by A. A LEVINE
The tree coverage is a blessing, and the ground is cool under my feet. I hear a few of the girls’ snicker and one taunts, “I would leave those on, you’re in desperate need of a pedicure,” but Chloe follows suit and falls into step beside me. “Ignore them. That was a genius idea. Why did I wear those heels, anyway? Now my blisters and bunions have blisters and bunions.”
We’re three hours into our trek. There hasn’t been a car, bus, or any other form of transportation on this road, and still no buildings or markers to show we’re heading in the right direction. It would suck to find out we’ve been walking all this way for nothing. I wonder how many telepaths are out here and if any of them have tried to use their powers to figure out where we are. I’ve heard of The Institute setting up decoys to test a student’s compliance with the number one rule. Exposing our abilities to anyone, even someone who goes to school or works here, without permission is in violation of the code of conduct and grounds for dismissal. We’re all on campus, but we haven’t earned our security clearance for Orion. Some of us could be going home today, if we ever make it to our destination.
Five hours and seventeen minutes after the start of our sojourn, a sign comes into view on our left. Maybe half a mile beyond it is a gate, and beyond that, there’s nothing as far as I can see. Maybe the gate is a mirage, god knows we’ve been walking long enough that hallucinations could be possible. When we finally reach the structure, manned by actual people, I breathe a sigh of relief. The guard asks our names, then demands to see our school badges and a second form of identification. I pull my driver’s license out of my purse and hand it over. He takes his time checking me off his list, but barely looks at my photo, before passing it back. A second guard hands Shane a piece of paper. I wonder if he assumes he’s in charge because he was the first to the gate, or because he’s the biggest of us all.
“Shit.” Shane yelps. He takes off running and his three amigos quickly fall in line behind him.
“Why is he running? What’s happening?” Honeybun asks.
I bend over to pick up the discarded piece of paper. It’s a memo addressed to the Orion Recruits. Curfew is at 6:00 pm. If you’re not through the security doors before lockdown procedures end, you will be dropped from the program.
My watch now reads 5:35, and I don’t see a building. I take a step and pain shoots through my foot. This road has gravel littered all along it. Beside it, there’s grass and I can see a walking trail, but it dips away from the guard shack and the street, and then seems to pick up again, winding and weaving in and out. I think I can make out movement directly ahead of me but my feet are protesting the rocks. The paved road and grass would be easier to navigate barefoot, but I don’t really have a choice, the shortest distance is a straight line. I’m not a good runner so I’d be losing valuable time on a winding road. But run I do.
I have twenty-five minutes to get to our destination. Some students run the dirt path. I’m surprised that Honeybun and her tea party friends are as fast as they are until I remember they’re part of the cross-country club. I think back to all the times Aiden encouraged me to do a sport, and I declined, wishing I could jump back in time to the day when sports were still an option. If I had of known then, running up and down a field would come in handy now... I put my head down and run. I pump my arms back and forth the way Aiden taught me when we used to race across the backyard, and I keep going. My feet protest, my shins split, the rocks dig into the soles of my feet, and my lungs can’t seem to take in enough oxygen, but I keep running. Finally, a building appears out of nowhere. It’s got so many windows that the glint of the sun must’ve created whiteout conditions, making it invisible from the distance.
There are blue lights placed along the last bit of road. Clear skies ahead blue. I pass another four lights and they turn green. Green means go. So I keep going. Four more lights and they all turn yellow, and I assume that means lockdown has begun. I don’t know where anyone else is in relation to my flailing form. I focus on the sliding door I see ahead of me knowing I have to get through it before the lights turn red. This would be no problem for Aiden. I asked him once why he always seemed faster at the end of a race. “Anyone can be fast at the end of the race. It’s mind over matter. All you have to do is push as hard as you can for that last quarter mile.”
