The Distance Between

by Blair Cousins

  “Are you okay? What was that all about?” Angel asked as he checked Ester over.

  “It was nothing,” Ester said, calming herself. She did not care for that kid; he was way too arrogant for his own good.

  Samay hurried over and gave Ester a reassuring smile, but Ester was pretty much back to normal. She didn’t want to waste another second thinking about that brat.

  “Come on guys.” Ester walked to the door. Her friends all looked at each other, but Ester had already walked to the door and was holding it open for them.

  ***

  Class today was no joke. Captain Pole really worked them hard. It was only day two, and Ester was already overwhelmed. Ester and Angel walked through the lobby of their dorm as Angel rambled on about something, but in her haze her mind started to drift. Being here at ranger academy had been her lifelong dream and she was happy to be here, but she wondered how her parents felt. She wanted so badly to talk to them because so much has changed since she was young. She rubbed her necklace and thought of the promise she made when she entered the orphanage. She promised to protect anyone who was in need, to become a ranger, and see to it that no one else ever suffers the same pain she went through. She just needed to keep focusing on that.

  “Hey? Hey you there?” Angel waved.

  “Oh yeah.” Ester scratched her head.

  Angel eyed her, but then popped back into his normal upbeat mood. “The chapter on intergalactic history should be easy. I mean who doesn’t know the history of our galaxy?”

  “Yeah.” Ester laughed, secretly thanking Brother Isa for practically hammering history into her head.

  Back at their beds, they grabbed their stuff and hit the showers. Even though Ester hated the communal shower, shower time was starting to become her favorite part of the day. The water was always hot, and the pressure was perfect. There was even a hot bath for soaking. This school was amazing. Angel left ahead of her, but she didn’t stay too long because her legs were killing her. Ester walked back to the bed, and her face twisted in confusion.

  “What is that?” Ester cringed at the smelly green paste Angel was rubbing on his face.

  “Facial deep cleanser. Want some?” Angel held out the jar of lumpy goo.

  Ester waved her hands. It looked like week old moldy potatoes.

  “I’ll pass.” Ester sat down on her bed beside him.

  “Suit yourself.” Angel applied more paste to his face as Ester settled on her bed. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, as Angel sat on his bed watching over her.

  “What?” Ester finally turned her head around and noticed Angel staring at her.

  Angel didn’t say anything at first, only stared, but Ester had a feeling there was something he was trying to get off his chest.

  “What?” she repeated, this time with more demand than curiosity.

  “So how come you don’t wear make-up or anything?” Angel suddenly blurted out.

  She blinked a few times. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean lots of people love make-up.” Angel put his face cream down, then felt around his bed for a can of spray. “Unless they don’t have that in Adum,” he whispered, not that anyone was paying attention.

  Ester stared for a few seconds, then burst out into laughter. A few people looked over, and it made Angel a little nervous.

  “Of course we have make-up,” Ester said as she tried to stop laughing, but tiny bursts threatened the sides of her lips as she tried to contain it. She calmed when she noticed Angel was looking very nervous. “We have it. I’m just not interested, that’s all.”

  “Oh okay,” Angel said as he started to smile again. “Your name is very pretty by the way.”

  “Thank you, it’s my tribe name. It was given to me by my mother and father,” Ester trailed off.

  “That’s cool,” Angel said as he rocked back and forth on the bed.

  “Yeah, it was.” Ester quieted down. “My tribe was slaughtered when I was thirteen, including my family.” Ester let the words fall out. She figured he’d get around to asking her anyways and she might as well get it over with.

  “I’m so sorry,” Angel gasped, his hands over his mouth.

  “Don’t be,” Ester said, waving it away. “It happened a long time ago.”

  Ester could see Angel was starting to feel bad about asking, but the look in Ester’s eyes did not reflect the image of a broken child. Instead it showed the face of a fiercely determined person.

  “What-what was your tribe like?” Angel asked shyly.

