Chapter 1

The Kabo simulator made a satisfactory thump as Celestia drove her knife deep within the heart cavity, spewing out fake blood.  She paid no attention to the purple mess that was all over her and the floor as she moved on to her next target.  Just before she could deliver the quick, fatal blow, Senica jumped in front of her, wielding a sword, and sliced the Kabo sim into pieces.

 

“That was mine.” Celestia grumbled playfully, searching for her next opponent, black hair streaming with purple goo.

 

“Guess you were just too slow.” Senica teased, moving to flank Celestia.

 

“I won’t let that happen again.” Celestia winked, flying through the obstacle course portion like she had done it every day of her life.

 

“Slow up Celestia!  You don’t wanna show up the entire class again!” Senica joked.

 

“You’re one to talk! Wall.” Celestia prompted, easily boosting her training partner over the wall and jumping to grasp her hand.  “I happen to remember seeing you name on the ‘Most Kills’ list.”

 

“They really need to program the sims better.  I swear!  They only have three variations.” Senica said, following Celestia down the left corridor to a large, simulated ballroom filled with Kabo sims. “You take right side, I’ll take left.”  She indicated.  “And besides.  You’re the most accurate they’ve seen in years!” Senica shouted as she took down two more Kabo with one sweeping motion of her sword.

 

By this time, the training field had been reduced into nothing more than a large puddle of simulated Kabo blood.  The walls made the buzzing sound as they retracted into the floor.

 

“Well done ladies!” Said a strange man that neither of the girls had seen in their two years of training at Battlebourne Academy.  “My name is Mr. Steele, and I’m the head of the advanced training program.  Father has been keeping an eye on you, and he is very pleased by your performance.  Normally, only senior trainers are allowed into the program, but we are willing to make an exception�"that is, if you accept.  You two would be put in a survival team with one other person.  It would be challenging, but we think that you are up to it.”

 

“Each grade is four years long.  That means that all of them are in their upper twenties to lower thirties! They’re kinda old…”  Senica whispered to Celestia.

 

“They are NOT old!  They’ve been training much longer than we have!”  She whispered back.  “It would be an honor to join your program Mr. Steele.” Celestia said in a louder voice, bowing, as customary.

 

“Great!  You will pack up your belongings from your dorms and be ready for your new advanced room assignment with your team at tomorrow morning.  From then on, you will spend all of your time together.  A team must know everything about its members in order to function at the optimal level.”  Mr. Steele instructed, nodding and then taking his leave through the portal tube.

 

“No alone time?  For the rest of our training?  Celestia, that’s fourteen years!  I don’t know if I can do that!  Especially with some random stranger who’s probably thirty!”  Senica fretted as they began to walk to their dorms to pack.

 

“I’m sure they’d let us switch if we didn’t get along.  It’s their job to make sure that we are in the best survival condition.  Besides:  they’re really good at matching teams up.  I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”  Celestia comforted as she squeezed the purple ooze out of her long braid.  “And you were looking for more of a challenge after all.  Congratulations!  You got your wish.”

 

“You’re right.  It’ll be exciting.  And who knows, maybe they’ll make an exception to the three person team rule and make it just two for us.”  Senica winked as they parted their separate ways into their own transport tubes.

 

Celestia put her finger on the pad for identification, pushed the button for her destination. 

 

“Any requests for your room?”  The automated voice asked.

 

“Prepare hot shower�"high.  Prepare new outfit�"casual.  Prepare dinner�"high carb content�"five minutes after shower.”  She commanded.

 

“Voice commands understood:  Hot shower for high soil level, casual outfit, high carb dinner five minutes after shower.”  It repeated back.

 

“Confirm.”  Celestia said, just as the doors of the tube open to her dorm room.

 

“Lights on.”  She said, making the room visible. She walked over to the incinerator, took off her black jumpsuit that was now dyed purple, and threw it in.  Then she walked over to the bathroom, taking out her braid, and got into the shower.  Her skin slowly turned back to its cappuccino coloring as she scrubbed off the sim blood.  The water turned purple as she shampooed her waist-length black hair.

