WARPING EFFECTS / CH. 8:INTERVIEWS
MESSAGE TO CLASS-MATES, SAT 13TH JAN, 2296
Hi guys,
I've just been bitten by a chick with gold fillings, as the saying goes. I met a lovely couple who say that there can be three to four PLACEMENTS available in a qualifying organisation in Restoration, Restored Kingdom. Yes, that one. Initial presentation and interviews will be at 3pm this afternoon, at the Serendipity Hotel. Parents, pen and ink welcome, cameras, recording devices, etc. entirely banned. For confirmation this isn't a joke, see official announcement on I.H.M. site. Really incredibly good excuses why you can't make it but want an interview can be made via me. Yvette.
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ANCHORAGE, SAT 13TH JAN, 2296, 3PM
Fifteen final year students had dropped their plans for that afternoon and turned up at the hotel function room, most with their parents in tow. A pair of bemused hotel security guards checked them all for recording devices, and issued receipts for wrist units. They weren't sure what to make of the event entitled 'Yvette's going away party,' but it didn't look like anyone was here for a party. And why no photos?
Once they'd finished their duties and shut the door, John stood up and addressed the assembled group. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we learned from Yvette that there is actually a course for young would-be psyche-councillors here. I'm really pleased that there's an interest, and I think it shows that the decision five years ago to close the human counselling side of the Anchorage Institute might be worth reconsidering. I am aware of the issues that led to that decision in our sister organisation, but... well, I hope I would have handled them differently, and since I'm here I'll be suggesting to my counterpart that they try re-opening. I hope you realise how rare the course you're on is, and I commend the school for offering it. In the Restored Kingdom there are no schools with a curriculum like this, and I hope that everyone here finds that the skills they've been gaining will be useful in whatever area of employment they end up in. Automation has of course impacted this profession, but there will always be a need for humans. Especially with the increasing number of professional truthsayers. The truthsayer associations are crying out, I point out, for human counsellors to help their members deal with some of the issues that they're having to deal with. And I'm reliably informed that that is a post that is open to non-thought-hearers as well as thought-hearers. But, however big the need, there are two things needed to join the ranks of my profession: training and experience. Sadly a three year course at high-school is not the equivalent of a university doctorate, but at least it gives a solid foundation to university studies. Indeed, having looked at the course materials, and with the understanding that there are students here with elder siblings who have followed this course, I'd like to say that my opinion is that anyone who remembers all they've learnt during the course these young people are on ought to be immediately accepted onto any post-graduate psyche-counselling programme, no matter what they study as a first degree. If you feel my voice of support is needed, feel free to contact me at the I.H.M. For your legal protection, I won't be giving my name, but you can safely report that the director of the I.H.M. said these things to you, as long as you don't go pointing me out in a crowd. Some of you might recognise my wife, of course, in which case you need to be extra careful about what you say. But enough of generalities, and on to placements. The Institute for the Human Mind can't accept all of you, I'm afraid, but we can accept up to four student placements in total. The Restored Kingdom's immigration authority are also happy with the following plans, so as long as none of you have a criminal record, visas will not be an issue. I'll add that a criminal record does not in and of itself mean that you can't apply, it just means that you should declare it during interview and certain additional questions will be asked.
So, what are we looking for? First and foremost, honesty and integrity. Expressed doubts about your suitability will not count against you. False confidence that you will fit in perfectly will. We are looking for students who want to learn, and want to use what they've learned. We are looking for students who are flexible, and who can adapt quickly, and we're looking for people who can ask sensible questions and know when to keep the answers a secret and what they need to pass on.
“The placements your school asks for are at least two months. As director I do not really believe that even a three month placement is really adequate. Two months is still in the initial phase of cultural adaptation, and believe me, the Institute is a different culture. Therefore, we will be offering placements of four to six months duration. Return travel costs will be met by the Institute, and if family circumstances require an interruption to the placement, for instance a close relative is seriously injured or dying, then we will meet that cost as well. We will not meet the cost of a trip home for a family holiday, or because you've run out of clean laundry.
“The institute does have some accommodation on-site — two small underground flats with a shared kitchen — but we believe it would be much healthier for the students to lodge with families in the area. We will make those arrangements on the student's behalf and we will expect the students to uphold high moral values. Unethical and immoral behaviour may lead to the termination of the placement. Legal adulthood is not until eighteen in the Restored Kingdom, but you are all over the minimum age for criminal responsibility. Yes, I see you have a question?”
“When you say the kids won't be legally adults, what does that exclude?”
