“YAWWWN NNNN” Axel said, waking up in bed.

“Mannn why am I always waking up hooked up to an Iv?” He said looking around his bed.

He was in a white room, but not quite like the one from his dreams. This one had blue and yellow tiles every now and then as well as the letters SPA written on the wall. Squinting his eyes he peered out the window to get a better sense of where he was.

“NOOOO WAYYY!!!!” He said rubbing his eyes.

Jumping out of his bed, he ran to the window, pushing the blinds open so he could see the view in full.

The sight was so unbeilevable for a moment he thought was dreaming. It was as If he had time traveled 1000 years into the future. Up in the sky he saw flying cars, flying trains, even flying people! He gazed in absolute amazement at the booming futuristic metropolis's flashing lights and advanced technology.

The People flying, or better put floating were too much for Axel to take in. They casualy walked of the edge of buildings crossing to the next building on invisible sidewalks. It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen. There were large platforms where people were getting on and off of train stations that were perched top of buildings. The whole scene made no sense at all.

And the people.. OH THE PEOPLE. They were as awkward looking as ever! None of them had the blue, pink, red, or green hair Axel was used to seeing. Instead they all had these watered down dark hair colors, in shades of black brown or blond, and it wasn't growing in nearly the same proportions he was used to. The people also had eyes that did not match their hair! Blasphemy! Some of them even had blond hair and blue eyes!

“Is that genetically possible?” He thought.

Axel placed his hands on his head and was about to scream before a familiar voice caught him.

“They’re called humans” He heard from behind him.

Axel spun around to see O'brian waiting for him patiently.

“THOSE are humans?” Axel asked.

“Yes, and although they look unnatural to you, to them you would look equally displeasing” O.brian explained.

“OK that's well and good but why can they fly everywhere?” I thought humans don't have powers!”

“That's thanks to a technology called the EB or electronic barrier.”

“Electronic what?”

“It's an implant they receive as a child that emits a thin barrier of ether around their skin and allows them to interact with the environment. The flying you are seeing take place is their EB interacting with a small barrier placed between buildings. The frequencies of the two bump into each other causing enough force for them to be suspended in midair, walking on it like an invisible bridge.”

“Wow that's amazing.”

“Yes it is! The trains and cars work in a similar fashion but are much more complicated! Once you have been cleared from the hospital you can schedule a tour ."

“YAHHOOO I can't wait to tel…..”

Axel paused. For a second there was a piece of him that he had forgotten. Almost as if he had woken up from the hospital missing an organ. He grabbed his chest trying to soothe the emotions, reassuring himself it was there.

“WAIT A MINUTE WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS!” He shouted.

“Please there is no needs for such outbursts….” Obrian said taking a seat. “They haven't gotten here yet, they are most likely still undergoing processing and should arrive in the next few hours. In the meantime you have a visitor waiting outside.”

“Well send him in!” Axel exclaimed.

“Well I’ll be damned!” Colonel Grant said walking into the room.

“Congratulations kid you did it! Axel you are an official cadet of the SPA now! Here's your badge, your uniforms will be delivered to your dormitory but until class hours start you are not required to wear them ”

“Woooohohooo! Lets goooo!” Axel hollered..

“Well we've got some time to spare… How about another game of Chess?” the colonel said, laying out a board.

“Haha you got it!” Axel replied.

“YOOOOO THIS Place IS LEGITTT!” Reggie said walking around the large hallways of the SPA Academy. The usual crew, Reggie, 6, Lance, B and Lily, were being shown around by their tour guide.

The lounge area was humungus, not the size of a battlefield but maybe half the side of a football field. Multitudes of desks and services populated the floor, from " Welcome" services and "Holistic S.P.A Therepy Center to the "Office of Human Affairs" and even "S.P.A First Class Air Center!"

Erected in the center was a waterfall monument with statues of Founding SPA agents littered across the hall.

"There are many that laugh and call us the spa or the shifter message center, I for one don't mind the gest. After all, we're not so different. Just as a spa would, the SPA aims to lift the enourmous weight from the shoulders of Shifter kind and protect it from bodily injury. The only real difference is the charge. To receive service from this administration all one must do is be born into this world." "Llyr Greenhawk" Lily read. " First Master General of the S.P.A. 2130"

"Tsk!" Lance said in disgust. "Easy for him to say he's not down here giving back rubs is he" Lance scoffed

“OMGG I can't wait to see their Library.” Lily said spinning around in a circle.