 

“They really could make the blood a little easier to get off.”  Celestia complained to herself as she stepped out of the shower and retrieved her new sweats and a t-shirt from the itemizer.  After she got those on, she proceeded to comb out her hair, making sure that all the knots were out before putting it in a loose ponytail.

 

“I wonder what the meal is tonight.”  She contemplated as she meandered into the living room.  On the coffee table appeared her meal of chicken alfredo with a glass of milk.  “Mmmmmm. My favorite.”  She smiled as she plopped down on the couch and picked up her writing pad.

 

I wake
and the whole world
changes

The day is mine
and solely
mine

I have control
of the person
I am

My actions
My thoughts
My words
They make a difference

It is my choice
to be a positive change
or a negative change

I wake
and the whole world
changes

Because I am

 

            “I just wish I knew what was going to happen.”  Celestia said wistfully, putting down her notebook and starting to pack after she had finished her food.  As she finished packing her few personal belongings, she put on her pajamas and slipped into bed.

 

            “Lights off.”  She commanded, and the room went black.

 

■■■

 

 “Kids, the nurse has something to tell you.”

 

“I have some really bad news.  Mommy isn’t going to make it much longer.”

 

My heart sank like a rock that fell in the water and my eyes started fogging up. I felt like I was going to cry, but couldn’t.

 

“Why don’t you go downstairs and talk to Mommy.”

 

Mommy and I talked for a while and I was starting to cry so I ran up the stairs because I didn’t want her to see me. After I calmed down, I went back downstairs to go talk again, and again I started to cry. I ran back upstairs over and over, not wanting Mommy to see my crying. I felt so lost and so hopeless and I was tired of running.

 

“This is hard for you isn’t it?” I thought she was talking about me running up and down the stairs so of course, my answer was, “No. Not really.” In a careless way, wondering why she was asking a silly question like that.

 

“Do you want to say goodbye to Mommy one last time?”

 

“Yes.” I replied and scurried downstairs for the dreaded final goodbye.

 

“Bye Celestia,” She said with her scratchy voice as she hugged me from a hospital bed downstairs. I was crying too hard to say goodbye back, so I just hugged her back and walked away. Her coffin appeared in front of me.

 

“Don’t you love me? Don’t you love me? Don’t you love me?”  The corpse questioned.

 

“Mom! I do love you! I do�"”

 

 

“Video chat request received.  Do you accept?”  The automated voice repeated, startling Celestia awake.

 

“User name?”  Celestia requested, pulling herself together.

 

“Rivess266.”  The automated voice replied.

 

“Oh.  It’s Meekah.  Accept.”  She told the system.  “Hey Meekah, what’s up?”

 

“Well I know it’s really really late…like two o’clock late but you said that I could talk to you at anytime of the night if I wanted to talk to someone so I didn’t think you’d mind and I kinda wanna talk to someone so I thought I’d try to talk to you and�"”

 

“Whoa Meekah, slow down.  It’s okay. What’s up?”  Celestia said as she tried to calm the emotional first-year freshman.

 

“Well I was talking to my mom through video chat even though I know we’re not supposed to because it’s a distraction from training and stuff but it’s been so long since I talked to them and I just wanted to see how they were doing and I looked in the background of my mom’s screen and I saw that my dad was hitting my sister and I don’t really know what to do I mean I used to take the beatings and I could take it I really could but my sisters have never been touched and I don’t think they can handle it and mom says that everything is okay but everything is not okay and I really want to go back home but I can’t and I’m scared and I don’t know what to do.”  Meekah spewed out and then took a deep breath.

 

“Listen Meekah, do you have the URL for the Enforcers by your house?”  Celestia asked.

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Okay then.  All of the video chat conversations we have are saved on the computer’s hard drive.  Find that video, zoom in on your background image, and post it on their site as anonymous with the address of your house.”  Celestia explained.

 

“That’s a great idea!  Thanks Celestia!”  Meekah said as she logged off.

 

“Time for me to get some real sleep.”  Celestia said after Meekah’s face had disappeared.  She only managed to get two hours of ‘real’ sleep before the alarm woke her up.

