The Hubby Hold (IQ Testing Book 2) Read online

  The teens run and dash towards the bushes of flowers, getting lost inside the beautiful flower garden of roses, violets, lilies, and other types of flora. They touch and then pick the pretty objects, making flower designs.

  I nod and smile, not moving and crashing the flowery ground. I wiggle inside Rincon’s arms. “This park place is very unique looking. I love the flowers, so many and so pretty. I wanna arm bouquet, like Marsilla’s.”

  He fingers the object. “There’s a batch of tall trees clumped together, so tightly, that the branches and leaves are growing over each other, as the flower vines grow up into the tree leaves, and the limbs. The color of the tree clump looks almost pitch black, not allowing any foot paths through the batch of trees. I do not believe that we are invited to tour the landscape. However, the trees form a Y-shaped pattern surrounded by an inlay of foot path stones buried within the brown soil. The inlay of stones begins from the exit of the green room, in the middle of the archway, then expands directly into the tree line, where the stones split into two opposite pathways…”

  Nephella emerges from the archway, moving and standing beside Ketona and Rincon. She forcefully slaps short Rincon on the collar bone, making the young petite couple wavier side to side, giggling at her wicked deed. She smiles then squats, picking three pink flowers then stands. She chuckles, burning the delicate petals with the end of the smoking cigar, nodding.

  Rincon frowns with annoyance, wrapping his arms around Ketona and steadying their bodies against the semi-brutal attack from Nephella. He clears his throat. “As I was saying, one foot path goes to the right. The other goes to the left between the clumps of trees.”

  I finger the flowers, giggling. “The majority of the teen run towards the left side with the bright colors of yellow, pink, orange, purple. The teens that veered towards the right side of the trees have turned around then marched back towards the left side. The left side of flowers is beautiful. Let’s go over there,” I order.

  Nephella releases the burning flower stems, watching them float and burn towards the ground. She says. “Going to left for more torment and torture of little ones, ya’ll coming with me…”

  “We’ll go left, too. Don’t burn all the flowers, Nephella.” I order, frowning with annoyance.

  Nephella smiles and winks at Ketona, dashing towards the flowers.

  I finger the flowers, wiggling side to side, but Rincon cuddles me. I say. “The left side displays numerous horizontal rows of different types of flowers. The smallest row starts with the tiny and round orange and yellow marigold flowers. The second row is taller with red round pansies, then a row of yellow daisies, then a row of white carnations, then white chrysanthemum. If I narrow my eyelashes, then I can see rows of blooming roses in different colors, too…”

  Rincon smiles, viewing the rows of flowers. “I see Dianthus caryophyllus…”

  I frown with annoyance at his nose profile. “Just say a carnation, okay? They’re used as bouquets for a special occasion, during a special time…”

  He says. “The first row of ground plants flowers form into batches of orange, red, or yellow petit rounded marigold flowers. Marigold flowers are fed to chickens, giving their egg yolks a golden yellow color. Dried and ground marigold flowers are used as spice…”

  “Uh, huh! Let’s go and pick me a pretty bouquet, before we have to go back into the Cubby Hole.” I pull towards the rows of flowers.

  He cuddles her, saying. “Don’t touch the flowers! Flowers are part of nature. Nature should always be beautiful and blooming, like you Ketona. If we touch the flower, then the bees will not pollen that particular flower, which is covered in our human germs…”

  “O! Well then, I’ll pick the flower, making it dead, then it won’t have worry about the birds and bees,” I giggle.

  He grunts. “The out of control teens are running between the rows of flowers and the vine plants, like a bunch of monkeys. I do not feel like fighting them for boot space,” he fingers the left side of the trees. “I suggest we stroll along the right side. No one is present. We can have the walking path all to ourselves, admiring the flora and whispering our greatest desires to each other,” he nods, dragging Ketona along the flowery ground, killing the upright flowers. He whispers into her eardrum. “Flowers can be made into herbal teas and the floral arrangements are used to decorate the dining room tables…”

  “The footpath not taken,” I giggle, narrowing my eyelashes at the short flowers. “Now, I understand completely the swift reaction of the other teens, fleeing this cold spot. The flowers are rich black colored flowers on fugly ugly plants. I’ve heard of black berries for eating, but black flowers for not picking.” I giggle, saying. “I see tiny black violas, rounded black hellebores, a batch of flowing black tulips, and finally a short row of black roses with green nasty thorns.” I giggle, reaching down to touch the rose.