"Hey Tour guide do we get library cards?" B asked

"Why do you care! Your just gonna punch the books not read them!" Reggie laughed

“In addition to old texts from the pre-shift era, Our library has over one trillion digital logs and instructional data pieces! You are free to view 99.9% Of them with those passes I just gave you. The last .1% is restricted to high level SPA Agents like myself." The tour guide said gloating

“Hehehe we'll see about that” Reggie said rubbing his hands together in a low voice

“I'm sorry… what was your name again?” 6 said scratching his head.

“Heeehhh” The agent sighed. “My name is Seymore, Major in the SPA Police force and second in command of the research facility here.”

“Wait so you're like a smaller version of O’Brian?” Reggie asked.

“O’Brian? Who is that?” Seymore Asked, visibly annoyed.

“You don't mean Henriette O’Brian? Head of the Gates facility?” Seymore asked

“Yeh that guy!”

“You don't mean a Colonel from the SPA Headquarters?” Seymore asked.

“Yeh that guy?”

“Has purple hair and sharp glasses?” Seymore said.

“YEH!” Lily said laughing.

“Nope never heard of em! Sounds like an overrated jerk to me” Seymore said.

“Wooow someone’s jealous,” B said laughing.

“Whelp your tour concludes here” Seymore said pointing to an elevator.

“ Up on the 33rd floor is your dorm. You all have the corresponding key cards and should be able to find your rooms. I mean if you can't do that maybe you shouldn't be in tomorrow's gauntlet.”

The group each examined their translucent encrypted keycards.

“Yo 6 what room you in bro?” Reggie asked

“It says here… room 3333.” 6 said

“Nice! Me too!” Reggie answered

“Wait there must be some mistake,” Lily said. “My keycard says 3333 too…”

“Yeh mine too” B said scratching her head

“Damnit... Looks it's going to be a long night” Lance said holding up his card showing 3333

“Wait a minute what's the meaning of this?” Lily said turning to Seymore.

“HAHAHAHRRRHRHRHHAHAH” “I'm truly sorry, I just enjoy seeing this reaction for newcomers here so much.” Seymour said drying his eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Lily asked

“Right now all of you are cadets… Cadets are the lowest rank in the SPA. followed by Officer, Lieutenant, Captain , Major , Colonel , Brigadier General, and General.

“When you first start out Cadets are grouped together in squads for training. While on that squad you live, eat and breathe the same air, until one of you ranks up to officer or higher.

“WHAAATTATATATAT” You mean We are going to be living in the same roommmmmmm……” Lily shrieked

“YEHEEHEHHEH WHOOOOHOHOOOHOO” “AWESOMEEEE Scary GHOST STORIES TIME!” REGGEI Screamed.

“There's gotta be some way other way! This is ridiculous!” Lily ranted.

“No… what is ridiculous is that I, a Major in the SPA Police force is walking around a bunch of teenage kids with no formal training about to take on the gauntlet! Goddamnit why do I always get stuck with all the dirty work….”

“ Maybe you should ask your buddy O’Brian to help you out!” “I'm sure he’d help a fellow researcher! Even though you may be a lower rank….” B laughed

“TSKKKKK!” “Like I need help from that purple peace of overrated research!…. One day I'll show him I'll show all of you! I will be a man known for his renowned work in the field of Shifter ethology!”

“Yeh You tell me Simone!!” 6 said.

“ITSSS Seymore!!!!!” Seymore said walking away with tears filling his eyes “It's…. Seyemore…”

“Hahah what a guy” Reggie said laughing.

The group finally arrived at the 33rd floor. The ride had took less time than they had expected, reaching it in only 10 seconds.

The group stood in silence as the doors to the 33rd floor opened.

“Well this is quite the welcoming committee.” Reggie said

From the entryway on the 33rd floor all the way down to the corridors As far as the eye could see dozens of SPA Cadets stood eyeing down the group.

“These are the Agents that are skipping training?” One of them remarked

“Tsk yeh looks like just a bunch of kids to me!” Another scoffed

A huge commotion built up as the Cadets hastled the group.

“Excuse me do any of you know where room 3333 is? 6 asked.

“Heh its right over there!” A huge Cadets said pointing behind him. “Lets see you try to get there!”

“Haha yeh!” The Cadets hollard

“Lets give these kids a warm welcome!”

“Enough!” A voice boomed from down the hallway.

“Oh shit Alex is coming! Everybody scram!”

In less than a moment everyone in the hall scattered.

