away. Did he know her?
"We have a total of fifty-eight students here at this very moment," President Pierce said. "It is an average class for us and you may think it small. Well, recruits, it will only get smaller from here. At least half of you will be gone by the end of the semester. Some will quit while others will be asked to leave and finish up the semester at a location away from this campus. I implore you to not waste our time or yours."
The girl looked at him again, but she didn't turn away this time. She pulled her platinum blonde hair back in a tight ponytail. She stared, her eyes the color of an autumn sky. She grinned and sipped on her drink.
"Should you want to leave, I ask you to go to the statue of the sword past the lawn. Place your hand on the hilt of the sword and Security Chief Sharkey, who I believe you all have met at one time or another, will be there shortly to meet you. Neither you or your family will be charged for your time here at Tizona."
Pierce stopped at the front of the room and leaned against one of the buffet tables. "But," he said in a much softer voice, "if you decide to stay, if you decide this school has something to offer, if you decide greatness and honor is part of your future, then I welcome you."
He stood with outstretched arms. "I welcome you!"
Pierce took another look over the room. Austin met his gaze. Pierce smiled and marched between the tables, his eyes fixed on the door. When he stepped out of the mess hall, the groan of conversation resumed.
Austin looked back to the table with the blond. She stood and walked out.
*****
The shadows grew long across the Grand Lawn as Austin prepared to spend his first night at Tizona. Insects crackled. A cool breeze drifted from the swamp as the temperature subsided.
Austin thrust his hands in his pockets and strolled across the gravel path between the Grand Lawn and Terminus. Lights flickered on from various floors. Students filing out of the mess hall scattered in different directions. Four guys tossed a football while the majority walked toward Terminus. One guy challenged others to a LAN party, but some rejected the idea in favor of studying.
Austin headed back to his room.
As he passed by the different dorm rooms with their doors open, students lounged on their beds with their noses stuck in books, laptops or tablets. Across from his room, a guy with curly blond hair wearing nothing but socks and boxers sat in a beanbag chair on the floor. He played a console game on a small television sitting on top of egg crates.
"'Sup!" he called without turning from the video game.
"Hey," Austin said. He lingered in the hallway before shuffling into his own room.
He unzipped his uniform down to the stomach and sighed, collapsing in his chair. He flipped through the packet. His first class, calculus, started at eight in the morning followed by biology and cartography. Lunch would follow and the afternoon was booked with physics, astronomy and physical training.
Weird schedule, he thought and rolled his neck around on his shoulders.
"Uh, hello?"
Austin turned. A student who appeared years younger than Austin, stood in the doorway and stared back through thick black-rimmed glasses. "Yes?"
"I'm Stetson Levien and this is my room," he said, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, hey, I'm Austin Stone." He stood and shook his hand with a soft and lifeless grip. "I guess I'm your roommate."
"Ah, I guess you are." Stetson shuffled to his own desk.
The guy carried a blue laptop case tucked under his arm. He unhooked the case and produced a state-of-the-art computer with slick neon green stripes and colorful stickers on the back. He started the computer and sat as it booted.
Austin stood in the center of their room, unsure if Stetson finished speaking. He shrugged and sat at his desk.
"Damn it!" a student yelled from across the hall, tossing his controller across the room.
Stetson sighed and stood. He shuffled to the
"We have a total of fifty-eight students here at this very moment," President Pierce said. "It is an average class for us and you may think it small. Well, recruits, it will only get smaller from here. At least half of you will be gone by the end of the semester. Some will quit while others will be asked to leave and finish up the semester at a location away from this campus. I implore you to not waste our time or yours."
The girl looked at him again, but she didn't turn away this time. She pulled her platinum blonde hair back in a tight ponytail. She stared, her eyes the color of an autumn sky. She grinned and sipped on her drink.
"Should you want to leave, I ask you to go to the statue of the sword past the lawn. Place your hand on the hilt of the sword and Security Chief Sharkey, who I believe you all have met at one time or another, will be there shortly to meet you. Neither you or your family will be charged for your time here at Tizona."
Pierce stopped at the front of the room and leaned against one of the buffet tables. "But," he said in a much softer voice, "if you decide to stay, if you decide this school has something to offer, if you decide greatness and honor is part of your future, then I welcome you."
He stood with outstretched arms. "I welcome you!"
Pierce took another look over the room. Austin met his gaze. Pierce smiled and marched between the tables, his eyes fixed on the door. When he stepped out of the mess hall, the groan of conversation resumed.
Austin looked back to the table with the blond. She stood and walked out.
*****
The shadows grew long across the Grand Lawn as Austin prepared to spend his first night at Tizona. Insects crackled. A cool breeze drifted from the swamp as the temperature subsided.
Austin thrust his hands in his pockets and strolled across the gravel path between the Grand Lawn and Terminus. Lights flickered on from various floors. Students filing out of the mess hall scattered in different directions. Four guys tossed a football while the majority walked toward Terminus. One guy challenged others to a LAN party, but some rejected the idea in favor of studying.
Austin headed back to his room.
As he passed by the different dorm rooms with their doors open, students lounged on their beds with their noses stuck in books, laptops or tablets. Across from his room, a guy with curly blond hair wearing nothing but socks and boxers sat in a beanbag chair on the floor. He played a console game on a small television sitting on top of egg crates.
"'Sup!" he called without turning from the video game.
"Hey," Austin said. He lingered in the hallway before shuffling into his own room.
He unzipped his uniform down to the stomach and sighed, collapsing in his chair. He flipped through the packet. His first class, calculus, started at eight in the morning followed by biology and cartography. Lunch would follow and the afternoon was booked with physics, astronomy and physical training.
Weird schedule, he thought and rolled his neck around on his shoulders.
"Uh, hello?"
Austin turned. A student who appeared years younger than Austin, stood in the doorway and stared back through thick black-rimmed glasses. "Yes?"
"I'm Stetson Levien and this is my room," he said, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, hey, I'm Austin Stone." He stood and shook his hand with a soft and lifeless grip. "I guess I'm your roommate."
"Ah, I guess you are." Stetson shuffled to his own desk.
The guy carried a blue laptop case tucked under his arm. He unhooked the case and produced a state-of-the-art computer with slick neon green stripes and colorful stickers on the back. He started the computer and sat as it booted.
Austin stood in the center of their room, unsure if Stetson finished speaking. He shrugged and sat at his desk.
"Damn it!" a student yelled from across the hall, tossing his controller across the room.
Stetson sighed and stood. He shuffled to the
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