“What did you say?” A voice cut through the chatter in the courtyard as Murk and his friends walked through the parting crowd.
Angel tensed as some of the other students from their class gathered round. Ester stepped forward, but Samay stopped her, pointing to Angel’s body language. He wasn’t going to back down this time. Angel clenched his fist as Murk smirked, waiting to see what the thinner boy would do. Anger flashed through Angel’s clear blue eyes, but he bit his tongue and took a deep breath.
“I said,” Angel stared Murk straight in the eyes, “we’re not listening to you anymore.”
“Is that so?” Murk laughed. All of his friends chortled along with him. “So, the little brat has a plan.”
“He can’t be serious!” Kiakit said.
“Shut it!” Angel shouted. “We’re all tired of you bossing us around. Your reign ends today and if you have any complaints, take it up with me after we pass this test, since following you has gotten us nowhere.” Angel turned to the class. “I don’t know about you guys, but training has been super sucky. I’m tired of working in events I’m not good at, and no surprise, it’s getting us nowhere. So, if you want to follow Murk so be it, but if you actually want to work in the events you’re good at, then let’s get together and talk this out. Who’s with me?”
Murk’s friends stood there with their mouths open. Some of the other students looked at each other and then at Murk. Some started to come around, with their eyes averted they slowly started walking towards the gym. Murk was boiling under his skin. Fermit looked at Samay and they both looked at Murk. He looked like his head was going to explode at any minute. Murk turned and glared at them, turning Fermit and Samay stiff as a board. The two friends laughed nervously and inched away from Murk.
“Looks like you’ve been voted out,” Ester said as she walked away.
Murk took a step forward, but Kiakit stopped him with her hand on Murk’s shoulder. “Forget about them.”
“Back off,” he snapped. “I’m not throwing away my chance to get into ranger academy because of some blond headed twill.” Murk stormed off to training, as his friends scrambled to keep up with him.
At training the track was a mess of tablets and holographic images of Rean and the galaxy. Cadets huddled in groups pouring over pages of previous trivia questions, while others tried their hand at the links. Things were running a little bit smoother after Angel had spoken up, but they still had a long way to go. Captain Pole watched the clock from his stool, his emotionless face was not encouraging, but he made fewer statements today, which some cadets took as a good sign.
Ester watched Angel and Fermit chatter from the sidelines. She definitely didn’t want to get stuck doing trivia or the puzzle and was grateful for Angel’s bravery. Instead, Ester decided to try the links. It looked doable from the preview screen. She and a few other cadets huddled together and watched the replay. She ignored the fact that she had to work with Zime, who didn’t look any happier with the arrangement. After watching the demo for the tenth time, the group moved into position. Ester picked up a link and placed it around her waist. It was lighter than she was expecting. When she turned it on, she was not expecting it to pull her and her other teammates tightly together. Everyone stumbled forward as the magnetic force recoiled, positioning them exactly four feet apart. The group stumbled around trying to find their balance, which was difficult because if one person stepped forward the rest of the group was shuffled along with them. Ester was tugged forward as Hue, another boy in their class, tripped over his feet. Zime rolled her eyes. She wanted to be in the middle, but she was out voted, and Hue was chosen to lead. Ester liked the idea because she knew Zime could be too bossy. The clock started, and the group tried their best to move as one. The course was a jungle gym of blocks, walls, and crawl spaces, designed to be carefully navigated like a ship formation traveling through an asteroid belt. The fastest way through would require everyone to watch their teammates’ backs. Especially for the cadet in the middle, who had a 360-degree view of their teammates and the course.
“I am so over this!” Zime complained after they found themselves stuck at their first obstacle. Zime was on the outside, opposite of Ester.
Ester rolled her eyes and ignored her comment, looking to Hue. “Hue! You’re the middle man! We need you to tell us where to go.”
Zime cast a dirty look at Ester. “It’s no use; he’s too fat and stupid to do anything.”