Sarah answered that one, “They can't enter into any binding contract, they can't marry, get engaged, or consent to any sexual activity. They can't buy alcohol, they can't have cosmetic surgery — including ear-piercing or tattoos, without detailed parental consent in writing. They can dye their own hair, but they can't go to a hair salon and get it done for them without parental consent. They can't rent a flat or buy a vehicle. With their parent's agreement they can learn to drive, but they cannot drive without someone over twenty-five beside with a full driving licence. They need their parent's consent to stay away from home. This is an area we'll need parental consent for the placement to happen at all, and we'll also need to ask that parents promise to be contactable to answer those questions or to grant the director of the Institute authority to make decisions on their behalf. An area I'm thinking this might apply is if the family they're staying with goes on a weekend trip somewhere, or if there's some problem that means we need to find them somewhere else to stay, say because they can't get on with the family, or perhaps they start getting on too well with a son or daughter of the family, and it's felt that an extra bit of separation might be a good idea.”
Another hand raised. “What about finances?”
“We would ask that parents pay for food, toiletries and other out of pocket expenses for the host families, and we anticipate that the students will be asked to do maybe half an hour per day of chores around the house in exchange for accommodation. I don't know what it's like here, but in Restoration there are lots of shops who rely on sixteen and seventeen year olds as evening and weekend staff, up to about eight hours per week is normal. It's considered a normal thing for young people to do and this time of year quite a few of them start thinking that they need their weekends to revise for exams, certainly by Easter. We would expect that the placement students would be earning spending money in that way.”
“How much would medical cover cost?”
“They'd be covered under the Institute's insurance policy,” John said.
“Another thing I'd like to add, in case it's relevant to anyone,” Sarah chipped in, “is that if they do stay for six months, then they become classed as local students when it comes to university admissions. That means lower course fees.”
“And you don't anticipate problems extending their visas?”
“After a six month placement under the work-study visa they'll be entering with, then with any legitimate reason to stay — which means work or education — extension is just a formality. After a certain period — I think it's three years — I'm told permanent residence and citizenship can follow assuming they behave themselves.”
“What happens between the end of the placement and start of university term?” one mother asked.
“If they have a university place, then they can stay or go, it's up to them, as far as I understand it. Certainly between university years they don't need to vanish or anything like that. The authorities at home tend to be quite generous about such things as long as you're not in trouble with the police.”
“And your citizenship oath has nothing anyone would find unreasonable in it?”
“Oh, probably,” Sarah said. “I'm sure there are some die-hard atheists who are going to object to swearing 'by all they hold sacred', and some people don't like to swear by anything, of course. But the oath does not require unconditional obedience to anyone or anything, if that's what you mean. The oath a king takes places him beneath the constitution, and the constitution requires that laws not interfere with someone's freedom to choose and practice their religion. Of course there are exceptions to that rule.”
“What like?” A boy asked.
“Religion cannot be used as an excuse to commit murder, rape, torture, theft, vandalism, arson, trespass, cruelty to animals, public indecency, and so on. So you may not sacrifice a live chicken to Moloch, let alone a class-mate. Oh, I'll add that private land owners are perfectly free to ban religions or religious practices they don't like from their land, so no one can worship tree-spirits or practice witchcraft in my forests, but they can sing all the Christian songs they like.”
“And you've enforced that?” he asked.
“Several times, yes,” Sarah said. “It's only ended up in a court case once so far.”
“Who lost?”
“The group who thought they could trespass on my land and ignore the rights of my trees to grow in peace and tie fungus-attracting shrines to them.”
“Trees have rights?” Yvette asked.
“Metaphorically yes, in law, no. The trespassers thought the trees had a right to be worshipped. It is now a matter of court record that I think God alone is to be worshipped, and that if trees are to thrive they shouldn't be forced to participate in idolatry. Forcing them to be part of furniture was not discussed. The judge sided with me.”
The boy who'd asked about enforcement said, in a disgusted tone, “So in other words, you as rich land-owner were able to force people off what had been their land, deny them the right to practice their traditional religion, and are now left to rape the virgin forest as you see fit.”
“I think you are speaking from an Alaskan perspective, about a situation you know nothing at all about, and making a lot of very wrong assumptions,” Sarah said. “For a start, the people were not in any way local, the land is not virgin forest, the religion they practice is nothing to do with the traditional practices in the area, or anywhere in the country in fact. The last patch of virgin forest in the Restored Kingdom was built on during the age of chaos. The land used to be covered in spoil from coal mining. My great-grandfather bought what was then being used as a rubbish tip, cleaned it up, imported some soil and planted it with a mixture of species. It is now run as a semi-managed nature reserve, that is to say that a very small proportion of trees — almost exclusively softwoods — are felled manually each year, mostly those showing signs of ill health. The best portions are sold for furniture production, some of what is left is used for firewood, but a lot of the tree — certainly the crown, the roots, and any portion showing significant decay, are left where they fall as a habitat for local wildlife. The only exception to that is where they fall on roads or paths. Soil depth and biodiversity are increasing decade on decade and the biggest issue we see right now is the tourists who seem to think they have an inalienable right to drop apple cores into bushes. We're having to rethink our policy on letting trees sprout where they like, because if we don't then the paths are going to be avenues of crab-apple trees in another few decades. I love those woods, I grew up playing there, my daughter did too, I don't want to see hardwood trees ruined and animals injured by some idiot who thinks it's a good thing to use a nylon rope to tie a bit of rotten wood decorated with plastic beads and feathers onto to a healthy tree.”
