The Distance Between

by Blair Cousins

  “This year? So people from Adum-la do join the academy?”

  “Absolutely.” The examiner laughed. “Now, let’s get you processed so you can start your day.”

  The examiner ran her blood work, took her measurements, and had her complete a series of simple physical tests. Ester was out of breath after she finished running on the treadmill. The examiner nodded and pulled out another piece of equipment. To Ester, it looked like a tablet connected to a pole with four legs on wheels. She wondered what it was for.

  “Okay, now we’re going to measure your natural conductivity level.” The examiner tapped a button on the screen. It turned green, and a light green outline of a hand appeared. “All you have to do is focus your electricity into your hand and discharge with your hand pressed against the screen. And don’t worry about breaking it, it can take a beating.” The man chuckled.

  Ester nodded and raised her hand to the screen. Her heart started to beat as she tried to draw all her energy to her hand. She was a little nervous as sparks began to form throughout her arm.

  “Good, now focus it to your hand.”

  Ester tried, but she couldn’t push it past her elbow. She grunted as she pushed harder. Come on, she mumbled under her breath and then the sparks began to pop. She smiled as she placed her hand on the screen.

  “Now discharge.”

  Ester did as she was told and let go.

  “Wow, I’m impressed. Your natural power level is five out of ten, that’s good.” The man checked off the boxes on his tablet.

  Ester’s cheeks felt warm. She was grinning from ear to ear, even though having a power level of five still put her at average. She was happy to find out she was in the upper average range, with the average range being three to five. She sat back down as the examiner processed her blood work. She scratched her neck and noticed something odd. Her necklace felt warm. Her heart was racing, meaning her temperature must have been up too, which may explain why it was so suddenly warm. Still, she thought it was a little weird. The examiner turned and gave her medical approval. Ester beamed with happiness as she signed the release forms on the tablet and was issued a uniform and dorm assignment. It looked like she would be rooming with more people again—nothing she wasn’t used to. The examiner gave her some quick instructions and sent her on her way.

  She exited the room and headed towards the hall. Everything about the academy was high-tech, well-polished, and new. There wasn’t a single speck of dust on the carpeted floors. She stopped and watched a news broadcast on a screen embedded in the wall, from a station in the nation state of Huma-ko. It was fascinating to watch news live from another part of her world and not just hearing the leftovers like back home. After a minute, she headed toward her dorm.

  There were arrows on the wall for new cadets to follow to get to their dorms. The examiner back at check-in said the arrows would be up for the first week of school, much to Ester’s relief.

  Orientation started promptly at sixteen hundred hours, and it was thirteen thirty hundred hours, so she had plenty of time to get to her new dorm, change, and report to orientation. Following the arrows, Ester slowed a bit to take in the new sights. She took the escalator down to the exit and walked through the sliding doors out into a large courtyard enclosed by trees. The air was crisp, heavy with the scent of sea water. It was colder here than in Adum-la, which was currently about to super heat as summer tightened its grip. She stopped and took a deep breath of fresh sea air. It was amazing being so close to the sea. She wanted to stand there all day taking in the sounds and fresh air, but there was another smell threatening to break the moment she was having. She turned her head and sniffed around. Not sure where the strange odor was coming from. She then lifted up her arm, and her nostrils were attacked by the pungent odor of forty hours of hot sweaty pits. She grimaced. The last thing she wanted was to stink up the place on her first day. Ester headed to her dorm, quicker this time. She could explore later.

