One o'clock, William was sitting in the grass sulking while waiting for the physical health segment for the day. The first week of every year was dedicated to testing the student's overall fitness levels. Every day, a new challenge would be set with clear guidelines of what they were expected to achieve during that period. Everyone knew that the tests doubled of as a try-outs for squad recruitment. After all the score were tallied, squads could refer to the student scores for potential candidates.

All squad members were encouraged to take on a first year as part of their mentorship program. The only ones who ever got recruited that early, were the students who had credits or influential family ties. William's mood sank a little deeper.

Seth had already approached Astral for the only spot on his team, and she threw it back in his face like it meant nothing to her. How could she be so selfish? She could have recommended him to take her place. Why couldn't Seth see what he was worth? What did she have that was so great? She had money sure, but so did Reginald, and he wasn't invited to Squad VII, not once while Seth was the captain. He wondered why Astral was desirable, but someone like Reginald wasn't. He had credits and influence too, and both his brothers had been squad members though only for the bronze ranking tiers.

Last year, Reginald had made it very clear that if William wanted to be elevated above his station, the military games was a good place to start. The games were the only place where money and influence lost its value once recruited.

William had plans to try out for Squad VII this year, like hundreds of other students. He felt heartbroken. Astral had stolen the only thing he wanted to achieve this year, without even trying. All of his hard work training over the summer meant nothing.

Astral sat down next to him and adjusted the black laces on her boots. She was the last person he wanted to see. "What do you want?" he sneered. "Haven't you ruined my life enough for one day?"

"I should call your father," Astral taunted, "such behaviour is despicable for the son of a Hunter." She had to remind him of the morning's fiasco as though he was directly to blame for her getting in the way of a few dishes. Had she turned up when she was supposed to yesterday, then maybe this whole mess could have been avoided.

"Oh fuck off," William spat. "Rat me out, I don't care. He can't do shit to me here."

"Is this your friend you were talking about?" Seth asked, crouching down by Astral. All of them were in the academy's mandated outdoor training gear. The black suit clung to their bodies like a second skin. White ran up their legs, hips, and thighs, breaking at the waist, before starting a new pattern along the back and stretching around the front to mark their rib cage. Astral wore the sleeved version of the uniform, which had a white vertical line running up the outside of her arms, over her shoulders, and forming the collar at her neck. He didn't know why, but he felt like she was hiding something with the lack of skin exposure. It was too warm to be so covered up, though it wasn't much of a stretch for William to believe, that the cool winds washing over the campus this afternoon may have left her feeling chilly. As soon as the challenge started, she'd find herself regretting her fashion choices.

Seth had the experience to wear a sleeveless version, but like Astral, chose to keep his collar done up. William figured that keeping up appearances was part of the senior student's military indoctrination. He wore his shiny gold buttons on his collar and a white badge over his left breast with the Roman numeral seven boldly printed on it. He noticed dark bruises on Seth's arms.

He was about to ask about his injuries when Astral responded to Seth's question. "I'm under the impression that we're not friends anymore," Astral chirped.

"That's a shame," the corners of Seth's mouth were touched with a subtle smile. It was as though he didn't believe that their friendship had come to end and that the ordeal from this morning was little more than the equivalent of a siblings spat.

"You two know each other?" William wondered, his heart racing. If Seth and Astral were on speaking terms, or better, friends, he might be able to sneak his way into Seth's social circle and onto his team, effectively replacing Astral.

Astral nodded. "Well, sort of, granddad hired him to teach me self-defense." Seth arched a brow but nodded when William's silent stare wondered if it was true.

"I've been trying to make an arrangement that would be convenient for the two of us," Seth offered. "Your friend doesn't feel that the games hold any real world value."

William snorted. "Holier than thou or what? That little moron lives with her head up her ass. I guess that's what happens when people just give you everything. She never listens to a word I have to say, why would she start now."

As though to illustrate his point, Astral was lying in the grass and watched the clouds drift by. "Oh that one looks like a teddy bear," she cooed under her breath.

"She's so immature too! You can do better than have someone like her on your team," William tried. She wasn't listening, and she didn't care about the games. It wasn't like she'd care if William tried to take her place.

"I'm sure you're right," Seth agreed. "I just don't have the time to train a winning team and train her privately. You do want us to win this year right?"

Of course he did, but he wanted to be on the team when they won that victory. Why was it his problem if Seth couldn't manage his time properly? "If you have too much to do, why did you accept the job?" He asked trying to hide the bitterness of the question.

Seth's sympathetic stare did little to answer the question. "The Red Order is paying for your tuition," Astral chimed in, directing the first statement to William. "Granted at a bare minimum. The luxuries you enjoy are in large part paid for by my grand-father, in exchange for my summer accommodations." She continued to stare up at the drifting clouds. "A similar arrangement has been made with Seth. He wouldn't be here at all otherwise."

Seth's bewildered gaze snapped to the girl in the grass. "Is that true?" William asked. Seth's blue eyes widened with the deeply personal question.

"His tuition is sponsored," Astral volunteered.

"I'd like to keep some of my situation to myself," Seth countered. Astral's pale blue eyes regarded the squad captain with a cold, calculated stare. Again, the silence that passed between them felt like a telepathic conversation. "I apologize; it was public record. I assumed everyone knew." The conversation felt a lot like she was passing cards over to Seth's playing hand. She was gaming the system by stacking the odds in her favour. If he played his cards right, she could race to the victory with the remains of her hand. He got the impression that he was being set up, but he wasn't quite sure what for.

"I'm Astral's fitness mentor for this week," Seth changed the topic. "Would you like to join us?"

William had plans to run the first five minutes of the course then sneak off to join his friends back in town. Liam would hack into the system later and feed in whatever score they wanted. Seth's invitation made his heart flutter. Maybe he stood a chance after all. Maybe if Seth saw how serious he was, compared to Astral, he would choose William instead.

"If I beat her scores, I want you to recruit me instead," William replied. He was shocked at the words that had slipped out of his mouth. Seth arched a brow, surprised by the demand. "It was an invitation," the squad captain reminded the student, "Not a negotiation."

"Everything is a negotiation," William countered. What the hell was wrong with him! There was no way he wanted to alienate his hero. He had nothing to barter with, and he knew it. Having Astral on Squad VII was an issue of convenience.

Seth's second brow shot up, surprised by the student's bold maneuver. "I'm good with that," Astral chirped, rising from the grass. "If William outperforms me, I want him to have my place on your squad. And I promise, if I do better than him, I'll join your squad instead. Can we all agree to that?"

William felt like he was floating. He was so happy. Why would she do this for him? He was training all summer long for this chance to impress Seth. Now, all he had to do was do better than some spoiled rich brat who couldn't be bothered to carry her bags up to her room. This was going to be an easy competition.

Seth frowned. "You'd better give it your all," he told her. "If I think you're doing anything less than your best, the deal is off."

A sweet smile spread across Astral's lips. "With you mentoring me, how could I lose?"

"Fine, I'll accept," Seth nodded though William detected a trace of skepticism in his voice.