confirmation about her fears.

Suddenly, a hushed silence collapsed on the bleachers as a rather bulky, middle-aged man approached the microphone in the middle of the arena. He cleared his throat, smoothed back a very greasy comb over, and shoved his thick-framed boxy glasses up his thick nose before he began.

“Before I start,” he grunted once again slicking his hair so that no bald spots stuck out, “Miss Willows, our Dean of Camp Life, wishes to remind you of a strict 11:30, lights-out curfew on weekdays,”

A few of the campers protested their irritation, but the man pressed on louder as if the interruptions never happened.

“– therefore, we advise you to once again glance over your handbooks in order to review the rules that we have set.”

He shot a menacing glare at a group of very groggy-looking campers who suspiciously looked as if they broke the curfew by several hours.

He stood in paralyzing silence for a few moments before continuing.

“Now as several of you know, placement determines where your story experience begins. Whatever position you receive today will direct the remainder of your time as a character. So, I must ask you all to listen very carefully for the next five minutes.”

Noelle glanced around, half-expecting a dozen eye rolls, but she spotted the opposite. Everyone directed their undivided attention to the man at the microphone, even the half-asleep campers now seemed wide awake.

“First we will place you in your genre based on a personality test that we hand to each of you. Our campus hosts five genres including the following: Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance, and the Unknown category which occasionally will launch a story from various sub-genres.

“Your second test will depend on the placement of your genre,” he droned on, obviously indicating that he had read this speech a dozen times before. “Some genres require physical tests and feats while others simply require an interview which will be reviewed by a panel of judges

“Then you will be placed in one of the following four characterizations: Main Character…”

Suddenly some campers produced a few disjointed cheers. The man glared at them before continuing.

“– Supporting Character, Villain, or Extra.”

A chilling hush settled over the stands again as every smile faded from the previously cheering campers. Everyone seemed to know what the last category entailed.

“Mr. Van Harran, our Theatrical Advisor, wishes to remind you all that ‘
there are no small parts, only small campers.
’

“Of course, that doesn’t mean if you are under 5 feet 2 inches that you won’t receive a successful role, Miss Bloomwood,” the man added quickly as a very short girl, who looked to be in her early teens, began to sob hysterically on her friend’s shoulder thinking that the man meant only tall people would get Main Character roles.

“Usually they pick average height girls for large roles anyway. That way, the boys don’t have to be shorter than the girls,” Elm whispered softly to Noelle.

Noelle suddenly remembered how she thought that Lacey had to have been a Main Character or a Supporting Character at least, but she landed a spot in the Extras. Did her height alone cast her in that spot?

“Finally,” the man quickened his pace as if he was about lose the interest of his audience, but no one dared to interrupt him, “After your placement, a cabin counselor will escort you to your designated dormitories to give further instruction.”

He clapped his hands together, and with the swift flick of his hand, he motioned for a group of adults to proceed to the center of the arena.

“We will now pass out the first tests that will determine your genre placement.”

The adults that cradled a very large stack of papers aligned the bleachers as they passed out handfuls of packets. Each camper took a test and passed the rest to the person behind or next to them.

Before the adults reached Noelle’s row, Elm grasped her hand extremely hard and squeezed it like a stress ball. Noelle watched in horror as her hand turned purplish blue and her fingers jutted in wild directions.

To her relief, a plethora of packets filed up her row moments later as she escaped Elm’s grasp and snatched a packet. The campers also passed back a handful of pens which she fumbled to grab one before handing the rest to those behind her.

She heard Elm inhale deeply muttering over and over again, “Okay, girl, you can do this…come on…just a few questions, just relax.”

Noelle did her best to block out Elm’s murmurs of anxiety as she focused on her test.

“INSTRUCTIONS: CIRCLE THE LETTER OF THE ANSWER THAT BEST FITS YOUR PERSONALITY.  REMEMBER TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST, OTHERWISE YOU MAY END UP IN A GENRE WHERE YOU MAY NOT RECEIVE YOUR FULL POTENTIAL.

If you could live anywhere (other than your current location), which of the following places would you choose?

A beach house

Somewhere in the mountains

A beautiful ancient mansion or palace

In a city

None of the above

My friends best describe me as….

Mysterious

Funny

Kind hearted

Brave

Intelligent –”

Noelle flipped through the packet; on the last page, she spotted Question number 100, as she heaved an exhausted sigh. She reviewed over the options for the first question and began to wonder if she could somehow cheat the system to end up in a genre which didn’t require physical effort for the second task.

She scanned the instructions once more and decided to veto the idea. She had no desire to end up in the wrong genre.

She shut her eyes tightly, inhaled another deep breath, and then ventured forth to complete the test.

“68.
I would most likely do one of the following if dared to…

Eat a bug

Go cliff diving

Lick the bottom of my shoe

Dance in a public area full of strangers

Wear a dead snake as a necklace

…

82.
You would most likely never catch me doing one of the following...

Reciting a speech in front of an audience.

