“How much further down?” Tom moaned.

“Oh only a few more steps I think” Vincent responded.

“It’s been like 5 minutes and you said that after the first 2 minutes” Tom said accusingly.

“And I’ll keep saying it until we get to the bottom” Vincent replied merrily.

Arthur and Tom looked at each other wondering not for the first time how they got in this situation before continuing to plod down the stairs. After a few more turns, it appeared Vincent hadn’t been lying about how close they were to their final destination.

The group remained silent as they neared the bottom where Arthur and Tom could finally catch a glimpse of what they had been traveling so long to reach.

The small tunnel at the bottom of the stairs opened up to an enormous cavern that neither Tom nor Arthur could see the end. The ceiling appeared at first to connect to the sky but only revealed itself to be a lighting system upon close examination.

Immediately in front of them was a small cluster of building resembling a college campus surrounding by an incredible variety of environments. Looking left, they both observed a large forest with snow peaked mountains in the far distance. Past the buildings in the middle, they could see an imposing jungle complete with towering trees along with a sandy dessert that connected on the right to a body of water that seemed to go on forever.

Arthur and Tom completed their view by looking back where they had just come from to see rock walls that continued all the way up to the ceiling of the cavern.

“This is unbelievable” Tom whispered as he watched what appeared to be a mountain goat traveling up the rock walls nearest to him and right above the runnel they had just exiting.

Arthur was equally enthralled by the view and couldn’t seem to believe his eyes as he shifted from one environment to the next.

Vincent smiled at the two as they took in their new surroundings and gave them time to adjust to the sights. “What do you think?"

“I think I can understand a bit better now why you didn’t tell us much about our destination. I don’t think I could believe this if I wasn’t seeing it with my own eyes” replied Tom.

“How is this even possible?” Arthur whispered still caught up in the stark contrasts between the different parts of the cavern.

“Everything you see before you if part of the school which is made up of those buildings in front of us. The surrounding environments you see are the result of roughly one hundred years of progress and development. This entire project started with a cave system owned by the original founder of the school and a small group dedicated to turning it into what it is today.”

“It originally started with the forest you see on the left and grew slowly as different students and instructors brought in new species of plants and animals. While you’re mainly viewing the plants now, don’t think for a second that there isn’t an equal diversity of animal life living here as well.”

“How does the lighting system above work?” Arthur asked, “I’d think it was the sky if I couldn't see small gaps in it from looking closely.”

“The lighting system is a recent development made during the last twenty years to more accurately mimic a day night cycle. In the past, we used different species of bioluminescent mosses but those struggled at times during the winter months and didn’t provide good growth conditions for the plants. Other recent additions are heating and cooling systems that allow for the jungle and snowy mountains.”

“This history lesson is neat and all but why is this place here? I thought we were here for an education. Why not just have a normal campus in say oh I don’t know, a city?” Tom griped

“I assure you that the buildings you see are only part of the… education value that this facility represents. You may learn just as much if not more from those mountains as you do in the classroom.” Vincent said gesturing to the left.

“You may not believe me, but the buildings are likely the last place you’ll be wanting to spend time once the semester starts. Many of our students dread spending a minute more than necessary in the classroom after a few trips into the wilds.”

“The wilds? I thought you said this place was man-made?” Arthur asked.

“Don’t let appearances deceive you. While this space may have been created artificially and appear paradisiacal, the wildlife inside has completely taken over to the degree that many areas are restricted to upperclassmen and even professors due to safety concerns. The wilds lives up to its name although there are plenty of areas that are perfectly safe for the two of you.” Vincent responded.

“I think that’s enough of an introduction for now. Let’s figure out your lodgings.” Vincent continued as he began walking toward the largest of the buildings.

The two boys could hardly keep their eyes focused on Vincent as they trailed him to one of the larger log cabins. As they traveled, the boys noticed the layout appeared to be many log cabins organized in a large circle around a grass field in the center of the campus.

Finally at the cabin entrance, they both received a closer look at two wooden statues next to the doors. One depicted a bear on its hind legs swiping its paw at the sky while the other showed a bull moose with gleaming antlers in the middle of a charge.

“Very uh… rustic,” Tom noted sagely with Vincent smirking before guiding them past the statues and through the rough-hewn wood doors at the front of the largest building.

What awaited them inside completely defied the boys’ expectations. The interior resembled a hotel lobby nicer than any they had seen in person or even on TV for that matter.

A woman in a blue vest waited at a large desk and gave a smile to Vincent and the boys before offering them a greeting.

“How can I help you today?” she asked

“These two will need lodging and food for the next year. Could you help get them situated?”, Vincent responded

“Of course! Could you both please fill out a questionnaire on your basic information?” she asked as she handed clipboards to Arthur and Tom along.

Arthur stared at the sheet and the information requested while Tom grabbed a pen from a nearby holder on the woman’s desk and set to filling the spaces.

“How much will all of this cost Vincent?” Arthur asked looking up from the sheet.

“Luckily, the school has quite the endowment built up to support students and reduce costs. Any of the leftover fees can be worked off through work study programs. You also have the option of not working and instead focusing on your studies…”

“No. We’ll do the work study.” Arthur responded automatically. “When do we start?”

“Hah. Quite the eager student you have here”, responded the desk worker. “Don’t worry too much about your roles on campus yet. You’ve both arrived slightly earlier than many of the other students as the fall semester won’t start for another three weeks.”

“I’d suggest you use this time to get your bearings and learn about the campus before the semester begins. You’ll always have time to work off any expenses during the school year,” she continued.

“She’s right that you shouldn’t worry about debts for the moment. Both of your immediate futures will feature a large amount of placement tests and a crash course in the introductory classes your peers have already completed,” Vincent stated with a grin.

“Arthur,” Tom whispered, “I think this was a mistake. That look in his eyes is worse than the one you get when I haven’t done any of my assignments.”

Arthur ignored Tom and asked, “When do we begin?”

“You have two days to get settled before we begin 'summer school'. We’ll meet in this lobby for your first lesson,” Vincent responded.

A small groan echoed from Tom’s direction, but no one around seemed to pay any attention to the noise.

“I’ll show you to your rooms in the meantime. Feel free to explore the surrounding buildings as you settle in but know that due to safety concerns, first year students are not allowed into the wilds without instructor permission or a chaperone,” the desk worker stated.

“Now please follow me,” she said before turning and walking down the hall attached to the front lobby. The boys followed her while Vincent exited the building, trusting they would be ready in two days’ time.