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For the test used by the United Commonwealth to select future leaders, see Stages of the Testing.


The Testing is the first book of the Testing Triology by Joelle Charbonneau.

Detailed Summary[]

Malencia Vale, is a 16 year old girl living in the small, rural Five Lakes Colony. She is very bright, and is graduating. She hopes to be chosen as a candidate for the Testing, like her father. However, she doubts herself due to none of her older brothers being chosen.

Her older brother, Zeen, is a handsome young man who helps his father with his projects to help restore plant growth, while also suggesting and conceiving his own ideas. Her older brothers: Hamin Vale, Hart Vale, and Win Vale also assist their father in his projects, all having a touch with botany and engineering.

The day of graduation arrives, and Cia hopes that she will be one of the candidates sent to the Testing. A large majority of the colony arrives to cheer on the graduating class, including Cia's best friend, Daileen. The time for the graduation ceremony finally arrives.

Cia's father makes an announcement about a discovery in engineering that will improve his and his partners' efforts in restoring plant life. He, however, takes the credit for himself although promising to give Zeen credit as it is his invention.

Cia is left feeling mixed emotions after graduating, which are being happy for graduating and being disappointed for not being chosen as a candidate for the Testing. Her disappointment is furthered due to having heard rumors of a Testing official visiting Five Lakes Colony.

Cia, however, is still glad for being a graduate and talks to Zeen. Zeen seems somewhat disappointed not being given the credit he deserves. He suggests that Cia send an application to Tosu City, as some who apply are granted a better job there than any that can be found in the colony, but Cia only briefly considers this, for fear of another disappointment regarding her hopes for the future.

When Cia arrives home, her mother has already lined up prospects of jobs that Cia can take, despite her having just graduated hours before. However, Mr. Drysten, the owner of a farm in which Cia was encouraged to work, is not present at the farm, preventing Cia from having to ask about a job that she doesn't want (repairing old tractors and various farm equipment, and wasting Cia's knowledge and potential, for the rest of her life). The day after her Graduation, Cia spends time in the town square, feeling more uncertain and unsure of herself.

Soon after, her brother, Hart, retrieves her, passing along a message that Cia has been summoned to Magistrate Owens's office to discuss her "future plans". Upon arrival, she is greeted by Magistrate Owens, her fellow graduates Tomas Endress, Zandri Hicks , and Malachi Rourke , and an unfamiliar face, Michal Gallen. Gallen is introduced as a Tosu City official - and their new Testing escort, informing the four individuals that they have been selected for The Testing and are expected to leave for Tosu City the day after. The quartet are the first in over ten years to be selected from Five Lakes colony, and normally a cause for honor and celebration. However, Zandri reveals that she may be unwilling to participate in the Testing, as she inquires of the consequences that lie in refusing to comply. It is revealed that an outright refusal is considered treason - an offense, Cia notes, that is most commonly punishable by death. Magistrate Owens, after explaining the status of that legislature, says her farewells to the chosen four candidates, though Cia suspects that she does not believe that all of them will be successful in their Testing.

Cia returns home for the dinner party that her mother planned for her. Cia's father is the first to notice that she carries the Testing bag with her, and the celebratory air, as they know that they will not likely see Cia again whether or not she succeeds, dies down for a few moments before her friends and family congratulate her on being chosen, However, Zeen is nowhere to be found (he is later revealed to be angry and frustrated that Cia has been chosen and not him). After the party, Cia seeks out Lyane Maddows, a girl whom she managed to coax from jumping off a nearby ravine, and asks her to keep company with Daileen to ensure that Daileen is not alone.

Once Cia's brothers have left to escort their guests home, Cia's father takes her on a walk to their backyard, and sits down with her to finally open up about his concerns regarding the Testing. Cia is immediately hurt by the thought that her own father did not believe she should have been chosen for the Testing, but she sets it aside and listens to her father's account of his Testing.

