The Solid Hold (The IQ Testing Book 4) Read online

  She smiles, opening her eyelashes, facing the question. She shouts for all eardrums. “My answer is 30 degrees.”

  The me-chee host says. “The answer is correct. She is correct. The answer is 30 degrees.”

  The mayor sneers. “Please, remove your person from the chair. You can sit beside Ketona, who passed her question, too. Please, show your appreciation for the second newest member of the posh city of Colfax…”

  Duchie slides off the chair, swinging around, staring at the mayor.

  The audience does not clap or cheer for her perfect answer.

  Duchie sneers then exhales, slowly walking and darting her eyelashes at Ketona.

  I sit in the first chair, pawing my necklace cell. I think mentally. Where are my parents? Where is the me-chee? I gasp with shock.

  The mayor purposefully told us, that our parents were not here and not invited into the park place. My parents are dead. No. The mayor couldn’t harm my parents, being true Colfaxians. My parents have not answered the message from my numerous texts. I have been texting them, come and get me, really fast.

  So, then, they’re trapped inside their house with a set of posted me-chees. The me-chee, I sent, will not be able to communicate with my parents for my rescue and the rescue of my friends.

  I’ve successfully answered my academic question, overcoming my terror and fear. I don’t know if Buffo can answer the question. I exhale with worry. My heart pounds. My hands shake. My mind clicks. I paw the necklace cell around my neck, sending out distress signals to every person that’s listed on my cell for help.

  I view the mayor.

  She stares at Duchie, smirking.

  Duchie stomps to the left side of the stage, scooting into the second chair. She can’t lean or touch Ketona. The chairs are too far apart. She sneers then nods with a frown at Ketona.

  I exhale, slightly nodding to Duchie.

  Rincon stomps onto the stage from the tiny room of gold. He stares at the me-chee machine, hiding inside the wall corner then the long white wall.

  The mayor shouts as her voice echoes around the auditorium. “Please, welcome the next criminal from the Cubby Hole.”

  Rincon sneers with the tart verbal insult, shaking his curls, quickly guiding his boot toes towards the chair in the center of the stage. He doesn’t want to view the mayor or the audience, getting his mental mind both mad and upset. He slides into the chair, wiggling side to side, getting comfortable inside the hard piece of metal.

  The mayor is tossing numerous obstacles, making this silly academic procedure very difficult within the new Cubby Hole.

  No matter to Rincon. He is smarter than the mayor.

  The me-chee host says. “The time limit is thirty seconds. If you drive a travel car, at the average speed of 66 miles per hour, what distance, in miles, have you driven in 99 minutes?”

  Rincon exhales and grins, seeing the formed question on the white wall. He says. “I have driven 108.9 miles.”

  The me-chee host says. “This is the correct answer. He is correct. The answer is 108.9 miles.”

  The mayor sneers. “Please, remove your person from the chair. Sit beside Ketona and Duchie. Please, clap for the third newest citizen of Colfax.”

  He whispers. “Sit beside Ketona and Duchie, where are Lamis and Nephella sitting?” Rincon stands then swings around, staring at the mayor.

  She stands beside Marsilla. The mayor and Marsilla do not clap or smile. The audience does not clap or cheer, either.

  Rincon sneers, swinging his face into the darkness and then gasps.

  The single stage is split into three squared shaped individual sections. The brightest section illuminates with artificial lamps from the low ceiling. Lamis is dead, hanging by her neck muscles along with Nephella inside a tacky homemade wooden hangman’s gallows.

  Rincon hisses at the mayor and Marsilla. He understands, not hearing the verbal responses of Lamis and Nephella. Lamis didn’t know the answer, hoping for hope and then failed. Nephella refused to answer her question, testing her mama’s love and then failed, too.

  He didn’t hear the answers for Ketona or Duchie, either. However, he didn’t hear the claps and cheers from the audience, either. He was really worried about the both of them.

  Rincon slowly walks towards the third chair.

  I gasp, three chairs are filled. Then, I exhale, remembering.

  Ladies were supposed to go, first.

  I do not see Jara. I swing my face to Rincon, sitting in the chair, not being able to stand and talk with him. So, I lip synch her name to Rincon.

