The Distance Between

by Blair Cousins

  Samay’s hand went up, along with a few others, but Ester didn’t see many.

  “Alright, welcome. What about Huma-ko?”

  Some loud hoots echoed through the room, proudly showing their Huma-ko pride.

  “Okay, okay.” He lifted up his hand. “How about Tel-sa?” A few cadets cheered and whistled. “Yay, Tel-sa,” Captain Pole said with the enthusiasm of a person on their death bed. “And Ans-on?”

  And that was by far the loudest cheer.

  “Calm down, calm down.” Captain Pole lowered his hand. “I’m sure all of Rean can hear you.” The Ans-on cadets took that as a compliment and snickered under their breath.

  “And how about Adum-la or Who-da?” One hand went up slowly, and the entire class turned and looked at Ester.

  “Who-da or Adum-la?” The Captain asked.

  “Adum-la sir,” Ester said.

  The Captain blinked a few times. “Adum-la. You’re a long way out.” He looked directly at Ester.

  “I am, sir, but I am proud to be here,” Ester said confidently.

  “Okay, good.” Captain Pole nodded, then turned his stern gaze across the room. “Well, as of today, your nation state of origin does not matter. You are rangers; you are one. Remember your home and let that serve as reminder of what you’ll be risking your lives for every day.”

  The first class let out, and the cadets were assigned chapters of reading and activities for the week. The next period was physical training. The group walked together, following behind Captain Pole. With a tumbler of tea in his hands, he led the class at a quick pace to their next location. Ester walked in the back with her friends. She paid little attention to their conversation, and instead focused on the sandy haired boy and his friends from the locker room.

  “Just our luck we’d get a busted captain to teach our class,” the sandy haired boy said within earshot of Ester.

  “Oh my gosh, Murk, stop.” The girl with the purple hair whined as she grabbed his arm and giggled.

  “What? Am I wrong?” Murk grinned. “Look, even Zime and Bue agree!”

  “Heck no,” Zime, the girl with the braided Mohawk, said. “You’re just mean.” She grinned at him anyway.

  “Whatever. Kiakit agrees with me, right?” Murk turned to his friend with the purple hair.

  “You are so bad, Murk,” Kiakit said.

  Murk grinned. “Well, maybe we need a handicap teacher to slow the pace for the rest of the losers.” The group snickered, but Ester held her tongue as they wandered away.

  “Ester, you okay?” Angel asked.

  “Fine,” Ester said coldly, her eyes focused beyond him.

  Angel looked at Samay with a worried look. Samay gently touched Ester’s shoulder, melting away Ester’s glare. A gentle smile returned to Ester’s face, much to her friend’s relief.

  The class filed in as Ester marveled at the size of the gymnasium. Compared to the modest outdoor dwellings she used to do sports in, this was like a mega upgrade. The ceiling was domed-shaped and high, dotted with skylight windows. The walls were lined with weights, colored balls, and strange machines, some of which Ester had never seen before, but all that paled compared to the huge obstacle course that sat in the middle of the green track. Captain Pole stopped as the class moved around him. Everyone was amazed at the sheer size of the space.

  “Great, everyone made it,” he said with the same enthusiasm he had in the classroom. “This is where you’ll be doing your daily workouts. The first workout block will be focused on cardio and running the course. FYI, the course behind me will help you train for your first exam, so train hard. The second workout block is in the evening after your last class. That block is for body maintenance, so weight training, meditation, stretching—nothing too intense.”

  “During training block one, you’ll be focusing on the obstacle course. To get you prepared for the exam, you’ll run the course three times a day, but if the same three people fall in last place by the end of your training for that day you will lose points for your house.” The captain ignored the communal gasp and continued. “This means you have to hold each other accountable. Remember, you’re only as good as your weakest link. Don’t let them fall behind, try to push them, help them get better.” Captain Pole placed his tea on the rail surrounding the quarter and a half mile track. “The course will get easier, and over time, you’ll be skipping through it.” Captain Pole bent down and started to stretch. “The layout is simple. You sprint the first part, then use the bars to cross the sand pit, then run to your weight packs and lift and carry them to the finish line. Easy enough? By the end of this semester, you should be able to run this in six minutes.”

