Colony 11 by Gwendolyn Inman (dark academia books to read TXT) 📕

I love my life. I have parents that love me. An entire personal staff. A totally sexy boyfriend. Perfect grades. Tons of friends. But in no stretch of the mind may I call it perfect. I may be the daughter of the ambassador but that is worth nothing because I haven’t been tested for my skill yet.
Some people can’t wait to be tested because they know they don’t have a skill or they have the colony skill and will get to stay at home with there birth families. Others dread testing because they know they have a skill from another district and will be sent away from their birth families. Everyone else is just anxious because they have a skill or not.
But I’m getting way ahead of myself. So lets talk about me. My name is Regina Bishop, Rea to my friends. I am fourteen and the first and only daughter of Lyle Chant, rest in peace, and Lauren Bishop. I am the youngest of three children. I live in the sixth colony of the United States and was born in the tenth colony of the United States, while my mom was visiting for her quad-annual ambassador meeting. My dad was the ambassador from colony two. That makes me a mutt and mutts always ether have there fathers skill or a random mutt skill. But that’s okay because all ambassadors kids are mutts. I don’t know what they do with mutt skills but I know that with normal skills, they send them to there correct districts. Where they must live till they die.
“Regina come down for breakfast. We’re having your favorite! Golden whites and toast, extra salt!” My assistant, Tressa said though the intercom “be down and ready in the kitchen in ten minutes.”
So as I got ready I thought about what the bad news was. We only ever had my favorite breakfast when there was something bad my mom had to break to me. Well she could be pregnant with another daughter. Or she is deathly ill. There were so many possibilities I gave up guessing. I finished getting dressed and rushed downstairs. I took my seat at the breakfast bar next to my mother.
“So whats the bad news?” I asked as I bit into my egg and toast sandwich. She sighed.“I know it’s bad because you had the kitchen staff make my favorite. So what is?” I continued, pressing on the subject.
“It’s about your testing.” As she said as I started choking on my toast. I coughed it up and asked, “What about my testing? It hasn’t happened yet so you can’t have the results can you?”
She went really quiet as she munched on her toast. This was in absolutely in no way good news. She swallowed her last mouthful and began again.
“You have been scheduled for testing, Rea. I am so sorry.” Even as she sad the words I saw my life flash before my eyes. My friends. My school. My boyfriend. Everything I held dear taken away from me in six simple words. I only had one this left to say.
“When?” I asked at barley a whisper. I was almost afraid to know the answer. “Tomorrow at eight a.m.” she answered equally as quiet. The she left the table and when to her room.

* * *

I sat there a moment thinking about what I would do now that my life was over. Tell everyone that I was to be tested that’s what. Let them know today was my last day as a Bishop and as of tomorrow I was just Regina.
So I got up and grabbed my school bag from the hook on the door and headed out to the waiting black pick-up. It was Henry’s truck. He is my arm candy of a boyfriend. He is just so sweet and sexy I could barley find it in me to tell him but I had too. So I got in the car but didn’t buckle my seat belt. Instead I gazed at his face with my sad, lonesome eyes until he stared back. Once I had his attention I kissed him lightly as I started to cry.
“What is it? You can tell me. I’ll understand.” He said as he held me to his chest. I took a shuddering deep breath and looked into his eyes once again.
“I’m being tested. Tomorrow at eight. Then I’m gone. I’m-” I took another shuddering breath ”-so sorry!” I wailed the last part. I looked back at his eyes, but they were turned away. I knew he was probably crying but he just sucked it up and said the guy thing to say.
“Well then we gotta make the most of your last night then. I’ll be here at seven.” He said with no emotion at all as he started the car and we left for school.
When we got there I dried my tears and we ran inside because we were already late. I slid into my desk just as the bell rang. It felt like it was going to be a long three classes till lunch when I made my formal announcement to all of my friends. The only reason I had told Henry was because he had Senior lunch and the rest of us had Junior lunch.
At lunch I sat down ate and chatted like I normally did and waited until ten minuets till lunch ended to brake the news. I went up to the microphone at the front of the lunch room and asked for silence.
“As you all know my name is Regina Bishop.” I paused to hear a bored Hello Regina ring though the room. “I have a tragic announcement to make. Tomorrow at eight o-clock I am to be tested for my skill. Today is my last day as your classmate.” Then I took my seat.
A ripple of shock ran though the crowd.Then that ripple died out to silence as none other that my mother, Ambassador Laurel Bishop walked into the lunch room. She handed me a note. I handed It to my friend Amy, got up and walked behind my mother out of the room. The note read:
The skill testing appointment for
Regina Martha Bishop
has been moved to 1:00p.m.
12/6/2412 or Today.
Do not be tardy.

