Fragment of Destiny

Despite the rebuke from the senior instructor yesterday Tess managed to find the Jr. Academy lobby all but empty when she arrived. Only a single student remained Demetrius, the oversized uniform giving him away.

“I thought you were getting a new uniform?” Tess asked.

“Yeah me too,” Demetrius said and shrugged. “It’s about time you showed up. I was beginning to think you were going to be a no show like yesterday.”

“Oh, I was here yesterday,” Tess said and pointed to the itchy gray cap with a short bill they had sent her home with. Demetrius flinched as she removed the cap. The sight was unpleasant. So much so, that she had even spent several hours last night looking into hair growth remedies.

“It sucks right?” Demetrius said managing a weak smile.

Tess rolled her eyes and replaced her cap, “Don’t even get me started.”

“Have you seen the rankings yet?” Demetrius asked and gestured to the far left wall of the lobby.

Tess turned to and found that a massive view screen had been added with what looked like rankings for every student in the school. So, this was what Demetrius meant when he said the students would be splitting up.

“You are ranked number four in the whole school!” Demetrius said. “That Mike kid was showing as number four yesterday and you were ranked six hundred forty-eight. I knew it was wrong as soon as I saw it and I told them so. The instructors that is. They didn’t believe me at first but…”

Tess had stopped listening. The rankings had her full attention now. Could she have gotten number one had she not waited on Demetrius? She mused as she read down the list.

[ID# 01, Rank 1, Andrew Reynolds]

[ID# 82, Rank 2, Victor Branson]

[ID# 701, Rank 3, Samuel Spector]

[ID# 52, Rank 4, Tess LaBou]

[ID# 43, Rank 5, Elroy Grimwald]

Tess recognized everyone except Samuel as an upper-caster. Quickly she continued down the list. Skipping over every name that didn’t end with SS until she found it.

[ID# 53, Rank 200, Demetrius Cross]

Just below his name was a bold red line separating the rest of the students into the next division.

“It’s good to see we both made it into the upper division. I guess all of that reading paid off,” Tess said socking Demetrius in the shoulder, and a stupid happy smile broke across his face. Demetrius’s rank was a far cry from hers but still, it was a partial alleviation of her fears. Students who placed in the upper division had a significantly lower fatality rate during the trial than those in the mid or low divisions.

“If you're all done gloating about your rank, class is this way. The upper division has instructor Branson, and the dude is a total hardass.”

Tess took one final look at the rankings before allowing Demetrius to lead the way.

Heading to class they found they were not the only ones arriving late today. Another latecomer was only just arriving as they made their way across the track to the upper division building.

“Did you see that?” Tess asked after the student had passed.

“What, that you aren’t the slowest to get out of bed after all?”

“No! That guy. His face, and his eyes.”

Demetrius gave her a look of genuine confusion, “What about them?”

“You’re telling me you didn’t see those big bruises on his face. And what about those purple eyes.”

“I wasn’t really looking, but purple eyes? You sure it wasn’t just a black eye?”

“No, they were definitely purple,” Tess said.

“But what would a Halsinion be doing at the Jr. Academy?” Demetrius asked.

Tess just shook her head. She could believe they would let low casters into the academy but would they actually let a Hali into the school? Tess was still trying to fit together scenarios that would allow a Halsinion the right to attend when they reached the classroom.

Twin doors opened into an auditorium-style seating area. The room was broken up into sections each with a single desk and four chairs. Near the left side of the room, a single table remained unfilled. The instructor stopped mid-sentence, and a silence fell over the room. All eyes were on them.

“So glad the two of you finally decided to grace us with your presence. Come to the front and introduce yourselves, while you are at it, you can explain to the class why they all must run an additional two laps today,” Branson said his face malevolent as he beckoned them forward.

“You first boy,” Branson said clamping down on their shoulders with vice-like hands.

“My name is Demetrius Cross.”

“And now you.”

“Tess LaBou.”

“Why is it your fellow students will have to run two additional laps today?”

“Because we are late and being late is bad,” Tess said in a deliberately mocking tone. Instructor Branson’s grip tightened sending a shooting pain down her left arm. Damn, but he was strong. Not the kind of response he had been looking for Tess mused.

