Akarnae

  “Akarnae abides by a unique set of laws,” Jarvis answered sketchily. “Our instructors are given free rein to do what they must in order to help bring out the best in our students.”

  Well… that didn’t sound daunting at all.

  “I can assure you that Combat is a favourite subject for many students,” Jarvis pressed on. “Very demanding, but educational nonetheless. Karter is the instructor for that class.”

  Why was she not surprised? Big man. Leather costume. Sword. Total no-brainer, really.

  She swirled the shrinking candy around her mouth, waiting for Jarvis to continue talking about the classes, but his attention was elsewhere.

  “Where did I put that thing?” he muttered, rustling through the papers on his desk.

  As she watched him, Alex unconsciously crunched down on the remaining sweet, chewing until only the stick remained.

  “Aha!” Jarvis exclaimed, withdrawing a small, resealable bag. He indicated to the stick poking out of her mouth. “All done?”

  She nodded and he motioned for her to drop the stick inside the bag. Alex did as directed and, after he sealed it and placed it on his desk, she watched in amazement as the bag disappeared, replaced by a single piece of paper.

  “How—?”

  “New world, new rules,” Jordan said, laughing at the gobsmacked expression on her face.

  Right. She’d have to remember that in the coming days.

  “Well, this is certainly a surprise,” Jarvis mumbled to himself as he read the words on the paper.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Some of your results are… unexpected.”

  He handed over the sheet of paper and Jordan and Bear leaned in to read with her.

  Potential Test: Alexandra Rose Jennings

  Combat ~ Epsilon

  Equestrian Skills ~ Epsilon

  PE ~ Delta

  Archery ~ Gamma

  Chemistry ~ Gamma

  After reading the page, Alex looked up to find her friends staring at her with shocked expressions.

  “What?” she asked.

  Jordan looked like he was about to burst out laughing. “This is going to be a great year.”

  She frowned slightly when Bear smirked and nodded his agreement. What was up with them? She turned back to Jarvis to see his countenance still unchanged from before. “Why do you look so… apprehensive?”

  “I’m just surprised by your results,” he said again. “Particularly for Combat.”

  “Why?” Alex asked. “Epsilon is the lowest grade, right?”

  The three of them stared at her with varying degrees of pity.

  “Epsilon is our most advanced ranking, Alex,” Jarvis corrected. “It’s the highest level of training we have on offer here. Despite all our students being re-tested each year, very few manage to rate at an Epsilon level for anything. Ever. Often the students in Epsilon classes are the apprentices who have been chosen to remain behind for specialised training, or those students who have the aptitude to become apprentices after their fifth year.”

  Alex felt the blood drain from her face. That couldn’t be right.

  “At present,” Jarvis continued, “I believe there are only five other students in the Epsilon class for Combat, all of whom are at least a year older than you. As for Equestrian Skills, there are only six other students in your Epsilon class. One of them is your age, but the rest are older again.”

  Alex considered his words before finally saying, “Perhaps the lollipop was wrong?”

  Jarvis shook his head. “The testing is foolproof, I’m afraid.”

  “You can change it though, right? You can put me in a lower level?” Seeing his regretful look, she cried, “No way—I don’t know the first thing about offensive fighting!”

  “I understand your unease,” Jarvis said soothingly, “but if the results say you’re at this level, then that’s what you are. The testing doesn’t ascertain how capable you are at the subjects, but rather, it judges how good you’ll be if you apply yourself to the training. According to your results, you have a tremendously high level of potential for these subjects.”

  Alex scowled at the piece of paper. “Lucky me.”

  “Hey, at least you’ll have Bear and me in PE,” Jordan said, reading her results again. “And me again in Chemistry. That’s something to look forward to. We can blow stuff up together.”

  “Whoopee,” she responded dryly.

  He nudged her playfully and she smiled despite herself.

  “It’s getting late. I think we’ve all had enough for the night,” Jarvis said, covering a yawn. “Unless you have any other questions?”

  “Dozens, but none I can articulate right now,” Alex admitted.

  Jarvis looked at her with understanding. “My office is always open if you need to talk. Rest assured, everything you require for your stay will be provided for you. Your dorm room is ready and waiting, and your classes will begin first thing in the morning.”

  He handed her a new sheet of paper which showed her class schedule.

  “Any problems, you know where to find me,” Jarvis said, before turning to Jordan and Bear. “Do you mind showing Alex to the dorm building since you’re going there anyway? She’s on the third floor, room seven.”

  Jordan made a choking noise. “Are you serious? Room seven?”

  Jarvis appeared puzzled. “Is there a problem?”

  “You’ve put her in with D.C.?” Bear asked, his eyes wide. “Is that… wise?”

  “I’m sure they’ll get along splendidly.” Jarvis covered another yawn with his hand. “Eventually.”

  Jordan snorted. “If you say so.”

  Alex wasn’t sure what to make of their reactions. What was wrong with her roommate?

  “Oh, and one more thing before you go,” Jarvis said. “It’s probably best if you keep where you’re from and how you came to be here between us.”

  “Why?” Alex asked.