  The dorms were on the other side of the courtyard through a large garden. She walked quickly, but slowed to look at all the trees and flowers found all over Rean that were planted here. She stopped to smell a rose lily, a plant found in north Adum. Its buds smelled of sweet berries, and its pedals a deep pink. This species was prized for its beauty but was treasured for its ability to grow anywhere. Just beyond the path, Ester caught sight of another famous plant, black wood grave, commonly found in the nation state of Huma-ko. These hardy trees were known for their rich black wood, very good for making furniture and small boats. Ester admired the plants and felt a little proud that she could name them. She was sure Luck would be in love if he were here, but there was something else she noticed in the distance that caught her eye. She walked closer and found a stone fountain with five iron statues posed around it. It was of the five leaders of peace, the ones who were responsible for bringing peace to Rean after a long and bloody hundred-year civil war. Ester walked around it a few times marveling at the detail. Water rolled down the iron figures from a tilted pot to signify peace and unity for all. Then she remembered why she was in such a hurry in the first place; she needed to shower. She looked around and behind the fountain were five paths. Each marked by one of the five animal symbols representing one of the five nation states on her planet. Ester was in house Snake and found her symbol right away. She followed the sign and hurried along the long sidewalk down to her dorm.

  Just down the hill, amongst the trees, was her dorm—a sleet dark gray building that looked completely out of place compared to its surroundings. The bright green of the trees clashed against the cold gray metal of the building. Engraved in steel above the entrance was the symbol of a giant winged ear serpent with a forked tale, the symbol of Dane Ans, one of the great leaders of the past and founder of Ans-on, master of peace. Ester was more than excited to be placed in the house representing Ans-on. She walked up to the door amongst the sea of chattering cadets and scanned her wristband. Some looked like they had already formed groups and talked as if they were good friends. She headed through the sliding doors of the lobby and gasped at how nice it looked inside. Everything was decorated in the house’s colors: navy blue and silver. There were couches to lounge on and tables to study at. In the back, cadets strolled in and out of a room that looked like her sleeping quarters. Ester headed there but caught a glimpse of the telescreen. They were running a story about Labadora. Ester wanted to watch more, but she needed to get changed as fast as possible. She turned towards the dorm area and ran into someone. Items spilled onto the floor as all eyes were on them.

  “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” Ester reached down to help them pick up their things.

  “It’s okay.”

  Ester looked up and caught eyes with the blond haired boy she had seen back at the station. Ester was enamored by his crystal blue eyes. His cheeks were hot red in contrast to his extremely pale skin, and his lips were a vivid pink, the same as his finger nails. His smile just lit up his entire face, and he wore an all-white ride suit with the stomach cut out in the shape of a star. She blinked a few times and continued to help him pick up his items. She’d never seen a boy like him before. That’s when she realized she was mostly picking up cosmetics.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” the boy said. “Why on Rean did I bring so many perfumes? But you never know what you’re going to need.”

  Ester squatted with her mouth open. That was the last thing on her mind, but the boy continued to go on and on about perfume.

  “Thank you,” he said, then gasped. “Where are my manners? I’m Angel, Angel Johnson.” He held out his hand, also ghostly pale, but well-manicured.

  Ester shook it. “I’m Ester, Ester DuTain.”

  “It’s nice to me you.” Angel stood up with an armful of perfumes and foundations, threatening to explode from his arms again.

  “Um, do you need some help with that?” Ester held out her hand under his arm to try and catch any stray products.

  “Umm, I guess so, thank you so m
uch.”

  “No problem,” Ester said as the two walked towards the back room together.

  “I just got here. I mean we all did, duh, but I think I’m going to like it here. I mean we are some of the first few to be in this dorm after the remodel.”

  Ester nodded, not even questioning how he would know this.

  “Though I’m not a fan of the navy blue,” Angel said as he readjusted some of the product in his hands.

  Angel was surprisingly chatty. To an outsider, one would think they were best friends and if it were left to Angel, they probably were going to be. The sliding doors opened, and Ester was shocked to see that she was sharing a space with both girls and guys. The room was large and similar to the one she had back at the orphanage, but this was an upgrade. The walls were chrome gray, with windows expanding high toward the ceiling. Beds with shelved canopies lined both walls, a total of fifteen beds on each side. She looked around the room. Each bed space had a glass end table with a tiny lamp on it, a single person bed that sat on drawers, and another set of drawers at the foot of the bed. Most of the beds had been taken, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a skinny brown arm waving at her.