  Rincon jerks Ketona into his chest, cuddling then sweet breathing into her eardrum. “Don’t touch the flowers! My daddy always kept the back yard filled with tall green weeds for the rabbits, pretty colorful wildflowers for the lizards, and big orange ant hills for the birds. My backyard was a wildlife zoo.”

  I frown with annoyance, studying the black flowers, when Rincon cuddles me.

  He rubs and tickles her arm, smiling at her nose profile.

  We stroll along the stepping stones covered in dead and dried brown flower petals.

  I exhale and frown with ugliness at the ugly flowers. “I feel like I’m attending a funeral, or something sad. Ya certain, that no teens get harmed, during the Citizenship Day. Well, this ain’t no flower, it’s a black plant,” I reach down to towards the soil.

  Rincon jerks Ketona into his chest, cuddling her body, sweet breathes into her eardrum. “Naw, that’s Veratrum species. The flower is highly toxic with sodium ion channels, causing heart failure then death. All parts of the flower are poisonous, including the roots, the pods and the stem. A person becomes nausea with vomiting, abdominal pain, numbness, headache, sweating, muscle weakness, and then seizures, before death. Some primitive cultures used the root juice to poison metal arrows, before war battle combat with their enemies, being too successful, too.”

  He walks towards the section of flower, when I frown with fear. “O! That’s very useful for some dead bodies…”

  “The rich black looking flowers and plants are really a deep, deep color of purple, where the outer eyeball image appears to represent the color of black.”

  I eye roll, then view the blue sky, walking along the stained stone path with ugly black flowers and plants, that I can’t touch for fear of death. I narrow my eyelashes, fingering the far horizon over the blue sky, burning under the yellow sun. “Wow, I can forever. The rows of black flowers go for miles and miles deep into the sunset. I would guess about two miles or so. I think it’s going to rain, too, see the red angry skyline over there.” I finger behind the row of black flowers. “I think we should do ‘our thing’ inside the pretty park place and leave, here. Remember, the vicious rainstorm inside the orange color tone with white lightning and loud thunder.”

  “Yes, I agree. We should cut our footpath walking quickly and find out what we need do to return back into the Cubby Hole. This is the green color tone. I’m so nervous and excited. We both have one more blue color tone then will be competing in the gold circle.”

  I view the sky then the flowers, stopping. “It changed color. I mean, the new section of flowers is brown colored, instead of black. What does that mean, Rincon?”

  Rincon drags her further down the pathway, saying. “I believe, this is ‘our thing’ to observe the flowers, since they display in different colors and shapes. This particular flower is called Fincinia spiralis…

  I frown at him. “How da ya know the scientific names of the strange and ugly flora?”

  He smiles and nods, cuddling and tickling her rib cage from the deadly flowers. “My daddy and I visited the country side. Then I was required to learn the scientific name, lik
e your fish aquarium.”

  I nod and study the flower, giggling with his tickles on my body then frown with disgust. “A spiral shape in numerous tight clusters of dark brown flowers, presenting in ugly, again.”

  We slide to the next section of flora.

  I frown and say. “A ground covering of dark brown flowers with short fuzzy stem…”

  “Rhynchospora californica…”

  We slide over to the next section.

  I smile. “It looks like a chocolate lily. Is it poisonous, or toxic, too?”

  He drags her from the flower, shaking his curls. “No, but, do not touch it. Mother Nature would greatly appreciate it. The next section of flowers is Eremophila fraseri…”

  “A bush of low ground shrubbery of tiny brown leaves.”

  He chuckles, saying. “The flower is called Pomaderris hamiltonii…”

  I frown with annoyance. “A short little short tree with tiny brown leaves.”

  “They are brown pale flowers on the little tree plus brown leaves, too.”

