Chapter 3

A mystery guest

'Hello Mr Armont, working even on Christmas I see'. I froze, there was someone in the room. I cautiously poked my head up to peer over the desk. There was no one there, the room was empty. Suddenly the largest screen in the centre of the room flickered into life and there on the display was a woman staring right at me. I almost fell over backwards! The woman looked in her mid forties, with dark brown hair pulled back tightly into a bun and wearing a woman’s button up blouse and blazer. She looked decent enough, but what on earth was she doing on my screen? My face was in shock, but my mind was racing. 'Um good evening miss. I hope you'll forgive me if I skip the pleasantries, but who exactly are you? And more importantly I'm very interested as to how you got past my security system?' The woman studied me for a moment, and then she spoke.

'Forgive the intrusion Mr Armont but I had to make sure I was reaching you alone. Secrecy is of the utmost importance here. As for your security system I must say we have never encountered anything like it. It took much longer than we expected to crack it'. She was well spoken, sure. But she still hadn't answered any of my questions. 'Well that is just great, well done Madam. Is there a name I can send my letter of congratulations to? Perhaps you can give me the address?' The woman carried on, seemingly unfazed. 'In due time Mr Armont, and don't worry you will have plenty of time to thank our technology department for hacking into your system'. My aim was to keep her talking while I figured things out. So while she spoke I began piecing things together. Whoever she was, her technology department would need incredible computing power to get past my firewalls. I also noticed her posture, tone of voice, the unmistakable English accent and that the light in her window was similar to my own. By this I could deduce that she was likely in the same time zone as me, although that meant she could be in Ghana for all I knew. But I had gathered enough information at this point to put some theories together and it was time to shake her up a little.

 

'Tremendous, perhaps you could thank them for me. In the meantime Miss, why don't I answer some of my questions for you. From what i can see I believe you are in fact in England like myself and that judging by your body language and tone you are not here on a hostile venture. So although it would take me a matter of hours to track you down and find out exactly what is going on - why don't you save me the time'.

There was a hint of a smile on the woman’s lips, perhaps somewhat impressed as she continued. 'Yes of course let's get right to it. But understand that what I am about to tell you is one of the most deeply guarded secrets in the country. What I share with you tonight does not leave this room, do you understand?' Despite the audacity of how this woman had popped up on my screen, I couldn't help but be a little intrigued by a sentence like that. So I nodded, and the woman continued.

 

'Alright then, my name is Jacqueline Maison and I am the dean of the Young and Gifted Institute. It is a secret school for the most talented and gifted children in all of Britain. Talented and gifted such as yourself, Mr Armont. Every year we seek out the best and brightest children from sports to science and the arts to technology. Once we have found these individuals they are then located and reached out to so that we can secretly invite them to train and grow their talents at our schooling institute. That is why I have appeared on your screen today Mr Armont, and I am sure you can guess what is coming next'. She paused for a few seconds, letting what she had said sink in.

 

'You are a very talented young man Mr Armont, and we would like to invite you to come and study at our school'. I stood there silent, giving myself a moment to take it all in. I didn't know what to think. The thought of a school like this seemed incredible, but was it too incredible? Could it be true, could something like this actually exist without anyone knowing? I didn't even know if this woman was who she said she was. 'That's an interesting story Ms Maison, very creative. But I'm afraid I am going to need a bit more information than that. You did after all just appear on my computer screen. While that is impressive it by no means proves what you are saying. Sure my anti-virus is strong, but there is a slight possibility that you are simply a very advanced pop up ad'.

The woman remained stern faced. She didn't seem to be one for humour. 'You are not the first to ask questions and you will not be the last. Every student that comes through our doors started with doubt. But in time you will get all the information you need and hopefully you will be able to see it with your own eyes. For right now I will tell you just what you need to know to make your decision.'

 

I was studying her face, looking for a flaw to show dishonesty. She had solid eye contact, her hands still, no pupil dilation and her tone steady and confident. No indication that she was lying. It was possible, just possible, that this woman might be telling the truth.

 

'Our school is funded by the British government and run by myself and our faculty. You will not find a more impressive school in all the world. Each of our departments is run with state of the art technology and equipment. Our sports section has access to the best facilities and coaches in the world and our athletes training is coupled with cutting edge nutrition and access to the brightest minds in biology and sports science. The art program has nurtured musicians and painters alike, some you would recognize from the Grammys and others from the Museum of Modern Art. But where we really shine is in the science and technology department. Our government funding means that we are given all of the states technology to test and alter before it is released to the public. Even an early version of the world wide web crossed our hands in 1980. Anything you can imagine, we have the best in the world at the Young and Gifted Institute'.

 

I had to cut in, something had been nagging at my mind. 'That is interesting and I will have to see it before I believe it. But let's say for argument sake that this school does exist. Why would you keep it a secret? And well, what if I don't want to go there?'

She raised an eyebrow, like people didn't usually question coming to the school after hearing about it. But she obliged my question. 'Our school is secret for a simple reason. Think of the technology, science, facilities and students I have told you about. They are each very valuable assets in their own right, so should someone with the wrong intentions find out about them it could be dangerous for all the students, faculty and indeed the country itself. That is why our school is a secret to the outside world. As for you coming here, I will tell you something Camden.' This was the first time she had used my first name

 

'You are someone special, a rare breed. Not many people like you have lived let alone are living now. We are only given one life, one opportunity to be all we can be, to change the world. Today is a turning point.

 

I have just restored control of your systems to you and there is an email in your inbox which will delete without a trace in 2 minutes. You can either open it and enter a new chapter in your life, or delete it and you will never hear from us again. The choice is yours. Goodbye Mr Armont, I hope to hear from you.'

The picture on the screen faded out to black, and then faded back into light. On the screen was my email inbox, 1 message unread. I knew I had 2 minutes, but I sat there staring at it - considering the options. I hovered my finger over the touch screen...

and opened it.