"We don't hold exams twice for a student, Charlie."
Her face darkened. "I see. Alright, Sir. Thank you for your time and I'm deeply sorry for the inconvenience."
Charlie walked along the halls, no longer feeling the initial enthusiasm; now only disappointment wracked her bones. How can I even cause so much damage in such a short period of time? She was guilt-ridden, thinking about her parents back home and Jeanne at the Advanced Training Center. She wanted to think that even her sister counted on her to get this right. As for Carl and Sarah, they sacrificed so much for Charlie in the past years, and when it came down to it, Charlie chose ANDREI over the Hartley dream of her studying at Harvard. Her parents were so understanding; only wanting what their daughter wanted for herself.
It broke Charlie's heart to disappoint them. She went back to the library to write a feature article; the overflowing emotions she had acquired from the past week could no longer be bottled up. Charlie loved writing and being able to freely express herself any way she wanted. Charlie was so lost in the world of her pen and paper, she didn't realize hours had already passed.
Finally glancing up at the clock, she realized she was going to miss dinner if she didn’t get moving. She packed the papers she’d used and stuffed them in her side pocket. There were no students loitering in the halls anymore; everyone was at the cafeteria getting sustenance. When Charlie entered, all eyes landed on her like she was a dessert waiting to be devoured. Some students started whispering to each other and pointing at Charlie.
What on earth...? Charlie found her table with Hilary, who was smiling from ear to ear. "What are you so happy about?" she asked her friend, who had put aside two meal trays of still untouched food for each of them.
"Congratulations!!!" She screamed, reaching for Charlie across the table. Charlie met Hilary halfway, their arms stretched out and touching each other.
"Wait, wait. What?"
"You got the highest score in the SAT!!!"
"Whoa, calm down. You got the wrong information. I failed the SAT. That's what I was about to tell you."
"Failed the SAT? Says who?"
"Well, I saw what Mr. Cray wrote on my evaluation sheet. It didn't look good. I flopped."
"You didn't flop, Charlie," Hilary smiled. "See for yourself." She pointed at the bulletin board at the entrance of the cafeteria. Tacked with a small red pin was plain bond paper with a few words printed on it.
American National Development, Research and Education Institute
Skills Assessment Test Results
Hartley, Charlene - 65.8%
Congratulations for being the top scorer in the history of ANDREI.
From the ANDREI Staff
"How could I have done that?" Charlie asked out loud.
She was answered by a smiling Marvolo, who had managed to sneak beside her, "Because you've done what nobody else could, Charlie. We tried to impede your superhuman capacities but you overcame our restrictions. Congratulations!"
"But Mr. Cray... I didn't finish the exam. I completely missed out on the last part," Charlie said, concerned.
"You failed one of the three parts, but you still ended up with the highest score anyway. Some things are not meant to be measured by standards set previously. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you're special, Charlie," replied Mr. Cray, who walked away with a smile on his face after patting her shoulder.
When she turned to go back to her seat, she saw Bradley and Madison looking at her, seething with fury so much it sent shivers down Charlie's spine.
CHAPTER 8: Wrongful Strike
Breathing heavily and heart thumping loudly in her chest, Charlie jogged around the field to clear her thoughts. Thankfully, no one else was in the mood to be out in the sun at eleven in the morning. After the Skills Assessment Test, the students were granted a day off, something Charlie truly needed at this point. When the results were announced, the resentful looks grew in numbers when her fellow freshmen trainees decided she was public enemy number one. Who would have thought Superhero University is like typical high school? Charlie grudgingly thought.
The warm sunlight warmed her face as she jogged her troubles away, getting lost in the music playing in her ears and the momentum of her legs. When weariness caught up with her, she sought solace at the garden and the pond at the end of the stone path. Charlie pulled out her earphones and sat on one of the smooth stones, relishing the cool water around it by dipping her fingers in. She rubbed her chin with her right hand and took comfort in the silence of the area. The scent of leaves and sound of water were relaxing her otherwise troubled mind. Somewhere in the garden, a soothing melody from guitar strumming lent a tranquil mood to the place. Charlie felt sincere gratitude to the musician who shared her talent.
