I accepted my invitation to the Charter Trials yesterday after reminding myself the reason I'm doing it is to find Mom and not to please Cameron and Gemma. I already bid my goodbye to them yesterday after the call, just in case they're right and get abandoned.
Iris texted me this morning to tell me she accepted her invite, too, and we are on the same flight out of Ceclis in about 4 hours. That's the thing about these trials - they move quick. You apply, a few days later you get a decision, and a day or two after that you are on the next flight out to Grympoint on Olu. I've only been there once when Celia did her trial. It is beautiful, yet terrifying. Its gothic appearance towers over you with an aura that justifies the name - grim. It's a black castle with kings and queens, princes and princesses, and us as the peasants. Then you have whatever's above a king and queen - an emperor? - who will be greeting us at the entrance for the Commencement. The highest-ranked person in Ocalia. My nerves are shot about both meeting her and trying to get this luggage closed as I sit on it. Ugh.
The spaceport here is intensely modern - the complete opposite of Grayne's antique appearance. Walls are replaced with windows on either side of the walkway, seamlessly transitioning to the outdoors. Trees, bushes, weeds, and flowers line the path I'm walking to maintain the 'man supports nature' propaganda that condemns human history on Earth. The building is shaped like a dome, with tunnels that connect other domes. I am not entirely sure of the reason for the architecture other than aesthetics, but I have to admit - it looks cool.
A wayfinding sign indicates SpaceWay 7B is coming up on my right, where my spaceplane awaits to take me to my probable death. I've regretted this decision all day, but Iris found a way to pump me up. Knowing I already have an ally going into this does alleviate a few concerns.
"Quinny!" Luka runs in front of me, hoisting his suitcase in the air, followed by a feeble attempt at catching it as it comes down. Four other guys are with him and now I'm intimidated as shit. Here we go. "You're on this flight, too? I can't believe they let your ass in." He reaches towards me and snatches my boarding pass from the side pocket of my backpack. I guess he didn't learn his lesson last time.
"This is him?" The tall guy with long, jet-black hair points his finger at me as if I'm an artifact on display.
"Yeah," Luka eyes me up and down in disgust. I can feel my face turning red. "I guess I'll have to take initiative and handle things myself. We can't have more traitors in the Charter. It's a disservice to everyone in Ocalia." The group of them laugh and I'm frozen. My worst nightmare. It's like high school all over again. I was the outcast who sat in the corner and read books all day avoiding any socialization for as long as possible. I stare at these guys, who are eagerly waiting for my attempt at a comeback. Do they know I busted Luka's nose the other day? Do they know Luka's not the 'leader' he's pretending to be in this posse?
"Hey, dickhead!" Someone shouts from behind them. They turn simultaneously.
A girl, much taller than me, struts towards Luka, her pin-straight blonde hair layered beautifully over her black cropped sweatshirt. Leather studded boots hit the ground hard with each step she takes as if she's a model on a runway. Her look resembles Grympoint, as if she were the designer. I recognize her from the ceremony as the girl Iris warned me about, but don't remember her name. I didn't get to speak with her.
"Didn't you already get your ass handed to you by him before?" She stops a few inches from Luka, arms crossed, taking a few beats to shoot her blue eyes at me and back.
"Please, a baby can hit your nose and make it bleed," he responds. He turns to his group and nods as if seeking approval for his words. They just laugh.
"You're a Second, right? Don't you have to go pick up someone's dry-cleaning or something?" Another guy from the group speaks.
"Ha. Ha," she mocks. "You're hilarious. Unfortunately for you, I joined the trials this year."
"And?" Luka chimes back in, stepping a little bit closer to her. The girl's eyes narrow and it's evident she's getting pissed.
"You know how the trials work right?" Her pitch increases like speaking to a toddler. "Two hundred go in, ten come out," She inches a little closer to him until she's practically in his face, darting her finger into his chest. "Gonna be awfully hard for you to be one of those ten when half of the candidates want to kill you first."
Nobody speaks. Silence prevails. Luka and this girl are a step away from kissing. I want to know why she's defending me.
"Better yet - I'll make it a point to kill you first." She smiles with pride, snatching my boarding pass from his hand. The reminder that the trials are extremely deadly makes my heart sink and regret resurface. I didn't know only ten came out. I thought it was just whoever survived. That can't be true, right?
Luka whispers something to the black-haired boy and the group starts walking away in unison mumble. The girl approaches me with her hand outstretched. I grab my pass.