Her father, originally from Omaha Colony, reveals to her what he remembers: 71 candidates; 4 weeks of Testing from which he can't recall a single day; his roomate, Geoff Billings, and two girls from Omaha, none of whom had been with him when the officials announced that the final 16 candidates had passed; being told that the complete erasure/suppression of his and the other candidates' memories of the Testing was to ensure confidentiality. He goes on to describe his later years, after attending the University, and discovering that he has vivid nightmares and flashbacks of what happened during his Testing period, including visions of the deaths of his friends, Geoff and Mina, during the fourth stage of Testing.
Cia's father, after moving to Five Lakes, shares his recollections and nightmares with Dr. Flint Carro, who also admits that he has (notably less violent) vague memories of faces of people he does not know, waiting for friends to return from tests - but who never do. The two seek out the other Commonwealth employees to compare experiences, and have concluded with a theory: that the memories are gone, replaced by figments of imagination that their brains have conjured to compensate for the lack of content for those four weeks, or the unimaginably worse - that the Testing is truly a dangerous, cutthroat process, and one that Cia should not walk into unprepared.

After her talk with her father, Zeen has not yet returned by the time that Cia goes to her room to pack the allotted two pairs of everyday clothing and two personal items to bring with her to the Testing. Because of her father's warning, Cia is more inclined towards her more practical, comfortable clothes, over fancier dress clothing, a pair of broken-in, worn, hand-me-down boots from her brothers, a multi-tool pocketknife, and Zeen's Transit Communicator, which also serves multiple purposes. Though Cia would have preferred to ask her brother for his permission to borrow the Communicator in person, he has yet to be found, and Cia resorts to leaving him a note explaining where the device has gone.

Cia says her goodbyes to her teary-eyed mother, and walks with her father to the magistrate's office. He again recounts his first-hand experience of the cutthroat nature of his Testing and University classmates, including their desperate attempts to pull their families out of poverty through inhibiting the performance of other students (notably through poisoning others' food). Finally, he warns Cia to be careful who she trusts.

Once at the Magistrate's house, Cia finds Tomas and Malachi already there, noting that while Tomas's choice of clothing is more practical, similar to hers, Malachi has opted to don a finer outfit. Official Gallen gives Cia her Testing bracelet, bearing the engraved image of an eight-pointed star imbued with a stylized lightning bolt, which is to be her personal symbol for the rest of the series. Michal reveals to her that the eight-pointed star, while also a symbol of rejuvenation, represents a Testing categorization, usually comprised of more well-rounded individuals who display good aptitude in many different areas of knowledge.

The arrival window for the four Testing candidates passes, and when Zandri Hicks has not yet arrived for their departure to Tosu City, Cia worries that Zandri may have condemned herself to almost certain death. However, in an act of defiance, Zandri successfully arrives, despite her lateness, narrowly avoiding being convicted of treason. After her arrival, the four depart for Tosu in a skimmer, and Cia's father warns her a final time not to trust anyone.

On the journey, Cia notes Tomas's ease of communication with the other two candidates from Five Lakes, and briefly acknowledges his handsome features. When Zandri and Malachi opt to take a nap to rest up during the ride, Tomas and Cia move to the back of the skimmer to minimize their disruptiveness. While the two discover the store of food in the back closet, Cia notices that Tomas is in her Testing group, as his bracelet bears his symbol, three wavy horizontal lines, and the same eight-pointed star. They proceed to talk about each other's academic achievements as they eat, and Cia expresses her belief that Tomas will stand out as a star candidate as he did growing up, though Tomas in turn believes that same of her.

Tomas goes to eat from a box of crackers, and Michal announces that the group will stop for lunch, causing Tomas to abandon the crackers and move to wake Zandri and Malachi. However, Cia wonders how Michal knew exactly when Tomas had reached for more food, and it's through his staged timing that Cia discovers the camera lurking in the corner of the skimmer.

Her findings cause Cia to become more reserved, and she is able to successfully identify the presence of two more cameras in the outpost, where the group has stopped for lunch. Michal gives Cia a small smile, and she recognizes that he has, in fact, intended for her to know about the presence of cameras. Needing to escape from the pressure that she feels at the thought of others evaluating her every move, she obtains permission to walk in the surroundings of the outpost. Tomas follows her, and though she would prefer to remain in solitude, Cia does not want to take away his last moments without being scrutinized by hidden eyes. He expresses his worries concerning her attitude, revealing that he knows that she is stressed about something and insists that she can trust him with whatever it is.

Despite her father's warning, Cia believes that the kindnesses that she saw from Tomas all her life were not an act, and she confides in him, telling him about her father's nightmares and of the cameras in the outpost building and the skimmer. It is her belief that the Testing has already begun, and everyone is already being judged. Contrary to Cia's expectations, Tomas believes her and promises that they are a team, better off looking out for each other than going in without precautions.