 

“Ugh.  ‘It is my choice to be a positive change’.”  She reminded herself.  “Lights on�"dim.  Shower�"low.  Breakfast�"hot.”  She commanded her room as the lights gradually turned on and the sound of the shower could be heard in the bathroom.  “Today’s going to be a tough day.”

 

As Celestia was eating her strawberry pancakes, a video message came in.

 

“Good Morning Celestia!”  Said the recording of Mr. Steele.  “I hope you got a good night’s sleep.”

 

“Yeah right.”  Celestia muttered under her breath.

 

“You will be briefed further when you arrive at your new dorm, but I will give you a general outline of your day right now.  You will have time to settle into your dorm and get to know your roommates, who will also be your teammates.  I strongly advise that you take full advantage of this time and get to know your team better than you know yourself because you will have your first advanced test today, and it will be nothing like you have experienced before.  I expect to see you at 0500 hours.”  He finished and then the screen blanked out.

 

“Well, I’d better get over there…”  Celestia said, not quite wanting to get up.  She put her plate into the incinerator, grabbed her bag, and headed to the transport tube.  She put her finger on the identification pad and pressed the button for the advanced teams lobby.  The tube shut immediately, and the next moment, she was there.

 

When she arrived, there was almost no one in the plain lobby.  As she stepped out of the tube, she saw Senica stepping out of the tube right next to her.  “Are you ready?”  Celestia asked nervously.

 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”  Senica replied, obviously mirroring the same unease.

 

“At least we’re early.  That’s one less thing to worry about.”  Celestia says, trying to make their situation seem less foreboding

 

“Yeah.”  Senica agreed.  “Hey, you look really tired.  You weren’t up late talking to someone were you?  Why don’t you just turn off your video chat like everyone else?  You need your sleep!”

 

“I’ve already told you.  Everyone turning off their video chat is precisely why I keep mine on.  What if something happens and someone really needs to talk to someone?  No one would be on to help them!”  Celestia defended herself.

 

“They can just wait and talk to a counselor in the morning!”  Senica argued back.

 

“Senica, would you have talked to a counselor about your problems with your dad?  No, you didn’t.  And what would have happened if I hadn’t accepted your video call that night?”  Celestia reminded her.

 

“I guess you’re right…”  Senica said, accepting defeat for now.

 

“Senica and Celestia?”  The front desk said over the loud speaker, calling them over.  “Your new room is J1025.  I’ve already sent your teammate there.  You have until 1300 hours before your first team exam.”

 

“Thank you.”  They both said as they walked to the transport tubes and plugged in their new dorm number.  When they arrived, they were surprised by the size of the dorm room.  There were three bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, two separate bathrooms, and a living room with a large window.  The cherry wood floors contrasted well with the white walls and the modern style furniture.  As they explored, they found that one of the bedrooms�"the one on the other side of the living room�"already had a bag on the bed.

 

“That’s right…we have another roommate…”  Said Senica apprehensively.

 

They put their belongings in their separate rooms and got used to their surroundings, exploring all the rooms had to offer.  There were screens in both rooms for video chat, television, or games; an itemizer with both food and clothing capabilities; and an electronic bookshelf.

 

“None of the freshman rooms have anything like this!”  Senica squealed with delight.

 

“Let’s go check out the living room and the dining room!”  Suggested Celestia excitedly.  They ran out into the living room to find the third occupant and their team member. 

 

He sat on the large couch, reading an electronic book from his bookshelf, his dark chocolate complexion contrasting with the tight white t-shirt he was wearing perfectly, making the noticeable muscles seem even more prevalent.  As soon as he noticed their presence, he turned his head.

 

“No!”  Senica groaned in harsh disbelief as she stormed back into her bedroom.

 

“I’m sorry for her.”  Celestia apologized to the man that seemed about their age, going to Senica’s door to try to coax her out.  “Can I come in?”

 

“Fine.”  Senica grumbled as she opened the door.

 

“I can’t work with him.”  Senica cried, her slight, pale body curling up into a ball.  “I can’t trust him.  Why would they put us with a guy?  I thought they only made one-gendered teams.”

