11:01pm, Thursday, 3118

I stare at the blinking mail icon on my HOL.

IMPORTANT NOTICE from Ralph Menshik, Akademy Director.”

I’ve been waiting for three days for this to arrive, mentally preparing to open the notice and read the message inside. But now that it’s actually here… I can’t. My future is in that letter. When I tap the blinking light, everything I know will change, but for better or worse, I have to open it.

But what if…

I take a deep breath to calm myself. Crack my knuckles. OK, let’s do this. I reach out my hand but everything seems to slow down around me.

Hands frozen. No, shaking—I clench them into tight fists. I can do this.

Ringing ears in the silence—louder than anything I can remember. I can do this.

Stomach churning—I can feel every bit of my breakfast doing cartwheels over and over. I can do this.

Heart racing. Faster. And faster. And faster. I…

I-I can’t.

I grab my HOL from its charger and race out of my room.

“Nathan, Nathan!” I pound on the door right across from mine. “Nathan, let me in.”

“…Wha—whoa.” Nathan recoiled to avoid being smacked in the nose as my hand came down to pound on the door again.

“It came.” I blurt out waving my HOL in his face.

Nathan’s head jerked upward. He looked around at the people milling about in the hall before motioning for me to come in. “Well?” He asked once the door slid shut. “What did it say?”

“I-I don’t know…”

“You haven’t opened it yet?” he raised an eyebrow at me.

I shook my head in tight movements. “It just came in.”

Nathan took a deep breath and sat in his chair. He exhaled slowly. His hands opening and closing on his knees. “Open it.”

I stare at it in my hands, the world slowing down again. I try to swallow, but my mouth is as dry as the Zuashai dessert.

“Before I die would be nice, Kirosh.” Nathan jumps up and starts to pace. “Like right now, would be nice.”

“Alright, alright.” I put the HOL on the table and reach to punch the blinking button.

“Wait.” Nathan rushes forward. “Um…”

I look at him quizzically. “What?”

Nathan lets out a low noise halfway between a grunt and a sigh.

“No, nothing. Hurry up and open it.”

Weird.

“One.” Nathan started.

My mind is pulled back to the task at hand and I realize that my hands are sweating like two leaky faucets. I run them down the sides of my slick Akademy pants, which doesn’t help.

“Two.”

I can feel my pounding heart in my ears again…

“Three.”

Oh, close enough!

My hand darts out as if it’s unconnected to my body and jabs the mail icon on my HOL. The notification fades into a three dimensional letter. I can feel Nathan’s breath over my shoulder as I start to read.

“Dear Mr. Kirosh…”

I tried to focus my eyes on the page, but the words just blur together. I shake my head and try again.

Dear Mr. Kirosh…invitation to join the Top Six Training Program.

My leather pants squeak as I collapse into Nathan’s chair. I did it? I run my hands through my hair as Nathan snatches the HOL. I’ve been accepted?

“Dear Mr. Kirosh,” Nathan’s voice fills the room. “I would like to extend an invitation to join the Youngling Tournament Top Six Training Program—”

Uncontrollable laughter floods over me. I’ve been accepted.

“—Based on your performance in the tournament, we at the Akademy are confident in your potential, and feel that you would benefit from the two year training program offered only to a select few. By extending this invitation to you, we believe that you have much to contribute to the intellectual vitality and diversity which characterizes Qui——”

“Whoohooo.” I jump up excitedly. “Good job Nathan. We did it. We actually did it!” I grab Nathan and shake him.

“Um…Kirosh…”

“Man, this is going to be so awesome—”

“Kirosh…”

“—We are going to be on the road for the next four years seeing every part of Qui. Isn’t that going to be just grea—”

“Kirosh!” Nathan’s sharp tone finally gets my attention.

“What?”

“You are the one that made it…not me.”

I blink at him for a moment. “…What?”

“Look for yourself.” Nathan hands me the HOL. “I didn’t make it.”

I grab the HOL from him confused and skim the letter.

“Dear. Mr. Kirosh…

“bla bla bla…” I skim the formalities.

As you know, this honor is only extended to a select few. As such, we have also invited the following five competitors: Roshcar Nishk, Garett Mirav, Tash Kitra, Dryden Ekbur, and…”

…and Arina Haron.

A lump rose in my throat as reality came crashing down around me. I’ve been accepted, but so has Arina.

Arina. Not Nathan…

I read the line again as if the name would change the second time through. It didn’t. Instead, it feels like those simple little letters are laughing at me, mocking me as they twist and curl into the name of the one person I was hoping would never make the team.

What? My mind was in a jumble.

I could feel something ugly stir in the bottom of my stomach, and a sour taste crawl up the back of my throat.

“This must be wrong…” If the letters have been sent out, that means the scores are on the Akademy website. I quickly pull up the Akademy icon on my HOL and scroll until I get to the tournament results. It’s a quick read:

Place Score/500 Name 1st 499/500 Kirosh Trivar 2nd 495/500 Garett Kitra. 3rd 494/500 Roshcar Nishk 4th 487/500 Tash Mirav 5th 480/500 Dryden Ekbur 6th 478/500 Arina Haron 7th 476/500 Nathan Shax

“This is for the best.” Nathan’s voice dimly reaches me.

“Why are you in seventh place?” I ask softly. “We’ve been first and second place on all the tests for the past three years. Why are you in seventh?” I ask accusingly, I can hear my voice rising an octave.

He just purses his lips. “…This is for the best.”

I stare at him. “What? I ask angrily. “How…? How is this for the best? We are supposed to be doing this together, remember?”

“Yeh, but I never wanted to be a Jackal.” Nathan suddenly bursts out. “That was all your idea. I want to be in the Arts Sector. I don’t need to get into the Top Six for that.”

“Nathan—”

“Kirosh,” Nathan cut me off. “It’s better this way. Now we both get what we want…”

Nathan held my stare, but there is something in his eyes. There is something wrong. And it bugs me.

“…Trust me, this is for the best.” He continued.

I stare at him intently for several moments. “…Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Nathan rolled his eyes. “Why would you think that?”

I narrow my eyes slightly. “Natha—”

Suddenly a loud noise fills the room. Nathan fishes his HOL out of his pocket and looks at it for a moment.

“Um, hey. I need to go. There is a meeting for competitors placed 7th to 20th to choose which Sector to intern with. I-I’ll catch you later.” Nathan avoided my eyes as he stuffed his HOL back into his pocket and shuffles to the door. He pauses there for a moment, but then shakes his head and leaves. The door gently suctions behind him leaving me once again in the ringing silence.

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