"Thank you," I mutter, embarrassed but also intimidated. She seems brutal. I don't want her targeting me in there. "You didn't have to–"
"Relax passboy. No big deal," She smirks at her horrible nickname for me. "I can't stand the Harrisons anyway. I would give anything to sucker punch that kid into Kojo." Her hand rises to her mouth as she starts biting her nails. "You're Calum, yeah? We didn't get a chance to meet the other day." With the same fingers that were just in her mouth, she initiates a handshake. I hesitate but oblige.
"Yeah, I'm Calum."
"Cassiopeia Page," she states her name proudly as if she's rehearsed the greeting a million times, and I instantly remember seeing her at the Enlistment Ceremony on the poster. "Obviously I go by just Cassi, but leave the 'e' off at the end. I hate it."
I laugh. This is only the second 'ally' (I think we're allies?) I've made before the Charter Trial and her personality is completely opposite from Iris's. Maybe it's a good thing to have both ends of the spectrum. "So, you're a Second? I'm sorry, I don't really know what that is." My head lowers slightly, ashamed that I seem uneducated.
"It's okay, most people don't. Basically an assistant to a Charter. I help them on expeditions and stuff with very basic tasks. Or, basically help them with their personal lives when we're back on base. Just someone's bitch."
"That's so cool, I didn't even know that was a thing. I don't remember my Mom having a Second," We start walking towards the terminal.
"Oh, they weren't a thing until your Mom vanished. Seconds were made so Charters would have more backup if expeditions didn't go as planned. She's like, the founding mother." Cassi laughs. "Theo's fun to work for. He lets me do things on expeditions that I'm not supposed to. We do things, too, we're not supposed to do." My eyes dart at her and she winks. Gross.
I ignore the TMI she just unfortunately shared "You're Theo's second? I met him for the first time a few days ago."
"That's how I knew who you were. He talks about you a lot. Kinda weird, for real."
We approach the waiting area at 7B– an auditorium of seats encased in a glass dome with triangular panels. The tunnel behind the service desk leads to the launch pad, where our spaceplane sits in a vertical position waiting for its passengers. Massive engines the same height as the spaceport itself take up most of the view. The room is filled to the brim with candidates mingling with candidates – my worst nightmare. I am not a networking person at all. If you come up to me, great, I'll talk. Otherwise, expect me to be quiet.
"Cassi!" Another girl on the far East side shouts her name with her hand waving frantically in the air. Must be an old friend.
Cassi waves back. "Later, passboy," She pats my shoulder as she strides away, calling back. "See you at Grympoint!"
And now I'm alone. Finally. I scan the room from corner to corner looking for Iris, but she's nowhere to be found. Our flight leaves soon and it almost makes me wonder if she changed her mind. I pull out my phone and text her. She responded immediately as if she was waiting for me to text.
I'm at the terminal, wya?
Omg im so sorry. I forgot to tell you they
moved me to a different flight. I'm at 12A now but we
leave like 10 mins after you
How are you gonna leave me alone
to mingle with these people? so rude🙄
You will be okay lol
Hope your face looks better 🤣
It's still ugly, thanks for the reminder
You're welcome ❤️
I smile dumbly at the phone screen and deposit it into my pocket. 20 minutes until we board. I can make it.
Somehow, I hit it lucky and the seat next to me was empty, so I got to catch up on sleep for the entire four hours. I guess nobody wants to sit in the back near the bathrooms, but I don't mind smelling a little bit of poo if it means I don't have to make awkward small talk.
I look down at the aisle. Cassi is the only passenger standing. She's talking to one of the flight attendants, both of them with expressions one would have if they'd just seen a ghost. The attendant appears as if she's on the brink of tears. Cassi turns around to someone sitting in the seat next to her and bends down to whisper. I straighten my back and sit up.
Row by row, the chatter gets louder, and the tension in the air grows like the pressure in the cabin is building. Something is wrong. A slight flicker of panic lights in my heart as the chatter gets closer and closer. The two girls in front of me cover their mouths and look at each other with a gasp. It's starting to irritate me that I don't know what it is.
"What's going on?" I lean forward through the space between their seats. The brunette girl to the right is starting to cry and the thudding in my chest grows.
"One of the flights," She talks while choking back her emotions. "They're saying it imploded."
Imploded? I've heard of this happening before, but it's so rare. Terror hits me like a wrecking ball. "A flight to Grympoint?" I shudder, looking back and forth between them. "Which flight?" My fists are clenched on the seat, clinging to hope that it's not what I'm thinking. My face starts burning and the brunette starts sobbing before she can answer my question, but I hear someone towards the front shout it out.
Flight 12A imploded.
End of Episode 6
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