Con had just reached the top and Sky was only a few yards behind him. He was catching up. If he was only a few rungs quicker he could have caught Con’s shoe as it went over the ledge. He called up any reserve energy he had to get him the last few feet. He knew he didn’t have another jump in him and to his thankful surprise Con was standing still, facing him on the far edge of the roof.
He managed to jog a few more steps, but once he was certain Con was no longer moving he let his rubbery legs slow to a stumbling walk. He hadn’t felt his lungs so clearly in a long time.
Con didn’t look winded, in fact, he looked energized and wild. “Nice work keeping up.” He spoke loud against the wind.
Sky could only pant and nod in return. He took a moment to stop and look at where they actually were. The campus sprawled out below them, and the city beyond that. They were up high enough that he could even see the edge of the desert the city tried desperately to keep away. He stepped up to the cement ledge next to Con. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”
Con’s black eyes stared straight out to somewhere beyond the desert. “Not even close” He smiled quickly before he turned and threw a fist towards Sky’s face.
He reacted on instinct alone and was somehow able to dodge it. It was only after he threw a punch of his own and received a direct kick into his hip that he realized they were fighting. Right there. On a ledge. Thirty stories up.
Con came around with another punch, blocking it hurt as much as getting hit, but at least he could absorb it and keep his balance.
As Sky narrowly avoided the hits and kicks, he noticed that when throwing a punch, Con left his chest completely open. That might be his only opportunity.
Con kicked, and then pulled his arm back. He would be guarded until his fist came forward, so there was no use trying to be faster, Sky’s only chance would be to take the hit and counter at the same time.
He braced for the hit. It was just his bad luck that this time it was coming straight for his face. Sky tilted his head down just slightly and pushed himself into the punch, jabbing his arm forward as he did. His vision went black as Cons blow connected with the side of his face, but he had felt it – he had landed his hit into Con’s ribs.
Con jumped back and Sky crouched down, intent on keeping his feet planted firmly in place while he waited for the world to stop spinning.
“You got me.” Con brushed his hands together then held them up before jumping down off the ledge and back onto the gravel of the roof. “Didn’t even take you thirty seconds.”
“It was just one hit.” Sky blinked hard and decided he was seeing straight. “And not even a good one.” He mumbled and clumsily jumped down as well.
“You are only the fourth person to ever land a punch. The other three are all part of my squad. And that’s what I came here to show you.”
“What? That I can hit you?”
“That you are good enough to be one of us.”
The hairs on the back of Sky’s neck stood up. Maybe it was the slight chill in the thinning air, but most likely it was the sudden swell of pride.
Con laughed a good, loud laugh. “And none of them had to chase me over three buildings and up who knows how high to fight on a two foot wide strip of cement.”
“Yeah, was that really necessary if all I needed to do was hit you?”
“Not at all, I just wanted to see if you could do it.” Con slapped him hard enough on the back to make him stumble forward.
“You’re insane.” Sky laughed. He had loved it though. The rush. The excitement. He hadn’t felt that way in so long. “But…thank you.” He said honestly. He felt alive. He felt good.
Con gave him a nod of understanding. “Anytime, kid. Now, we should probably get back and pretend we went to class.”
“Right.” He sighed. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad. Maybe he had finally found a place to belong.
Chapter Eight
It was evening by the time Sara finally left the library. School had been out for hours, but she was one of many students still trickling out of the buildings.
With a long overdue sigh she pulled a book out of her bag and began to read as she continued down the road, hoping the dull text would distract her racing mind.
A flash of red caught her eye, and she found herself staring at the same military-like student she had noticed earlier at orientation. He was sitting rigidly on a transport bench, nervously clutching his bag.
Sara stopped a few steps past him. “You missed the last transport, you know.”
The young man looked over at her, his face straight and stoic. “No, I did not know. Thank you.” He said, standing slowly.
Sara backed up a step – most people considered her tall, but this guy towered over her. “There’s a shuttle on the other end of campus that can take you to the dorms. I can show you if you’d like.” She offered, trying not to gawk the way people gawked at her.
“I do not reside in the dorms, I have lodgings elsewhere.” He replied, apparently to the ground, since he had yet to look up at her.
“Fine.” She shrugged. “Good luck.” The street lights started to turn on and illuminated the sidewalk beneath her feet as they walked away from him.
“Are you walking alone?” the boy asked, and matched her stride.
“Apparently not.”
“May I walk with you? This would be the direction I would need to go.” He gestured stiffly down the walk.
“Whatever, man.”
“My name is Liam, but most just call me Lee.” The boy said while holding out a giant hand.
Sara looked at it, but didn’t shake it. “You’re not fooling anyone, you know. You’re an Agonian.” She turned her attention back to her book. “I shake your hand, you steal my thoughts. I think I’d rather be rude, thanks.”
Lee allowed his hand to drop, his eyes still intent on staring at the ground. “I would have thought that you of all people would understand not to judge others by stereotypes.” He said quietly.