  He peered at the skeptical students. It would seem he would have to show them. He bounced on the balls of his feet and loosened up his arms. He stared at his cadets before turning around and heading for the course. Everyone stared at each other is disbelief. He couldn’t be serious if he thought they could finish the course in six minutes, let alone him attempting to finish the course in that time in his condition. Murk and his group pushed through to the front, all with smug looks on their faces. Other cadets watched anxiously from the back as Ester, Angel, and Samay found a spot on the rail.

  “I don’t know about this,” Angel said biting his lip.

  Ester watched intensely. She did not discount people for their appearances, however, his leg injury looked pretty serious. She had known of a man who had a similar injury back home. He used to be in top condition but after the accident, he was completely immobile. What was Captain Pole trying to prove? She thought. He’s a veteran ranger. He doesn’t need to show us his skills; he earned that respect by serving.

  Captain Pole took his place at the starting line. The big digital clock on the wall turned on, flashing all zeros in red. Everyone drew quiet. The clock began to countdown starting at five, four, three, two, one. He was off, a little slow at first. Ester could hear the snickers coming from Murk’s group, but soon their laughter started to fade as Captain Pole sprinted down the track. He jumped unto the bars and swung over the pit as if he were ten years younger. Once on the ground, his momentum did not stop. He took off towards the weighted sack, flung them over his back, and ran as if he were carrying feathers. The clock raced with him showing a time of five minutes. He was almost there when, the clock hit the twenty second mark and it was a real race now to the finish. Captain Pole made it across the finish line and threw his pack to the ground. Everyone looked up; the clock read five minutes and forty-two seconds. All were silent when he approached them, out of breath.

  “I’ll admit,” he gasped for air, as he wiped away a light sheen of sweat, “I’m a little out of shape, but you get the picture. Complete this course three times a day, don’t forget to stretch, and help your fellow teammates. It’s not hard. You have until twelve hundred hours, then lunch, then back in class. Is that understood?”

  “Yes sir,” The class said firmly.

  Captain Pole nodded and watched them from the finish line. He gulped down his tea, with pain riddled across his face, but that mattered little with his time showing brightly over the course. If he could still be in that good of shape, then the cadets knew that with hard work and training they could overcome it as well.

  After a good warm up, it was time for them to try the course themselves. All the cadets lined up at the line intent on beating their captain’s time, but once the buzzer went off, they found that it was not as easy as it looked. By the time the cadets got to the bars. they were out of breath. While others sped through the course, Murk and his crew pushed through, leaving everyone behind. Ester was impressed, and she guessed he wasn’t all talk, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of being the first to cross the finish line.

  Meanwhile in the back, Angel and a few others struggled. Angel looked back and saw Samay fall into the sand pit.

  “Ouch,” Samay said as she rubbed her back.

  “Are you okay?” Angel asked.

  “I wil
l be.” Samay stood and tried to reach for the bars once more.

  Out in front, Murk, Kiakit, Zime, and Bue were holding down the lead. Ester couldn’t let them win, so she sprinted when her feet hit the ground from the bars. She raced to her sack and threw it over her shoulders. It was heavy, but nothing she couldn’t handle. She took off, passing Bue, then Kiakit and Zime. Murk looked back in shock at the fact that Ester could keep up. Now the two were in the lead going toe to toe. Locked into their own race, they had completely forgotten about the class. Both zoomed down the course with their sacks on their backs. Murk had the strength, but Ester had the endurance. She forged a gap between them as Murk struggled to keep up and balance the weight on his back. He wasn’t use to competition and tried catch up, but Ester broke away and crossed the finish line first.

  Murk crossed shortly after and collapsed on the ground. He’d never lost a race. Kiakit rushed over to help him up, but he shoved her hand away. He wasn’t sure who this girl was but he wasn’t going to get showed up by her.

