**Sang**

Skating with the boys was sooo much fun! We fell a few times, mostly because of me, but even then, we were laughing and giggling about it. This day was exactly what I needed to keep my mind free of things that will only cause me a headache, like the Academy...or Kayli...but it's Saturday and we haven't heard anything back from them about the next phase of this...process?

I mean, I know we just handed in everything yesterday, but didn't he say we'd have to complete a certain number of these challenges before the end of the semester? There are about 5 weeks left until finals, not to mention midterms next week. Will we really even have the time to dedicate to these challenges as well as completing our course work?

These are all the thoughts that are rushing through my head after the boys drop me off at the dorms. They couldn't walk me up because North needed his Jeep back and Gabriel had to go do something, he wouldn't say what. So imagine my surprise when I walk in my room and see and envelope on my bed, and Kayli flipping through a magazine on hers.

After closing the door behind me, I look back and forth from Kayli, to the envelope, wondering what it could possibly be.

"Don't look at me, it was here when I got back from my lunch with Axel." Kayli says when my eyes drift back to hers. "There was one on my pillow too. Haven't opened it yet."

"Why not?" I ask her as I take a seat on my bed.

"Figured with all the smoke and mirrors it's from the Academy. Thought we could open it together." She replies as she throws her legs over the side of the bed, sitting up and putting the magazine down.

"Oh, then let's do it."

I pick up the envelope and see my name in a pretty script. I flip it over and open it up, pulling out a card with what looks to be a poem on it.

If acceptance is what you seek

Go to the place where you find peace

Over the river and through the woods

To grandma's house we go

Time to jump down the rabbit hole

23:46

"What the fuck? What the hell is this supposed to mean?"

"I think it's supposed to test our intelligence." I mumble as I look over the poem again.

To the naked eye, it just looks like someone's bad attempt at poetry, but looking deeper...I'm not so sure.

"What the fuck are we supposed to do with this?"

"I think we're supposed to decode it...it looks like instructions." I gasp as I look up at her.

"Instructions? Instructions to where, the middle of the freaking woods?"

"If it were anyone besides the Academy sending this, I'd say yes. Since it's them, I'm thinking there's a deeper meaning in this."

"But every line is leading to the woods. Look! It even says 'woods' in the stupid thing!" She exclaims.

"And I'm telling you, there's no way it's that simple."

"Then where do you think it's telling us to go Miss Know It All? Sorry." She mumbles, after I send a glare in her direction.

I don't have to help her figure this out. I could just let her wander off to the woods in the middle of the night. The numbers at the bottom are obviously a time, otherwise we'd have no idea of when to go to this place. It would have to be tonight, since they gave it to us today, wouldn't make much sense for it to be another day. So, we have to go somewhere we find peace, at 11:46pm tonight. What place would be open on campus at 11:46pm on a Saturday night?

Ok, let's think about this logically. What place on campus would an organization, who does its entrance process in secret, be able to meet up at night, on a Saturday? Obviously not anywhere there would be a large number of students. So, that cancels out the pit, the hill (where all the organization houses are), the lounge. I guess the only places empty on a Saturday night are anything to do with the reason we're here. Education.

Ok, so either the class buildings, or the library.

"Go to the place where you find peace." I mumble, thinking it over.

"What?"

"Shh. I'm thinking."

A place you find peace. Well I guess that cancels out the classrooms; most people find stress in there, not peace. Ok, so we have to go to the library...only, which section? There's 5 floors in our school's library because of all the different majors here.

"Through the woods...grandma's house....rabbit hole..."

Think Sang, think.

"This sounds like a bad nursery rhyme." Kayli grumbles, but it sparks something in my mind.

"Nursery rhyme? That's it! Kayli you're a genius!" I exclaim as I rush over to my desk.

"Um, thanks...how exactly?"

"Nursery rhymes! The last three pieces of this puzzle are from parts of a children's story!"

"Um...ok? But how does that tell us where to go?"

I finally find what I'm looking for, and pull out the welcome packet we all received when we enrolled. Inside, there's a map of the school, featuring all of the main attractions including-

"The library! A place where you find peace."

"Ok, but that library is huge. How are we supposed to know where in the library to go?"

"They already told us! The children's section! There's a whole floor devoted to childhood development and psychology! No one studying something under those majors would be there that late on a Saturday night. It'd be completely empty, peaceful!"

"Ok, you are sooo the genius in this relationship. So when do we go?"

"A minute after a quarter before midnight." I tell her with childlike glee.

"Huh?"

"11:46pm."

**Kayli**

She did it. She actually did it. This is the only thought that's going through my head as we walk into the children's section of the library, at 11:45. There are 9 other people here that I recognize from last week's abduction, I mean... screw it. Let's call a spade a spade, it was an abduction. I mean, who the hell sneaks into someone's room at night, throws a bag over their head, and hauls them out in the middle of the night!? Fucking morons! They're just lucky I was already asleep. Bet the wouldn't try and pull that kidnapping shit if we were awake. Fucking cowards. And what the fuck are we doing here anyway!?

"Glad to see those who could make it."

I jump at the interruption of my mental assault to the assholes in question. Coming around the bookshelf to the aisle we are standing in, is that doctor and that lady. What were their names again? Oh yeah, Dr. Roberts, and Mrs. Rose. Wonder what trickery they have up their sleeves for this week.

"It seems that you're short one candidate. Such a shame." Dr. Roberts continues. "Well, for those of you who are here, you've passed the first and second tasks. Since it's a Saturday night I'll make this brief, I'm sure you all have places you'd rather be. For your next task, you will be participating in next week's Thanksgiving Spectacular. You will be divided up and incorporated into one of the groups that will be performing for the show. Your objective is to blend in. No one in that audience is to know that you've only been practicing with your group for a week. Adaptation is one of the main skills you will need in order to join our organization. I hope you all are up to the task. You can expect a note, like the one that told you to come here, on your bed by the time you return to your room. It will contain the name of the group you will be performing with, as well as where they meet and at what time. I wish you all good luck, and good night."

The lights suddenly shut off, and when they come back on, both Dr. Roberts and Mrs. Rose are gone. Alright weirdos, game on.