“Sorry,” the boy said, “I got it really wrong didn't I? I'll leave.”
“Why?” Sarah asked, “Because you don't think you'll get a fair chance? The only one here who's not getting the same chance as everyone else is Yvette, because she has been interviewed already, oh, and parents who I presume aren't in the competition.”
A father stood up and said, “No, I'm not in the competition, but I'd sure like to visit your woodland and learn more about how the land was restored. Not to mention how you stop the wildlife from eating the saplings before they grow.”
“I'll put you in contact with the forester,” Sarah replied with a smile, “but the quick answer to the wildlife is foxes for the rabbits and thorny bushes for the deer. Any other questions?”
“You're obviously a Christian, and I presume your husband is too” a mother asked, “and I recall a report from a long time ago saying that quite a lot of the staff at the Institute were Christians. Is that still the case?”
“We currently have two non-Christian staff members,” John said. “One, an atheist, claims he'll retire next year, but he's been saying that for several years now. The other is a practicing Moslem. She has not been with us very long.”
“By that do you mean that she's going to leave soon, or that you've not managed to convince her yet?”
“The staff turn-over rate at the institute is very very low,” John said, “and we would be very sad to see her decide to leave us. We try to make everyone feel welcome, irrespective of their faith, but we don't stop being Christians just because we're busy. If she wants to talk about matters of faith, she's welcome to. If she doesn't, she's welcome not to. If she feels excluded when the lunchtime discussion on Mondays is about sermons at the various Churches staff members attend, she is very much included when it comes to discussions about children, and gets her revenge when our legal representative is around because they talk on and on about their mutual passion of bird-watching, which frankly just leaves me cold, muddy and shivering and looking at empty branches.”
“Could you compare the transferable skills would you expect the placement students to gain compared to those they'll gain here?”
“An excellent question,” John said, “which I'll pass on to my wife.”
“I think that very much depends on the student. The institute is a small company, with twenty-five staff members, some of whom are part time. Like most similarly sized companies, it's a multi-skilled work environment, where staff members are expected to chip in with what they're good at even when it's not their passion, and try things out to see if they can get better. Unlike most similarly sized companies, we might have a general from one country in for a brain scan while a potential future prime-minister from the country they're on the verge of war with is in another room discussing his sleeping troubles, and down the corridor is someone being operated on for a brain injury. Client confidentiality is absolutely critical, diplomacy and cross-cultural respect patterns are things I'd hope they would learn, along with operating theatre and clean-room protocols. We have a high proportion of thought-hearers on staff; thought-hearing students might find that a good learning environment, and non-thought hearers will receive training in not broadcasting their every opinion, which is a very marketable skill in the right circles. Most of the considerable fees we charge governments goes on what certain staff members call their toy budget. There is a significant chance that the placement students could be sitting in on negotiations for bespoke circuitry, test equipment and laboratory supplies. Other things they might be taking part in include microelectronic design, signal analysis, accounting, report writing, receptionist and secretarial skills, problem solving, debugging A.I. systems, basic nursing, emergency first aid, greeting distraught relatives, firmly refusing to tell reporters anything, graphics design, press releases.... What have I forgotten, love?”
“You've forgotten to say that was your first two months, and you haven't mentioned making pizza, or the gardens.”
“Oh yes. Fridays are pizza-for-lunch days, made and cooked on-site by whatever staff want to join in. The front of the institute has some formal gardens which are open to the public unless there's a security alert, and there's a small green-house at the back. There's a part-time head-gardener and a number of volunteers — mostly school children — who keep them looking good. Staff members in need of some time to clear their heads are welcome to help with watering, weeding, and the like.”
“It sounds like a very varied range of possible tasks, but I'm aware of reporting restrictions... Would the students be able to talk about their work?”
“There are various topics they can't discuss — client confidentiality and the like — and the most inconvenient thing is that there is an absolute ban on message passing. The students will be able to tell individuals where they are going, but if they forget to tell someone then tough. If you tell someone that your child is at the Institute then international law says you're in league with terrorists. All you can do is say they're on placement in the Restored Kingdom and that you'll ask your child to make contact. If pressed you may say that the information they're asking for is protected under international law.”
“But you said Yvette would be getting a placement.”
