Trials

Chapter 5

        It wasn't as bad as they had thought. When the Silent came in, they didn't punish the group and Noah hadn't put up his promised fight. They were all weary, and so when Zu's ears pricked the group spun around as the masked men prodded them gently with metal rods, and escorted them out of the forest. Liam hid the dart by the Trial entrance and Noah shoved the note in his pocket. Mya placed Zeus quietly in a livestock cage (only because Liam threatened to kill the cub if it wandered into his path.)

      After the Trial was over, you weren't really locked in. There'd been plenty of times his father brought him along to pick up something from another person in his Trial, or when Jay invited him over to show all her curious findings in her assigned texts.

       Unfortunately, his parents always traveled with him, and the last time he'd been to another person's home was a few years ago. Noah had been so busy with work and texts and Trial plans. So when Noah asked his mother to visit Zach's parents she only blinks in surprise. After a few convincing attempts, his mother finally agreed and looked up the room number in her booklet the Silent gave her.

      His mother wasn't bent on escape. Noah had asked why and she just said that sometimes things were too risky. Noah had tried to wander off when he was younger on his various visits to other homes. The corridors just never ended. It was much too easy to get lost. 

       Noah's mother went with him as he knocked on the big metal door of number 4362. A tall, skinny woman with dark hair like a raven's greeted them.

        "Hi I'm Barbra Fac." His mother says plainly. "My son wanted to see you."

       The woman turned to see Noah there and nodded.

       "I'm Adeline Fac." She says with a tired sigh. "You must've been in my son's Trial." She says to Noah. "Is that why you're here? About Zach?" She was holding back tears. "Well he's not here. He escaped."

         "He never escaped." Noah says emotionlessly.

         Adeline tries her best to keep a smile, but it falters a bit.

        "Watch your tongue." His mother replies with anger.

        Noah ignored her. "I wanted to ask you about Zach." He says. "Alone," He added.

       Noah watches his mothers shocked expression carefully as Adeline told her to wait while she brought Noah in.

      "What's it you wanted to say, dear?" She asks after they both sat down at her brown kitchen table.

      Noah took a deep breath. "I found this note in the jungle when we were searching for Zach."

      Noah took the crumpled note out and he watched her face as she took the note and a hint of fear formed in her eyes.

       "Alex!" She calls. "Come see this!"

         Noah watched as a man whom, other than the hair, didn't quite closely resemble Zach's features stepped out and read the note.

       "Your son wrote it." Adeline chokes out. Something flashes behind the father of Zach's focused gaze. Fear, regret, and... anger? Noah felt as if his own emotion were reflected in his eyes. Then Noah's own fear flooded out in a stream almost stronger than the emotions of Zach's father.

       "Did Zach say anything to you?" Noah breathes out.

        They seemed to ignore him. "I've had it! I never signed up for this!"

        Zach's father slammed the note down and barged away.

         "He's... just upset." Adeline shook her head. "Zach didn't say a thing." She adds.

         "B-but this proves something!" Noah begs. "It means that he's not ok! That he didn't escape! We should revolt! Maybe then we can still get him back!"

        Zach's mother turned to the direction of her husband. "You should go." She replies with a blank face    "Curiosity is a dangerous thing. Zach escaped. Or was killed by a Jaguar. That's what I'm going to accept. Either way, my son is gone."       

       Noah nods guiltily and sighed as he turns to go to the door.      

       But Just as he opens it, Adeline turns back around for just a second.       

      "Oh and Noah." She says. Noah whips his head around to face her. "It's best no one knew you were here."       

        Noah went back with his mother as he came to a slow realization that he never told her anything about the jaguars in the rainforest. Or that Noah was his name.

          Surprisingly no one was really frightened of Mya's new pet. But... no one ever mentioned what happened to Zach. Liam never told anyone. And sure, the whole Trial wondered what happened to Zach and why they never came back when the Trial ended, but most assumed that they didn't realize the time while looking for all of his remains. Noah told Ari what happened and she promised to keep the secret, and was sorry about Zach, but she was still too broken from Grayson to actually be able to worry.

        Noah realized while Trial life had continued normally, what happened to Zach had planted something deep inside every person in the Rainforest Trial. It was fear. Not fear of the jaguars, but fear of something else. It was an unknown force. Unease washed the Trial camp in cold fear, and with each passing day, Noah searched for clues, praying for just a sign of Zach or his sister. Because for the first time in his life, he felt hope. There were secrets to be uncovered, and Noah had to know. Why had he sensed the jaguar when it was about to spring? Call it intuition, but maybe Natalie was right when she said he was special. But whether it was sense or intuition, Noah and all of his Trial knew one thing: something very wrong was going on behind their backs.

           Noah sat under the light of the warm, artificial gray sky, tying his given shoes that fit each Trial. The rainforest ones were a dark green with black laces and a water repellent bottom that keeps you from slipping. 

       As he finished tying his other shoe, Liam approaches him with an awkward frown.

        "Umm... I need to ask you something." Liam stutters.

        "Yes?" Noah replies.

        Liam clears his throat. "Because of our recent findings, I have suggested to put in a guard around. With your consent, I'd like to ask if you could join us."

        "Really? I mean yes! Yes of course!" Noah declares eagerly.

       Liam looks pleased. "Excellent, we leave in a few minutes to make our rounds."