  “Being from another world is quite the anomaly. There could be… certain complications if your story was to become well known. Only tell those whom you trust will keep your secret.”

  “All right,” Alex said, accepting his judgement on the matter.

  “I’m sure we can count on your friends to help you out as needed,” Jarvis added.

  “Definitely.” Jordan smiled at Alex. “We can say you’re the queen of some forgotten civilisation who demands that we all bow down to you. Except for me—I found you first so I get to be your right-hand man.”

  “You’d make a better court jester,” Bear said with a grin.

  “Perhaps something closer to the truth,” Jarvis suggested mildly, “such as Alex being a transfer student?”

  Jordan’s face fell with disappointment. “That’s just boring.”

  “But so much easier to remember,” Alex said. “And besides, you can still be my right-hand man if you want.”

  “I suppose I’ll take what I can get,” Jordan happily agreed.

  “It’s almost curfew, so you better all get along now,” Jarvis said, dismissing them. “Let me know if you have any problems settling in, Alex, but I’m confident you’ll be fine.”

  Alex barely had the chance to call out a quick, “Thanks, Jarvis!” before Jordan and Bear pulled her from her seat and dragged her out of the office.

  Four

  “Allow us to be your tour guides,” Jordan offered once they were outside again.

  The sun had long since set during their time with Jarvis, and now that her adrenaline had worn off, exhaustion was beginning to seep into Alex’s mind and body. Nevertheless, she nodded her agreement.

  “The academy is made up of eight main buildings,” Jordan said. He then pointed to the medieval-inspired building they’d just left. “This fine construction is called the Tower. Most of the professors have their offices and sleeping quarters inside, so if you’re trying to sneak around after curfew or anything, stay away from this area.”

  “Noted,” Alex said.
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  “There’s also the Stable Complex, which is pretty self-explanatory; the Arena, which is where Combat classes are held; the Clinic, for Species Distinction; the Sir Carsus dorm building, where first through to fifth year students live; the Lady Omar dorm, for the apprentices; and then there’s Gen-Sec—the General Sector building—which is where most of the boring classes are held.”

  “By ‘boring’, Jordan means they’re intellectually challenging rather than physically demanding,” Bear cut in. He pointed off into the distance, but it was too dark for Alex to see anything. “Gen-Sec is the massive U-shaped building you probably saw earlier. One length of the ‘U’ is for Chemistry-related labs and workrooms, and another length has normal classrooms for History, Core Skills, and SOSAC. The middle part of Gen-Sec is for the Medical Science labs and other research rooms.”

  “The Med Ward is also in the middle section,” Jordan said. “It’s like our very own hospital, and it covers the entire ground level. You’ll probably be a frequent visitor there, especially with your high potential classes.”

  Alex sighed. “Yay.”

  Jordan grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. “We won’t show you around the entire campus tonight because it’s late and you look like you’re about to drop on your feet. But as long as you know the most important building, I think you’ll be all right.”

  Bear snorted and Alex wondered where they could be taking her. When Jordan brought them to a stop in front of a large square building, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes when he said, “This is the food court. It’s a very important place that will see to your nutritional needs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don’t forget where this building is and you’ll be fine.”

  “You’re such a dork.” She smiled at him to take the sting out of her words.

  “I’ll have you know that I am no such thing,” Jordan argued. “I am the epitome of all things awesome.”

  “I can’t believe you just used the word ‘epitome’ in a sentence, let alone in that context,” Alex marvelled dryly as they started walking again.

  Before Jordan could offer a comeback, Bear jumped in and said, “Can you tell us about Freya, Alex? We already know the basics, since our technology is much more advanced than yours and we have people who spend their whole lives studying your world. But I want to hear it from your point of view. What’s it like there?”

  Surprised by what he’d just revealed, instead of answering, Alex asked her own question. “There are people here who study my world? Could they have a way to get me back home?”

  Bear shook his head. “They can only look into Freya through a viewing screen, they can’t physically travel there. As far as I know, all they do is watch other worlds and glean information about the inhabitants, geography and technology—and whatever else they can see. There’s no interaction, and definitely no visitation. Multi-world transportation is beyond the scope of even our most advanced tech, at least for now. Maybe in another decade or so—who knows?”

  Alex’s hopes deflated again and she resigned herself to the fact that she really would just have to wait for the headmaster to return. “Okay, what do you want to know about my world?”

  While she answered their questions, Bear and Jordan slowly led her to the Sir Carsus dorm, where they took up their roles as tour guides again.

  “All students except for the apprentices live in here,” Bear said, heading through the doorway. “Jarvis said you’re on the third floor, same as us. There are two students per room; Jordan and I have been dorm buddies since first year.”

  That explained their brotherly friendship. Alex wondered if she’d find that kind of close relationship with her own roommate.

  She followed them up an attractive winding staircase in the middle of the building. When they reached the third floor, she was led down a hallway filled with doors until they reached one labelled with the number seven. There was no handle or lock on the door, which was strange. How was she supposed to get inside the room?

  “It’s touch-activated,” Jordan explained before she could ask. “It’ll open when it reads your bio-signature, which Jarvis should have uploaded by now. You and D.C. are the only ones who can open your door from the outside. Give it a go.”