 

“I guess we’re just the exception.”  Celestia said gently, smoothing Senica’s brown, shoulder length hair behind her ear.  “Now come on, we don’t have a whole lot of time to get to know each other before our first exam.  I think we should see what this guy is like.  He probably isn’t anything like your dad!  He most certainly doesn’t look like him.”  She encouraged, giving her a little nudge.

 

“Fine…but I’m not telling him anything I don’t have to.”  She scowled.

 

“As long as you realize that we have to know each other ‘better than we know ourselves,’ then I think we’re good.”  Celestia replied as she almost pushed Senica through the door.

 

“Let’s try this again.  Hey, I’m Celestia, and this is my friend Senica.”  She said friendlily.

 

“Hey. I’m Shoru.”  He smiled, not letting any of the past bother him.

 

“So, you’re kinda young to be in the advanced training aren’t you?”  Celestia asked curiously.

 

“So are you.  I’m eighteen.  And you girls are…”  He hinted.

 

“Eighteen as well.”  Celestia finished.

 

“It looks like we have a very exceptional group here then.  We’re the first in the history of Battlebourne.”  Shoru commented.

 

“That appears to be so.”  Celestia said, leading into an awkward silence.  “So….”  She said, trying to fill the void.  “What brings you to Battlebourne Academy?”

 

“Haha.”  Shoru laughed nervously.  “We’ll just say that I wanted to get away.  And you two?  What brings you to Battlebourne?”

 

“Well, my parents are awesome and everything�"my dad and my stepmom that is�"I just wanted to expand my horizons and live on my own.  I made all the preparations myself and they supported me through all of it.”  Celestia replied.

 

“It must be nice�"to have parents like that.  What happened to your mom?”  Shoru inquired.

 

“She died of breast cancer when I was younger.  I barely remember her now.  The only thing that I can really go back to is my writing about that time.  It kinda scares me sometimes how quickly memories fade.  It’s only been seven or eight years since she passed away.”  Celestia said in a far off voice as she tried to remember something�"anything.

 

“That must have been really hard for you.”  Shoru sympathized.  “And what about you Senica?”  He said, both he and Celestia staring expectantly at her since she hadn’t made a noise since they first started talking.

 

“Same as you.”  She said, looking at Shoru.  “To get away.”  From there, she got up and walked quietly to her room.  The two waited for her to come out, but she never returned.

 

“I guess we should take a break?  They can’t expect us to know each other inside and out on the first day…right?”  Shoru suggested.

 

“I guess you’re right.”  Celestia agreed, finding the whole situation kinda awkward as they both retreated to their separate rooms.  Celestia attempted to take a nap, trying to stunt the growing curiosity about their new teammate.

 

Before she knew it, Shoru was knocking on both of their doors.  “You girls should probably suit up.  We’re supposed to be at our exam in fifteen minutes.”

 

“Crap!”  Celestia muttered under her breath as she rolled out of bed and requested a jumpsuit from the itemizer.  “I don’t know anything about this guy!  And we’re supposed to function as if we have been working together since we were born….” 

 

They all assembled in the living room and then headed to the transport tubes to their first exam as a team.  As the tube delivered Celestia to her destination, she could feel her stomach tie itself in knots.  “This is just another practice session.”  She told herself, hoping that it would not be much different.

They stepped out into a large arena with real terrain. There was a lake to the left with what looked like a strncture built underneath the surface, mountains to the right with their own cave systems, a dense forest right in front of them, and a prairie-which they were standing in-to take it all in. They did not get much of a chance to observe their surroundings because a couple of seconds after stepping out of the tubes, a loud voice came on over the speakers.

 

"Hello Shorn, Celestia, and Senica. This is your first exam-and a very important one. This will test if you are capable of staying in the program. You have half an hour to reach the end of the maze as a team. Failure to do so will result in you back as a year one freshman to repeat all you have learned." The voice said. As it finished, a maze of walls appeared in front of them. "You may begin."

 

"Ok." Celestia said, moving forward into the maze. "Senica, you flank my left­�"you're used to that side. Shorn, you flank my right. I'll take head. Stay within earshot. If you see a threat, neutralize it. Communication is key." She instructed as they started running through the maze.

 

The path led into the forest where there were three Kabo waiting behind the trees.