“Why should I understand? Aren’t you judging me by thinking that I wouldn’t judge you?” Sara snapped back, her book slapping to her side. “All Agonians are telepaths, right? So it’s a logical assumption, not a stereotype, that you could touch my hand and read my thoughts.”
“I am an echelon second level; which means I could read them from here if I wanted. Why would you assume that such a thing was my intention?” He asked with a mild annoyance, his gaze finally lifting to meet hers.
Sara immediately broke eye contact, pulled her book back up to reading level, and jutted her hips to the side. “I’m a product of my environment. It’s apparently just my nature.”
“I am sorry for your misfortune.” He said earnestly.
Did he just really take her seriously? This guy was certainly a strange one, but not all together bad company, so she didn’t fight it as he matched her pace when she tried to walk away.
“I would still like to walk with you though, if you do not mind.”
“Whatever.” She let out a long sigh and made a point out of not looking up from her book. “My name’s Sara.”
They walked in an uneasy silence for a bit. The night was calm and warm, with only an occasional breeze that rippled down through the buildings. It was surprising that so few pedestrians joined them on the yellow lit streets of downtown Delphos – she just expected that a city of its size to be bustling, no matter the time of day.
“So, how did you get away?” She asked, unable to bear the silence any longer. “I mean, you know, I didn’t think Agonians could study anywhere else except on Agon.”
Lee’s face turned away for an instant, “They can not.” He simply said.
She knew better than to pry.
“I ran away, so to speak.” Lee looked down at her, “Because of my abilities and rank I was expected to join a particular guild of elite assassins. It was a destiny I could not face.”
From what she knew of Agonian’s, that sounded about right. They were o
nce a mighty race of noble warriors that in recent times had been reduced to nothing more than mercenaries and assassins for hire. It’s just what happened when cultures, such as theirs, refused to change with the tides.
“I know it may be rude for me to ask, but,” His face reddened slightly, “why are you still here? On Archaios?”
“That is rude.” She let her voice bleed aggravation - just for the satisfaction of watching his eyes go wide and his color deepen to a deeper shade of scarlet.
“I apologize, I am-” He stuttered out his words, stopping in his long tracks.
“Shut up. I’m just joking.” She laughed, punching his shoulder. “Geeze, you’re a serious guy. Hey, look, the Silverlight!” Diverting his attention across the street to a small squat building nestled comfortably amongst its colossal neighbors. The restaurant was featured in all her literature on Delphos – it was the hot spot for tourists and Academy folk.
Lee’s gaze followed her arm over, “Oh, yes. I have heard of that establishment.” He nodded pleasantly.
“Let’s go get a bite, eh? What do you say?” Because she had never been in a restaurant, and she would never go alone.
His slight hesitation was overpowered by her pleading smile.
“I suppose I am hungry, and a real meal might be a welcome change.” He laughed for the first time, giving up his rigid posture slightly for one more suited for social interaction.
She led the way across the street and under the small arch that marked the entrance into Silverlight’s outdoor dining area. Lights and lanterns illuminated the small courtyard, strung up by an unseen source and seemingly floating above their heads, while tiny sparkles of iridescence twisted in and around the plasticized foliage. Sara breathed in a lungful of the rich aromas that hung heavy in the air, caught up in the beauty of the moment.
“How does this work?” She whispered over to Lee, “I want that table over there.” She pointed over to a small round stone table that sat under a drooping tree. The strings of lights that surrounded the sagging branches gave the appearance of a twinkling waterfall.
“Go and sit.” Lee nudged her gently towards the table, “I will tell them.”
She knew she stared after him a bit too long once he walked away towards the building.Lee was back before she was even settled into the perfect spot. “The waitress should be out shortly.” He tried an uncomfortable smile as he carefully sat down across from her.
She smiled back. It was the strangest thing. The whole situation was so unlike anything she had ever done. Not that she ever really had the opportunity before.
“That pin on your jacket – is that a symbol from your clan?”
She absently looked down below the crest of REALM. One thing none of them had thought to ask is what to tell other students. Was Axis public knowledge, or need-to-know information?
“No, nothing like that. It’s a club I’m in.” That had to be safe to say.
Lee seemed to have good intuition and proved to never press an issue. In fact, as they began to talk, he seemed to know just what to say to keep the conversation flowing – it was if they had known each other forever and their little chat rolled and moved and took on a life of its own.
“…and what about that last one? What did you have to do to get that one?” Sara asked with curiosity, pointing to the bar type piercing above his left eyebrow.
“This I received for the completion of the third level of defense military training. Since I graduated at the top of my class I was able to place it anywhere above my eyes.”
“That’s so awesome.” Sara grabbed her drink as soon as the waitress set it down and gestured to her own lip ring. “I never knew that these things could actually mean anything. What about your tattoos? Do they have meaning as well?”
“Mostly they are more of a rite of passage, once your parents or guardians decide you are of age you can get them. Different patterns and symbols mean different things.” Lee said with a shrug. “But, really, when you are young you basically just choose what looks...cool.” Lee leaned forward across the table. “I have got these too…” He pointed to his face as two small lines appeared under each eye. “I use an easy mental trick to block them from view.”