“No, I said she had been interviewed.” Sara said. “You might be able to guess if she's passed or not, but I have not provided you with definitive information to that effect. Nor of course has she formally been enrolled as a staff member, so the law is slightly fuzzy and I can probably get away with it. What will need to happen is that we will issue a formal letter of invitation to the students and they will need to take that individually and show it to the head of studies at the school and anyone else he or she decides needs to see it. A copy may be kept on file for reference, but it should not be shared with any third party. Quite how that works out with things like visits from school inspectors will be an interesting challenge, should it develop. We'll also provide the students that pass interview with details of their pre-approved visa to show immigration. At this point I'll add that the immigration authorities have allocated four visas, and that is the limit this year. Crying, wheedling or begging us will not change that fact. Nor do we guarantee that four students from the school will be selected.
We might decide that certain combinations of students will not be a good idea, so failure to be selected may reflect an unsuitable combination rather than lack of ability.” Sarah glanced at her notes, “I understand that the law here says you are all old enough to enter binding contracts. By taking part in the interview, you are not guaranteeing you will accept the invitation. But you are agreeing that you understand the law regarding not reporting who interviewed you, you are agreeing to answer the questions in the presence of a registered truthsayer, and you are agreeing that you will let the interviewer know if there is anything you're aware of that might stop you from accepting the placement. Any questions?”
“Are the interviews private?” a mother asked.
“Are you asking if we will we be recording them?” Sarah asked, “We'll be taking written notes.”
“No, I'm asking if I can be there during my daughter's interview.”
“Mum!” The girl in question protested.
“I would not find that objectionable. There might be questions that your daughter would prefer you not to know the answer to, but we can work around that.”
“Will you be asking everyone the same questions?” another parent asked.
“We will be starting with questions in the same areas: technical, personal, ethical, and so on. However, we'll be responding to the students on an individual basis. With fifteen students to interview, we'll split up and try to give each student about fifteen minutes. Some might go faster, others slower. We'll try to make at least some decisions tonight. If reaching a final decision is really hard, we might decide to hold second interviews on
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Monday for some students. I hope that's acceptable.”
No one objected, and the tension in the room seemed to mount. “Now,” John said, “I'm sure you've got better things to do than wait around in this hotel longer than you need to, so while my beloved wife has been talking, I've been drawing up a list of interview slots. Please everyone enter your name and contact details on these pieces of paper, then we'll assign slots randomly unless there's anyone who needs to jump the queue. Oh, we both forgot to say — there is a official process of security vetting that everyone who comes to work at the Institute needs to go through, to make sure you don't fall into any risk categories, for instance having connections who might put pressure on you to identify anyone working there. There's a form I'm going to need the people selected to fill in to request clearance. It's quite long, so what I'd like to do is let everyone have a look at the sort of things that will need to be filled in if you are accepted. Obviously there's no need to fill it in before then. Electronic submission is preferred, but I have a few paper copies for you to look at now, and in case anyone would prefer to fill it in longhand.”
“An actual paper form?” exclaimed one of the children “Wow!”
“Paper has the advantage that it's particularly hard to hack into from a distance,” Sarah pointed out, “even for governments.”
“But not very easy to smuggle out of the country, if there is something that would be considered incriminating here,” Yvette added.
“Oh, I wouldn't be so certain, Yvetter,” Sarah contradicted. “If someone were worried, then such a form could be filled out quite easily at the embassy in the city here, for instance, and thus never technically exist inside the borders of Alaska. The embassy staff would also very happy to help people understand exactly what is meant by the terminology. And I'm sure it would be perfectly normal for a young adult to be given moral support by a parent, aunt or uncle as they visited a foreign embassy to fill in official papers.”
[Sarah, where is all this cloak and dagger stuff coming from?] John thought to her.
[I'm not sure who, I don't actually care, but someone decided they'd be breaking the law if they didn't talk about their uncle, but they didn't want us to get him in trouble.]
“Just so everyone understands,” John said, “The clearance paperwork goes to Restored Kingdom security services who are charged under the United Nations mandate to ensure the safety of staff and clients of the Institute. The only thing they are really interested in is whether the individual concerned can be trusted in general, and in particular trusted with bumping into the people who use the Institute, or if there are any of those visitors they shouldn't bump into. The Institute's A.I. is perfectly capable of keeping two people in the same building apart, but it needs to be told who shouldn't ever meet whom. We've had staff members before who would have been at risk if certain regular visitors knew they were there. The visitors sometimes found a door took two tries to open, but they never found out who'd just walked down the corridor. It's all about keeping people safe and avoiding nasty surprises. I'm sure they have an extensive database on who is related to whom, so these forms are mostly about honesty, integrity and trust. If you have a relative who is on someone's watch-list, and don't put them down, then there will be questions asked.”
“And if we don't know?” a boy asked.