Celestia, thinking quickly, pulled out her throwing knife and hit the middle one square in the chest, the strength of the throw driving it deep into the flesh. As she ran by the body, passing the other two Kabo off to her partners, she picked the knife back up without a pause. Senica, knowing her partner's style, sprinted ahead and, taking out her sword, skewered the sim, withdrew the sword and continued on. Shoru, catching on quickly also sprinted ahead, catching the Kabo's tenticle, ripping it off in a show of pure strength. The Kabo sim, not being programmed for such action, slunk away through the walls and melted into a puddle of purple goo.

 

Celestia slowed her pace for a brief second to let her partners catch up. Her heart was pounding from the excitement of the challenge. This is what she had been waiting for! When her team caught up, she sped up again, darting through the trees into the clearing for the lake. Seeing no reason to stop, she jumped right in. They only had half an hour and they had already used up seven of those finding their way here.

 

The water was cold, as expected, but relatively clear. She put in her portable regulator and motioned for the others to do the same. Instead of flanking her on her right and left, Senica and Shoru switched to over and under her. Shoru, being the strongest one, took the top in case the Kabo jumped in, and Senica took the bottom. They had almost gotten to the end of the lake when Celestia looked down and realized that she could no longer see Senica. She motioned for Shoru to come and look for her. They retraced their strokes to find the structure that they could see from the field. Looking into one of the portholes, they could see Senica struggling with a Kabo sim that was able to breathe water. She seemed to be losing-she was never the strongest swimmer and the Kabo was a natural in the water. Celestia and Shoru were trying to find a way into the structure, but the walls must have restructured themselves to not let anyone in. They just had to watch helplessly as their teammate struggled to survive. The Kabo had her around the neck and was choking off her oxygen when Senica suddenly found the strength, took her sword, and cut off its deranged head, completely inking the water with purple sim blood. They let Senica recover a bit before continuing on their swim.

 

When they got out of the water, they checked the time left. "There are only ten minutes left." Shoru breathed. "We're really going to have to push this last part to make time.”

"He's right. No more mistakes. There's no more room for error." Senica agreed. They continued through the maze up into the mouth of the mountain. The caves presented another problem�"there was hardly any light. "Keep quiet in the cave, and keep close. The only way we're going to be able to sense the Kabo in here is listening for them." Celestia pointed out.

 

They crept into the cave, feeling their way around the stalagmites and the boulders, straining their ears for any sound that was out of place. "Keep moving." Shoru encouraged when the group slowed in the dimmer light.

 

They had almost come to the end of the cave when the world exploded in motion.

There were fifteen Kabo on all sides of them and the team sprang into action.

 

"Cover peace sign area! I'll take right! Senica. Left! Shoru. Back!" Celestia yelled as her knife sliced through the dark, downing two Kabo. She could hear, but she could only focus on her own battles and trust that her team was doing their job. She could make out the sounds of Senica' s footwork as she swung her blade through the major arteries of her foe, and could hear Shoru's fist make contact with what sounded like Kabo throat-a very force-vulnerable spot.

Just then, she felt slimy tentacles coil around her mid-section. Though she tried her best to wound the beast, she could not free herself Then, she felt an explosion of ooze seep into the back of her jumpsuit to find Senica smiling at her. "I thought that one was yours." She winked.

"Thanks." Celestia smiled. The trio stumbled out of the cave onto the end platform just as the time ran out.

"Congratulations!" Said a voice, and in walked Father in person!

 "Thank you Father." They said in unison, bowing to show their respect.

"You three are exemplary students. I think you're ready." Father said.

"For the advanced training program?" Senica asked.

"No." Father said in an odd voice. "You're ready for The Invasion." As he finished, tentacles exploded from his mouth, ripping his entire body apart. The Invasion had begun.

Reviews

[Nicholas Antonio Young]

This is amazing! It's so exciting and filled with action. You're developing the characters very well so far and I like how mysterious Shoru is. It has such an interesting and captivating concept as well. And I LOVE how you incorporated your own poem and memoir into it. It's simply awesome! I can't wait to read the next chapter!! :)

[BatFan38]

very interesting chapter :)

[Ruhan]

Awesome. You won the Creative writing competition for this interesting story.