For my reading project, I chose to draw a picture of Cia's journey of self-reliance. I chose to draw an aspect of each of the stages of testing around her with a path connecting her journey. I used a darker color scheme to show that while she receives a little help she is on her own. I think that this is dull and tiring so I used mostly blues and blacks. Overall Cia used self-reliance in each of the tests, even if she was working with a team.
First Cia shows self-reliance before the tests even begin. She looks out for herself in the skimmer and in the testing buildings. Cia finds cameras in the skimmer and decides to be careful about what is said and done. One symbol of her independence was given to her on the first day of the Testing. “etched in black on the disk is an eight-pointed star. In the center of the star is a stylized lightning bolt” (Charbonneau 72). The star shows that she is in the star group but the lightning bolt is unique to her. This is a symbol of her independence because it shows that for her to pass she has to do it herself. In all Cia shows self-reliance before the tests begin.
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Second Cia shows self-reliance during the first test. When she gets the history test she observes, “ In the right corner is the design from my bracelet” (Charbonneau 125). This symbol shows that she is on her own and must rely on herself. The fact that this symbol is on the test shows that she is on her own and will need to rely on herself. Three more tests follow history and she does them alone. She is the deciding factor on whether or not she passes this round of testing. This shows that Cia relies on herself during the first test.
Third, in the second round of testing Cia must rely on her knowledge or she will risk a wrong answer. One of the tests in this round of testing is to identify whether or not a plant is poisonous. “ There are eight plants in the box. I recognize six immediately” (Charbonneau 167). She has to guess on the other two plants while hoping one will not be a wrong answer. At the end of this test, Cia had to eat the ones she labeled edible. This shows that Cia had to go with her gut during the second round of testing.
Fourth, in the third round of the testing Cia is put in a group to answer questions and Cia has to decide whether to think for herself or trust the others. There are five questions all behind a separate door, and there is an exit door. The questions cannot be redone and a person that Cia doesn’t trust goes first. Cia wonders if the girl that just went sprung the trap the untrustworthy boy set. “Do I keep my word and turn the handle, or go with my gut and walk away” (Charbonneau 199). Cia finally decides not to answer the question because the boy made sure he got to go first by purposely failing the other four sample questions. Cia also convinced the boy after her to not answer and Cia knew it was the right choice when the other girl never returned. In this test, Cia had to rely on her instincts to stay alive.
Fifth, in the fourth round of testing Cia, has to rely on her knowledge of cleaning water for her and Thomas. Cia finds a stream and decides to test the water for drinkability. “ After setting out my chemicals, I use one of the clear plastic water containers from our Testing box baskets and fill it up with a half inch of water. I put a drop of the first chemical in and swirl the water around. If the water contains the bioengineered version of cyanide used in many of the Stage Four bombings, the liquid will turn red. After several minutes of swirling, I am certain the water is free of that contaminant and move on to the next. I made it through the first three tests without a color change. But the fourth, for a chemical cooked up by the Asian Alliance that causes the cardiovascular system to overload, turns the water a vibrant purple unmistakable even in the last vestiges of sunlight. I empty out the test bottle, refill the three containers, and then add the counteracting chemicals to them” ( Charbonneau 271-272). This quote shows that Cia knew how to treat this water and if she couldn’t rely on her knowledge, they would have been poisoned by the water. Also throughout this test, Cia found food and used her instincts to save Thomas’s life after he got blown up. Overall Cia’s knowledge saved both her and Thomas’s lives.
Overall Cia has to rely on herself throughout the Testing or she would fail or die. She had to trust her instincts and her knowledge as well as her trust. Cia’s self-reliance helped her pass the Testing and become a future leader.
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