by Nya Jade
“And don’t go telling the guys either,” Mariko said. “It’s probably good for Lewis to think I’m a freak. Maybe it will cure him of his puppy love thing.”
She sped off before Phoebe could utter a reply.
THIRTEEN
Later that evening, Phoebe rushed, half-stumbling, down the stone steps on the north end of the athletic wing that led to the floating gym. She was late for the Pre-con Practicum. Her session with opera singer Collette Nole had taken much longer than necessary due to the famed diva demanding to see each photo Phoebe took to make sure it was “always only of her good side”—a process that star-struck Cyn had been happy to oblige. Now Phoebe was arriving at a large anteroom to find her classmates already crowded around Professor Koon who stood stoically in front of a huge black door. A sign above the door read: NO PRE-CONS ALLOWED PAST THIS POINT WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF AIR GUARDS.
“Now that we’re all present,” Professor Koon said, smiling at Phoebe who wormed guiltily through the small crowd to where Hayley stood, “we can get started with tonight’s practicum. One of the exciting parts of your Conversion Day is becoming a son or daughter of Osiah or Gavya. Let’s see by a show of hands how many of you will be children of Gavya?”
Phoebe looked around as five of her cadetmates, including Hayley, raised their hands. However, Phoebe noticed, that Hayley seemed more nervous than confident.
“The rest of you,” Professor Koon said, smiling, “belong to Osiah, just like I do. Don’t expect that to win you any special treatment!” Phoebe and Lewis exchanged a she-forgot-about-us glance while Professor Koon waited for the laughter to settle before continuing.
She said,“Now, as infants, you spend a good amount of time crawling on all fours, so those of you transitioning into children of Gavya will not experience as big of a shock where movement is concerned. Osiah’s line is a different matter altogether, and because of this we use the floating gym to pre-expose you all to the sensation of flight. This allows for a bit of a head start.”
A few people gasped excitedly at that.
“Yes, it’s exciting,” Professor Koon continued, “especially for those of you who will be land bound. You get an opportunity to experience flight in this special intro session which is just about body floating. However, the future sessions that cover specific flight control techniques are reserved for the birds among us. Now,” Professor Koon said, speaking over the sound of disappointed grumbling, “everyone please grab a wingsuit.” She pointed to a wall where thirty or so blue jumpsuits hung from hooks in a row. “They are arranged from small to extra large so find your size and put it on quickly. Once our air guards arrive we’ll be ready to start!”
With that, everyone sauntered over to the wingsuits, eager to begin.
“Are they supposed to be loose or fitted?” said one girl, who couldn’t decide between the two options she held in her hands.
“I don’t think it’s a fashion show,” Mariko answered slyly. The girl scowled at Mariko and went with the smaller sized suit.
“Please take your shoes off,” Professor Koon said as she walked around helping people who were having trouble getting into their suits.
Phoebe glanced down at her body after zipping herself into a medium wingsuit. “We look like flying squirrels,” she remarked, spreading her arms and legs out. Made from a light and comfortable parachute-like cloth, the suit had material under the arms that connected the wrists and hips, and more material between the legs making walking quite awkward.
“You’re so right,” Hayley laughed, flapping her arms. And then, “You’re lucky that you get to take the advanced sessions.”
“I’m not so sure,” Phoebe said.
“Why wouldn’t you? You’re one of the birdies!” Hayley laughed, but stopped at seeing an uncomfortable expression work its way across Phoebe’s face. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m a Hypha.”
“Oh, crap,” Hayley said. “Your mom’s human.” She quickly added, “I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”
“I know.”
They both left it at that. They didn’t need to discuss that among Shapers there was no bigger moment than your Conversion day; the day a Shaper child inherited his or her mother’s animal form. Growing up, Phoebe had loved hearing her father tell the story of his big day. But the apprehension in his eyes was never lost on her: shape-shifting magic was passed from mother to child. Her mother was human. He’d worried about what that meant for her on Conversion day. And she worried, too.