  “Nice job!” Captain Pole shouted from the other side of the course. “But why are you stopping? You still got two more runs.”

  Ester and Murk looked at each other and grunted. Neither were prepared to run at full speed two more times, but their pride wouldn’t let them give up. They jogged to the start of the course and set off again.

  ***

  Lunch came, and everyone was exhausted. This was the only time all the houses came together, making the dining hall packed with people. Ester lagged behind as the other students passed her. She was so tired, she just wanted to go back to her dorm and sleep. She groaned under her breath when she realized she still had weight lifting left after her next class.

  She entered the dining hall and the smells of freshly prepared food rejuvenated her. All the smells reminded her of the markets. She couldn’t believe a school dining hall could smell this good. She looked across the hall and saw Angel in line. He saw her too and waved.

  “Wow, you really overdid it.” Angel winced at her ragged appearance.

  “Yeah,” Ester sighed. She wasn’t trying to be a show off, but now she was paying for it.

  The two entered and walked up to the counter to grab their food. Ester paused as Angel grabbed a plate of baked fish and veggies.

  “Ester?” Angel looked back.

  Her eyes looked like they were watering. She had never seen so many food options, and had been expecting water and sandwiches after their amazing dinner the night before. A cadet behind her grunted, snapping Ester out of her trance. She looked through all the options and went for the baked goat and veggies.

  “Wow, people eat like celebrities here,” Ester whispered to Angel, who laughed. “What?”

  “Your life in Adum must have been really different,” Angel said.

  Ester wanted to roll her eyes, but she had to remember that Angel grew up in Ans-on, the most advanced city on the planet. The two looked around for a table to sit at when Angel spotted Samay.

  “Hey, look there’s Samay.” Angel pointed.

  Ester looked out into the crowd and saw her sitting at a table next to the black haired boy who Murk was fighting with this morning. Ester followed Angel to the table and looked around the cafeteria. Ester noticed patches of cadets in different colored ride suits. No one tried to sit and talk to other students in different houses. Even on the first day of class it seemed like every house had already staked their claims. Angel greeted Samay, who waved. They sat down at their round table surrounded by their classmates who sat at other tables nearby.

  “That first training was no joke.” Angel fanned himself. “I’m sure I’m going to need a hot bath after that one.”

  Samay agreed. “I hope every day won’t be that intense.”

  Ester listened as she ate, but she was more curious about the boy sitting a seat away from them.

  “I don’t know what was harder,” Angel said. “That entrance exam or this training.”

  Samay nodded.

  “What do you think, Ester?” Angel asked.

  Ester jumped and scratched her head. “What was the question again?”

  Angel laughed. “You are like the queen of zoning out. I was saying that I don’t know what’s harder the entrance exam or this training.”

  “Oh, the entrance exam for sure. I studied so hard and I still felt like I didn’t cover enough.” Ester said.

  “Yes!” Angel said. “My parents even hired me a tutor, and I felt like I barely earned a good score. I mean I got my score card and managed to get a seven out of ten. Like that test was seriously hard.”

  “I got the same score,” Ester groaned. “What about you, Samay?”

  Samay jumped, then sunk her head lower as her cheeks got warm. “Um, I...”

  Angel gasped. “If it’s bad you don’t have to say.”

  “I uh, actually got a ten out of ten.” Samay shied away. “But I still thought the test was super hard. My parents made me study every day.”

  Ester and Angel looked at her with their jaws wide open.

  “Really, guys, it wasn’t a walk in the park,” Samay said as Angel fussed over how cool that was.

  Ester laughed, but noticed the boy sitting next to them staring at them. She noticed a grin appear on his face as he watched Angel rave over Samay.

  “Hey, I’m Ester.” She extended her hand to him.

  The boy froze. “I-I’m Fermit.”

  “Sorry that jerk Murk was picking on you this morning. He seems like a real prick.”