The group of five set out towards Tosu after the short lunch break. On the skimmer, Cia notices Zandri, whose identification bracelet bears a square with a stylized flower in the center, flirting with Tomas. This annoys her, and Cia wonders if Zandri's actions do not bode well in the eyes of whoever is watching through the cameras. To counter whatever impression Zandri has already made, Cia asks her about a project she participated in back home. From there, Cia and Tomas put on a show, interviewing Zandri and Malachi to help them look good in front of whoever lies behind the camera, as though they will be competition in the future, they are also the only others from Five Lakes - and the only ones who they are more able to trust.

Their skimmer arrives, and the Five Lakes group marvels at the sophistication and size of Tosu City. However, Cia and Tomas notice that, despite the fact that Tosu has been revitalized and rebuilt enough to support its teeming population of more than 100,000, it also means that the resources available and higher quality of living cannot be spread to all of its citizens. Meanwhile, Michal discreetly drives through parts of Tosu that Malachi had expressed interest in before taking the quartet to the Testing Center.

Michal warns them to always keep their belongings with them, which Cia recognizes for what it is intended to be: a warning. On that note, they are escorted into the Testing Center, which has a seemingly cold atmosphere and an unwelcoming, mediocre appearance. They are then, at Cia and Tomas's agreed request, taken straight to the cafeteria, where they are greeted by calculating stares and silence. When they go to eat dinner, Cia finds that many of the other candidates in the room have wasted some of their food or taken much more than they will eat.

Another candidate trips Malachi, whose dinner crashes to the floor, and Cia's fighting instincts kick in. She is restrained by Tomas's warning that they are undoubtedly still being watched, both by those on the other side of the cameras and other Testing participants. To prove the point, the group is the subject of conversation at many of the surrounding tables: some speculate as to which colony they have arrived from, jokingly suggesting that they might be from Five Lakes. Cia comes to realize with worry that Five Lakes seems to have a reputation as easy competition, if that, in the eyes of those from other colonies.

A woman welcomes the whole Testing batch to Tosu City, congratulating them on being chosen for the process. She reveals that out of the 108 candidates present, at most 20 will be chosen to move on to study at the University (less than a one-in-five chance of passing). The Testing, as all of the candidates have arrived, will begin the following morning. Dinner ends, and the Five Lakes group bid each other good luck on the Tests as they go to find their rooms.

Cia enters her assigned room to find her roomate, Ryme Reynald, from Dixon Colony . Ryme seems friendly enough to Cia, and despite wanting to distance herself from the candidates from other colonies, she takes a liking to her. The two talk to each other about their home colonies, and Ryme shows Cia her bracelet design, a triangle containing a decorative-looking A. Ryme's two choices of clothing include formal flats and billowy dresses, in contrast to Cia's more practical wardrobe. Cia opts to keep her belongings in her bag, out of regard for the warnings of her father and MIchael. Ryme offers her homemade corncakes, and her distrust for Ryme is stirred as Cia notices that her roommate doesn't go to eat any of them, despite her obviously grumbling stomach the next morning.

After breakfast, where the Five Lakes group meet Boyd and Nicolette from Pine Bluff Colony, the first of four rounds of Testing begins. Dr. Jedidiah Barnes, head of the Testing committee, describes the four stages to the whole group:

The first round of Testing lasts for two days, full of written tests that will allow the committee to evaluate a candidate's knowledge of history, mathematics, science, reading, logic, and problem-solving skills. After the first round is scored and completed, candidates who have not met the standards are to be cut from the Testing.
The second round of Testing consists of hand-on exams that allow the candidate to use their knowledge in practical application. Candidates who pass move on to the next round, in which candidates will be grouped in order to evaluate their ability to work with others based on each team member's strengths and weaknesses.
The fourth round of Testing is designed to test a candidate's decision-making and leadership abilities. Those who successfully complete this stage of Testing and have received exemplary scores in all four rounds will be personally and psychologically evaluated by a selection committee.