  Ester looked up, half expecting him to be looking at her with pity, but instead he looked genuinely interested.

  “They were amazing. We were Rean worshippers, like the nomadic tribes in Who-da. We valued and respected all that Rean had to offer. Everything, from the soil we grew our crops in to the animals we raised. Everyone and everything had a purpose and a place.” Ester stretched as she allowed herself to fall back into her memories.

  “Wow, so how did you get a tribe name?” Angel probed with interest.

  “Oh. It’s this whole big thing. When you turn eleven you have what’s called an Appa. It’s like a coming of age party. That’s when you’re considered an adult and given your tribe name. My mother also made me this necklace.” Ester presented it to Angel.

  “Oh my gosh, that’s so pretty.” Angel marveled at the amber colored stone.

  “Thanks. It matches the one my mom made for my older brother. Our tribe was famous for the trade of nice stones like this.” Ester tucked her necklace back into her shirt. “My before name was Glass Flower because I was born on the eve of spring when the new flowers were still covered in light frost. It’s because of my family and tribe that I want to become a ranger. What about you?”

  Angel was still staring in shock. She got that look every time she told her story. Ester cleared her throat and continued.

  “So why would a child of a civil councilor want to become a ranger? I mean you could be a civil councilor. You could make the laws and have sweeping influence.”

  “It’s not like that,” Angel said with a hint of coldness in his tone. “I mean, it’s not that easy.”

  Ester nodded. She didn’t doubt the job of civil councilor was easy. They were in charge of representing an entire nation state.

  “My parents’ job is boring.” Angel laughed it off as he started to wipe his face.

  “Yeah, but you’re rich, and you get to live in Ans-on. It’s like my favorite state. Nothing against Adum-la, of course.”

  “Really?” Angel tilted his head. “It’s just one big metropolis. Don’t you have metropolises in Adum?” Ester gave Angel a vacant stare. “Oh, right.” Angel started to rock back and forth again. “Ans-on isn’t really all that special, though I think the appeal is that a lot of the government is stationed here. Maybe that’s why.”

  “The government? Who cares about that? You guys have a Fried Tuzan and Co.” Ester rubbed her stomach.

  Angel gasped, his face showed a flash of pure shock. “You guys don’t have a Fried Tuzan?”

  “Well, yeah, but not where I live. I think there are some in south Adum in the fishing towns maybe.”

  “Wow.” Angel sat with his mouth open as Ester nodded.

  “See, lucky.” But then that same shadow of coldness washed over Angel’s face again. There was something he wasn’t telling her. “I don’t mean to pry, but why did you decide to apply to ranger academy?” she asked softly.

  An announcement rang over the intercom— lights out in an hour, the voice said. Some cadets were already fast asleep. Today had been a long day. Angel smiled, but it was weak.

  “If you don’t want to share, I understand.” Ester reached up for her light, but Angel stopped her.

  “Sorry, I get asked this all the time.” Angel’s face lacked all of his usual joy.

  He looked somewhat tired and annoyed, like a frustrated toddler— a look Ester understood all too well.

  “Yes, my parents are civil councilors an
d yes, we have more money than some others, but what they do, it’s not for the greater good. It’s for them,” Angel said bitterly.

  “It’s just a facade they put on. They all do it. They all pretend. That’s why I want to become a ranger, just like Grand Commander J’Chives. I want to do some real good. I want to change the world with my own hands, not by dressing fancy at some party, eating hors d’oeuvres and smiling for raises.”

  Ester nodded. She didn’t understand the world Angel came from, but she understood fakeness. “That makes sense. I want to make a real difference too, just like my idol Captain Wildgrass Inspread.”

  “Oh my gosh, yes!” Angel gushed.

  “Well, to the both of us then,” Ester held out her hand.

  “To the both of us.” Angel shook it.

