Free Super Secret Series (Book 1): Super Model by Princess Jones Page B

went upstairs to bed.
    That night, I had the dream again. I was still in the hallway with the offices that wouldn’t open but this time I couldn’t find the elevator. And when I opened the book I was holding to look for some answers, all of the pages were blank. I woke up in a terrible mood.
    Me and mom were still not really on speaking terms so I grabbed my backpack and left without breakfast. I didn’t want to go through that awkward show again. I thought about stopping by the cemetery but realized I didn’t even want to see my dad. I didn’t know what to say to him, either.
    After school, I headed over the Council building. I checked in and went upstairs to the eighth floor. I was alone in the waiting room this time so there was no people watching to do. By the time Lindsey appeared, I was ready to get the whole thing over with.
    “Hi Penny.” She shook my hand enthusiastically and started to guide me down the hallway to our testing room. “I’ve been thinking about you all weekend. I’ve never given a test to someone who scored so high. I mean, I’ve only been working here for a few weeks but it’s still exciting. I feel like I’m witnessing the beginnings of something great. And I’m sure you’ll do just as great today.”
    I wasn’t anywhere near so sure. But I just nodded my head along with her.
    The testing room was just a table with a chair on either side. In one corner, an overhead camera recorded the whole scene.
    “Let’s see. . . you sit here,” Lindsey pointed at the chair facing away from the camera. “No, wait. You’re supposed to take the other one. Sorry! This is my first time doing this test,” she added.
    I sat down and tried to compose myself while Lindsey set up on her side of the table. She pulled out a file that I assumed was mine, a stack of notecards, a notebook, and a pen. “Penny, I’m going to pull cards from this stack and I want you to tell me which ones they are without me telling you. Simple, right?”
    “Right.”
    “Let’s get started.” She pulled the first card and cupped it with her hand as if I might see around the sides. “What do you think is on this card, Penny?”
    “Are you going to tell me what the options are?”
    She seemed a little confused by my question. “Well, no. You just tell me what you see. Well, not what you see,” Lindsey quickly corrected herself. “I mean, what you see .” She used the air quotes and everything.
    I took a deep breath and tried to access my powers deep inside my mind. I thought of my dad. I thought about what I was fighting with my mom about. I even thought about Audrey. “The king of hearts?” I didn’t sound confident, which made perfect sense because I wasn’t confident.
    Lindsey wasn’t very good at hiding the disappointment in her voice. “No. Try again.”
    “A star?”
    “How about we move to the next card, hmm?” She pulled another one from the pack and held it up so that the back faced me and the front faced her. “What about this one?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. Lindsey, maybe I should take a break or something.” I put my head on the table.
    “But we just started.” She adjusted her glasses. “Just try. No one is expecting you to get every single one right. Just try,” she repeated.
    I picked my head up and looked up at Lindsey, grateful that she seemed so invested in my success but also kinda sad for her. And that’s when I saw the card reflected in her glasses. I could clearly see that the red circle on the card, right in front of Lindsey’s encouraging gaze.
    I took a moment to think about whether taking advantage of this person’s trusting and encouraging nature made me smart or a monster. “Circle.” I’d made my decision.
    “Yes!” Lindsey was so excited. “And this one?” She pulled out another card and held it exactly the same way.
    “X.”
    “What about this one?”
    “Cross”
    “Oh my God, you’re doing so well!”
    It went on like that until the cards were gone. I