“Congratulations everyone. Now go sit down! Groups have already been assigned, the two of you can join your tardy friend over there in the corner,” Branson said pointing to the last of the open seats in the room.

A lone boy sat at the open desk and smiled at them.

“Hi guys, welcome to the late crowd. At least I’m not the only one everyone hates anymore. Thanks for making me not look so bad. I am Brian by the way,” He said with an outstretched hand.

“I guess that makes me feel a little better,” Demetrius said.

“My thoughts exactly,” Tess added chuckling and accepting his outstretched hand.

“Easy, it’s a handshake, not a bone-crushing competition,” Brian said massaging his hand.

To which Tess only smiled.

The instructor, he was glaring at them again.

“Can we at least try not to get on his bad side any more than we already are,” Demetrius pleaded.

No sooner had the lecture restarted when the door opened again. The look on Branson’s face nearly had Tess falling out of her chair with laughter. All eyes followed the lone student as he made his way to the front of the class.

“Hey, isn’t that the Hali you saw earlier?” Demetrius asked.

“You two know this guy?” Brian asked giving his table mates a quizzical look.

“We passed him this morning on our way here. Didn’t expect him to be part of the upper division,” Tess said.

“Man look at his face, someone did a number on him, and recently too,” Brian said.

“At last we have all been waiting just for you. Now get down here and introduce yourself so we can begin. Also, while you are at it, you can tell the class why they will be doing an additional lap today.” Branson shouted his knuckles turning white as he gripped the desk in front of him.

Despite the student's beat-up face or perhaps because of it; there was an air about him of someone you did not want to mess with. He carried himself with a confidence Tess admired.

“My name is Samuel Spector and you will all have to run an extra lap because some people still have ignorant prejudices.” Then without being told he walked over towards the sole remaining seat.

“Wait, I know that name,” Tess whispered, “He's the guy who ranked third in the whole school. What kind of a joke is this?”

Demetrius, recoiled as Samuel suddenly sat next to him. Brian cringed and looked as if he was going to be sick. Even Tess had to admit she’d rather not have a Hali at their table. With his pale skin, and purple eyes the same dark hue as the mist, there was no mistaking Samuel for what he was. Despite her gut reaction of disgust, a part of her felt sympathy for him. He was battered and bruised far worse than Demetrius had ever been. She had no intention of being this Hali's friend, but still, she wished she could get her hands on whoever had done this and make them pay.

The lecture from Branson was boring. Just more of the same, instill the fear of death and stress the importance of following orders. Annoying yes, needful, probably. Tess had a hard time paying attention she could not keep her eyes off Samuel. She had never actually met a Halsinion before, and if not for the bruises, he would have had a pretty face.

“So, who did you beat up?” Tess asked when the lecture was over.

Samuel acted as though he couldn’t hear her and followed the procession of students into the corridor. Tess grabbed his sleeve and pulled him out of line. Instantly she saw him tense up. His face darkened into a scowl as his hands became fists.

“Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe it was you who got beat up. Poor little Sammy with a black eye. Well don’t worry Hali, I’m not going to hit you, so you can relax,” Tess said in a mocking voice. Both Demetrius and Brian flinched away, clearly wanting nothing to do with her antics.

“What do you want with me?” Samuel asked his eyes narrow, with fists at the ready.

Tess smiled, he was even cuter in his tough guy pose. “Just that. For you to talk, to finally say something, to stop acting like your all high and mighty. You’re at my table and I’ll be dammed if I’m going to let you ruin the entire semester by showing up to school each day with that bashed up face of yours. So talk. Who did it? It wouldn’t happen to be a large guy and his pack of cronies, would it?”

“What of it?”

“Was it just him, or the other’s as well? By the look of you, I would say it had to have been at least two of them. Am I right?” At last Samuel’s posture relaxed a little.

“That’s right, there were two of them. Seth and Tori. They jumped me this morning, dragged me down to the lower hall. Tori slipped up, he likes to gloat. Without Rex around the rest of them are pushovers in a fair fight.”

