The Auditorium was already swarming like a busy Beedrill-hive. Freshmen to Seniors, young men to young women, and those well on their way to joining the working world; everyone had a place to call their own in the Auditorium. It was like each student used Double Team, which is why Henry had no idea how he and Amber were going to find seats.

“HENRYYYY! YOOOHOOO, OVER HERE BOY! PSPSPS!!!”

That was, until he spotted Percy towards the back right middle, waving his arms in the air like a madman.

“Do I know you?” He queried Amber once they trudged their way over to him.

“Shut—up.” Was all she had to say before claiming her seat on Henry’s right.

Percy leaned in from his left and groaned, “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you, Romeo?”

“What?”

He jerked his head in Amber’s general direction. “Look, I have two rules as a roommate: One, no loud noises after eight, and Two, no girls.”

“Huh?”

Percy sighed. “Alright, look, I’ll break it down for you since I’m the optimal roommate. Every great mind throughout history has encountered romance as a roadblock. That’s why you and I are going to skip that part. It’s part of my flawless plan to get the most out of our four years here~ By the time you and I graduate, we’ll be unstoppable scholastic machines!”

“And that means no girls?”

“None.”

“And no loud noises after eight?”

“Not a peep.”

Henry smiled. “I, Henry Orion Galileo, herby swear to be a roommate who upholds himself to your standards and no other~”

Percy sat back in his seat. “Nice brown nosing~ Plus two points, Henry Galileo.”

It wasn’t like he had any plans for “girls” anyway. Well, not yet at least. There was so much he wanted to dip his feet into. Where would he even find the time?

A booming howl shook the walls of the Auditorium and silenced the gossiping crowd. On stage was an Exploud, her mouth agape and panting.

“There had to have been a better way to get everyone’s attention,” complained Percy, digging the pain from his ear.

From behind the Exploud stepped a man with a square and solid face. Above his lip was a mustache in the shape of a Wingull’s wings. Beneath that was a beard like the frosted spears of an ice-capped mountain. His eyes were sharp, like a Scyther’s blades. They cut into each and every student they looked over, drowning the Auditorium in a metaphorical sea of blood.

“Ahem. Good Morning, those of the future.” His voice was gruff, deep, guttural. One had to wonder if he even needed that Exploud to warm the stage for him. “Good Morning, and welcome to the first day of another great year. For some, as is always the case, this may be your last. For others, you are just starting out on a grand expedition into the unknown—your unknown. You will be faced with turbulence, as the waves of your own uncertainty threaten to drown you. Hold fast, and remember these words which are about to be spoken to you.”

Stepping out from the other side of the Exploud was a tall, spindly woman. Atop her crooked scowl was a period dot for a mole–one she was lucky hadn’t grown. Her hair was all gray and mangy, like the underbelly of a Mightyena. She stared into the crowd; not at anyone in particular, just the crowd.

“Good Morning. For those who are unfamiliar, my name is Maya E. Cambridge. I’m your Director here at St.Leonora’s and have been for the past forty-three years. I’ve seen many bright minds such as yourselves come and go, and each has confided in me once they’ve crossed this stage to receive their achievement, that these words I am about to give you helped carry them through the toughest of times.”

The Director cleared her throat. “You—are the Universe. And you are here to explore that Universe. The Universe is tumultuous; it is wild and unpredictable. It is vast and cold, with pockets of warmth fostering the grandest creation known to existence. Right now, your future is your own–not anyone else's. Meaning whatever it is you choose to pursue, know that it is on you to see it through to its finale. If the sun were to have cast aside the rubble from fear of never making a decent planet, none of us would be here. So, be like the sun. Be fearless in the junk around you. Take what you need, drop what you don’t want, and never stop building. Look outside yourself; to your peers; to your staff; to your teachers. Use them as guiding constellations, to help find your way to the System of your design. Look within yourself and check-in, see how big that Universe has become. ‘The task of the right eye is to peer into the telescope, while the left eye peers into the microscope.’ Those words were spoken from the lips of the Saint herself. To summarize, you must see the bigger picture–the Internal Universe within you, as well as the External Universe beyond yourself. Only then can you become complete.”

The Director raised a fist to the sky. “Forge Week is ahead, and it is the first of many opportunities to begin paving your own destiny! So, reach for the stars, and grab hold of the one placed there just for you!” 

The crowd erupted into hoots and hollers, mainly from the Juniors and Seniors.

“Talk about chee—sy,” Percy remarked.

“I told her it was just gonna be the same dumb old speech…” Amber grumbled.

Henry stared beyond the pumping fists and the howling heads. The Director took her leave from the stage no sooner than her speech was done, but he felt the impression she left upon that pedestal outlived her exit. Did she have any idea how poignant her words were; what they meant to him?

“Grab hold of my star…”

He wondered which one up there was his.