I walked into the colony six testing lab with my head held high and my mother walking gracefully at my side. We walked up to the front desk to check in and was greeted by a friendly looking reception woman.
“Hello ladies. Are you here for an appointment or to check the results?” She asked warmly. As if this was just a sweet little doctor visit. Get a skill.
“We are here for Regina Bishop’s 1 o’clock.” my mother said with no emotion in her voice. She looked the woman it the eye until the woman looked away to make a call over the P.A. system. “DOCTOR FRINGING YOUR 1 O’CLOCK IS HERE.”
“Send her down Janice.” a mans voice called from down the hall. I walked toward his voice. When I came to a door with a plaque that read Fringing, I knocked loudly. I heard him shuffle some papers around and click a few keys on his key board then he walked over to the door and opened it.
“Come in, come in!” he said loudly. He gestured to a set of large blue arm chairs. “Sit down and get comfortable while I grab some things.” I sat down in the brightest and most clean looking chair and sat in my normal ‘comfortable’ pose; back strait legs crossed, and waited for Dr. Fringing to come over from his desk.
When he did come over he brought with him a clipboard and three different colored pens; one black, one green and one red. He clicked open the black pen and looked at me expectantly. I wasn’t just going to sit here like an idiot so I started.
“So are you going to interrogate me or are we going to have,” I used air quotes to emphasize my sarcasm, “‘a friendly discussion’.” He clicked the black pen again, put it down, clicked the red pen and made a mark on his clipboard. I could almost picture the red mark next to the word ‘patience’. Well we’re off to a fantastic start. He probably thinking of different mutt skills I could have.
“So Miss Bishop, here is how the appointment will work. First I will interview you to see what type of medication you need to heighten you skill. Then you will go with nurse Victoria to do a physical examination. Then you will take the medicine I prescribe you and we will do a mental test. Do you have any questions?” I thought for a moment then came up with a worthwhile question to ask him.
“Only one. Why do I need a physical to find out my mind skill?” He looked at me then took out and clicked his green pen. He put multiple marks on his paper. I had no clue what he might have marked down this time.
“Well, we aren't just testing for mind skills.There are other kinds of skills other than skill of the mind.” He got up and walked over to the wall and pointed to a poster. It was titled ‘skills’. Under the title was two squares with words inside. One square said ‘Physical’ the other said ‘Mental’. Under each was a brief description that I didn’t bother to read. “So as you can see there are two main kinds of skills mental and physical. It is not shown, but they each have subcategories, or common skills that are very easily recognized.”He stopped and used his black pen to make some more marks on his clipboard.
“Dr. Fringing, it’s time for her physical.” an old lady-ish voice called from the door way. The voice must belong to nurse Victoria. I pictured an old, fat, lady with rosy cheeks and baby blue eyes, but was disappointed.
When I turned around I saw a short, white haired woman with deep wrinkles and a frown. She was in fantastic shape even if she was a little under five feet. She had on baggy shorts and a fitted tee shirt on that fitted her athletic build perfectly. In her arms she carried a clipboard and a change of clothes.
I looked back at Dr. Fringing. Was the interview over already? He had only asked me one question. Was that the only thing he tested? If I asked questions? He probably was watching my every move and used my actions to determine my diagnostic.
Oh well the physical sounds easy and I don’t really feel comfortable with Dr. Fringing. There was just something about him that put my sense's on