Appearing before them teenager with a red Mohawk appeared. He seemed to be half asleep or just so incredibly bored that he could barely be bothered to look awake. The only thing keeping him awake seemed to be his extremely loud Rock music booming from his headphones. As he examined the group he briefly paused looking at Lance before taking off his headphones.

The group stood in silence unsure of what to say to this sleepwalking Cadet.

“My name is Alexander…” Alex said rolling his eyes “Alexander Hendrix… Im the lead Cadet on this floor, I even have my own room…” He said looking at B and Lily.

“Room 3333 is to your right, should be easy enough to find…” He said walking away

“Wait” 6 said.

“Your not going to ask us how we got into the gauntlet or even ask what our names are?” 6 asked.

“Your 619, The loud one is Reggie, he’s Lance and there’s Lily and B” He said pointing them out.

“Amazing! How did you know!” Lily remarked.

“It’s my business to know” He said walking away. “After all tomorrow you’ll be my opponents.”

“That guy” B remarked “He’s not like us” “I can see it in his eyes… He’s a user…”

“A user?” 6 asked.

“ And you 6!” Alex yelled into the bathroom

“Stop rubbernecking! If you want a shot at them you’ll have to wait until tomorrow!”

6 Shifters came out of the restroom. The first was a spiky haired kid with black hair, he was followed by a giant shifter with chains, a female shifter with a teddy bear, a Shifter that looked like a human spider, and a shifter who had a disgusting amount of earwax in his ears. Lastly, a man who seemed to be in his mid thirties came out of the bathroom.

“What in the hell! That guys a Cadet?” Reggie asked.

The older gentleman glared at Lance staring without breaking eye contact.

“What the hell?” Lance thought

“You guys got lucky that Alex was here!” The black haired shifter scoffed. “You guys would have never made it to tomorrow!” He scoffed.

“Attacking early so you can ensure every one of your friends passes… Thats low even for you Riley” Alex scoffed.

“Hmph, You’ll have to go to sleep at some point, Alex” Rileyanswered

“You wake me up and you’re as good as dead” Alex said walking away.

“Sheesh Man! It hasn’t even been 48 hours since we left high school! When are we gonna catch a friggin break!” Reggie yelled

The group each stood with their belongings outside of room 3333 waiting for someone to open it.

“Ladies first!” Reggie said gesturing for Lily and B to come forward.

Before they had a chance to get to the door Lance pushed it open and walked in. B and Lily's face tightened up with resentment as he pushed through them.

“Hey! Wise guy” I said ladies first Reggie barked.

“Well considering someone else was already here…. I didn’t see the need for all that” Lance said pointing into the room.

“Hey Guys! WHATS UP!” Axel shouted from the top bunk of a bunk bed. He was leaning over the side of the bed on his back doing sit ups.

“AXXXXX YOUR ALIVE” 6 yelled running up to him.

“Heh every time we see you you're always recovering from an ass beating” Lance said laughing.

“Yeh right! Fight a colonel and then you can brag about it!” Axel said jumping down from his bed.

“Guysss we just got together! We should be celebrating!” Lily said taking out chocolate chip cookies.

“Say no more!” Axel said, grabbing a cookie. “We've got a lot to catch up on!” Axel said.

“WHAAATTT That's insane! You're exam was mega hard!” 6 said.

“Haha I'm surprised you're up and talking.” B said.

“It's only been one day after all!” Axel laughed

“Yeh my exam was super simple,” Reggie said smiling. “The guy had the audacity to challenge me to an arm wrestle! He was this huge 6 ft 6 agent at least 300 pounds! Problem was he underestimated my arms power! Regi said, extending out his arm.

He grabbed Axels hand and interlocked it like they were about to begin arm wrestling. Before the struggle could begin a small feather came out of Regis arm and tickled the underside of Axel’s armpit.

“HAHAHA” Axel laughed letting go.“So that's what you meant!”

“For my Exam I was challenged to a Sumo wrestle!” B said flexing her armpits.

“Whats that?”Axel remarked.

“I have no idea! The agent drew a circle on the ground and said, Whoever steps out of the circle first loses!” B remarked.

“Soooo… I just moved the ground out of the circle HAHA, he lost before he could even make contact!”

“Wowww that's crafty what about you Lily!” Axel said

“I got challenged to a history competition by Simone… Needless to say it was an easy battle…”

“Yeh no one's beating you at that! What about 6 and you Lance.”

“Tsk.. Am I the only one who had actual combat? Needless to say I kicked the guy’s ass and carried him back to his friends.”

“WHAATTT What rank was he? Axel asked.