  “Um, do you know her?” Angel pointed to the girl.

  Ester squinted and a smile appeared on her face. It was Samay.

  Ester walked right over with Angel in tow.

  “Hi again,” Samay said as she stood next to her bed.

  “Hi!” Ester threw her bag unto the bed next to her, careful not to drop any of Angel’s stuff.

  “I’m so glad we’re in the same house.” Samay smiled.

  “Same.” Ester smiled back.

  “Oh my gosh,” Angel gasped. “I love your dress.”

  “Thank-thank you,” Samay said, then gasped when she saw what was in Angel’s hand “Is that Something Symple?”

  “Yes it is! It’s the bi-year edition,” Angel raved.

  “Wow! They only have The Season Peaks collection back home.” Samay admired.

  “Oh no, well here in Ans-on they have everything, and I don’t mind sharing.”

  “Really? Thank you so much,” Samay laughed. “Do you already have a bed? There’s a free one next to Ester’s. If that’s okay with you, Ester?”

  “Um, sure,” Ester said. She felt a little uneasy about sleeping so close to a boy, but judging by everyone else’s reaction it must not be a big deal.

  “Yay!” The two said in unison.

  Angel rushed away to change bed assignments and moved his things next to Ester. Ester watched them rave about perfumes as she unpacked. The three of them looked like a bowl of odd ball soup, but Ester didn’t mind. She was happy to have met some friendly people.

  Ester unzipped her bag on the bed. She didn’t have many outfits, but she shuffled around for her picture. As a gift, Sister Genevieve had made her a wooden frame for her wrinkly old family photo. Ester loved it; she was nearly brought to tears when the sister presented it to her. The picture and her kiko robe were some of her few valued treasures.

  “So where are you from, Ester?” Samay asked, breaking Ester from her train of thought.

  “I’m from Adum-la. What about you?”

  “Wait, you’re from Adum-la?” Angel cut in, “Whoa, that’s like a million miles away, but I guess I kind of understand because of your clothes.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ester said as she raised an eyebrow.

  “It’s not a bad thing, it’s just, a little different,” Angel said.

  Ester wanted to laugh; he shouldn’t be talking based on what he was wearing.

  Angel stared at Ester for a minute and tilted his head as the super blond curls on his head bounced as he tried to find out why she was looking at him like that. “What?”

  “I mean I’m not trying to start a fight, but you look like a shop mannequin.”

  Angel smiled and blushed, which Ester swore looked like a trained response.

  “Aww, thank you.” Angel turned up the charm and clasped his hands together at his cheeks.

  Ester laughed. “I’m kidding.”

  “I know.” And in an instant, Angel’s face was back to normal again. “But I’ll take what I can get. A pretty boy never turns down a kind word.”

  He struck a pose, making sure to show off his small but firm butt, earning him a giggle from Samay. Ester rolled her eyes in amusement. Who was this child? And was he sure he was in the right profession? Ester pulled out a fresh pair of under garments and grabbed her uniform. She looked around for the showers and saw a bathroom sign in the back of the room.

  “Boy, do I stink.” Angel pressed his fingers to his nose. “Don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to hit the showers.”

  “Um, I might take one a little later.” Samay shied away.

  “No judging. I think you smell really nice anyway,” Angel said, as the heat rose on Samay’s cheeks. “As for me, these bad boys need a good scrub.”

  Angel pulled out his bag and laid it on his bed. It was packed to the brim. He struggled to unzip it and when he did, it nearly burst open. He sifted through the items that spilled out, picking through them in search of another bag. From that bag, he took out a smaller bag and dumped out its contents of dozens of tiny bottles and jars and laid them all over his bed.

  “The packing limitations were a real doozy,” Angel said as he scratched the back of his head.

  “What’s all that?” Ester asked as she registered herself to her bed using her wristband.