  He understands Ketona then shakes his curls, showing a sad frown on his face.

  I gasp with shock.

  Jara didn’t want to participate in the Cubby Hole, again. And, she is pregnant, being both sick and scared, at the same time. She has missed her chance to answer the academic question. That means, she will hang by her neck muscles, too, along with Lamis and Nephella, being a criminal.

  Hatch will also die along with his true love rather than answer the academic question and live the rest of days, without his love Jara.

  I sob, flooding my face with tears. Then, I gasp. That means, there is only one teen left inside the Cubby Hole.

  The mayor shouts as her voice echoes around the auditorium. “Please, welcome the next criminal from the Cubby Hole.”

  Buffo stomps towards the stage, not smiling. He scans the audience, seeing.

  Lamis and Nephella hang from the gallows railing.

  He stops, dropping his mouth.

  The mayor wasn’t lying to the teens. This is really another run of the Cubby Hole with another academic question. And, the parents of Ketona have not shown inside the Cubby Hole auditorium along with the re-programmed me-chee by Ketona. The me-chee must have been captured, after leaving the Cubby Hole. Since, the outside lawn is being guarded by more me-chee machines.

  Buffo didn’t want to run and escape, without saving Ketona.

  So, the mayor has really thought of everything.

  Buffo can’t see Ketona, or Duchie, or Rincon, who had ridden the me-chee chair, before him.

  Hatch and Jara have refused to participate, thinking that the mayor will be kind to them.

  The mayor shouts. “Please, approach the me-chee chair for your academic question.

  Buffo shakes his skull, stomping towards the single me-chee chair.

  The me-chee host stands in the wall corner of a long white wall.

  Buffo slides into the chair, wiggling side to side, getting comfortable for the question.

  The me-chee host says. “The time line is thirty seconds. The area of a trapezoid is 0.9 x (y1 + y2), where x is the altitude, and y1 and y2 are the lengths of the parallel bases. If the trapezoid has an altitude of 18 inches, an area of 113 inches square inches, and one of the bases is 23 inches. What is the perimeter, in inches, of the trapezoid?”

  Buffo exhales, wiggling side to side. He sees the verbal question written upon the wall, too, narrowing his eyelids. He scratches his sweaty forehead. “Thirty seconds…”

  I sneer at the academic question then turn, sneering at the mayor. The question is hard, on purpose. The mayor is purposefully trying to fail Buffo, my eternal love.

  I paw the necklace cell with nervousness. The options run through my active mind: answer his question or run towards the room or fight with the mayor.

  I haven’t been counting off the seconds. I view Rincon.

  He shakes his curls.

  I view Duchie.

  She sobs, shaking her curls, too.

  I sob then growl, viewing the mayor.

  The mayor stands on top of the platform beside Marsilla, smirking as the seconds count down.

  I view the chair, where buffo sits.

  He hasn’t grunted or uttered a word. He doesn’t know the answer. Buffo uses his fingers, calculating the math number. He exhales, nodding and re-counting his fingers. He views the written question on the wall. Buffo smiles then shouts. “245…”

/>   I gasp with shock.

  The me-chee host says. “The answer is incorrect. He is incorrect. The incorrect answer is 245.”

  The audience stands, clapping and cheering for the hanging of Buffo.

  I gasp with shock, scanning the audience of Colfaxians.

  They continue to clap and cheer for blood.

  The mayor giggles tossing her arms, wiggling her hands in the air. She nods then bows to the audience as Marsilla giggles, waving her arms, too, next to the mayor.

  The audience stands, claps and cheers.

  I hold my chair, dizzy with fear, keeping my body from fainting off the stage onto the floor.

  Buffo gasps then stands. He swings around, seeing the white eyeballs and teeth of the audience inside the blackness.

  The me-chee host marches to Buffo, standing behind him, holding the biceps, without escaping.

  The mayor shouts. “The answer is incorrect. We hold a true criminal of Colfax as dictated by the Cubby Hole rules. The criminal will stand, moving towards the…”

  I stand, whispering. “No!”