But her serenity was disrupted by the sound of crackling ice beside her. Charlie nearly fell off the stone at the sight as the pond water freezing and transforming to ice, creating a hard glassy surface. “What the--?” she muttered.
“Well, you know the cliché - The deepest part of hell is covered in ice,” a voice spoke to her from an elevated level. Charlie looked up to see Otto perched on the topmost pile of stones at the far end of the pond. “Hey there, high scorer,” teased Otto, and Charlie mirrored the smile on his face.
“This isn’t like a videogame, you know,” Charlie commented.
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong!” Otto hopped off his seat and took the one nearest to Charlie. “Teenagers with superpowers being trained to be soldiers; it’s like SeeD from Final Fantasy 8!” Otto announced. “Okay, maybe that was bad reference, but you get my point.”
Charlie didn’t since she wasn’t familiar with the game, but she laughed anyway. “I should get back to my room. I smell like sweat and sun.”
Otto stood up and smirked at her. “Hey, I don’t mind a physically active girl. I actually like that.”
Warmth spread across Charlie’s cheeks and she playfully punched him on the shoulder. “Shut up,” she said in a playful tone.
The two entered the dormitory building where there were a few students hanging around the common room. “By the way,” Otto said, following her. “Bradley is holding an Initiation for the freshmen.”
Charlie sported a look of disdain for Bradley. “That’s not good.”
Otto agreed, “No, it isn’t. But we have to do it; otherwise he’ll make it a bigger deal than it already is.”
Charlie sighed, “Okay, what’s his idea of an Initiation, anyway? And please don’t tell me it’s hazing.”
Otto shrugged, “No clue. But I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be that since it would be against school policy. Bradley might play King Kong around the school, but he isn’t immune to the rules.”
Charlie laughed at the nickname. “So, how is it going to work? We gather around a bonfire at night and you and the rest of the seniors will chant and dance for us?”
“Close, but no cigar.” Otto pointed out. “There will be a bonfire, and it will be at night. But if Bradley asks me to dance, it won’t be pretty.”
Charlie giggled, “I can imagine.” She admired how Otto made light of nearly everything in the school. She was envious of his cheerful disposition. Given all the stress she’d endured during her few weeks at ANDREI, his infectious laughs and jokes were enough to make any newcomer feel better.
They reached the door to her room and Otto leaned on the wall beside it, flashing his good-natured grin. “So, I’ll see you later?” he asked and Charlie nodded.
“Don’t forget your tribal mask and robes, Otto,” she joked before closing the door on him.
A dim orange glow welcomed Charlie as she made her way to the school’s open field later than evening. Like Otto had promised, a bonfire roared at the center of the field while a bleacher stood in front of it with nearly all the students already celebrating amongst themselves. Charlie and Hilary were some of the last to arrive. They spotted Bradley sitting on the lowest bleacher, his boisterous laugh echoing in
the night. Charlie and Hilary took a seat on the second from the top. Charlie caught Otto’s eyes. He winked at her and gave her a thumbs up. Charlie lifted her hand, returning the same gesture, hoping the bonfire glow camouflaged the flush on her cheeks.
“Want some?” Hilary offered. Charlie turned to see an open bag of chips in Hilary’s hands.
“I didn’t know we’re allowed to have junk food around here,” Charlie commented, and she happily obliged herself with a few pieces.
“Special occasions call for it,” Hilary explained. She pointed to the lower aisle where Ted carried bags of chips and soda for distribution. “We’re still teenagers anyway, and we need junk food once in a while for our sanity.”
Charlie laughed, “Amen to that!”
“Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!” Bradley announced and all the students fell silent. “We are gathered here this evening for the first Annual Andreian Rites of Passage, where we, the veterans of this proud school, pass our batons to you fresh meats!” The crowd cheered and stomped their feet on the ground, a thunderous sound. “As the founder of this event, it is my duty to explain what rites of passage our neophytes must to undergo.”