Just as Hayley gave Phoebe’s hand a reassuring squeeze, several older athletic-looking students came running down the steps to the anteroom, much to Professor Koon’s very apparent relief. Phoebe counted fifteen of them. It seemed as if there was one guard per student in the class.
“Great, our air guards are here!” she exclaimed, opening the door behind her and ushering the class through to the next room. Phoebe was immediately surprised to feel grassy earth cool beneath her bare feet. She stopped short, and behind her, Hayley bumped into her back.
“What the—?” Hayley said, echoing Phoebe’s exact thoughts. Phoebe turned in a slow circle. So did several of her classmates, everyone wearing similar looks of awe. The room, which seemed to stretch a hundred yards in each direction, was filled with spruce, maple, and birch trees. Phoebe inhaled the sharp, earthy tang of leaves, root, and bark.
A few reddish-brown leaves fluttered down from the canopy above them, and Phoebe opened her hand, letting them land in her palms. She didn’t know how it was possible, but they were standing in an autumn forest. Phoebe studied the leaves in her hand and Professor Koon said, “We prefer for you to experience flight in nature. These trees have been enchanted with earth magic in order to grow here. Now, they won’t reach the great heights that they would if they were Above, but it serves our purposes fine.”
A boy with curly brown hair and a curious grin raised his hand and asked, “What are all these holes in the ground between the grass?” He sank to his knees in the grass, pulling at the blades and spreading them apart with his hands.
Professor Koon smiled broadly. “The entire floor of this gym is a vent,” she explained. “When I turn on the wind, air will come shooting up through those holes in a vertical column providing the lift you need to take off.”
Phoebe was struck with a sudden intense nervousness, and Hayley, she saw, looked equally uneasy.
“Not to worry,” Professor Koon said reassuringly, “It’s all perfectly safe. And for anyone thinking these trees will be pulled from their roots’ anchors by the wind, they won’t. They’ve been enchanted to handle the highest of wind speeds.”
“Before we can start, though, I need a volunteer. A wingsuit model if you will.” Professor Koon looked around. And then when no one raised a hand, she gestured to an embarrassed-looking Scott, who was instructed to lie on the ground for a demonstration on how to use the wingsuit.
Everyone stopped their murmuring conversations to watch with rapt attention.
Professor Koon bent over Scott’s body and began to arrange his limbs. “To float the body higher, spread your arms and legs to open the material flaps. And then when you want to float down, fold your elbows and knees up like this.”
Phoebe couldn’t help chuckling. In the current position Professor Koon had Scott in, he looked like a criminal that had been forced to lie on the ground and surrender.
“You are not to float above the tops of the trees,” Professor Koon warned, helping Scott to his feet. Scott dusted off his wingsuit and slumped to the back of the group. “The air guards and I will be up there with you to help if you have any problems, but the key is not to panic.”
Professor Koon turned to the fifteen students who had been waiting patiently behind her, their backs resting against a wall. At her nod, they converted into falcons and hawks, lifted into the air, and scattered themselves around the various trees in the gym. From their perches, they peered down at everyone staring up at them.
“
When the air comes on,” Professor Koon said, “lean in, spread your arms, and let the rest happen!” She hurried over to a wall panel by the door and pushed a series of buttons. And without another word, she herself converted into a hawk and rose to the top of a spruce.
Phoebe noticed a fifteen second countdown on the panel, and she and Hayley exchanged uncertain glances. Then the air blasted on with a roar. Phoebe closed her eyes, tilted forward, and threw out her arms, hoping for the best. She quickly lifted up five feet, then twenty, the air whipping at her face. At the feel of adrenaline rocketing through her, Phoebe opened her eyes and blinked down at the grassy floor that had dropped away. All around her, classmates were shooting upward through the gym and more than a few times, Phoebe heard the thud of people colliding into one another as some students got off to a less than smooth start.
It took Phoebe a moment to get the hang of floating on air. But once she did, she found the freedom of it exhilarating and began to picture what it might be like to be a daughter of Osiah. She let herself go a bit higher. Suddenly, Lewis zoomed dangerously close to her and she had to slacken her elbows and knees, ducking under him just in time to avoid a collision. Above her, Lewis shouted something that sounded like a gargled “sorry”, his voice greatly distorted by the force of the wind.
