You Will Be Found

Chapter Two

My first exam was English, a subject language that I was very comfortable communicating in – along with French. You'd never find any qualifications for these learned languages, this life or the last, but I could translate for each language perfectly well on my own.

I sat down at my designated desk in the testing hall venue, worried about my bag and school jacket that I'd left out in the lockers outside, wondering if they would be still there when I finished the exam. I had one whole pen and another broken one that I'd managed to tape up so the spring inside it could still do its job. I looked around as I watched other students pulling out five or six pieces of stationery each, lining them up along the top of their desks.

Whispers travelled about the room as nerves created jitters in those young kids around me. I didn't bother to join in, nor even look up from my finger on the desk before me. I didn't know anyone here, they didn't know me. I would probably just freak out if anyone tried to say anything to me anyway.

A couple of teachers closed the doors, signalling the beginning of the exam, followed by the ringing of the school bell. That was our five-minute warning to settle down and get ready. An older female teacher with a kind face went down each isle of desks and placed the test papers right-side-up on the tables and asked us to read the instructions on the front page before the next bell rang.

Engrossed in reading the instructions, I jumped a little as the next bell rang and we were given the go-ahead to begin our test. English blurred past quickly and before I knew it the final bell had rung, bringing our test to a close.

"All right, everyone please stop what you are doing, place your pens down and hand in your papers. Please make sure your name and ID number are clearly written on the top of the front page, that includes you, Master Jackson." One of the male invigilators at the front of the class spoke as the remaining students groaned, stood up and gathered their test papers and handed them in.

I looked down at my test, somewhat happy to see that I had managed to complete the whole thing. Perfectly, I might add. I had a near-perfect memory, unfortunately. Made for rapid learning and quick recall, also made me retain memories better left forgotten.

"Miss, you're looking a little pale. Are you all right?" The male teacher who spoke before asked me with concern as I handed in my test papers.

"I'm fine, thank you." I whispered, ignored anything else he had to say and walked out of the exam room with the last of the students. Outside, families were collecting students to take them out for lunch, holding them close, dragging them happily away. Parents passed drinks of water, Thermos bottles of warm nutritious soups, healthy snacks and fruit to eat and replenish their energies before the next exam. Others were handing out wet wipes to clean away the sweat their son or daughter had retained on their faces from the stress of the exams.

I walked quietly past them all, found an empty section of the school playground and a welcoming drinking fountain. It was awkward drinking directly from the tap, but the last bottle I owned broke a while ago and I had no money to replace it. My only cup was chipped and I worried that if I took it with me to school, it wouldn't survive the trip. After the accident I'd had this morning, I was glad that I'd left it at home. Watered and rested, I waited in the shade for the appointed hour for the afternoon testing, and my final high school exams for this lifetime. I hope.

After lunch my Political Economics exam past with facts, influential people, dates and events. I was lucky to remember the local political and current events that I'd studied prior to the first time I took this exam. Like I said, I don't forget anything very easily. And I somewhat cheated a little by using events and political situations in my answers, outlining probable outcomes that actually did take place, or will probably still take place in the next two years. Cheating. I'm OK with that.

Later in the day, I took my last exam. History. Hmm. Much of the same. It was an easy subject that held little interest for me. If I had taken Art History, then I think I might have been more engaged. I doodled on my arm during the last fifteen minutes of the exam once I was finished. My pen ink was running out anyway and I no longer needed it. The female invigilator from this morning's exam tapped my desk then shook her pen, indicating for me not to get distracted, or to stop marking my skin, or something. I quickly put the pen down and squeezed my hands together instead.

Deep breathing also helped calm my weary mind, counting each breath, then wiggling my toes every twelve breaths and multiplying the mathematical equation by twelve. Every time I landed on a square number I subtracted a third and began the multiplication again, then mirrored the whole equation once I hit one million and went backwards to zero, then began all again, using seven instead of twelve. Numbers, breathing, maths, wiggling toes, finally the end of exam bell rang and I could escape.

Whew! I was finally done. Again. To be honest, I hardly remember what the first few days of my previous exams were like when I completed them the first time around. I know that I managed to complete everything to near ninety-eight percent or over, but because of the accident, my English, Political Economic and History exam results were very poor and I failed to meet the passing requirements to get scholarships for the local universities. I couldn't even get into a community college as I didn't have enough money. Dirt poor, stone broke. Story of my life.

This time it's going to be different. I don't care what anyone says. I want to realise my dreams of becoming an otaku shut-in, a kitty cat lady and an online shopper. I want to study to become a vet nurse, a contemporary music composer and a boulanger pastry chef. Hmm breakfast pastries... If you ever bother to ask me, what out of all of those options I'd like to focus on, I'd reply: Yep. Then I'd ignore your ranting about choosing one study subject for tertiary qualifications and try not to cry when I realise you cared enough to even rant and rave at me. All of them. All of the things. I'm gonna do it too. Just watch me. Deep breath.

After handing in my final exam paper, I left the testing hall, and decided to find another drinking fountain on my way out of the school gates. It was getting dark, and my head was beginning to thummm and I was flickering. Flickering in and out. Flickering is what happens when I can't hold on any more. I just needed to make it to another drinking fountain then I think I'd be able to make the long hour-and-a-half walk home by myself. I think. More flickering and I realised I wasn't going to make it to that fountain. By the time it came into sight, my feet were already going numb and everything tilted sideways and then so did I.