Charlie tried to mute out Bradley’s voice, her patience dwindling with every word he spoke. She and Hilary exchanged dreadful looks upon the realization that Bradley’s idea of initiation was ordering the freshmen tasks based on their abilities. As expected, they were to be for Bradley’s own entertainment.
He first called Ilka, whose ability was flight. Bradley sported a smug look as he announced the task for Ilka. With his inhuman strength, Bradley threw his water bottle up in the air and ordered Ilka to fetch it for him before he reached it himself. Ilka thought for a moment before his feet lifted off the ground in his attempt to complete the task. On the first try, the bottle hit the ground before Ilka could catch it. Bradley took this as an opportunity to demean Ilka, but the younger one didn’t back down. On his second try, he managed to catch the bottle in midair and thrust it into Bradley’s waiting hand. Ilka stormed off the field afterwards.
The night continued with Bradley assigning stupid challenges to each freshman. He paired Mika with Ted and challenged Mika to sneak up on Ted and for Ted to detect Mika’s movements despite her invisibility. Ted won the challenge. The students were flustered when Bradley tasked Cassandra to deactivate gravity, making the students on the bleachers float.
Charlie was called in last. Upon hearing Bradley’s task for her, she understood his motive right away.
“What?” Charlie’s brows furrowed as Bradley repeated his challenge.
“Pick up the trash, Charlie. Is that too hard for you to understand?”
Charlie bit the inside of her cheek, anger fueling her. With her telekinesis, all Bradley wanted from her was to clean up water bottles and junk food wrappers that littered the school field. Half of the students snickered at Charlie’s expense. Others chimed in, supporting Bradley’s challenge and pressuring her to comply. “Come on, Charlie. We don’t have all night!” Bradley yelled at her and Madison laughed beside him. Charlie’s eyes fell on Otto and Hilary, who were both sympathetic but unable to speak up against the self-proclaimed king of the school.
“Fine,” Charlie conceded. With her hands spread at her sides, one by one, the plastic bottles and aluminum cans took off from the ground while the students watched in awe. But Bradley’s deliberate bored expression irked Charlie. She willed all the pieces to coalesce over their heads, the pile growing and growing until it was the size and shape of a beach ball. She moved the ball of garbage and dropped it directly in front of Bradley, who looked at it with disgust.
“Hey! Did I tell you to offer me this pile of filth?!” Bradley kicked the ball and sent it flying towards the thick foliage. “What are you trying to prove here, huh?” He marched towards Charlie, but, much like the scene in the cafeteria a couple of days ago, she stopped him in his tracks. She turned on her heel and walked away from the bonfire. Charlie had bigger things to focus on than Bradley’s games; one of those was the training that came the following day.
Physical training was something Charlie never really looked forward to, even in high school. To her, it was an opportunity for bullies to harm the weaker ones. Besides, Charlie excelled in academics, not sports. Running was the only physical activity she participated in.
The next day she found herself standing in line with the other Unlocked under the blaring sun while Instructor Jason Ross paced in front of them. Charlie felt a sting in her gut as she realized she was the oldest amongst the new ones. "You have all passed your Stage One training. But a sound mind isn't the only thing required to handle tough situations. You need to have a well-trained body as well. In the next few days, I will be making sure your bodies are in tip top shape before you even begin to train in using your powers in combat."
First came the usual exercises: pushups, jumping jacks, and running, the last being the only thing Charlie was adept at. Instructor Ross acted like a drill sergeant instead of a gym teacher, which gave credibility to his military background. By the end of day one, Charlie's muscles were so sore that the mere task of lifting a spoon to her lips was difficult. Healthy food intake was also part of the training, so despite her craving for the hamburger at the cafeteria, she grudgingly settled on potatoes and carrots for dinner. Her stomach rumbled in the night as she forced herself to sleep.
The second day, an obstacle course was laid out on the school field for them. It was a scene Charlie only saw in movies. None of the participants were excited. They began with the usual exercises to warm up their bodies before being sent into the obstacle course in pairs. They were meant to race to the finish line, but both Charlie and her contender, Patrice, struggled to hurdle the obstacles, and neither of them cared about beating the other.