Dr. Barnes expresses his certainty that their batch of Testing will no doubt be successful and impressive, but Cia notices that he makes a point to indirectly single out the candidates from Five Lakes. After his speech, another official, Professor Verna Holt, directs the participants to follow their Testing group, marked by the large symbol (in Cia's case, the eight-pointed star) on their bracelets, to the room in which tests will be administered. Each Testing group will have different standards for passing, in order to evaluate their strengths more accurately. Cia recognizes the room, white with black desks, as the same one from her father's nightmares.

Round 1[]

The first two tests, History and Mathematics, pass by, and Cia admits to the group that she did not finish either section, enabling them to feel comfortable enough to admit that they also didn't complete them. Their openness attracts the attention of Will and Gill, nearly identical brothers from Madison Colony who appreciate the honesty that circulates around the table. The pair lament the fact that they are not allowed to take the tests as one person, both exhibiting strengths in different fields that the other.

Cia finds that the ease and laughter at their table is a subject of envy at others', whose tables are no doubt shrouded in tension and worry. Her table members, now consisting of Tomas, Zandri, Malachi, Will, Gill, Nicolette, Boyd, and Cia herself, request to stay in the dining hall when the other candidates head to their rooms for the night, not wanting to let go of the tentative spirit-lifting camaraderie. The group bonds together, singing their favorite songs, which helps to ease the stress and tension until the next day.

Cia leaves two pages of the Science portion unanswered, and successfully completes the Reading and Language Skills with ten minutes to spare. The first round of Testing is complete.

The candidates retire to their rooms, and to Cia's dismay, she finds Ryme already there. The plate of corncakes remains untouched. Ryme asks Cia how she did, and Cia truthfully says that she did not finish the Science section. Ryme appears smug and makes a comment on the quality of education at Five Lakes, implying that one of them will soon be eliminated. Cia, angered, snipes back, flaunting the fact that she and Tomas both finished the Reading test with time to spare, and tells Ryme to pack her corncakes when is eliminated.

Embarrassed at her own low actions, Cia apologizes. Ryme dismisses the remarks as Cia's petty attempt to make herself feel better about her own results. Cia, in turn, ignores her roommate for the rest of the break and flees to dinner. The atmosphere around the candidates is more at ease, as they are relieved at finally finishing the first part of the Testing.

During the eating period, Cia is summoned out of the dining hall, and she worries that they have already decided to eliminate her. However, Dr. Barnes greets her and asks after Ryme's whereabouts, as her friends have not seen her since before the day's tests. The two head towards Cia's shared room together, due to Testing laws which state that officials are not allowed into a candidate's quarters without the candidate themselves present or in an obvious emergency.

Cia enters the room, immediately identifying the mixed scent of urine and corncakes. She screams, finding Ryme dead, hanging from the ceiling on a rope made of her bedsheet and a dress. After a period of time, Dr. Barnes allows her to talk about the experience uninterrupted, and Cia confides to him the day's events: the arrogance, the comments, and what she suspected to be poisoned corncakes. Dr. Barnes assures her that Ryme's death is not her fault, and though he attempts to "comfort" her, Cia recognizes that he believes that the stress produced by the Testing is another test in itself - one Ryme has failed. The death means nothing to him, only proving that Ryme would not have been a worthy, strong enough candidate for the Testing, or for a future leader of the United Commonwealth.

Cia is assigned a new room. Though she is told that a female official will be happy to sleep in the other bed so that she will not be alone, Cia deduces from Dr. Barnes's justification of Ryme's death that needing assistance to feel safer at night will be considered a weakness, and negatively impact her standing as a Testing candidate. She does not want to be alone, haunted by thoughts and mental images of Ryme, but Cia ultimately chooses to endure the empty room in solitude.

Resisting the urge to seek out the company of her friends, which might be viewed as a weakness as well, Cia lies awake in the dark of her room. She discovers a camera in her room, and realizes that if one room is under surveillance, all of them must be, meaning that the observers on the other side watched - and did nothing - as Ryme took her own life.

The next morning, Cia tells her friends of Ryme's death, and Will and Gill inform them that their teacher, a former Testing official, told them that there were at least two or three suicides in most Testing batches. Cia begins to stash food in her bag as Dr. Barnes announces the news of Ryme's fate, as well as the activities open for them to participate in for the rest of the morning as they wait for their tests to be scored. The Five Lakes group heads outside, to the grounds around the Testing Center.


Gallery[]

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