I imagine I can hear Aiden’s voice in my head telling me I can do it and I push myself harder than I ever have before. The doors are still open and I see a streak of red hair pass over the threshold ahead of me. I keep running and try not to panic when I see the doors are closing. Run Holli. Just keep running. There’s a small gap left in the door, if I don’t make it before both panes meet, I’m out.
I push myself a little further and hurl myself through the opening, falling onto my hands and knees on the floor. I try to stand and realize I’m stuck. I look behind me and see the back of my jacket’s pinned in the doors. All eyes are on me as I struggle with the door and gasp for air.
Chloe comes over to me and frowns. “I don’t think those doors are gonna open again before the morning. You’re going to have to leave it.”
“But it’s my favorite jacket.” I say yanking on it a little harder hoping a little shake of the doors will free it the way banging a vending machine releases your candy. Maybe I can pry the door open with my hands. She shakes her head as if reading my thoughts. My protests die on my lips when a blonde-haired guy sporting a sprinkling of stubble comes to stand in front of us.
He looks behind me to my jacket and his voice is like a razor when he asks. “Are you trying to break my doors?”
“Her jacket got stuck.” Chloe supplies helpfully.
“I can see that. Seems she should be grateful that that’s all that got stuck.” He looks down at my feet and grimaces. “Did your shoes get stuck too?”
Suddenly I remember I’m still barefoot and that my shoes are in my hand. I glance down at Chloe’s feet. She’s already put her own shoes back on. Stubble guy walks away and I hurry to slide my feet back into my black wedges. He addresses us when he’s back in front of the entire group.
“I’m John Mitchell one of your training officers, and this is Alex Devereux. I hope you all enjoyed your leisurely stroll through the park today.” There are a few snorts and eye rolls at his comment. “And now you’re all sitting and resting. That’s good.” He nods slightly. “I’m glad to see you all know how to take care of yourselves.” He looks to his right at the dark-haired girl with violet eyes. “It’s good, right Alex?”
“Oh yeah, it’s good. I mean they’ve been kicking it while the rest of us have been waiting here for five, excuse me six hours. I mean, it’s not like we didn’t have anything better to do with our time.” There’s a round of snorts and moans from my classmates, because we most certainly were not kicking it.
“Well, that’s not true.” John says and Alex raises her dark arched eyebrows in question.
“That’s right.” One of my classmates mutters.
John scratches the back of his neck and looks uncomfortable. “I had something better to do with my time.”
“Did you now?” Alex asks.
“I had some evaluations to close out, an indoctrination speech to give, and I had some registration forms that they needed to fill out.” He shrugs. “But you know, if I’m the only one who had work for them to do, then maybe I didn’t plan my day correctly.”
“Did it have to be done today?” Alex looks concerned, but I don’t buy that she is.
John looks up at the ceiling thinking about her question. “Yes. It has to be today, because we can’t start tomorrow’s schedule of events without it.”
Alex nods and looks at her watch. “Well, it’s just a little after six. The day isn’t over yet. Think you can get it done before tomorrow?”
“If you and a few other instructors help me. Yeah, I think we can get it done so we don’t lose time tomorrow.”
“Great. Let’s get to it.” Alex turns back to us. “Line up. I want three rows s
houlder to shoulder.”
Everyone, including me, is slow to move. I abandon my jacket and fall in beside honey bun. I should probably ask her name.
“Rule number one. You always move with a purpose and sense of urgency. That means at a double time, or run, for those who don’t understand my meaning.” John says. “Rule number two, when you fall in line or in formation, the shortest people are in the front. I need to be able to see everyone.”
I’m shoved and pushed to the front of the group. His eyes land on me and my pale yellow floral print top. Well now, it’s closer to mustard color from the dirt on the road. It wouldn’t surprise me if everyone else had time to sneak into the bathroom and freshen up while I was at a risk of passing out on the road.
“Rule number three. This building is Orion Headquarters. It houses the executive offices, and connects to the school administration building, and is off limits to recruits. Today is the only day you will ever step foot in here. Am I understood?”