Ester was grateful for the forced distance because she about ready to clobber Zime. “I swear, why are you such a bitch?” Ester snapped.
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your little friend!” Zime hissed.
“And you liked falling over next to Kiakit on the barrel walk? Because you guys were such the power team?”
Zime said noting, but Hue coughed, gaining the attention of his teammates. Hue wasn’t as outspoken in class, but whenever someone heard a sigh, they knew it was Hue. He didn’t perform well in the other challenges, but he was observant. Angel actually recommended he try the links, despite Murk and his friend’s complaints, because Angel noticed how Hue seemed to point out different ways of doing things. Hue peered around the course. He realized quickly there were many correct ways to navigate the field, but there were some routes that were easier than others. He saw a path that didn’t require much crawling and pointed to it.
“Guys, uh, take two steps left. I think I may have found an easy way through this,” Hue muttered.
Zime looked ahead. “You can’t be serious.”
She whined, but the other four had already started walking. Hue noticed up ahead that there was a small incline. If they kept going the way they were some of them would be hobbling overtop of it.
“I see an incline,” Hue, said as he peered over one of his teammates. “I think we should back up towards the wall to avoid it.”
Ester heard Zime make a smacking sound with her teeth, but she did what Hue said and they cleared he obstacle. They stumbled and repeated their steps many times, but they were making progress. Hue pointed and gave instructions, taking in feedback from his teammates. Ester watched the clock; they were making good time. Even Zime noticed that they were doing well and decided to be more helpful. There was a wall coming up. Zime spotted it. They would have to back up and try a different way. Hue nodded, and they all moved as one. Crawling and squeezing their way through the course, the group finally saw the finish line
“We’re almost there.” Hue pointed. “Now, let’s slow down, I see something up ahead.”
There were more awkward inclines coming up and there was no way to avoid them. The group slowed and made sure to provide as much space to ease the comfort of their teammates that were stuck on the incline.
“Let’s do a one-person rotation left!” Hue shouted and group turned with ease.
They cleared the course and walked across the finish line. The group cheered as they undid their links. Ester collapsed on the floor next to Hue. This had to be their best run yet, but still the clock blared down on them. They needed to improve their time. Ester looked up and made eye contact with Zime. She ignored Ester’s gaze, but there was something different in her body language. Zime stood and barked at the group like she always did. She ordered them to run it again, but this time she didn’t make a fuss about Hue leading.
Meanwhile around the track, others were making head way on their tasks. From the looks of it, this did not sit well with Murk. He watched from the sidelines as Kiakit and Bue made headway on the barrels, barking orders back and forth. Ester could tell the others were taking it in stride, but why couldn’t he just see how much better things were? Ester shook her head. He was just one hiccup in their plan, but she was sure he would come around once he saw how good everyone was doing.
***
It was now a week before the first part of their exam. Ester’s house had been working hard every day in training. The cadets hit the books as well as the gym in preparation for their first house test.
In their first class of the week, Captain Pole covered how the test would be set up. Houses would compete together in a massive relay race. Each house would have a panel of judges scoring them at every station. This was the headlining event of the fall semester and the only part that was open for others to view. This made Ester extremely nervous. Hundreds of rangers would be watching their exam, and as prospective a ranger, it was important to her that she make a good impression.
Angel and Ester left class for the day and headed towards the courtyard. With Murk and his band of bullies at bay, the class was able to decide who was best suited for each task. It wasn’t easy separating everyone out, but after a week of back and forth, they settled on something. If all went according to plan, the test should run smoothly. Angel found an open space on the lawn and plopped down in the grass. Fall had taken root, and there was a distinct chill in the air.
Angel shivered. “It’s starting to get chilly.”
Ester watched her friend rub his hands up and down his arms. To Ester, he was nothing but skin and bones, but he ate like a grown man. She smiled as she watched his curly locks of hair bounce around his face as he took out his tablet.
“You need a haircut,” Ester joked.