  “On nothing, just my travel kit. Make-up, nail polish, hair formulas, you know the usual,” Angel said, as if it were common to walk around with a shop full of cosmetics in your travel bag. “A boy has to look good at all times.” Angel turned on his charm machine again.

  “You know this isn’t a clean job; we’ll be sweating and getting dirty.” Ester watched him organize.

  “I know. That’s why I brought my best strain resistant products.” He smiled, reaching sickening levels of cuteness.

  Ester thought at any moment he was gearing up to sell her something.

  “Well, I gotta hit the shower,” Ester said as she flung her uniform over her shoulders.

  “Oh, me too! And I know just the perfume to wear to orientation.” Angel picked through his things and gathered up his uniform.

  Ester stared at him with a blank stare; he couldn’t be serious. This boy was in for a rude awakening or maybe it was just a culture thing. Either way, Ester was amused by it. The two headed to the bathroom which was all the way in the back of the room. There was only one door and nothing was marked male or female. So Ester shrugged, and the door slid open, assuming the distinction would be made clear once inside. Inside she was greeted by a haze of smoke and a thick aroma of fragrances and body odor. She looked around. Both boys and girls were standing awkwardly next to their assigned lockers. The girls huddled together with towels around their chests while the boys tried to hide their peering eyes. The academy couldn’t be serious, even the bathing room was shared. Angel walked past her like it was nothing.

  “Wait, Angel, where are you going?” Ester tried to cover her eyes as she hurried to catch up with him.

  “I’m going to my locker.” His curls bounced all around his head. “Let’s see, mine’s 1-46. Which ones yours?”

  Ester couldn’t believe he wasn’t nervous at all. Ester looked up at the ceiling, trying to pull the number from her mind. “Um, 2-34, I think.”

  “That’s on the right side.” Angel pointed with his bath caddie close at his chest. “Meet you in the shower.”

  “Wait, what?” Ester stopped him right there.

  “What?” Angel titled his head in genuine confusion.

  “I’m a girl, and you’re a boy. We don’t take showers together.”

  Angel nodded. “Yes, huh, in ranger academy we do.”

  “What?” Ester almost looked grossed out. Just the thought of peeking eyes roaming her body made her want to puke.

  “You didn’t know?”
Angel blinked twice.

  “Of course not! Whose backwards idea was it for girls and boys to shower together?” Electricity buzzed through her thick coiled hair as she clenched her fists. Others were looking at her, but she didn’t care.

  Angel shrugged, then went off to his locker. Ester was in a mood now. She wasn’t expecting things to be like this. Even back at home she had the privacy of showering alone. This wasn’t a deal breaker, but she definitely didn’t like it. She found her locker more easily than she would have thought, and inside she was pleased to find it was stocked with squares of soap, a towel, and a robe, all in their house colors.

  With her towel around her body, Ester walked over to the showers. Some of the boys stole glances at her, but she made sure to turn on the ice. She was setting the ground rules early, just like she used to do back at the orphanage. She placed her hand on the door at the same time as some girls were walking out. A girl in the front with bright purple hair gave Ester one look and laughed.

  “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t expecting this.” The girl covered her mouth. “What are you half Labadoran or something?”

  Her friend next to her with a black Mohawk with both sides shaven laughed.

  “What do you think, Zime?” The purple haired girl asked.

  “She looks local, but maybe from the slums.”

  Both girls busted out in laughter. Ester was not in the mood, but swallowed her anger with a glare.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Ester faked a sympatric look. “Are you lost little girl? Judging by your breasts, I’d say you need to go back to your mama’s side.”

  Both girls stood there with their mouths open as Ester walked by them. You didn’t grow up in a house full of unruly children and not have an arsenal of witty comebacks at your disposal. Why were such mean people even allowed in? Ester shook her head. When it finally registered that she was in the shower, she froze when she saw all the dangling male parts. As if she was an insect in the path of a small child, she wanted to jump back through the door in embarrassment.