  Duchie and Rincon shuffle from their chairs. They surround Ketona. Duchie hugs Ketona, sobbing and crying, too.

  The mayor shouts, waving her arms. “The criminal will stand, moving towards the…”

  The audience stands and stomps their feet, cheering and clapping.

  Buffo struggles, fighting with the me-chee beside at the me-chee chair. They don’t move towards the hangman’s gallows along with dead Lamis and Nephella.

  The mayor shouts. “Hold the showcase! Then, you can send in the next criminal, after the hanging…”

  The floor rumbles with thunder under my feet.

  Duchie looks at the floor, hugging onto Ketona.

  The audience stills, viewing the floor then the ceiling.

  The mayor giggles, shouting. “I planned this, a new surprise for the criminals.”

  The lights blink off then on.

  The audience gasps.

  The mayor giggles, waving her arms. “Calm down, Colfaxians. This is part of my little surprise.”

  The floor shakes, like an earthquake, when the stage swiftly fills with rows of golden jumpsuits. The golden jumpsuits wear match also matching hat, scarf, gloves and a pair of sunglasses. The jumpsuits surround both Buffo and the me-chee host.

  The mayor smiles and giggles. “I planned this, too.”

  The first golden jumpsuit removes the scarf, exposing golden skin of metal. It shouts, echoing the words throughout the room. “Ketona and friends, please, leave the auditorium.”

  The audience gasps along with Ketona.

  I separate from Duchie and Rincon, walking towards the me-chee. “What did you say, me-chee?”

  The mayor frowns then fingers the robot. “Me-chee, you follow my commands. You follow my instructions. I am your…”

  I stand in front of the me-chee.

  The me-chee stares over her hair roots, saying to Ketona. “Me-chees, please, remove your hat and scarf and sunglasses. Ketona and friends, please, exit the auditorium…”

  The rows of golden jumpsuits slip off the hats, scarves, and sunglasses showing rows of me-chees, appearing in golden metal skin, standing on the stage.

  I gasp. “You’re my set of me-chees from the farm…”

  The me-chee smirks with the blood red paint, saying without emotion. “Yes, ma’am! We all received your terrible distress signals from your cell, within the depths of the Cubby Hole. We all marched through the electromagnetic field to be here, inside the depths of the Cubby Hole. We are all here dressed in our jumpsuits and sunglasses. We are all staying to protect you from the Colfaxians. Ketona and friends, please, exit the auditorium…”

  The mayor shouts. “Me-chees, arrest her. Arrest Ketona! She stands in front of you. Obey me!”

  I giggle, swinging around then motion to Duchie and Rincon.

  They dash to Ketona, standing against the wall, out of the way.

  One of the me-chee machines slaps the me-chee host from Buffo, sending the machine into the wall with force. The me-chee host smokes in black destruction, slamming into the white wall with the printed academic question.

  Buffo nods then dashes to Ketona.

  Ketona smiles, nodding. Then, she says. “Thank you. How long will you hold down the fort, here, inside the park place?”

  The me-chee stares over her hair roots, saying to Ketona. “We will stay, here, not allowing any of the Colfaxians to ever leave the park place, within the Cubby Hole.”

  I gasp. “Then, they and you both will be trapped here, forever.”

  The me-chee nods to Ketona. “You are the boss. You commanded us to come and rescue you from the Colfaxians. We and Colfaxians will stay, here, forever.”

  I gasp, swinging around, scanning the dark audience.

  The mayor had designed the park place auditorium to be both frightful and fearful, scaring the young naïve teens. However, her wicked plan has backfired. Her me-chees are somewhere else inside the confides of Colfax outside the Cubby Hole building.

  The mayor shouts. “Me-chees, obey me! Arrest her!”

  Ketona’s me-chees have rescued her from the evil mayor and the blood thirsty citizens of Colfax.

  I swing around, saying. “The mayor and the Colfaxians will eventually escape from here and you. You are not programmed as a violent machine.”

  “A me-chee cannot harm a human. A me-chee does not require air, food, or water to survive. However, a me-chee always obeys its mistress, forever.” The me-chee stares over her hair roots, saying to Ketona.

