Katie Smith

Introduction to Turned 2

Sarah took her seat and began to organise herself for the class.  She brought out the text book, her note pad and her pen and prepared for Professor Blackwood to enter.

A bubbly girl with butterfly clips in her red curly hair sat beside her. She smiled brightly at her, “Hi, I’m Bailey”.

“I am Sarah. Nice to meet you”.

"I've heard about you, Pultney Academy is small" Bailey blurted out, before realising that she had been extremely insensitive, “Do you want to see something neat?”

Sarah reluctantly looked at the girl. 

"Watch my hand" Bailey said. As she turned her hand over, as her arm supinated, her hand vanished!

"Wow..." Sarah said intrigued, but also slightly alarmed by the vanishing hand.

“Don't worry, I’m a special, I can bend light” Bailey explained, turning her hand back over and making it reappear, “I don’t really vanish it’s just a trick really, but it’s very rare and my gifts emerged early, making me extra special. It gives the gossips something new to say about me anyway...”

“That is really amazing! Does it run in your family? The text book suggested that…....”

Sarah was brought to silence before she could complete her statement by Professor Blackwood. He walked in, bringing the whole class to complete silence.

He surveyed the class quickly and then turned his back to them as he placed his briefcase down on his desk and opened it.  He turned to the class and began, “So, today we will be discussing Emergence.  This is the period that you are all going through.  Not only will the virus now start to come into effect by slowing your aging, improving you physical and cognitive capabilities but some of you will also find that additional gifts begin to open up to you.  These individuals are call Specials.  There are a series of tests that you will all complete during the next year to identify whether you have any of these gifts.  You may already know from children who were in group 2 what these tests look like or if you have any friends from older Turned families, you may be aware of what types of gifts are most common.  Due to the selected and sanctioned breeding programme, we already know how most children’s gifts will present, but there are always a few surprises.”

“I’m not sanctioned” Bailey whispered into Sarah’s ear, “we are similar in a way”.

Professor Blackwood had not missed the exchange and stared sternly at the two girls.

“When you're quite finished Bailey, you may find that this class is far more important than your chit-chat. Perhaps if your Mother had paid attention, your birth would have not been clothed in scandal.... Now, don’t worry everyone, I have not forgotten about the quiz!”.

The whole class groaned, apart from perhaps Violet who looked exceptionally eager.

“Violet will you pass out the papers please? They are in the briefcase.  We will explore Emergence further once you have all finished the quiz. You will have 20 minutes,” he said, pressing a button which made a timer appear with large red numbers.  He surveyed the class again and waited for Violet to sit back down. "Remember to answer each question as fully as possible. Your results will help me to tailor this class for you all, you may begin."

20 minutes passed quickly and before Katie knew it, the red numbers were blinking 00:00.

Violet was smiling eagerly again. She was clearly expecting Professor Blackwood to call upon her again.

"Bailey, I can see you are itching to talk again. Why don't you collect the papers."

Bailey got up frowning, she had indeed been itching to talk to Sarah. She was worried that she had made a bad impression and she wanted to be friends with her.  She sensed that they were kindred spirits.  

Professor Blackwood clicked some buttons on the computer and the presentation appeared on the white board.

"So, Emergence is the time when the virus begins to take effect. The Turned virus is believed to bless us with a longer life as it protects our Human DNA. In effect, it stops the epigenome breakdown and it encourages the release of enzymes that trigger our longevity genes....". Professor Blackwood continued and Sarah took notes as best she could. Much of what he said was too advanced for her, she thought, and she longed for the opening up of her cognitive abilities that he had promised the virus would bring!  Her head hurt and she longed to just lie down. She had become engrossed in her own thoughts and suddenly realised that the class must be over when she noticed Bailey packing her things. Sarah, quickly packed her bag and decided that she would go back to her room for a lie down.