Angel looked up at Ester’s unkempt hair. “Um, have you seen yourself in the mirror?”
“What?” Ester pulled at one of her fly away curls. Her hair was as thick and wild as a forest of trees, only tamed by a single hair tie that was stretched too thin into a ponytail. “Okay, so it’s a little frizzy.”
“A little.” Angel looked at Ester’s hair. “I have product to tame that mane, but I might have to go back to the mainland to get some more, because it’s looking more like a jungle than a garden.”
“I’m okay.” Ester pulled her knees up to her chest, thinking about the mainland as well. “So, what are the shops like in Ans-on?” She asked, unknowingly unlocking a hidden side of Angel she was sure to regret.
“A-maz-ing.” Angel mouthed every symbol. “I could live in a mall and never go home. Back in school, I wore every fashion trend, and yes, even the tacky ones. I had to try them out for myself, you know to make sure it was what it was. I personally love the Numa Numa brand for boys. They make the best high cheek shorts and I lo-ve fitted crop tops and everything vibrant, honestly. Oh! I totally forgot about the newest brand of color changing ride suits. I think it’s going to drop in the winter. After all, winter is ride suit season and I cannot wait.”
Ester laughed. She was completely lost in Angel’s fashion talk. “There’s nothing like that where I’m from.”
“Really? How do you survive?” Angel placed his hands on his soft pink cheeks.
“Fine, thank you.” Ester said. “Well, I shouldn’t say Adum is void of shops. We have shops, but in the southern region, where the big trading post are, there are a lot of markets there. But I’ve never been. I heard the fish markets were really cool though.”
“I think I’ve heard about that. We do import a lot of fresh vegetables and fish from Adum.”
“I’m not surprised. A lot of hard work goes into growing the crops for the country.” Ester said with pride.
“Hey, we should go shopping on break.” Angel bounced up and down. “With my express card, I can take you to the malls, and oooh! You can meet my friends! They are so cool.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about break,” Ester said, she had been too busy worrying about the exam to even think about it. “Are we allowed to leave Juw-ja during break?”
“Of course we are! Granted it’s a short break, like three days or so, but I have an express card and can pretty much go anywhere in Ans-on because of my parents. So yeah, we can totally go to the sky mall or something.”
“That’s awesome!” Ester grinned. It wasn’t like she wanted to buy anything, not that she had any tones away, but she would love to see the shops.
“Gotta love rich mommy and daddy; they’re useful sometimes.” Angel picked up his tablet and pulled up a list of trivia questions. “Now, quiz me.” He handed Ester the tablet.
“Okay,” Ester said. “What is the region of our galaxy with a ring of asteroids called?”
“Verlin’s Belt! Too easy.” Angel bounced up and down.
Ester waved her hand up and down. “That was just practice. Next question!”
Chapter Nine
The locker room was bustling with chatter on the day of their first exam. The cadets had worked tirelessly for weeks, and there was nothing more important than the test they would be taking today. For the test they were given special house themed ride suits. Ester’s house, House Snake, sported a blue and silver suit, with the house’s emblem embroidered on the chest on the right. Ester stood in front of the mirror with her ride suit half on admiring the soft light weight feel of the fabric. It was so comfortable; it really felt like she didn’t have anything on. She pulled the rest over her shoulders and stuck her arms through. She zipped up the front of her blue and silver suit looking very official as she flexed in the mirror.
“You look totally hot.” Angel stood behind her with Samay and Fermit smiling in agreement.
Ester’s cheeks warmed as she laughed a little. “I wouldn’t say hot. I mean, everyone looks good.”
Murk and his friends were the last to enter the locker room. Some of the cadets stepped out of his way as he and his friends headed to the back. Samay turned and made room for him. Murk caught eyes with Ester.
“You may look the part, but don’t think for a second that you’re anything more than Adum dust. We’ll be the ones carrying the class, so try not to get in our way.” Murk and his friends walked off.
Ester clenched her fists, but a gentle hand patted her on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry about him. We can’t do this without everyone.” Angel said.