“If Internal Security sees someone applying with a hole in their family tree, where there ought to be a name, then there are a number of different options. One might be further interviews, another might be someone with the gift being asked to check you don't know about the person. Sometimes parents do hide the black sheep of the family from their children, and perhaps just before leaving home for half a year is not the time to find out that your great aunt was a notorious bank-robber, or whatever. Speaking of leaving home... Am I right to think that the placement just needs to be confirmed by the end of next week, or does it actually need to start by then?”
“Confirmed by Wednesday, starting Monday week at the latest,” Yvette said.
“Hmm. Well, I'm going to need to discuss with the school what starting means when there's quite a lot of jet-lag involved, and we're taking you for far longer than the minimums. Personally I'd be in favour of whoever is accepted catching the same flight we're booked on, which is on Friday, or the following day or two. But let's draw lots.”
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ANCHORAGE, SAT 13TH JAN, 4.15PM, 2296
“So, tell me about relationships,” Sarah said as the interview drew to a close.
“Pardon?”
“Is there anybody you're in love with, or would like to be in love with? Or anyone who'd be devastated if you vanished?”
“Urm, no. I mean, I like Yvette, but she's not interested in me.”
“You accept that?”
“Three's a crowd. I'm not sure who it is, but she's got someone else in mind, I'm pretty sure.”
“And you're not aware of anyone interested in you?”
“No. Should I be?”
“Would it be my place to say if I'd heard something?” Sarah asked. She also called to Yvette, [Mick suspects you're in love with someone, if he does ask if you've really been kicked out, how much would you like him to know?]
[Mick's OK. Whole truth?]
[You're really comfortable with that? The kiss and everything?]
[Yes.]
“Urm, I guess not.” Mick said, “But you're not telling me Vicky's interested are you?”
“I'm saying nothing. I've not interviewed her. If she were interested, would you want to be in the same country as her?”
“Urm, wow. That's a big question.”
“Is it? Why?”
“Her parents are rich, mine are poor. She's out of my league, and gorgeous, but we argue about everything.”
“And she's a Christian?”
“Yes.”
“So, if Vicky was staying here and was interested in you, you'd want to stay?”
“If she was going and interested I'd be desperate to go too. If she stays then... I don't really think I have a chance.”
“I see. And if she wasn't interested, would you be able to be in the same office and work in a professional manner and not argue all the time?”
“Yes. It's just during youth-group we argue.”
“I see. Anyone else you don't get on with?”
“No.”
“Any relationships or potential relationships you're aware of? Or clashes?”
“Other than maybe Yvette and someone? No. Oh, Henrietta's got a boyfriend at another school.”
“Are you aware of anyone whose morals aren't strong? Any secret smokers or drinkers? Any gossip-lovers?”
“Urm, gossip, maybe me. I don't know. I mean, I'm interested in people. But I try not to pass it on. I think I'd have heard if there was anything going on.”
“OK. That's my last question. Do you have any?”
“Yes. Urm, I heard a rumour... about Yvette.”
“Go on,” Sarah said.
“It's none of my business really, but urm, some of those questions...”
“Made you wonder about the rumour?”
“Yes,” he said. “I can't believe... she's not... she's a good person!”
“You're not exactly being clear, but I think you've established that you really doubt the rumours.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Would it help you to tell me what they are?”
“That she's been kicked out of her home, for urm, bad behaviour.”
“But you don't believe she might have behaved badly, not even with the person you think she's in love with?”
“No.”
“Truth,” the truthsayer said.
“Good call. What she did do, was a spur of the moment act that her mum felt was conclusive and damning evidence against her. Sadly her mother acted on feeling and not fact.”
“And kicked her out?” Mick asked, shocked.
Sarah answered carefully. “Mick, she said you might have heard something, and it was OK to tell you more, but this is not definitive, nothing is yet set in stone, and it shouldn't be repeated, OK?
“OK. I can keep secrets.”
“Good. Yvette heard the boy she was in love with might be falling for someone else. What Yvette did was provoked, dramatic, heart-felt and in my experience fairly typical of what girls who think they're about to lose the boy they love will do: she said something like 'But you're mine!' and kissed him. In response Yvette's mum entirely rejected her, and told us to look after her if we were so concerned about her. The legalities of adoption will be complex, but we're planning to follow through.”
“Poor Yvette! Oh wow, she must be heart-broken.”
“Not any more. The other girl — my daughter in fact — dropped Kevin like a hot potato once she heard. I expect he and Yvette are going to be doing a lot of talking.”
“Kevin Stammers?”
“Yes. You know him?”
“Yes. Wow! I'd have never guessed he was the one. I mean, they see each other every week at youth group, and based on what I've seen they hardly even say hello to each other.”
“You're at the same youth group?”
“No, but there are some joint events.”
“She only came to faith last week, but she's been in love with him a decade. That long gives you time to hide what you feel pretty well.”