“You really have no idea what I am, do you?” Sara asked with a shake of her head.
“What do you mean?” He sat back in his seat.
Sara pointed to her own eyes. “These are the eyes of the Children of Chaos from the Blue Star clan. We see with eyes unclouded. Illusions and tricks of the mind don’t work on us. We can see through anything.”
Lee’s face turned as red as his hair. “I did not realize.”
“It’s cool that you would openly show me though. Those marks, they mean you’re royalty, right?”
Lee put up his hands and shushed her. “Please, not so loud. I hide them for a reason. I only told you because if we become friends it would be awkward later on to explain why I hid something from you.”
Sara laughed and sipped her drink with a shake of her head. “You really do think ahead, eh?”
Lee smiled back at her awkwardly. He let his gaze drift out over the street. “This is a nice place. It is very…quiet.”
Sara leaned her head back and looked up at the spattering of stars that illuminated the darkened sky. “It’s quiet because we’re in the middle of nowhere. The only thing this planet has going for it is REALM, everything else is just a dead end.”
“I could say the same thing about Agon. If you do not want to be a warrior, there is no purpose to your life. That is why I wanted to come here. I knew there must be something else to life besides war and fighting.”
Sara smiled up at the stars and closed her eyes. “You’re quite the stoic hero aren’t you?”
Lee blushed and turned his eyes away. When his posture perked up and a look of recognition crossed his face she followed his gaze only to have her stomach sink in dread. Over on the other side of the street was Sky, hands in his pockets, strolling lazily down the walk.
“He is from the Academy.” Lee mumbled.
“No, don’t.” Sara hissed as Lee lifted his arm.
“Hello!” Lee shouted over to Sky.
Sky’s dazed expression turned slowly into a sloppy grin when he spotted Lee waving his large hand in his direction.
Sara leaned over the table with a pout on her face. “Why did you call him over here?”
“Oh, do you know him?”
“Unfortunately.” She mumbled.
Sky meandered lazily over to them. She could have easily made her escape in the time it took him to weave his way around the courtyard to their table.
“Nice place.” Sky gestured around to nothing in particular. “It’s Liam, right?”
“Lee is fine, thank you. And you are Skyden, correct?”
“You can call me Sky.” Sky looked down in Sara’s direction. “And Miss Rekkert, so nice to see you again.”
Sara put on a very forced smile and looked up at him. “Just Sara is fine. How’s the eye, champ? Your pride feeling okay too?”
Sky laughed and replied, “You know what they say. Chicks dig scars.”
Sara gazed up at him with a totally innocent look. “Well, I’m happy to hit you in the face anytime.”
“She hit you?” Lee asked with confusion.
Sara leaned back, a cocky smile on her face as she draped an arm over the back of her chair. “I wasn’t aiming for him. He just got in the line of fire.”
“It’s true.” Sky laughed, apparently oblivious to her disdain. “It was pretty much my fault.” The smile faded as he found her glare, “I’m sorta used to using my face to block stuff, but
you know you really could have hurt that girl, right?”
Sara stood angrily sending her chair into an indecisive wobble. “She deserved it and you know it!” She snarled inches from Sky, barely able to handle how close she was to breathing the same air as him.
“Sara…” Lee began with a bit of confusion over her rapid chang
e in attitude.
Sara’s eyes lit up with a fiery rage. “Stop acting like you know anything about me!”
“Don’t be mad at him.” Sky scoffed. “I’m the one you’re irrationally mad at.”
She exhaled loudly and shook her head as she let her anger recede. “Irrationally? Oh, that’s right, it’s not your fault you’re a jerk. You’re just a product of your environment.” Sara said mockingly.
He looked away quickly, hopefully embarrassed. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that. It was a stupid thing to say. So, on that note I think I’ll be going.”
Lee called out a farewell when all she could manage was a sneer.
“You were a bit harsh with him, would you not agree?” Lee seemed genuinely troubled.
Sara looked up at the night sky with a slight bit of regret. It had really been one of her better nights…up until then. “What does it matter…to a guy like him?”
Chapter Nine
After three weeks of classes Sky had settled into the routine easily enough. Keeping up with the REALM curriculum didn’t seem as hard as he would of thought, but the lessons from Arche, more specifically any class Roland taught, was like learning a new language. Luckily, the classes Con and Ellie headed were enough to get him to school everyday.
“You’re holding back,” Ellie scolded before delivering another round of hits to Sky’s sides and belly.
He stumbled back, his vision blurring. She was small and fast and impossible to hit. “Not really.” He slurred and leaned forward, forcing his body towards her.
He had lost track of how long she had been beating him, and quite frankly, all he wanted was for it to be over. She threw another punch, this one headed straight at his face. He ducked, narrowly avoiding it and saw the slightest opening – her back was exposed for an instant as her punch followed through. Sky jabbed a fist towards his small target, but she spun before he could make the connection.
“Very nice.” Con yelled from the sidelines. He wasn’t sure which one of them he was rooting for.
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