The situation intensified when the two girls reached the net climbing. Charlie was leading, but when Patrice lost her hold and fell on the mat, her distress caused the wind to pick up. Charlie held on for dear life as the net swayed wildly. Some classmates tried calm Patrice and make her stop the wind. Charlie’s hand was forced off the net and she swung with only one hand. Patrice screamed along with the others, but Charlie did her best to ignore the scene below. Nearly fifteen feet off the ground, Charlie didn’t want to take a chance with the rubber mat that would only slightly cushion her fall. Charlie swung her leg forward, pivoting her body to slam face-first against the net. She grabbed onto it before her body could bounce off. The wind finally died down, and Charlie triumphantly finished the obstacle course alone.
"Well done, Charlie." Instructor Ross patted her on the back. Despite his authoritative voice and intimidating physique, Charlie learned her Instructor wasn't like her high school gym teacher, who bullied students into delivering his expectations.
"Tomorrow I’ll test how well you can perform during combat. We will be using the training rooms this time, which means you can use your powers." Instructor Ross announced to all. "I do not expect you to win; I do not expect you to excel quickly. This is only to evaluate what you are good at and what you need to work on. I will be testing your strength, agility, stealth, strategy and courage. I will gauge which areas you require more proficiency as well as determine which fighting style suits your powers best before I can train you. I will have each of you spar with a senior student for hands-on combat exposure.”
The students exchanged nervous looks. Charlie hoped to be paired with Hilary, though she wasn't sure how she could spar with the girl. "Do you have any questions?" Instructor Ross asked them, but no one had the guts to raise any despite their uncertainty. Courage was certainly near the top of their list to work on. "Dismissed," Instructor Ross announced. Charlie had never been so relieved. Unfortunately, that relief was short lived when Charlie entered the training room the next day.
Noise in the training room welcomed her. Among the fellow trainees were a handful of senior students. Standing out amongst them was the grinning face of Bradley. His burly physique made the ne
wbies nervous. Charlie walked cautiously to avoid catching his attention, but when the Instructor ordered them to file in order, she had no choice but to line up in full few of the seniors.
"Okay, listen up," the Instructor called out to them. “We will be doing one-on-one combat. I figure most of you aren't quite adept with fighting besides pulling the pigtails of little girls, so I will be teaming you all up against one of the seniors present here." Instructor Ross gestured to the three people behind him.
"Let me introduce our contenders," Instructor Ross announced. The first senior was Kio, who had the power to shape shift. He was tall and had a gentle face. Second was Vladimir, a handsome, burly fellow who had the ability to self-regenerate. The third senior was Bradley, who had superhuman strength.
In the first two rounds, Charlie watched from the mezzanine while Kio and Vladimir battled with Cassandra and Garrett. "Watch closely and learn," Instructor told the Unlocked. It wasn't as thrilling, though, to watch the trainees who did not do much but dodge their attackers.
"Charlie," Instructor Ross called out. Charlie stood awkwardly and made her way down the stairs. When she reached the floor, the Instructor called her opponent. To her dismay, her sparring partner was Bradley.
Charlie whipped her head around to find Bradley walking towards her with a smug look on his face. "Well, well, well..." he greeted her. Charlie bit her lip to keep her from backing out.
"Take it easy, Bradley," Instructor suggested and Bradley nodded. When the Instructor gave them the signal to start, Charlie bent her knees to brace herself.
Bradley lunged to punch Charlie but she sidestepped quickly. He brought his arm forward, elbowing Charlie on the jaw. Pain shot through her. She stumbled back, her surroundings spinning as she struggled to regain balance. She forced herself to focus and succeeded in warding off Bradley’s fist from hitting her by using her powers. She directed his arm to the side, throwing him slightly off balance before he regained his footing and swung at her again. Charlie dodged but her foot slipped and sent her reeling to the ground.
The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) Page 11