There are various forms of yes from the group. I just nod. I inhaled a lot of dust on my run and my throat feels icky.
John turns giving us a view of his back. “Alex. They’re all yours.” He steps out the way and Alex’s indigo eyes flick over us. “These next three minutes as we walk out of here, are the exclusion to the double time rule, but as soon as your feet hit the pavement you move.” She pivots leading us with the confidence and authority of a drill sergeant.
We follow her across the lobby, past the security desk and through a series of hallways and doors. We reach a staircase and start traveling upwards. When we get to the fifth floor we exit onto a walkway, that disappears through a bunch of trees and as instructed, start running. At this point, if I could cut my feet off, I would. I stumble over twigs and logs, struggling to keep pace with people in front of me, which my shoes make even more difficult to do. When we come out of the wooded area a red-bricked structure that reminds me of a dormitory looms in front of us.
We run around the side of it then beyond it. The shift in my center of gravity tells me we’re running uphill, and when we reach the top Alex calls us to a stop. I heave air in and out of my lungs. The air feels thinner because we’re on cliff. I didn’t even know we had mountains or cliffs here.
Alex is talking again. “There’s a building directly below us. If you follow this road to the right for another two miles, you’ll get to it. The road to the left will lead you to the gate you came through. You take that path you might as well keep going back to your school and straight to the headmaster’s office.” My eyes follow in the direction she pointed and I almost miss the rest of the speech. “There are notches on the wall’s face for you rock climbers out there. Whatever method you choose, John expects you to be in front of that building in the next sixteen minutes.”
I feel my body beginning to shake. They expect more running. My feet are already numb and even going downhill I won’t be fast enough to do an eight-minute mile. The group scrambles around me but I’m frozen in place. The sun has started its final descent in the sky and I when I’m one of the last people on the top of this cliff, I can make out the sound of water below us. I don’t know why, but I’m drawn to the edge. I get as close as I can without putting myself in danger of causing a rockslide and lean over. I’ve never been on this side of campus before. But I know our city is nowhere near any natural bodies of water, which means it must be a man-made lake. From this position I see a reflection of light off the water but not much else.
Do I trust this notch theory? Am I even strong enough to hold on to a bunch of rocks for the climb down? Run or climb. Run or climb. I’ve already lost valuable minutes and I need to decide. I slip my shoes off, once again, slipping them in my purse and get down on my belly. I sling my legs over the side still supporting my weight on my stomach. I stretch my toes and feel nothing. Maybe it’s a lie. I quickly bring my legs back on top of level ground and stand, spinning slowly in a circle taking in my surroundings.
There’s a tree a few feet to my right. I walk over to it, inspecting the limbs. It looks sturdy enough. Using it for support, I lean over a little more and see a ledge about as thick and wide as a windowsill and another tree shooting up along the height of the cliff. Once again I drop to my stomach and slip my legs over. My feet grip the ledge and I shuffle walk over to the canopy of the tree. I reach my right hand out and grab the top branch and step onto one of its limbs. I sit in the V where the branches meet and scoot forward twisting and hanging until I find the next branch. Climbing trees, this I can do, thanks to years of playing tag with Aiden and his love of tree forts. Down, down, down I go.
I move quickly, jumping the last five feet, to the ground; absorbing the impact through my knees. I turn to run but stop short, realizing the building I’m about to look for, is literally right in front of me. John and Alex are already here, with their backs to me. How’d she get here so fast? Should I call either of their names to get their attention, or just walk over to them? Another instructor is leaning against a wall with his arms folded, boredom etched all over his angular features. When he sees me he steps away from the wall and comes closer. “Where’d you come from?” He frowns eyeing my disheveled appearance.
My eyes sweep past the entrance of the building etched in the cliff’s. “Up there.”