  The two broke the handshake just as Samay walked over from the shower. Angel greeted her, and the two started talking about homework. Ester listened and laughed as they made jokes about how serious Captain Pole looked sometimes. She was really grateful that she had made such good friends. She was a little worried about traveling a world away, but it was nice to find out that good people could be found anywhere, even if a few rotten eggs got in. The intercom rang and in a sweeping motion the lights started to go out. It was still early in her journey, but she felt confident that her house had what it would take to make it.

  Chapter Seven

  Captain Pole stood on the side lines watching his class stumble over the course. It had only been two weeks since they started training, but every day counted. His cadets were determined, but that did nothing for their poor run times.

  “I’m not sure how that’s going to be very helpful!” Captain Pole shouted across the track. He held a stop watch in his hands as he watched his students scramble to carry their weights to the finish line. “Nope! Come on, hustle!” he yelled, still half-asleep as he muffled a yawn with his arm.

  Some cadets lagged behind, while others made headway, but the test would require the entire class to be in tip top shape. Captain Pole called time and gave the class a break. Ester panted with her hands on her chest. Fermit rested on his back, as Angel and Samay walked over with cups of water.

  “Thanks,” Ester said.

  Angel handed one to Fermit and plopped on the floor next to Ester.

  “I swear Captain Pole is trying to kill us,” Angel whined.

  Ester chugged her water. “I don’t know, I still rather do this over classwork.”

  “Really?” Angel leaned back.

  “Speak for yourself,” Fermit said. “It gets a helluva lot harder from here.”

  Angel nodded. “Oh, I know, I read up on it. I heard the second exam is ten times harder.”

  “It is, trust me.” Fermit sat up.

  Fermit stretched and froze when he saw his friends staring at him. He shrunk away, wishing he hadn’t said anything at all.

  “Fermit, have you taken these exams before?” Samay asked.

  Fermit could feel his face getting red. “Um, no.” He tried to laugh it off, but Angel saw right through him.

  “Bullshit.” Angel made a sour face.

  Fermit rubbed the back of his shaved head, but sighed. He guessed it was time to come clean. “Okay, but promise me you won’t laugh.” All of his friends nodded. “This is my second time applying for ranger academy.”

  Everyone gasped and looked at each other.

  “Oh my gosh! What happened?” Angel asked.

  “My house lost,” Fermit said, but he knew that was not the whole truth. He had been running from it all this time, but it had been eating him up inside. “But truth be told, I slacked off. I didn’t take it serious the first time, and it really hurt when my house lost. You get priority to re-apply, but you have to take the re-entrance exam and it’s grueling. A lot of cadets drop out. I promised myself that if I made it, I wouldn’t slack off like I did the first time. I have to become a ranger. I have to honor my dad and everything he did for me to get me here.”

  Fermit balled up his fist. It was shaking, but a hand reached out and touched him. He looked up and saw Samay looking at him and not down on him. He faced Ester and Angel, both nodded. A small smile appeared on Fermit’s face.

  “We’re all going to make it.” Ester stood up.

  Everyone nodded as Captain Pole ended the break and called everyone over. Everyone circled around him, and he motioned them to sit. He got up from his seat and limped around to make sure everyone was here.

  “Great, so your progress on the practice course isn’t that great, but it’s coming along.” Captain Pole found a stool and pulled it over. “But now that you’re getting used to working together, I thought I’d take the time to explain to you the layout of your first exam.”

  Everyone listened as Captain Pole used a hologram to show them what they were getting into. The test was an obstacle course similar to the one they ran through as part of their daily routine, but much harder. The course was broken up into four parts: a barrel walk, a puzzle solving portion, a trivia portion, and an event called links. This portion of their two-part exam was a real house breaker, and the danger of falling behind was real. Most houses never recovered after landing in last place.

  Ester was feeling nervous looking over the course. Captain Pole played digital reenactments of how each of the parts were run, and it looked a lot harder than the practice course. Captain Pole closed the hologram and looked at the distraught faces of his cadets.

  “Relax, we’re not going to throw you in like wood to a fire.” Captain Pole stood. “Come with me.”

