The Academy

  “Thank you,” I murmured. “I…I will.”

  It was a lie. I laid back down in the darkness and closed my eyes but sleep eluded me. The dream was still too fresh, it’s message too clear to be ignored. I had to warn Kristopher before it was too late.

  But how?

  Chapter Twenty

  Over the next several days I came to the conclusion that there was only one way to do it. I would have to slip off campus in the dead of night, get to a pay-screen in the town that abutted the Academy, and risk placing a call to warn my brother of what might be coming his way if I was found out.

  There was no time to lose. Winter Break was coming soon and with it, midterm exams and the inevitable random DNA tests. I knew full well that the DNA the Academy had on file was a sample of Kristopher’s which had been sent in by my father. We might look enough alike for me to pass as him, but there was no faking a genetics test. If I happened to be one of those chosen to be tested, the secret would be out and the Academy would be looking for Kristopher to punish for our deception.

  I didn’t care so much about myself. Oh, I certainly didn’t relish the thought of losing a hand—it was bound to be horribly painful and the regrowth process was no picnic either, from what I had heard. But I could still navigate a ship in the public sector with a cloned hand.

  Kristopher, however, would never play again if he underwent such a punishment. His skill at music depended on the muscle memory he’d spent years acquiring. He had to be warned to get as far away as possible and hide until I could tell him the coast was clear—if it ever would be, that was.

  The difficulty was getting away while I was under the watchful eyes of my roommate. North and I hadn’t spoken of the way he had comforted me during the night—we never seemed to talk about anything anymore. But he still watched me with that look in his eyes—that unreadable expression that made my heart pound and my palms damp. How could I get away with him watching?

  I decided to try it after one of my late night/early morning showers. North still came with me every night and though we’d had a few close calls when other cadets got up in the middle of the night to relieve themselves, we’d never been caught. I waited until after we were back from our nightly excursion and North was sleeping quietly in his bed, his breathing even and slow.

  I made myself wait fifteen minutes after I was sure he was asleep to slip out of bed. Instead of changing into my pajamas in the closet, as I usually did after a shower, I had put on the same clothing I’d first come to the Academy in. If I was sneaking around the town at night, I didn’t want to be seen wearing my uniform—it would only cause suspicion. In my pocket was North’s small night lamp and a cred-card with just enough currency on it to make a quick call home. If I could avoid being seen and timed everything just right, I should be able to get off campus, warn Kristopher, and be back in my bed by wake up call.

  I hoped.

  Slipping quietly out of bed, I walked softly to the door and eased it open, thankful that it didn’t creak. Then I made my way down the darkened hallway by feel and down the steps the same way. I was horribly afraid I would run into either another cadet getting up to use the fresher, or even worse, a dorm monitor. But my luck held and I got out of the dorm with no problem.

  It was the darkest part of the night and Zeus clung to the horizon like a huge, faintly glowing phantom. Above it I saw a white streak in the sky which caught my attention. What was that and why did it seem important? Oh right, I remembered—it was the Haley’s II comet, named after a famous comet which used to visit Earth-that-was. Supposedly it was positioned in just the right way to be visible to all the moons in our solar system at once on just this one night. What had my Astronomy professor, Mr. Hughes, called it? Some kind of equinox or astral event but I couldn’t remember now.

  I looked up at Haley’s II a moment longer, wondering if Kristopher could see it as well. If he was looking at the comet and thinking of me as I was thinking of him. Then I shook my head. There was no time for daydreaming—I had to move. I put my head down and used the pale light of Zeus to make my way across the campus, always keeping to the shadows as much as I could, until I came to the back of the gymnasium.

  Here I stopped and turned on North’s lamp. It didn’t give much illumination but I needed it to see where I was walking in the dense underbrush. I didn’t know if there were any poisonous reptiles or other animals loose in the woods around the Academy and I didn’t want to find out the hard way. Hopefully the lamp would scare away any would-be predators as well as lighting my way.

  I walked through the navy-blue and shiny black vegetation, making as little sound as I could. Finally I came to the break in the high security fence which I had first seen on the day Broward had tried to assault me after the fencing lesson. I was half afraid that there might be some other security measure in place—an energy chain or an electro-shock turn-back that wasn’t visible from the back of the gym. But to my great relief, there was nothing. Apparently the powers that be at the Academy considered the dense undergrowth and spooky forest to be deterrent enough. It would have been too, if not for the urgency of my mission. No matter how lonely and frightening the forest was, I had to warn my brother. Kristopher, I’m coming!

  Lifting my chin, I pressed on through the trees.