“Well, you will have to let me come visit your friends some time. I owe them for mistreating Demetrius,” Tess said cracking her knuckles for effect.

“You’re crazy you know that,” Samuel said, but he smiled.

“When is she not crazy?” Demetrius mumbled.

“Well, Samuel how about you be more careful getting home. Like I said I can’t have your black and blue face ruining the view all year,” Tess said as she walked past leaving the boys to follow.

“…While we can simulate potential environments using the neural grid system, the training only goes as far as your head. Your mind can absorb information and process stimulus the same as it can right now, but your body, however, will receive no benefit at all. If you work yourself to exhaustion physically while inside the simulation, you will be mentally fatigued when you exit, not physically. Because of this, you will also undergo strict physical training to ensure that your bodies are strong and able to handle everything that will be demanded of them during the trial…”

“Now you can’t tell me that doesn’t sound cool,” Brian said as the boys caught up with her. Tess only shrugged, she didn’t care. All she wanted was for the lectures to end and the real work to begin. It wasn’t much longer until she got her wish as the group was led out to the track and found Branson waiting.

“Form up!” Branson barked, “Eight rows twenty-five deep, just like yesterday move it!”

They moved, assembling quickly, with only a few adjustments to make the rows even.

“Jumping jacks, go!” Branson yelled, counting them off to twenty, before alternating to push-ups, and back again four times.

“Today you all were going to do five laps but thanks to team tardy you will all be running an additional four," All of the students groaned, and many shot nasty looks at the four of them. A few attempted to protest.

“Move it!” Branson yelled, and that was that.

Nine grueling laps later the four of them paced in lazy circles with their hands behind their heads desperately sucking air. While it had not quite been ten laps like the endurance exam; today’s laps had been metered, anyone who went to slow had a jr. or worse Branson himself prodding them forward. Several students had collapsed in exhaustion, and many more had vomited. Tess had even seen Demetrius retch a few times. Both Brian and Demetrius still looked like they were going to die when at last she could breathe normally again.

“Form up!” Branson shouted.

“Ah, what now?” Brian said still sucking air.

“I said form up! Or do you want to run another five laps?” That got them moving. Tired as the students were the jr. instructors prodded at some of the slower ones occasionally dragging someone to their feet. Everyone looked exhausted but they fell back into position as quickly as they could. All while being threatened with even more laps.

Once the lines were formed, Branson began to call out teams of four and match them to a jr. instructor. Tess watched as the group slowly dwindled until it was just herself, Demetrius, Samuel, and Brian remaining.

“And lastly, Team Tardy, you will be assigned to Jr. Instructor Parkson.”

“Great, Team Tardy, what a shitty name,” Someone behind them said. Turing around Tess was surprised to see a young instructor. He looked to be no more than eighteen years old yet he wore the gray and gold of the enforcer teaching staff.

“So, Demetrius, you’re the slacker of the bunch?” Parkson said looking down at a datapad.

“You take that back right now!” Tess said as her hands became fists.

“Or what little girl?”

“Or I’ll make you that’s what,” Tess said, and despite the long run she was ready to do it.

“Wow, let’s just calm down,” Demetrius said blocking her path to the instructor.

“I may have gotten the lowest scores of everyone in the upper division, but I made it,” Demetrius said. Tess was speechless, Demetrius never stood up for himself.

“I agree, let’s leave the slacker crap for another time,” Samuel said, “For a brand-new instructor you should think about earning the respect of your students first before you go calling them slackers. No disrespect Jr. Parkson, I am sure you are very knowledgeable, or they would never have made someone so young an instructor; but all the same, actions speak louder than words.”

Parkson looked furious, but he did not argue, instead, he grumbled something to himself before addressing the group. “Our first stop today is going to be the simulator room. This way.”

From that moment on Parkson was their relentless taskmaster working them to exhaustion every day. He was hard on all of them but most of all on Samuel. By the end of first summer, the rigors of the gym and savage ordeals in the simulator had forged the four of them into a team with Samuel most often at their head. Even though it was only halfway through the year each of them felt ready.