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ANCHORAGE, SAT 13TH JAN, 4.45PM, 2296
“So, Victoria Quy, have a seat, and please keep some part of your skin touching the table.”
“OK.”
“Can you sit in that chair over there?” Sarah indicated to Victoria's mother, then turned back to Victoria. “Do you understand the role of the truthsayer?”
“Yes. She listens to my self-talk and tries to work out if I'm trying to trick you.”
“Have you been interviewed with a truthsayer present before?”
“No.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A bit.”
“Semi-truth.” corrected the truthsayer.
“Very,”
“Does your mother being here embarrass you?”
“Yes.”
“And makes you more nervous?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you think she's here?”
“I think she wants to make sure that if I offer you a bribe to go then it's not insultingly small.”
“I see. Do you often offer bribes?”
“No.”
“Does your mother?”
Vicky glared at her mother, “Yes.”
“Do you think I can be bribed?”
“I don't think so. I've looked up land values in the Restored Kingdom. If you own much forest then you're at least as rich as my parents.”
“Do you think offering any bribe, say offering to double my total wealth, would get you favourable treatment?”
“I think it'd get me rejected out of hand,” Victoria glared at her mother once more. She didn't meet her daughter's eyes.
“Has answering any of these questions embarrassed you?”
“No.”
“But you fear that some questions I'll ask will be embarrassing?”
“Not really.”
“A lie,” the truthsayer said.
“OK, yes, I'm terrified you'll ask me some really embarrassing things, and even you asking if they're embarrassing would be embarrassing.”
“Let me introduce you to a substance called waxed paper. When put I put this baking paper over the top, I can write on it like this, even with my fingernail. Lifting the cover erases what was written.
"Your mother, you notice, is not in a position to see what I write. Baking paper and waxed paper also burn very prettily.”
“And you regularly carry that?” Victoria asked.
“I've found it useful when interviewing people before, yes. Allow me to make a list of topics you might not want me asking about in front of your mother. I'm not saying that I will ask about them, but...”
“You might?”
“Yes, I might.” When she'd finished writing, Sarah handed the paper over, and Victoria turned red. Then she got to the end of the list and burst out laughing.
“You pass the sense of humour test,” Sarah said. “So, did I leave anything out?”
“Yes, you didn't ask what sin I find hardest to resist.”
“Oh well, you see, I'm supposed to pretend I'm not asking in a Christian context.”
“Am I allowed to ask what was so funny?” Victoria's mother asked.
“The last question was if she'd like to swap places with you while I asked you the same questions, concerning when you were her age.”
“I see,” she said. Not finding it amusing.
“And having been a teenager yourself, I'm sure the other questions on the list wouldn't be very surprising to you. So, my first question, Victoria, given that bribery has been mentioned, where do you think you'd be in the class if no one ever used it, all the students had equal opportunities, no one had private tutors, and so on?”
“Urm. Somewhere in the bottom half.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't work as hard.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't need to work as hard.”
“When you go to university, do you expect to have to get a part-time job and keep to a strict budget so that you'll have enough to buy books and pay your bills?”
“Not really.”
“I recommend it. It's good for your self-confidence. The trust-fund my parents left me in their will made sure I wouldn't starve, but that's all. My daughter was taking a year out to earn enough so she'd have some financial cushion.”
“Urm, then what happened?”
“She got accepted at the Mars University, where she'll find her six month's of Earth earnings aren't worth much, the poor thing. But she's emotionally and intellectually prepared to stand on her own two feet once she gets there. Why am I telling you this?”
“Because, for me, the standing on my own feet bit is the most valuable part of this placement.”
“Oh, I wouldn't say the most valuable part. I'm sure you could learn to stand on your own feet at the local waste management company, after all. Whether it would be safe or wise to is another question. Do you have an implanted panic button?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Do you remember how to trigger it?”
“Yes.”
“Your ear-rings have genuine diamonds in them. Is that some kind of statement, a guilty little excess your parents wouldn't really approve of, or was it just because they're your favourite and you forget how valuable they are?”
“They're not real!”
“Ah! The other option. Parental pride, I presume.”
“No, no they were a gift...”
“Who from?” her mother asked.
“I might be mistaken,” Sarah lied, “let's assume I am, and move on.”
“Who is your admirer, Victoria?” her mother pressed.
“I got given them a couple of years ago, mum. But... there's no way he would have given me real diamonds!”
“Like I said, maybe I'm mistaken,” Sarah said.
“Are you often mistaken?” Victoria's mother asked.
“Let's just leave it as one of those little mysteries to solve later shall we? Time is pressing on. I've heard all about the curriculum from the others, tell me what's your favourite bit.”
“When we talk, help each other work things out, like what we think about news events, that sort of thing.”
“So, exploring feelings together?”
“And responses, yes. Problem solving.”