“A Captain, to my knowledge it was the same 6 from yesterday so all of us were against Captains” Lance said crossing his arms.

“So… Lance is even stronger than a Captain” Axel thought crossing his arms.

“And you 6?” Axel asked.

“I… I don't remember what happened.” 6 answered

“Whattt?”

“All I remember is the agent walking up to me and handing me a badge… I don't remember anything else….

“Woah that's crazy are you injured or anything?”

“No.. I'm fine it's just so weird… “

“Well Its getting late. “ Reggie said pointing outside. It was dark. The group had been fooling around for hours now.

“We have to be at the SPA Combat Arena at 6 am tomorrow we should all get some rest.” Reggie said turning of the lights.

“Buuut first a ghost story!” He said jumping onto his bed.

The group of Shifters got into their beds and awaiting Reggie’s instruction. Turning on a flashlight in his mechanical finger Reggie illuminated his face as he began to tell the story.

“Once upon a time there was a boyfriend and a girlfriend. They loved each other dearly.” He began

“The boyfriend would always say I love you before he got off the phone as well as his girlfriend. It was a sweet way to wish each other goodbye.” Reggie said in a sinister tone.

“This already too scary!” 619 said

“Yeh Reg… this isn't funny man.” Lance said petrified

“Ooooone day the boy went on a vacation to a tropical island. He got a call from his girlfriend and they started talking. When their conversation his girlfriend as usual said “I love you”. Just as he was about to say “I love you”… A wave crashed into his phone destroying it! With no phone on the island for 3 weeks he did not call back his girlfriend because he did not know her number.” Reggie said in a ghostly tone.

“And then what happened?” Lily asked confused by how anyone found the story scary.

“After his vacation was over…. He went into his girlfriend's house and went inside. And after that night….. HE was NEVER EVER seen again….” Reggie said laughing.

“HAHAHAHAHHAH” the boys laughed.

“I don't get it...” Lily and B grumbled.

“Wait I have a story that is actually scary Axel said.

“Well let's hear it!” Reggie said

“I had a dream… or at least I thought it was a dream I was a kid! Well actually I was you as a kid Reggie.. and two Humans grabbed me and cut off my arm!” Axel remarked.

“What!?” Reggie exclaimed. “I never told you about that!”

“Told me about what?” Axel asked

“How I lost my arm! What the hell else would I be talking about!?” Reggie said.

“Wait that actually happened?” So that means.. B you grew up in a colosseum! Lily you started reading old text when your mom passed! And Lance your mother is very sick….”

Axel paused taking a look around the room. His friends all looked back at him like he had told the scariest ghost story of all time. They had the look that said if he even uttered one more word about their personal lives, his personal life would be in danger. He had just spilled everyone's secrets out in the open for everyone to see.

“Guys… I'm sorry I didn't mean to-”

“It's ok Ax… That's the past. We all have moved forward from those events.” B said.

“Speak for yourself.” Lance said turning in his bed.

“Woah everybody just loosen up! You gotta admit that's pretty insane… Axel are you saying you dream these things? ” Lily remarked

“Yes! What did you think I was doing all those times I was sleeping in class” Axel said

“Well as much as I'd like to pick your brain, we've got a big day tomorrow…” Lily said

“ Yeh Its best if we all got some rest,” B said.

“Yeh…. your right...Goodnight everyone.” Axel said curling up in his bed.

“Goodnight.”

Reggie turned off the flashlight from his hand.

BLSLFLLSFLSFLSL!

Just moments after the Reggie had turned off the lights, everyone in the crowded bedroom began coughing as they choked on the vapors of a horribly pungent smell. Quickly turning the light back on, Reggie scanned the room for the culprit as he held his shirt collar over his nose, a preventative measure against the foul odor.

“HAHAHAHA, alright, now who let that bird loose?” Reggie said laughing.

“Axelll… did you eat too many chocolate chip cookies?” Lily laughed.

“Heh… I just spent the whole day in the hospital I’m exhausted” Axel squeaked out “If I let one go now it would be nothing but a whisper in the wind.”

“Well if we are talking about breaking wind here… How do we know it wasn't Lance?” Reggie scoffed.

“Hmph… I'm the master of wind…. I can control an entire storm. You really think I can't control passing some gas?” Lance scoffed

“Well, maybe you're the master of breaking wind then!” Reggie scoffed.

“HAHAHAHA” Everyone laughed.

“Tsk, I'm out of here.” Lance said getting up and leaving the room.