        The patrol consisted of Liam, Noah, Rynn, Cecile, and a wavy-haired boy named Trevor. Many were still unsure why Liam would order patrols when the only thing they ever had to watch out for was the deep forest. Liam ignored their prodding questions, and continued with the patrol to check around places Noah had never even been yet, like the largest creek he'd ever seen just south of camp, the jungle that held like a million insects, and Noah even discovered a troop of orangutans living beside a ravine.

       "Pardon me Liam, but this is stupid!" Rynn exclaims after Liam insists on making one more round.

      Odin glares at her and Cecile mutters something cruelly under his breath.

       "I can see your frustrations, Rynn." Liam starts. "But we really must continue to be vigilant. The jaguars may be gone, but there are other things out there."

       Cecile chuckles. "Scared of the Silent, Liam?"

       Liam whips around to face him. "Cecile let me ask how much do we really know of the Silent? And there are plenty of things that can harm this Trial. Like killer birds, bacteria, poisonous plants, and mosquitos... and...."

        "Liam don't move." Cecile says with a gulp.

        Beside him, Rynn and Trevor both back up.      

        "I'm not finished! And venomous spiders, sinkholes, rabid animals..."

       "Poison dart frog!" Noah gasps.

       "Well that's specific Noah, but yes I'm sure that could pose a threat too..."

        "No, it's a poison dart frog!" Rynn screams.

      Liam turns around to a blue and black frog smaller than the palm of his hand. Liam steps back slowly.

       "I hear they jump." Trevor warns.

       Liam then grabs a branch and breaks it in half. He holds out the broken branch hesitantly while everyone behind him yells in terror. The frog leaps onto the branch.

       "Huh," Liam's says. "He doesn't seem like he'd hurt anyone. Trevor, check in your supply bag and see if you find a jar."

        Trevor stares in surprise and he reaches into his brown duffel. He pulls out a jar and Liam slowly lowers the branch in. Liam puts a lid on as the frog hops in.

       "There. Not a threat any longer. Actually kinda cool. I think I'll call you Blue."

       The patrol all exchanges nervous glances.

      "When did he change?" Cecile whispers.

      "Noah, come here." Liam says as the patrol crushes back through the door thick jungle undergrowth.

       "I wanted to ask you something." Liam's says. "I've decided to reveal the truth of Zach's disappearance."

        Noah nods along casually.

      "The Trial needs an honest leader and the only way we are to get to the bottom of this is if we all know the truth."

       Noah nods again.

       "I need your support, Noah. Do you have the paper? We can start there."

      Noah nods and takes the writing form his pocket, Noah could have sworn he heard Liam sigh when he saw it again.

      "Thank you. Now let's go back to camp. I will make an announcement soon."

      Noah looks back at Liam, confused. One moment he was threatening all the kids into silence, and now, he wanted to announce one of the biggest secrets that would destroy the harmony of the Rainforest Trial for them all. It didn't make sense. Liam didn't make sense.

           It was a few hours before Noah actually heard Liam call:

         "All gather around for our very first Trial meeting!"

       Everyone looked surprised as Liam stood on top of one of the wooden huts. Noah spied Mya and Nathan standing in the small crowd of kids with Zu perched on her shoulder. Noah barely noticed when Jay barreled into him.

         "Hey Noah!" She laughs. "What's going on,?"

         "Liam's going to reveal the truth about Zach." Noah explains.

       "Really?"

       "Yeah he told me he needed to be honest with the Trial."

      "I guess..."

      "Oh and he also has a new poison dart frog pet."

       "Wait, what?"

      "He's really changed Jay. I can't believe just a few days ago he was shoving Zach and threatening me."

      Before Jay could respond Liam began.

       "Fellow Rainforest Trial members." Liam began.

      "Here we go." Jay whispers.

      "I can not cover up the truth any longer. There is a chance that this Trial is in terrible danger."

       Whispers spread like wildfire around the Trial. He spotted his fellow patrol members come to a slow realization.

       "I know, I know, but you must let me explain." Liam continues. "You all knew that Zach fled to the deep forest, but what you do not know is that he did not get ripped apart by jaguars. He was taken, and we think the Silent might also have something to do with it."

      Liam then read the letter aloud. They're lying to us all. Get away if you want to live-Zach. Noah practically had it memorized. Those thirteen words haunted Noah so much and it made him shiver when Liam read them again. Liam also explained the dart, the Silent taking them off after, and he also made a link between all the escapees.

       "A lot of all the kids ever to 'escape' originated from this Trial. I did a lot of research." Liam explains.

       This got everyone in the trial whispering furiously.

        "Everyone please, I've told you his to remind you now more than ever that we must remain vigilant and alert, and now we need a working trial more than ever!"

       But Liam didn't get the responses he expected.

       "The Silent are going to pick us off one by one!"

       "Zach's right! We have to get away!"

        "This Trial is going down!"

       "We must free ourselves!"

       "Everyone stop!" Liam calls out.

       It was too late, the trial turned away from Liam, began pounding on the opening doors, charging into the woods, and yelling out for all the cams to hear.

         Noah ran ahead with Liam to try and stop them all, but he got trampled as kids dashed past. Noah lay on the jungle floor as some kid's foot smacked into his chest, and another foot slammed into his head. All he could do was lie there and wait as he prayed that the pain would cease.