  I finger the tree, without touching it, saying. “They are ugly tiny brown flowers on a short tiny tree about four feet tall. How can flowers be pale brown, like these?”

  We walk down the path.

  I stop, narrowing my eyelashes, viewing the horizon. “Ya know, the rows of black flowers form a perfect triangle, and then the rows of brown flowers form a backward triangle. Is that a significant event inside this park place, Rincon?”

  He exhales, studying the flowers. “I concur. I am clearly seeing a triangle within both sets of flowers, within their rows and rows of flowers,” he drags her to the new section of flowers. “I suggest, we continue our stroll around the clump of trees then return into the green room of mirrors. Our stroll might deactivate the park place then drop us back into the Cubby Hole.”

  I shrug with disappointment, not being able to create a pretty arm bouquet of picked flowers, within the green color tone. Buffo always picked flowers for me, anywhere and anytime.

  Rincon chuckles. “I am quite excited with nervousness, being so close to the gold color and my dream of the perfect job. Did you, correctly, answer the last question?”

  We both say, at the same time. “7.4.” Then, we giggle, being smart and wrapped into each other arms, being romantic, sorta.

  He nods, kissing her forehead then says. “The alkalinity of our blood is slightly basic. What is the mathematical numeric value? The value of 10.6 is a very basic. The value of 7 is neutral. The value of 6.4 is slightly acid and 4.6 is the most acid. A studied and trained medical technician would have only correctly addressed that particular question,” he smiles.

  I nod and giggle. “We’re going to be a great pair of medical technicians…”

  He stops then frowns at Ketona. “Naw, there can be only one medical technician internship, within the Establishment. Remember, honey! We discussed this sensitive topic, before sliding into our me-chee chairs, inside the Cubby Hole. I’m going to be the new medical technician. You’re going to be a me-chee designer, fulfilling one of the five spots,” he chuckles.

  I exhale then slightly nod, without speaking, vividly remembering the conversation.

  He stops, looking at the walking stones then the new section of plants. “The stones have disappeared, maybe, there’re hidden within the plants,” he looks behind his collar bone. “I assume that we have done ‘the thing’ for our return into the Cubby Hole…”

  I back step from his embrace, swinging and studying the new section of plants, giggling. “I don’t think so. The newest section of plants is ragweed. They’re green, tall, thin weedy stems, and fugly ugly with yellow pods. There are rows and rows of ragweed plants, not pretty and not popular with the other teens. I think we find our gold,” giggling.

  Rincon nods, studying the rows of ragweed. “Ragweed flower can pollinate 400 miles out to sea and two miles up into the sky. A single ragweed plant generates a million grains of pollen-per-day,” when Ketona sneezes then laughs. He stops and frowns with concern at her. “Are you sick?”

  I giggle, tapping my nostrils. “I pretended to possess pollinates inside my sinuses. I’m very healthy.”

  He frowns at her. “Pollinates? There is no such word as pollinates?”

  I slap his chest, cuddling inside his arms, giggling. “I made it up for fun to be funnier and funny, honey. Look at that! The yellow pollen drifts from the plants, creating a swirling blanket of pretty yellow mist high in the sky. The yellow mist floats all the way towards the sky…”

  “O!” He frowns at the ragweed plants. “We have finished our trek. Let’s go back…”

  I giggle, pulling from his hug. I extend my arms, smiling. I run through the long row of tall ragweed plants. I yell, collecting yellow pollen dust over my green cat suit, face, hair, and hands, giggling with amusement. I stop in the middle of the row, facing Rincon, smiling and nodding. I say. “See, I’m not allergic to pollen,” then I turn, running down the row. I swing around the end row then run down the next row, yelling. “Join me! You said, within each park place, the teen must do something, in order to reactivate the me-chee chair. Well, we can’t touch the flowers, so we gather the floating yellow pollen dust on our cat suit. We learned that the cat suit records our heated body signs and activity.” I giggle, swinging around to the next row. I pant then stop to breathe. I face Rincon, nodding and smiling. “See, I’m…another color. What does yellow and green mix, too? Red, I’m red tinted with the yellow pollen, covering the green glowing cat suit. I guess my face is yellow colored. Huh?” Rincon nods, without speaking. I giggle then turn, running down the row with my arms extended for fun. I gather more yellow pollen over me, laughing.