Phoebe began to float up again and had just spotted Hayley hovering at a nearby oak when a high pitched tinny clanging suddenly erupted, echoing around the gym. Through the alarm, a prerecorded voice said repeatedly, “This is a Vigo drill. Proceed to the courtyard exits.”
The air guards dove toward the ground and circled there as though preparing. A split second later, Phoebe knew why. The blowing air cut off and Phoebe, along with others around her, began plummeting downward. Voices shrieked and arms went flailing. Phoebe landed lopsidedly on the back of a falcon who carried her to the ground and shook her off gently. Staggering a bit as she tried to catch her balance, Phoebe watched as the other air guards quickly and efficiently rescued the rest of her classmates.
“Leave your shoes behind! Keep your suits on! If this were the real thing you wouldn’t have time to change,” said Professor Koon, who had returned to her human form. She repeated this refrain several times as all of her students landed. When the last of the frazzled-looking teens had reached solid ground and all of the air guards had returned to their human shape, Professor Koon sped everyone out of the floating gym. Stumbling in their wingsuits, they followed her through the athletic wing and into the hallway, joining several other teachers, each with their own line of students trailing in their wake.
“This scene is crazy,” Hayley said, shuffling alongside Phoebe as the group turned a corner toward the courtyard. Phoebe, who was trying to keep her mind focused on not tripping over her feet in her awkward new attire, simply nodded her agreement.
They entered the courtyard, which seemed almost filled to capacity. From balconies, custodians shouted instructions over everyone’s head, reminding the faculty which exits belonged to which class year. Doors Phoebe had never noticed before slid open between the walls on the east side of the courtyard revealing dark passageways that meandered and disappeared behind them.
Through the madness, Phoebe noticed a sweaty male teacher take a swig of something from a flask. When he caught her staring, she quickly looked away and from the corner of her eye saw a girl faint and get thrown over the shoulder of a male classmate, and Montclaire hurrying against the grain of traffic as though heading toward the narthyx chamber. But it all happened so fast that Phoebe wasn’t certain about what she’d seen. In fact, she was so busy absorbing the scene that she didn’t realize she had stopped moving until she was swept by the tide of her class pushing her forward as Professor Koon called over her shoulder, “The Hastati class exit is the last one on the right. Please move quickly!”
Cold air rolled over them as they marched swiftly along the narrow sloping passageway. Nobody said a word, but anticipation charged the air like a jolt of adrenaline. They hadn’t been walking for more than two minutes when the door snapped shut behind them, a jarring sound that caused some people to break into a run. The end of the passageway widened into a round area big enough for everyone to gather, and they faced a pair of staircases that rose steeply out of sight.
“Say your name as you climb so that I can mark you off my roster,” Professor Koon said. “And when you get to the top, please remain as a group.”
Students began disappearing in twos, calling out their names as they went. When Phoebe’s turn came, she spoke her name, moving as quickly as she could. She clambered up the stairs, until finally, she poked her head through a large round opening at the top. Hayley extended a hand and helped Phoebe take the last steps into the new room.
Phoebe cast an eye around the minimally lit space and saw the shadowy bodies of students emerging from several other holes in the ground. She gave a light gasp as she recognized the place: they were in the Green Lane boathouse. What she’d simply dismissed before as an odd floor pattern of very large polka dots were actually the manhole covers for the Campus Below’s emergency exits.
Next to her, Hayley whispered, “I hope they make this quick, ’cause I need to find a bathroom!” The black and silver covers slid back into place one by one, until finally all of the students had surfaced.
The first floor of the boathouse was now jam-packed with hundreds of Shapers. All shivering. And all wondering what was going on. Just then, a voice rang out across the space and Professor Yori came striding into sight, flanked by Gabe and the Blackcoats. They stopped up front, their eyes roving nimbly over the assembled crowd. Gabe glanced down at his watch, stepped closer to the headmaster and whispered something in his ear. Professor Yori nodded and then cleared his throat. A hush descended on the boathouse.