“Do you get on well with everyone in the class, or is there someone it'd be a disaster to be stuck working with for six months?”
“Urm, Mick and I are pretty good at winding each other up. But we don't do it in class, just at youth group. Otherwise I get on with everyone, I think.”
“If you had to end up sharing a room with one of the other girls, who would you pick and why?”
“Yvette. I trust her judgement and her morals. Some of the others might 'borrow' things without asking, for instance.”
Her mother made a disapproving sound, which Sarah chose to ignore.
“Who knows all the rumours in class?”
“Mick again.”
“And is he most likely to tell them?”
“No, that'd be Rachel.”
“And Mick learns them from Rachel?”
“No, no. Mick's got a reputation for knowing things and not saying... I guess we all use him for an 'is it really true?' check.”
“I see. So it's become a self-perpetuating thing?”
“I think so.”
“You've done some software development. Take a look at this program fragment and tell me what the problem is.”
“Urm... I don't know the language.”
“That's OK, it's archaic. There's enough clues that you ought to be able to get it. Assume there's one major statement per line.”
“Urm, mostly the 'if' statements start the line, but on this line it's at the end. Is that it?”
“Well spotted, but no, both are valid.”
“Oh! There! There's an opening curly bracket and it closes with a square one. That can't be right.”
“Well done! Can you see the other mistake?”
“Urm, let me look at it again... Hold on, this thing I guess is a comment says is will return a number, but its returning text!”
“Excellent! If the compiler doesn't catch it, which is the most serious problem?”
“That one. Someone will believe the English and try to multiply the string by two or something and get an error in totally the wrong place.”
“Good answer.” After some more technical questions Sarah asked, “the answer to question one on my list would be no?”
“Correct. Also questions two, three, and four. Five is maybe.” Question five was 'do you have a boyfriend or a relationship going in that direction?'
“Given five, what about question eight?” — Would you want to go if he wasn't going.
“Urm. I don't think I would, no.”
“And question nine?” — Do you think that you're old enough to let romance dictate your plans?
“Not really.”
“OK, here's another one,” Sarah said, and wrote 'If you were not to go, would you like us to ensure he stays?'
“Oh wow! That'd be self centered.” She looked at the truthsayer, and asked. “But I think the answer's going to be yes, isn't it?”
“I think the truth is closer to 'it depends.'”
“Thank you,” Victoria said, looking relieved.
“A couple of final questions. Do you think you deserve to go?”
“No. Not at all. Can I write on this?”
“Of course.”
“These people do,” Victoria said. She wrote four names, and then pointed at them. Top of the list was Mick “He is very good with secrets, and this'd be an opportunity of a lifetime for him.” Ben, “Excellent with computers.”
Yvette, “Works harder than anyone, never gossips.” Sam, “A genius. Leaves the rest of us for dead.”
“Thank you. Two final questions; would you expect your parents to visit, if you came?”
“I expect they'd have that idea, yes. I think I'd ask them not to or to bring the other parents with them. Otherwise it wouldn't be fair for me to see my parents and no one else to.”
“OK, last question. Oh, I'm jumping to conclusions, sorry, it was your father who asked to see my forest, wasn't it?”
“Yes.”
“So the last question, which is called advertising, is does your family ski?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful. One business card for a long-time family friend of mine, Bob Coal, he's the managing director of things up there, and can give your dad the guided tour he wants.”
“Carbon-Carbon land management, Blackwood ski centre and rustic cabins?”
“The cabins are in the most touristy part of the woodland, about a kilometer apart. You can of course now look up exactly who I am. Please don't connect this with the institute, even in your minds. This is a nice little get-away with a little ski slope, and reclaimed land being managed for biodiversity and sustainability. The Institute is my non-reportable part-time job. But back to the placement, do you have any questions?”
“Is an implanted panic button compulsory for staff?”
“No, but always having one with you is. As is varying your route there in a non-predictable manner.”
“Does that mean non-predictable arrival times too?”
Sarah smiled, “Not really, no. The institute has an off-site network of security cameras which will spot you approaching and alert you and the authorities if it looks like you're being followed.”
“Do you like living in Restoration?”
“Yes. It's a fairly big city but there's a community spirit, people are friendly, you chat to your neighbours, there is plenty of green space, there are plenty of transport pods but most people walk if where you're going is within half an hour, unless they're laden down with shopping or something like that.”
“What proportion of people there are Christians?”
“Much higher than here. Ten percent, I think it is, nationally.”
“Wow!”
“How did you become a Christian?” Sarah asked.
“Mick's a good evangelist. Three years ago he got Yvette to invite me to a week-long activities camp, when my parents had a big meeting to organise. They were glad not to have me underfoot.”
“I was glad not to have you pestering me all the time about going pony-riding or swimming or whatever. Never mind the meeting, a whole week just to ourselves? Bliss! I didn't expect her to come back a different person though.”