  His cadets got up and followed him to the other side of the gymnasium. When he reached the other side, he ran his wristband over a panel next to a door. The light turned from red to green, and the entire wall started to move. Everyone stepped back as the wall folded out of the way, revealing four stations.

  “Alright, so here are the practice stations.” Captain Pole lifted up his hands.

  Behind him sat the four main components of the exam. The first station was the barrel walk, which required four cadets to lift and walk a pallet with barrels on top of it to the finish line. The next station was the puzzle solving station, where groups of three worked together to solve puzzles that required both a sharp mind and teamwork. Beside that station was the trivia station. This was the simplest station because it was strictly an academic focused event. Another three person event, cadets worked together to answer questions about Reanian history. The focus of this activity was to test the knowledge they learned during class and encourage their peers to strive for academic excellence. The last station was by far the most confusing. This station was the last event of the exam and required a great deal of teamwork and coordination. The event named links, was a five-person event, where five cadets were connected by magnetic rings at the waist in the shape of a star. In this formation, the cadets were to use each other’s eyes to navigate a complicated obstacle course. Links was, by far, the most intense part of the exam. To ensure that no one cadet dominated in each event, each portion of the exam was ran twice, ensuring all thirty cadets participated.

  “Okay, now that you’ve seen the course, I would like to add one more thing. The point of you training together and living together is so that you can understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I cannot assign who will do each event; you’ll need to work that out yourself. With that being said, keep in mind that you’re only as strong as your weakest link. Don’t let your pride decide what event you do.” Captain Pole walked over to a desk and pulled out a chair. “There are demonstrations in front of each station. I don’t think I need to show you how they work, but if you have any questions feel free to ask. But for today just give it a try; tomorrow the real training begins.”

  Ester stared at the course. She didn’t like the idea of the class picking who did which event, but that was the rules. She shuddered at the thought of being forced to do the puzzle or trivia part, but the links portion looked hard too. Ester noticed Murk and his fr
iends with their arms folded together. She definitely didn’t want to work on the same team as them. Ester found Angel and her friends, and they walked to the different stations.

  “Boy, is that trivia station calling my name.” Angel clasped his hands together.

  Ester was just about to agree when she saw Murk and his friends walk through the crowd.

  “That’s fitting for someone like you.” Murk grinned, overhearing what Angel said. “But leave the picking to us.”

  Ester was about to snap back, when Fermit stepped in front of her.

  “Captain Pole said that we have to work together and decide who is assigned to each event.” Fermit bit back.

  “Ha, don’t make me laugh,” Murk said. “Bue, what did you tell me about this kid?”

  “He was a fourth year back when I was in school,” Bue said. “He talked a lot of shit, too, about becoming a ranger, but look he’s repeating the semester over again.”

  Murk laughed. “I heard the captain all right, but I’m sure as hell not going to take suggestions from someone who couldn’t even make it into ranger academy the first time.”

  Angel grabbed Fermit’s arm. Fermit’s cheeks were hot with embarrassment as the rest of the class whispered around him. Fermit shook out of Angel’s grip and stormed away.

  “Fermit…” Samay reached out.

  “Let’em go,” Murk said. “We don’t need advice from losers like him. Listen up House Snake. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to repeat this entrance exam over again. Stick with me and you’ll make it in the first time around, I guarantee it.”

  Kiakit and Zime cheered him on, rallying up other cadets to join him. Ester was shaking mad as she stood in the back watching Murk bark orders. Everyone was buying into Murk’s promises, even though she thought he was full of shit, but there was little she could do now. She had no other choice but to follow along.

  Class ended for the day leaving Ester frustrated and mad. Where did this Murk kid get off bossing everyone around? She would give him a piece of her mind, but it wasn’t worth losing house points over. The group studied and rested up for a bit before heading down to the dining hall. Ester stood in line disinterested. Today had gone so poorly. All she wanted to do was go back to her dorm and sleep.