He’s still staring at me. I know I must look a sight, with the mud caked on the front of my shirt and bottom of my feet. My dark brown hair is limp around my shoulders and I lost the clip that was holding my hair away from my face hours ago. My eyes are pale blue/ grey and probably cloudy at this moment because of all the dirt that’s clinging to my face and my skin is probably bright red from being in the sun today. It’s fair to say, I’m sure I’m making a horrendous first impression all around. He glances down at my feet. Crap. My shoes. I hurry to slip them back on. “You climbed the wall,” he asks his voice laced with doubt.
I shake my head and point. “No. The tree.”
“What’s your name, recruit?”
“Holland. Holland Forbes.”
He looks at the tree and makes a motion for me to follow him. Alex and John are still talking and laughing, oblivious to what’s going on behind them. As we get closer, I hear them taking bets on which one of us will be the star pupil.
“Shane. I guarantee he’ll be first.” John is saying.
Alex disagrees. “No. I think Wes. I’ve been watching them all day. Shane pushed too hard on the trip from the guard shack. He doesn’t have much left in the tank. But Wes, my money’s on him.” They’ve been watching us all day? How? Is she a telepath and is it okay to use our powers whenever we want here? If she was watching us, then why didn’t they come out to help us?
The guy next to me cuts into their conversation. His voice bounces in the air. “First recruit. Holland Forbes.” Alex and John turn around, eyes wide and mouths agape. He repeats his statement a little louder this time. “First recruit Holland Forbes, mark that down.”
It’s not until I feel several hands clasping my shoulders and patting my back with the “good jobs” and “congratulations” blending together, that I realize there are more than just the four of us out here.
The rest of the recruits emerge from the path in clusters, and John checks their names off the list he’s holding. When the last person arrives, the new guy asks John and Alex, “Did you guys skip the formation part of the welcome speech?”
“Nope.”
“Did you change it up, add some amendments to it?”
Alex shakes her head. “Same speech, different day.”
“They all have medical waivers for auditory issues?”
She looks at her clipboard. “Nope, none documented.” New guy looks over her shoulder at whatever’s written next to our names to confirm that she’s right.
“So they think they’re special and it doesn’t apply to them?”
Alex says, “Seems like,” and John gives a ‘hey what can you do’ kind of shrug.
New guy nods. “Well, that’s
my favorite type of recruit. Guess it’s time to hit the dirt.”
Hit the what? Is he talking about more running? We look around trying to make sense of what he’s saying.
“Hit. The. Dirt.” He barks. More instructors seem to materialize out of thin air and start pushing us to the ground. “Push up position, get there now.”
I lie on my stomach arms bent and listen as the new guy talks. “I’m Xander Jameson, and I will be one of your training officers for the next sixteen weeks.”
“UP!” Someone yells.
I push myself up parallel to the ground.
“In case the instructions that my colleagues gave were unclear.” Alex, I think it’s Alex, scoffs. “Not saying they were, but you know how these new recruits have trouble paying attention, video games and all that rotting their brains.”
“DOWN!”
“So just in case, that’s so. When you report for any training evolution, you will fall into ranks.”
“UP!”
“We do not like repeating ourselves. Your ability to listen and take direction, to follow through with orders when given, is paramount for your safety and the safety of those around you.”
“DOWN!”
He paces back and forth in front of us. “So since we are now in the training position. Let’s train.”
“UP!”
It’s after midnight when we finish training. My arms are like Jell-O, I can’t feel my legs, and I’m sitting at a desk in a classroom filling out emergency contact information and employee registration paperwork. The thirty-page packet includes an essay and a math test. I can barely hold the pen in my right hand, but everything has to be completely legible, or we will have to do it all over again. In the time we’ve been here, Alex has given us rules four through six. Rule# 4: We wake up at six every morning. We train until six in the evening, which includes a full school schedule. We’re allotted a thirty-minute lunch break, and after training we’re free to explore the grounds or relax, but cannot leave the compound. Rule #5: No contact with our friends and family until the third Sunday of the month, and even then we only get three hours. Rule# 6: Under no circumstances and under penalty of treason, shall we discuss with our friends and family anything that goes on here at Orion Academy.