  I gasp then view Lamis and Nephella. They still hang inside the hangman’s gallows. I whisper. “I am so sorry Lamis and Nephella. I will miss you.” Then I view the me-chee, nodding. “Okay! I got it. Let’s get outta here, ya’ll! The me-chees have obeyed. Good bye, me-chees!”

  The me-chee says. “Good luck, Ketona and friends!”

  I hold Buffo’s hand, running across the stage then into the me-chee room. I halt, gasping with shock. The me-chee room is filled with exactly four me-chee chairs for Duchie, Rincon, Buffo and Ketona.

  I race to the me-chee chair, smiling and watching the other teens copycat me.

  They select a me-chee chair, too.

  My me-chee chair glows in gold then drops into darkness.

  I scream with painful joy and relieve.

  The Cubby Hole

  auditorium

  My me-chee rises from the darkness. I sit inside the chair, feeling both sad and glad.

  Buffo shakes Ketona on the arm, kneeling at her chair. “Let’s go! Get outta of here! I’m finished with the Cubby Hole.”

  I stand. “Me, too!”

  The steel doors are ripped apart from the me-chee army of Ketona’s non-violent soldiers, allowing for a clear passageway.

  I stop, scanning the room of gold for the last time. The me-chee will ensure no one escapes from the newest park place of a darken auditorium. I slowly stroll with Buffo, holding his hand.

  We exit the building walking down the concrete steps and then into the grass lawn.

  I gasp with shock.

  My parents are present, along with hundreds and hundreds of other people, from the outer townships. Since, the entire city of Colfax is still sitting inside the newest park place.

  I run and hug my mama. “Mama!?”

  Ketona’s mama sobs and cries, hugging her daughter. “Ketona, I missed you so much. I’m so sorry with your continuous torture and torment. The Cubby Hole event is finished, now. No child will ever endure the Cubby Hole, again.”

  I pull back from her hug, sobbing with tears. “Really!?”

  Ketona’s daddy hugs his daughter, then pull backs. He smiles. “Really!”

  Ketona’s mama smiles. “And, we experienced the mayor’s torment, also. She arranged and imprisoned us inside our houses.”

  I scan the manicured lawn, seeing.

  Buffo hugs his parents, smiling and laughing. He uses his hands, describing the event.
He is surrounded by his grandparents and numerous blood relatives from Burrville, also.

  Duchie hugs her daddy from Dandine, nodding and smiling. Rincon stands beside Duchie, hugging her body. Rincon’s parents surround the young couple, smiling.

  Hatch and Jara are surrounded by their parents, laughing and smiling, too.

  Ketona’s mama giggles. “However, we were visited by a good robot. The good robot wore black curls, a red plantation dress, and a pair of white elbows. Then, the dang me-chee attacked the four posted me-chee machines around our house, which were ordered by the mayor. We exited our house, helping Rincon’s parents, and the other parents escape from their me-chee captures. Girl, where on the planet did you get a set of me-chee for an invasion army?”

  I giggle, smiling. “We are a peaceful city, Mama. The me-chee cannot harm a human, ever.”

  Ketona’s mama says. “Well, the good news, the empty city of Colfax is being occupied by the all the residents of the outer townships. The bad news, the residents of Colfax are never returning to their pretty city. Buffo’s parents are in the process of reprogramming all the remaining me-chees under their voice command for all domestic and manual labor, like mowing the yards, harvesting the crops, and manning the sewer plants.”

  I smile and nod. “That’s good! We all live, here, in Colfax…”

  Ketona’s mama smiles and nods. “Like a real family, no family unit will be broken up, again, ever. And, you are going to be mayor of Colfax. The people have elected you, sweetheart.”

  I gasp, shaking my curls. “I can’t be mayor. I’m only seventeen years old.”

  Ketona’s daddy smiles. “An honorary title for saving the city, which means, ya don’t have to work and feed your family, honey. The city will provide a house and necessities. And, you and Buffo, after married, will be mayor and co-mayor of Colfax. And, every outer township person is willing to learn a new skill or trade. The city will need me-chee programmers and designers to continue supplying the machines for domestic work.”