At his touch, the whirl ends and I come to my senses, having no clue how much time just elapsed.

“Did I pass?” I ask.

“The results will be revealed after everyone completes the course,” Abignail says. “Please make your way to the Atrium.”

Allard’s lips are pressed together, and she avoids eye contact as I pass. I can’t read her expression, but I think I was fast enough to stay off the Farm… Wasn’t I?

“How do you feel?” Rayelle asks, plopping down next to me in the Atrium. She’s followed by Sophia and Stewart.

“Stewart says you rocked it,” Sophia says.

“So, you know who the four are?” I ask Stewart.

“I think so…” Eyebrows raised, he looks me up and down, and my heart rate spikes.

“More importantly, you know who’s going to the Farm?” Rayelle asks him, pushing her glasses up on her nose as they slide down.

“I think it’s safe to say it’s not you, slowpoke.” He playfully pinches Rayelle’s arm. “You were second to last.”

Rayelle slumps in her seat. “I got through the air-conditioning duct and the laser field okay, but that Kaba Mas lock was impossible. It took me forever.”

“The lock was the worst part,” Sophia says. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Garrett’s going to win the Quest, and he’s going to pick Chloe. Nobody stands a chance.”

“You don’t have to be bitter about it, Master of the Middle,” Stewart says.

She sticks her tongue out at him.

“However, you, Elisha,” Stewart continues, “have the opportunity to disrupt everything. You’re the dark horse.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, my heart drumming so loud it thunders in my ears.

“How’d you get through that lock?” he asks. “You weren’t here when we studied Kaba Mas locks. I mean, it took even me a year to learn how to crack them. Who taught you?”

I shrug. “Allard tutored me when I first got here…”

“But you couldn’t have learned every Kaba Mas lock in that short amount of time. We’ve spent years learning to dismantle them.” He presses deeper. “What’s your secret?”

“I don’t have any secrets,” I say too quickly. Taking a deep breath, I choose my words carefully. “My dad had the same lock on our barn. I watched it get repaired once, and then I used to break into it for fun. I got lucky.”

Stewart studies me, blinking, and I can tell he doesn’t buy it. Fortunately, before he can continue his interrogation, Robie’s voice sounds over the loudspeakers.

“Good afternoon. As you already know, we’ve calculated the results from this morning’s obstacle course, and the four who will compete in the Keystone Quest are as follows, in no particular order.” He clears his throat. “Chloe Mattson, Garrett Alexander, Kyran Barrera, and Elisha DeWitt.”

My name lands with a thud, and all eyes shoot to me. The noise in the Atrium raises an octave.

The room swirls in a blur of color, and I rest my forehead on my palm to steady it. I barely register the rest of the announcement, but Robie continues, “The person who will be sent to the Farm has already been notified and is being escorted there now.”