  Rincon calls, motioning. “Come on back, Ketona! Let’s go back into the Cubby Hole. We’re almost finished with our goal of Citizenship Day…”

  I run down the last row, turn the corner and then plow into the tall green ragweed plant. I hit an object then bounce backwards, holding my nose bridge with pain. “Dang, the plant hit me…”

  He drops his mouth then runs to Ketona. He cuddles her and her bleeding nose. “What happened? You’re bleeding red blood. Did ya break your nose bridge? Does it hurt? Are you dizzy? Are ya going to vomit?”

  I hold my nose, feeling the warm blood then toss my head backwards. The back toss will stop the forward flow of blood then clog my sinuses. I say in a funny voice. “A small irritation,” I feel the blood, draining back down my throat then lift my face, staring at the yellow dancing dust. I touch my nose bridge, feeling a small bruise, but I’m a tough teen. I frown with confusion at the yellow dancing dust then extend my hands, slowly poking around the yellow dust. My hand hits a solid object, when I gasp with shock. “There’s something here, Rincon.”

  He blinks his eyelids then studies the yellow dancing dust, the ragweed, and then Ketona. “Naw, you must’ve hit your face into blossomed yellow pod of the ragweed plant. The pod has some prickly thorns around the…”

  “Naw,” I stomp closer to the hidden object, slowly outlining it with my hands. I gasp, shifting my body up and down. “This is a barrier wall. I can stretch my hands over my head and towards the sky, without feeling an edge. If I shift my hands down towards the soil, then I touch the soil, still feeling a solid object.” I remove my hands covered in yellow pollen, nodding and smiling at Rincon.

  He drops his mouth then rubs the yellow dancing dust with both hands. “Yes, I can feel a solid smooth object,” he removes his hands, back stepping from the yellow dancing dust. He stands on top of the last stone inlay, narrowing his eyelids. “Amazing, I can’t see the wall barrier. It’s like it is covered…disguised from eyeball view. I wonder, why.”

  I giggle, back stepping and standing next to him. I touch the ragweed. “It is not covered, on purpose. There are at least six rows of tall ragweed plants. Each plant produces yellow pollen. The yellow pollen is covering the yellow barrier wall.” I gasp with the new knowledge. This is the yellow barrier wall, glowing from the y
ellow color tone. Java and Hatch are both still playing inside the yellow color tone.

  Rincon nods and studies the black flowers, then the brown flowers. “Ya know, in the far horizon over there, I see red dancing dust. Like you, I thought it was an angry sky of bad weather. But, I do believe that is the red color tone, where we just exited.”

  I gasp then swing to the red dancing dust. I narrow my eyelashes, studying the red powder. “Why do think that, Rincon? All I see is a high batch of red dust from something…”

  He squats then gathers the dried dead brown flowers and leaves from the trees. He crunches them into small pieces then tosses the pieces into the yellow pollen. He says. “See this. The brown particles mix with the yellow pollen, turning into a red dancing dust, the red color tone.”

  I gasp. “A brilliant deduction, sir,” smiling and nodding.

  He dashes to the corner of the yellow and red dust, studying the red whirling dust. He views the sky then the ground, wiping away the red colored particles. “This is a corner connection between the barriers with the electromagnetic wall. I bet we can see the red color tone, here, too.”

  I frown with confusion, marching to his side. “So!? No one’s in there. Everyone passed into the green color tone.”

  He nods. “I think not. There were sixty teens that advanced with us into the red color tone. Well, some teen stayed within the red color tone, since they failed the more difficult academic questions, while electing to answer the silly first question. Ya gotta admit the last two questions were extremely difficult.” He leans into the red barrier wall, cupping his hands over his eyelids for a better view. “Yes, there’re teens still trapped inside the red color tone, from only answering one or two of the academic questions. Remember, if you answer one question, correctly, then you stay in the same color tone. If you answer three questions, correctly, then you advance into the new color tone. And, if you answer two questions, incorrectly, then you drop back into the previous color tone.”