“I don't think it was him,” 6 said. “Think about it… He's so particular about what he eats he wouldn’t have experienced a gas like that… No, I suspect the person behind this was a chocolate chip cookie eater…” He said, giving a tantalizing gaze of guilt towards Lily.

“Why are you looking at me? Girls don’t fart!” she said blushing “Right B”

“Yeh! If you ask me you smelt it you did it! I say Reggeis behind this one!” She said pointing a finger

“Whattttt? ME? Yeh right! I’d say you’d need some strong glutes to pull that one off” He said scratching his chin “I say it's you thunder thighs!” Reggie said laughing.

B stood up with her pillow in her hand standing on top of Lily’s top bunk.

“I dare you to call me that one more time” She said gripping her pillow.

“Thunder…”

WHAM!

Reggie was hit with a thunderous smack to the face by B’s pillow spreading a shrapnel of feathers and cotton all across the room as his head smacked into the back of his bed.

“Why you... “ He said grabbing a pillow of his own.

Using his mechanical arm he sent it whirling towards Bs top bunk. Unfortunately his aim was a bit off, causing it to drift through the air to the lower bunk hitting Lily squarely in the face.

BLSLFLLSFLSFLSL!

Once again the air was filled with a foul odor.

“HAHAHAH It was you Lily” Axel said laughing through the thick smog of flatulence.

Smack!

Lily had delivered a strong curveball nailing Axel in the face.

After receiving the blow, Axel bounced back with a pillow in hand ready to retaliate. As he came to his feet he felt a change in the atmosphere. The lush playground of laughter was now a battleground, with each one of the teenagers heavily armed with rounds of ammunition.

B was holding a pillow in each arm while Lilly had wrapped up her sheets into a mass of armor. 6 unsure of what to do stood on the sidelines completely unaware of the battle about to unfold, while Reggie stood at the top bunk of his bead wearing the face of a commander ready to lead his men into the battle.

“Wait!” 6 said trying to clear the tension “Let's all just calm down we have the gauntlet tomorrow after al-”

WHAM!

6 drifted through the air landing on the bottom bunk of Axel’s bed, stifled by a pillow.

“WHAT! I had nothing to do with this? Why did you throw one at me?” He asked

“Stop trying to mediate so humbly… Its pissing me off!” B yelled shaking her head

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH-” 6 began.

“ PILLOWW FIGGHT!” REGGEI SCREAMED

Without further warning, a huge torrent of pillows were being thrown in any and each direction, turning the room into a fiery maelstrom. B stood over Reggie, double fisted with pillows slapping the living daylights out of him while Axel and Lily stood at the center of the room, eyeing each other down in a standoff.

“This room ain’t big enough for the both of us…” Lily said cracking her neck.

“What?” Axel said confused “There's like 4 of us in here already-“

WHAM!

Axel was smacked down by Lily sliding across the floor from the blast.

“Take that you uncultured swine!” She lectured

ERRRRRererrrr

All of a sudden the group came to a halt as Lance creaked opened the door. Taking a feather out of his hair he looked around the group of savages incredulously looking for a rhyme or reason for their tenacious glares.

“What are you all staring at me for?” He said looking around at the ferocious attackers.

Instantaneously, the group of teens unloaded all 20 pillows onto Lance trapping him in a pillow grave in the center of the doorway.

“HAHAHAHHA man I’ve wanted to do that for so long!” said B

“Haha yeah me too” Reggie said hi-fiving her.

All of a sudden the pillows began to levitate and float around the room as Lance came to his feet. It was like a tornado was spinning around him carrying the pillows around in a circle.

“Lance……” Axel begged in a soft voice “Have mercy…”

“HAHAHAHAH, Now I'm going to show you the true reason they call me the master of wind!

“MUAHHAHAHAHA” He laughed as he soared above them in his cloud of pillows and blankets

Lances attack was overwhelmingly catastrophic. He slapped smacked, and clapped, his enemies with a floating barrage of pillows that they had no hope of repossessing against him. As the group was bombarded by an endless array of flying pillows they all covered themselves in their sheets, hiding in their beds like a monster was coming out of their closet.

After a few minutes of enjoying himself Lance turned off the light and got into his bed, closing his eyes to the groans of pain echoed from the unfortunate receivers of his attack .

“Man that’s all you guys need to shut up? A pillow fight? Hahaha we should do this more often!” He said smiling menacingly.

“No Lance… you're not invited to a pillow fight… ever again!” Axel said groaning in pain as his butt stinged from the attack. Had Lance targeted his rear on purpose?