Ester calmed down. “You’re right. Okay guys, let’s do what we practiced. I know we’ll come out on top if we do our best.” Ester threw out her fist as the others joined. “House Snake, the backbone of peace and the distributor of justice. For House Snake!” Everyone shouted and cheered.
***
The cadets stood in anticipation behind the doors leading to the course. Captain Pole stood in the front counting heads and making sure everyone was in line as he limped back and forth. Despite the fact that they had practiced this course a hundred times, the cadets still felt nervous. Angel rocked from side to side. He was sure his heart would give out before he even started. Fermit felt the same way even though he had been through this before. Samay and Ester stood side by side ignoring the bullets of glares coming from Murk. Today was their big day, and nothing was going to stop them from coming out on top. Captain Pole clapped his hands, drawing the attention of his cadets.
“Alright, this is the moment you’ve been training for. Remember, this is not a race against the other houses. Watch the clock and use each other to navigate the course. There’s no need to be nervous, but there is a large crowd of captains and rangers beyond this door. They’ll be looking to see how well this batch of cadets preforms, but all you should be focusing on is working together to complete your task.
Captain Pole walked up and down the line “It’s not my job on the line whether you pass or fail, but it is your career. So, if you want the honor of being called a ranger, then you’ll have to earn it. I don’t say this often, but I am proud of you. Together you have shown great improvement. Remember what you’ve learned. May Rean be with you.”
A muffled roar from behind the door set the cadets straight, followed by a man on the intercom. Captain Pole lined up at the door in the front of his class. A ranger directing the class walked up from behind with a big smile on their face, giving them the all clear. Captain Pole nodded as he listened to the announcer.
“Good morning, rangers, captains, and esteemed guests to the first portion of the second entrance exam into the Academy of the Rean Coalition of Rangers. Today’s exam will test our prospective cadets’ ability to work together and think critically in a
relay style race. The top three highest scoring houses will be awarded a passing grade, and the lowest two will be awarded failing grades. Let us commence with the test by introducing our houses. Without further ado, please welcome House Scorpion!”
The crowds cheered as the name of each house was called. Ester’s heart raced as she stood in line with her classmates.
“Please welcome House Crane!” The cheering got louder.
Ester jumped as her arms started to shake. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Please mother, father, and Sister Genevieve, move over me and give me your strength so I can do my best today. Ester touched the spot where her mother’s necklace lay.
“Please welcome House Snake!”
The doors opened, and the cadets followed their captain into the arena. Bright lights blinded the cadets as the class walked out onto the track. There were hundreds of people there, and they were being televised on a hover screen above the course. Ester looked around; there were so many people here. Bearing down on her were the numbers on the big clock that hung above the course. Ester gulped. Somehow the course looked more intimidating than the practice course they had been working on over the past few weeks. Her house lined up next to the other houses in front of the stage as the other houses were called. Her heart was beating out of her chest, as she stole glances here and there. She lined up next to her friends and stood like a statue as Grand Commander J’Chives smiled and took the stage. He raised his hand to settle the crowd, bringing the arena to silence.
“Welcome, cadets. I know that you have trained hard for this moment for the past few weeks, and I have faith that each and every one of you will do well here today. So, without further delay, please take your positions at the start of the course. You’ll have forty minutes to complete the course and remember teamwork is the backbone of the coalition. We are nothing without our fellow rangers. Good luck cadets and may Rean be with you.”
The captains took their place on the side lines as the houses lined up. Each house had a brief amount of time to size everyone up. It was a pretty diverse mix, with cadets that were really tall to cadets that were on the heavier side. Each looked like they brought their A-game. The clock flashed five minutes, which was all the prep time they got. The eight cadets who were doing the barrel run lined up first, while the others waited on the side lines. In this race, cadets had to wait at their assigned post to start their part of the race. Ester and her friends headed to their post, but there was a bit of arguing coming from the back of the group.
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