“Ten minutes and fifty-two seconds,” he said. “That is how long it took everyone to evacuate. And that is five minutes and fifty-two seconds too long.” He paused, and when he spoke again he sounded deadly serious. “Had this not been a drill, there would have been many casualties.”
Phoebe shuddered as the headmaster continued. “It has been a long time since we’ve had one of these drills, but in light of recent events, it was deemed necessary. Let’s strive for better efficiency next time. The goal,” he said, his tone still serious, “is to seal all exits five minutes after the alarms sound in order to trap the enemy inside.” Professor Yori paused to let that last point sink in. Then, bringing his hands together he said with a forced jollity, “We are pretty much at the end of your class hour, so unless your professors think otherwise, I see no need for you to return to your lessons.”
His statement generated a few yelps of glee.
“Let’s not all rush out of here at the same time and draw attention to ourselves,” Professor Yori continued. “We shall leave by class. Hastati-year first.”
Phoebe and Hayley hurriedly slipped out of their wingsuits and balled them up in their hands in preparation for their exit.
Professor Yori gave a small nod. “Go with Osiah and Gavya. You are dismissed.”
FOURTEEN
After the chaos of the Vigo drill, Phoebe returned to her dorm to find a young uniformed man leaving a note at her door.
“Can I help you?” she fought back a note of concern in her tone.
The man turned. On his shirt Phoebe read, “Concierge Courier: Your Packages, Our Discretion”
“Phoebe Pope?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Please sign here.” He handed her a package and a clipboard. Phoebe glanced down at the label on the box and felt her stomach flip; it was from Chase. Quickly, she signed for it and returned the clipboard to the man who smiled sheepishly, “Mind telling me where I can find the library? Got packages to pick up and this is my first day on the job.” He showed Phoebe his map, scratching his head. “This is one confusing campus.”
Phoebe gave the man easy directions, then entered her room and shut the door behind her. She dashed for her bed. Sitti
ng cross-legged with the box on her lap, Phoebe tore it open, expectantly. Inside she found a veritable mound of tissue paper courtesy of someone who had been overzealous with the packaging. Phoebe dug through it to find a tomato-shaped pillow underneath. At first she was confused, but then came comprehension. Phoebe broke into little fits of laughter and pulled the pillow out. Upon further inspection, she saw that one side of the pillow had a smiley face embossed on it while the other was embroidered with the words Not A Sad Tomato.
Phoebe completely lost track of time as she lay curled around her new pillow thinking of the boy who made her forget about the chaos around her whenever they were together. She wondered if it was possible that her seedling of a crush was starting to grow quickly. Though it scared her a little to admit it, the answer was yes. A happy tomato yes.
Phoebe woke with a start to the sound of pounding on her door. She heard Cyn groan and hoped that she would answer it, but when she didn’t, and the pounding continued, Phoebe swung her feet over the bed and planted them on the cold floor. So much for Cyn’s claim of being a light sleeper, Phoebe thought as she stared at her bedside clock. 2:00 A.M. She had a photo assignment in four hours.
Fully prepared to yell at the person still knocking, Phoebe yanked open the door in frustration and then froze. There stood Yelena, dressed all in black and peering at her in a way that told Phoebe that something was wrong. Phoebe barely had time to wonder what was going on before Yelena said, “I need you to come with me now.” She shrugged out of her coat and handed it to Phoebe.
Not daring to ask if she could change out of her pajamas first, Phoebe pulled on the coat and followed the Blackcoat out of her dorm. A few minutes later, Phoebe entered the chapel, yawning and shivering. She felt confused and a bit overwhelmed, and she had no idea why they were there. But as they hurried up the altar steps and walked toward the restricted door, Phoebe felt her body go suddenly numb. Was she about to get in trouble for almost entering the other day? Had someone other than Gabe seen her? She tried not to take betraying deep breaths as Yelena knocked on the door, which promptly swung open.