  Fermit laughed a little. “Yeah, for sure.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Angel said. “You’re that boy who totally killed it on the bars today.”

  Fermit forced a smile as he tried to make himself look small, but it was no use with Angel around. Once Angel focused on something, it was thrust into the spotlight. Samay and Ester smiled as Angel fussed over him too. Ester sat and listened as the conversation turned from training to tele-dramas. This was fun, even if half the time she didn’t know what everyone was talking about. She was just happy to have made some new friends. If she played her cards right, these would be the people she would help protect the world with.

  Chapter Six

  After a good night’s rest the class was ready to begin their next day. Ester wasn’t going to overdo it today like she did yesterday. The last thing she wanted to do was lose her house any points. The cadets shuffled in under the baggy gaze of their captain who sat in the front of class at his desk in the corner near the window. The topic of the day was projected on the holoscreen, and the cadets pulled out their books to follow along. At zero seven hundred hours, the captain stood and put his half-finished breakfast on his desk.

  “Okay cadets, welcome back. I hope you had fun yesterday running the course because it’s going to be your new best friend for the next few weeks.” The Captain masked a burp behind his arm. “Excuse me.”

  He looked behind him at the topic projected on the holoscreen. “Right, so I talked briefly about the first exam yesterday, but I’m going to go into a little more detail because it’ll be here sooner than you think. I personally think the first test on teamwork and accountability personally is the easiest, but surprisingly, every year houses fail. The test consists of a series of group relays with a combination of academics and training elements. Meaning, you have to know your Rean and intergalactic history, and you have to be able to navigate the obstacle course. And yes, even for non-combat roles, you need to be combat ready for any situation.”

  Captain Pole grunted as he stretched a little. “Also, let me re-remind you about house points. Just because there’s only one of me, that doesn’t mean I don’t see all of you or let me re-phrase, it doesn’t mean the higher ups can’t see you. Furt.” The Captain called a name, and a young skinny boy jumped up.

  “Y-yes sir.”

  “You cut the last part of the course back in training yesterday. The house loses one point.” There were groans and boos coming from all his classmates as Furt
cowered in shame. “I’ll make it two if I hear any more complaining. You are all responsible for each other’s progress. Instead of focusing on who finishes first, focus on keeping your team together.” The Captain eyed Ester and Murk, who both lowered their heads in embarrassment. “Okay, for our lesson today, let’s start with pre-treaty intergalactic history.”

  ***

  The class ended and everyone made their way to the training course. Ester felt so embarrassed back in class. She really showed off yesterday when she should have been focusing on the objective. She walked beside her friends to the gym and listened as they talked about the chapters assigned in class.

  “I can’t believe how much more there is to intergalactic history,” Samay said.

  “Oh yes!” Angel said. “Trust me, wait to we get to the section on Labadora.”

  Fermit groaned as Ester loosened up a bit. She wasn’t a fan of studying, but in academy they were learning new things which interested her way more than the dulled down topics she learned in school back home. Angel walked through the door first, along with Samay and Fermit. Ester followed behind, but felt a strong hand on her arm.

  “Hey,” Murk called, “you’re not like the rest of these second rank cadets.”

  He grinned with his arms folded on his chest. Behind him stood his friends: Kiakit, Zime, and Bue, a boy with short dark brown dreadlocks. A flash of anger flickered in Ester’s eyes.

  “What do you say you ditch those losers you call friends and join up with us? We’re going to carry this house to the top, and it’d be wise to join someone who will get you there,” Murk said.

  “Like hell I would!” Ester said loud enough for everyone to hear.

  Samay stopped and turned around, as other classmates stopped and listened. Angel and Fermit heard the commotion outside and exited to see what was going on. Murk scoffed.

  “Fine, suit yourself. Go ahead and align yourself with worthless twills, see if I care. Just stay out of my way.” Murk and his friends pushed past Ester.

  Angel and the others stepped out of Murk’s way as he stormed into the gymnasium. Angel rushed over to Ester as the cadets in the hallway dissipated.