Being alone for more than five minutes

Wearing any fancy apparel (i.e. Dresses for girls Suits and tuxes for boys)

Bungee Jumping

I would do all listed above –”

The questions lingered for what seemed like hours. At number 84, Noelle noticed that Elm had already finished her test and was now tapping incoherent rhythms with her feet as she waited for everyone else to complete their packets.

Noelle answered the final question “
You will most likely catch me wearing one of the following: …
”
As in a dream, her legs beckoned her forth as she handed her packet to one of the adults who placed it into some machine which resembled something like a printer.

The adult instructed her to return to her seat, and after she returned, she added on to the steady beat that Elm drummed. Soon enough, the whole rec. center sounded an impromptu rhythm of stomps as the campers awaited the results.

Some muttering followed as the campers compared test answers with others. Eventually the whole arena was thick with conversation once more until another shuddering silence fell upon the audience as Miss Willows approached the microphone.

“The TPA, or Test Placement Apparatus, is nearly finished with its scores,” she motioned to a printer-like machine in the corner of the room. “We will hand each of you your results, and in ten minutes, we will instruct you what to do next based on your genre placement.”

She instructed certain sections of the bleachers to file into a line to receive their scores as Elm groaned impatiently.

“I hope I get into Adventure,” she intoned, partially to herself. “Sci-Fi would be okay, I guess, but I don’t want to be any stupid damsel-in-distress in Fantasy. Romance would suck too, the girls don’t freakin’ climb in that genre, not to mention those stories are really slow. And Unknown could be all right, but if it’s Dramatic, you can just forget it.”

Noelle, on the contrary, believed that the dramatic category was perfect for Elm because of the hyperbolic tones she always prattled in her conversations. Secretly she wished that she would end up in Romance or Fantasy just to avoid being in the same genre with Elm.

Miss Willows finally motioned for her row to receive their packets. Her hands began to shake when a judge finally handed her a packet with her easily recognizable handwriting.

Elm and Noelle returned to their seats without flipping to the back.

“I’m afraid to look,” Elm admitted vulnerably. “I mean – this is it. This is what determines where we end up for the rest of our lives…”

Noelle didn’t need to be reminded.

“You go first,” Elm pleaded.

Noelle shook her head, “Together?”

Elm surrendered in a compromising nod as they flipped to the very back of the packet.

Noelle bit her lip as she carefully read each word carefully to make sure that she didn’t miss anything.

CAMPER NAME: Noelle

AGE: 18

HEIGHT: 5’4 (162 cm)

EYE COLOR: Green

HAIR COLOR:  Dark Brown

TEST RESULTS:

Romance (53%)

Adventure (21%)

Unknown (13%)

Fantasy (8%)

Sci-Fi (5%)

FINAL PLACEMENT: Romance

“What did you get?” Elm asked anxiously.

“Romance,” Noelle answered dully not knowing whether this was good or bad news. All she knew was that she didn’t want to end up in the same category with Elm.

“Oh, well I got Adventure,” Elm beamed obviously indicating that she didn’t hear anything that Noelle just said. “I scored 91% in it, so I guess that I worried myself about nothing.”

Noelle couldn’t hide a relieved smile knowing that she wouldn’t be seeing much of this girl after they separated to their cabins.

Miss Willows tapped the microphone once more, “Adventure genre, please proceed to the Challenge Course Arena to the left of the Nursing Quarters. Sci-Fi, meet at the Rock Wall at the other end of the rec. center. Unknowns, stay right where you are, we’ll conduct the second test for you in here. Romance, you also stay in here, and Fantasy, meet in the auditorium to the left of the Challenge Course Arena.”

With a swift flutter of movement, more than half the campers flooded the doors to begin their second test.

“Challenge Course!” Elm squealed in delight before bolting off. “I’m going to
so
get a Main Character position!”

The noise died down as Noelle scanned the room for fellow friends in either the Romance or Unknown genre.

Much to her dismay, the only person that she knew in the room was Blade, who meandered over to her spot.

“So, you got the Unknown genre?” she asked awkwardly.

Blade swore loudly.

“No,” he muttered bitterly.

Noelle bit her tongue to block a squeal of laughter. Probably the most disgusting, unromantic boy managed to enter her category: Romance.

“Looks like you’re a fruitcake now,” Noelle smirked knowing that Blade seemed far from the mood, but she couldn’t help it.

“Don’t tell me you got into Romance too, Saint,” Blade spat. “You don’t have a single romantic bone in your body.”

Noelle felt her cheeks flush a harsh color of red.

“First of all, my name is Noelle, No-elle,” she pronounced it slowly. “Get that through your thick brain. Second of all, just because I don’t let you play around with me like a toy, doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of Romance.”