Cindy Psi: Spy In Training

“Sports science! I got sports science! Awesome!” Tess was so overjoyed she looked like she was going to bounce out of her seat and do a lap of the classroom. “That’s just soooo cool. I was hoping for it, but didn’t dream of getting it. I’m going to design enhancements that take sport to a whole new level. You wait, in ten years’ time the 5 second barrier for 100m is going to be smashed thanks to me! And don’t get me started on triple jump. They’re going to have to build longer stadiums!”

Tess paused a moment. “Sorry, Cindy, what did you get?”

Cindy realised that given events during the test she’d forgotten to actually look. She glanced at her PCD, and it was a good thing she was a quick thinker or her evident dismay would have made Tess realise she hadn’t looked yet and start asking awkward questions.

“GCC Junior Admin. I don’t mind,” she quickly added, “loads of people get it and it’s a good job. Necessary.”

“Well, your Dad for one,” said Tess.

“Yep, Dad’s one. So it’s fine. Except for one thing …”

Before Tess could reply, the one thing in question sauntered over.

“Well that was easy,” began Jacinta, “How’d you do Tess? I got Legal. Did you know over 90% of Councillors start with Legal? How cool is that?!? Just like Mum. What did you get Tess? And with Mum’s contacts I’m an even better chance of getting in. Yep, big things coming up for me.” Ignoring Cindy she continued, “So what did you get? Don’t keep it secret!”

“I’d answer if you’d give me a second. Sports Science.”

“Brilliant!” Said Jacinta, “When I’m a Regional Councillor I might hire you to work with my Region’s athletes. Well, one of my team of Sci’s anyway. Oh,” she added, turning to Cindy, “Cindy. I didn’t notice you there. What did you get? Was it fashion design?” She smirked at Tess, who ignored her.

Cindy braced herself. “Junior Admin.”

The look of pure, vicious glee that appeared on Jacinta’s smug face was only surpassed in unpleasantness by the way it then split into spiteful laughter.

“HAHAHAHAHA! Oh brilliant, this is just too much! Like father like daughter right?!? Wow, it must be great to be part of a family that’s so aspirational! And then one day you’ll be working for me – well, working for someone who works for someone who works for me. HAHHAHAHA! Oh, that’s just priceless.” Jacinta was nearly spluttering over her words she was so filled with vindictive pleasure at Cindy’s expense.

“Shut up Jacinta,” said Tess, “It’s a perfectly acceptable career.”

“Oh y-y-yes,” stammered Jacinta through her chuckling, “perfectly acceptable for someone like Cindy. I mean, what would professionals like us do without menials like her to sweep the streets for us? Well, probably build a machine to do it cheaper and better but at least it’s something to keep them busy. Heh.” Jacinta’s laughter was finally starting to taper off. Cindy, meanwhile, had said nothing.

“Don’t you have other people to harass?” she finally chipped in.

“I’m not harassing you,” Jacinta snapped, “You harass yourself. You’re the one who was too lazy and unmotivated to do anything to do better, and that’s why you’ll never get anywhere. That’s why you’ll always be a worthless drudge. Just like your father.” And with that she sauntered off. Cindy was taken aback by the genuine aura of hatred that seemed to seethe off Jacinta as she left. What had Cindy ever done to her?

“Come on,” said Tess nudging her arm, “Ignore her. Let’s go see what Sarah got.

For the next half hour or so Cindy and Tess chatted to others about their results, tried to work out who would be in which class with who in the coming years, and so forth. Cindy was still a bit shell-shocked by events during the test, and so with this and also Jacinta’s efforts with the texting and the taunting, she mainly kept quiet while Tess chatted. When people asked her directly what she got she told them and they mainly tried to look enthusiastic and interested, but, let’s face it, Junior Admin is nothing to write home about. Cindy was almost relieved when Ms Primp called her over to her desk.

“I see you got Junior Administrator,” said Ms Primp, fixing Cindy with her trademark piercing, slightly eyebrow-raised stare. It was the kind of stare that meant Ms Primp seldom had to ask an actual question – something about the silence that accompanied this stare made you feel compelled to speak, even if you thought you had nothing to say.

“Yes,” Cindy replied, “just like my dad. I guess he’ll be pleased.”

“Surprised, perhaps. I’m not criticising your father and I don’t mean to belittle his career, but your interim grades throughout the year suggested – shall we say – a different outcome. I don’t imagine you were panicked by the test itself; you’re far too steady a person for that.” Again the stare.

“No, no, not at all. I guess I just answered things in such a way that made clear that I’m fit to be a good clerk. It’s ok, it’s a good enough career, dad does well enough and we’re happy.”

“Of course, of course,” said Ms Primp. “As I said, I’m not being critical. However, you have been getting better grades than most of the class, some of whom managed to get far more prestigious placements such as, for example, Legal.” The stare was even more pointed this time. How much did Ms Primp know about the Jacinta situation? Cindy wondered. Ms Primp filled the silence herself this time with one of her rare questions: “There wasn’t anything untoward in your test you feel you should mention?”

Cindy thought quickly. No, best not to mention anything. She needed to think more about this, and, more than anything, she wanted to get home and see if she could get another, more detailed look at Adriá. “No, Ms Primp, nothing at all. I’m sure it’s done the right thing with me. I’m quite happy.”

Another stare.

“Honestly, quite happy. Do you mind though if I head off now? I’ve spoken to everyone I want to speak to about my placement and I’m quite keen to get home. Is that ok?”

“Hmm. Alright then, off you go. I’m sure your father will be very pleased when you speak to him, as you say.”

Cindy made her way back to where Tess was, said her farewells to her and a couple of other girls she was currently talking to (no Jacinta, thank goodness!) and made her way out of school toward home.

As Cindy unlocked the front door and made her way into the house she reflected on the conversation with Ms Primp. She was sharp alright, she’d give her that. The more she thought about it the more she knew Ms Primp knew about the Jacinta situation; and not just that, she knew there was something odd going on with Cindy’s test. Cindy would have to think hard about that one.

But not now. No, now was time for thinking hard about Adriá, and that meant finding it again. She went up to her room and sat across the armchair, opened her PCD and set the screen size to cinema. She had made a mental note of the planet co-ordinates earlier so she went straight there this time and started zooming in. Cindy felt the focus stray a little from time to time as she zoomed, but having been there once it was easier to home in now. Sure enough, once she got to the right distance, it appeared once more. This time, though, she didn’t go straight to the – training facility was it? – she started exploring the town.

There really wasn’t a lot to see. Plain, pale grey, concrete buildings lining streets on a grid. No windows, just plain door frames on each. After a bit of ‘walking’ in street mode she was able to roughly estimate the ‘town’, if such it was, was about 12 streets by 10. It was surrounded by gravel areas – no plants – with a single road heading out from the centre streets at each compass point. Cindy wondered what was down these roads; well, she knew at least one thing down one of them (the training facility) but not the other three.

Cindy’s thoughts were interrupted by a tug. It was similar to the tug pulling her toward the training centre during the test, but this time it was pulling her back toward the centre of town. She started heading toward it. Four blocks this way, two left, two more right. There. Undeniably, that building was where the tug was coming from. It was so strange, because in Cindy’s mind she knew what she was looking at was a static image of a building, taken by one of the Omninet map satellites passing by maybe years ago, and yet this felt like something happening in real time.

As she scrolled towards the door, as the image of it grew in front of her, something impossible happened.

It opened.