“A good change?” Sarah asked.
“Yes and no. Less me-me-me, extra tensions in the house. If there are so many Christians there, I suppose you'll work to find her a Christian family to stay with?”
“If she's accepted, yes.”
“Any reason she won't be?”
“Competition for a limited number of places. Ratio of boys and girls, decisions about not splitting up already established couples or whether it's better to run a mile from teenage romance and pick people who are more likely to snipe at each other than fall in love.”
“If you want sniping, put her and Mick together. She normally comes home from youth-group absolutely furious with him.”
“Thank you, I'll bear that in mind.”
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5.45
[Compare notes, John?] Sarah asked.
[You're finished, finally?]
[Yes. I made a mistake on the last but one.]
[Oh? Promise someone they were coming?]
[No. But it turns out young Mick gave Victoria some ear-rings as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. I thought they were from her parents, so I asked her why she was wearing real diamonds. She and her mother had assumed they were fake. Maybe he didn't know either. But way beyond his family pay-scale.]
[Incipient romance?]
[Mutual attraction, frequent bickering, and neither of them wants to be separated from the other for six months. She did put him down as most deserving to go, and she'd just said she didn't deserve to. She also named Ben as an expert in computers and Sam as a genius.]
[Sam the genius is a self-centered thought-hearer. The truthsayer reported he was trying to get him to tell him the answer in the computer question.]
[Not much out of ten for ethics then. OK, he's off the list. Ben?]
[There's a real risk he might not pass clearing. He's got an uncle in prison for fraud and a personal history of computer crime. Says he's learned from his mistakes, but I didn't notice any real repentance, nor did the truth-sayer.]
[Anyone outstanding?]
[Pass. Henrietta interviewed well, but said she's really struggled with homesickness before, and she's got a boyfriend, so was having second thoughts from the moment we said two months wasn't long enough. Jim — he's the one who accused you of raping Blackwood — his class marks are excellent, and he commended Mick and Vicky. He's had a girlfriend in the past, but apparently she dumped him. It sounded like she got bored because he didn't actually take her anywhere, they just spent lots of time together doing homework and chatting. So OK on the moral compass, maybe a bit unimaginative. But really, to me, he came across as the sort of kid who's just not really ready to stand on his own feet. I asked how often his parents got him out of bed — every day; how often he went out anywhere other than school alone — never; how often he did chores at home — never, and so on. I challenged him to be prepared to come with different answers if we called him to a second interview. I think he got the point, but....]
[So... we could give Henrietta time to think, and Jim two days to turn into a reformed character. Or do we give a yes to Victoria?]
[What was her mother there for?]
[So Victoria could glare at her and accuse her of being prepared to offer a bribe. She didn't, but didn't deny it either.]
[Ah. Tom asked if a bribe would help his chances and I told him he needed every penny he had to spend on an ethics course. So does that mean Victoria shouldn't go?]
[Because of her mum?]
[Potential accusations of bribery...]
[Bribes discussed, we've got a witness to the discussion being focussed on how they weren't useful and would get her kicked off the list, and that none were offered.]
[OK. But I thought you said Mick came highly recommended by everyone, too?]
[I did. I want to ask him about those ear-rings first, though.]
[After learning about Ben's criminal past, I checked the rest. No criminals.]
[Oh. OK, then. Let's take Yvette, Mick, Henrietta maybe, Victoria otherwise, and Jim assuming he shows he can reform.]
[But you said Mick wanted to be with Victoria, didn't you?]
[I did. But Victoria is certain this is a chance of a lifetime for Mick, admitted she doesn't really deserve to go, and Mick is sure that he's got no hope with Victoria if parents are around and exerting the expected disapproval. Right now, her mum thinks Mick's safe because they're always arguing. Once she learns he gave her those earrings, things will probably change on that front. A bit of separation might help things calm down and help them work out their real feelings, I expect.]
[Sure?]
[Did you spot her surname?]
[No.]
[Quy. I've no idea if they're relatives of Q.Q. and Rhianna, but it made me think. They're not going to marry in the next year, we don't need to push them together.]
[But by what you said it sounded like you wanted to avoid Henrietta and Victoria together.]
[I did. Imagine, please, Henrietta leaving boyfriend at home, Yvette getting engaged once we work out the arrangements, and Victoria and Mick gazing lovingly into each other's eyes...]
[Oh, right. Disaster for Henrietta.]
[Exactly. Whereas if she's missing her friend, and Mick is missing his...]
[You don't think they'd pair up?]
[Doubt it. Certainly not unless Henrietta turns to God.]
[Ah. Yes. Could you interview Henrietta, and ask the moral compass questions? She was the first and I assumed there'd be others better than her so I didn't really press into that territory.]
[No problem.]
[So we're calling all three back for second interview?]
[Yes.]
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