  Alex pressed her hand to the door and it automatically clicked open.

  “That’s pretty cool,” she admitted.

  “Do you want us to come in and introduce you?” Bear offered, albeit hesitantly.

  Alex peeked through the doorway. It was dark inside, but a large window on the opposite wall allowed some moonlight to spill into the room. In the dim light she could just make out two beds; one was already occupied.

  “I think she’s sleeping,” Alex whispered. “I can introduce myself in the morning.”

  “Good idea,” Jordan said. “And hey, how about we stop by on our way to breakfast? We can all go down together, if you want?”

  Alex smiled. “That’d be great, thanks.”

  “No problem,” he said, before they both wished her goodnight and headed further down the hall to their own room.

  Alex quietly entered her dorm and the door sealed shut behind her. She tip-toed over to what she thought was the bathroom, and once the door was closed she turned on the light. It was nice, if simple. There was a toilet, a shower and a basin with a large bench—half of which was covered with her roommate’s toiletries. Alex opened up the drawers on what she presumed was her side and she was pleased to find a new toothbrush and toothpaste ready and waiting for her.

  When she was finished, she turned the light off and crept back into the room, tripping over only once before reaching her bed and crawling under the covers. She would be able to explore more in the morning… and hopefully find a change of clothes.

  While lying in the dark, Alex reflected over everything that had happened that day. Somehow she’d been transported to an entirely different world, and she was now stuck there for an unforeseeable amount of time. It was insane, yet she’d clearly seen evidence of it being true. People in her world didn’t disappear at the drop of a hat—nor did lollipop sticks, for that matter. Of course, it was possible that she really had bumped her head after falling into the fountain at the International Exchange Academy, but she doubted that was the case. If so, her hallucination was certainly lengthy—and detailed.

  No, it looked as if the impossible truth was her new reality, as illogical as that might be. But on the positive side, she’d somehow managed to gain two friends without even trying. Jordan and Bear had already formed a solid bond with her and she felt comfortable around them, almost like she’d known them for years, not hours. She had no idea how that had happened—she hadn’t even had to resort to eating dirt in a playground with them. Though, Bear’s gift had almost caused her to eat dirt, come to think of it. Hmm.

  Another interesting development that she couldn’t quite get her head around was the possibility that she had some kind of gift. There had never been anything special about her before—surely she would have noticed if she could shoot laser beams out of her eyes. That kind of thing was hard to miss, right? Perhaps they were wrong about her, perhaps she was just as normal as she’d always considered herself to be. Only time would tell.

  Alex had no idea what the next few days, weeks, possibly months had in store for her. All she could do was hope for the best, and to do that, she knew she would have to fully embrace her new world, no matter how strange it was. Acceptance was the key, even if nothing made sense to her. If need be, when she finally made it back home, she’d make sure to find a seriously good psychiatrist.

  On that thought, Alex smiled wryly to herself and snuggled deeper into the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable, and it wasn’t long before her overwhelmed and exhausted brain quieted enough for her to drift off to sleep.

  Alex woke suddenly, startled by the sound of a door slamming.

  Where am I? she wondered, sitting up and blinking sleep from her eyes. Memories from the day before flashed across her mind as she took
in her surroundings and, realising that it hadn’t all been some kind of head-trauma-induced hallucination, she collapsed back onto her pillow and groaned loudly.

  A knock at the door caused her to bolt upright again.

  “Alex?” Jordan called. “You up?”

  “Rise and shine!” Bear added.

  She scrambled out of bed, tripping over the blanket in her haste and falling heavily to the floor.

  “What was that noise?” Bear called through the door. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she answered, rubbing her stinging elbow and pushing herself back up to her feet. When she opened the door, Jordan and Bear took one look at her and burst out laughing.

  “What?” she cried indignantly, running her hands through her bed hair.

  “Not a morning person, huh?” Jordan observed between laughter.

  She crossed her arms. “What gave me away?”

  “Just your sunny disposition,” Bear said, still chuckling.

  “It’s early,” she told them. “I only just woke up.”

  “We can see that,” Jordan said, his eyes still alight with humour. “Classes start in less than an hour, so you’d better hurry up or else we’ll miss out on breakfast.”

  “How long does it take you to eat?” Alex grumbled, but she headed to her closet. It was full of clothes, all in her size. She wasn’t sure whether to be creeped out or just plain grateful. Jarvis had mentioned that everything would be provided for her, and so far he was right.

  Alex marvelled briefly at the strange assortment of clothing—was that a cape?—before she grabbed a pair of jeans and a fitted green T-shirt. Jordan saw her selection and shook his head, taking the jeans away and pulling out a pair of stretchy black yoga-style pants instead.

  At her questioning look, he said, “We’ve got PE first up and denim chafes. Trust me, you’ll want something you can move comfortably in.”

  She shrugged and moved into the bathroom for the fastest shower ever. When she came back out, Bear was standing by the window and Jordan was sprawled across her bed, clearly bored.

  “Finally,” Jordan muttered. “I’m starving.”