  The way was long and the forest had a haunted feel that made me keep wanting to look behind me. I resisted the urge only with a great effort and kept moving ahead. Several times I was sure I was lost but I kept on anyway. Finally I came to the end of the trees.

  From the edge of the forest it was only a few short clicks to town. I found what I was looking for on the outskirts, without even having to go into the most populated area. There, in a dusty black plasticine booth outside an all-night fuel stop, was an old pay-screen.

  Looking around to make sure no one was watching, I slunk silently into the dusty booth and looked at the pay-screen. My heart sank—there was a huge crack running right through the middle of it. Still, the green contact light was lit and I could hear a faint humming, as though the screen was waiting for business. Deciding to take a chance, I fished the cred-card out of my pocket and plugged it into the slot.

  To my relief, the humming intensified and a small white dot grew in the center of the screen until the entire surface was glowing. Quickly, I tapped in my home number—using the extension for my brother’s room. Then I waited, hoping that Kristopher would be the one to answer and not one of the maids.

  My luck was still holding strong. The pay-screen made a series of beeps and suddenly my beloved twin brother’s face appeared. He squinted at me.

  “Kris? My God, is that you?”

  “Kristopher!” I nearly cried in relief. “Oh, Kristopher, I’ve missed you so much.”

  “I’ve missed you too.” He leaned forward, his beloved and familiar features distorted only a little by the cracked screen. “But why are you calling me now? I thought there were no outside calls allowed at the Academy. Is something wrong?”

  “There isn’t now but there might be soon,” I said. Seeing the confused look on his face, I hastened to explain the situation and the possibility of one or both of us losing a hand.

  Kristopher’s face grew grave. “We cannot continue this deception any longer. We must admit what we’ve done to Father, beg his forgiveness—”

  “Don’t you understand what I’m saying?” I demanded. “It’s no good going to Father, Kristopher. It’s out of his hands now. We would both be answerable to the Academy and they are not lenient.”

  “Then you must come home at once and we’ll run away together,” he decided.

  “And ruin all the hard work we’ve put in to reach our goals? No.” I shook my head. “I must stay right where I am and keep pretending to be you. You, brother, are the one who must run. Get as far away from Victoria as possible. In fact, get off Dianna—hell, travel out of the damn solar system if you can.”

  “Kris!” He looked shocked but I couldn’t tell if it was my rough
language or my idea for him to flee which made him so pale.

  “I’m sorry, Kristopher but it’s the only way,” I said firmly. “You have to get away.”

  He sighed. “Well that at least won’t be a problem.”

  “Oh?” I frowned. “How so?”

  “I got it.” His dark brown eyes, so like my own, lit with excitement. “I got the chair, Kris—in the orchestra! We’re leaving tomorrow to do a galactic tour. We’re even going to go to some of the colonies, outside the Prometheus system—we’re starting there, in fact.”

  “Perfect!” I felt a mixture of relief and dread. I was relieved that my beloved brother would be out of harm’s way—too far away for the Academy to find him. At the same time, I couldn’t help thinking that I was going to be completely alone once Kristopher left the solar system. Alone with nothing but my deception and my fear of being caught to keep me company.

  But Kristopher was already shaking his head. “No, it’s not. I’m not going.”

  “What are you talking about?” I demanded. “Of course you are.”

  “I can’t, Kris. Not now that I know you’re in danger. I have to stay and face the consequences with you.”

  “And miss your chance to play in the First System Orchestra?” I shook my head. “No, absolutely not. I forbid it.”

  He gave me an exasperated look. “Now you sound just like Father. How can I go, knowing that you might lose a hand for me?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” I told him, frowning. “I can navigate a ship with a cloned hand—I use my brain for navigation, after all. But you, Kristopher, your hands are everything you do. You must keep them—and yourself—safe.”

  “But—”

  “Kristopher,” I began but just then the pay-screen chimed a two minute warning. “I don’t have time to argue,” I told him, speaking rapidly. “So just listen—we’ve come too far to back out now. You have already achieved your goal and I’m only a half a semester from achieving mine. Everyone knows that the fourth-form classes are mostly about leadership and commanding troops and getting into the Corps. I don’t need any of that to navigate a ship so if I can just finish out this year, I’m sure I can get a job in the private sector.”

  “But what if you don’t? What if you’re caught?” His face was a mask of agony.

  “Then I’ll lose a hand,” I said, trying to sound more stoic than I felt. “And as soon as it’s regrown, I’ll go looking for a job anyway. I’m already better than half the forth-form students. Anyway, that’s what North says. And I—”

  “North?” he interrupted, frowning. “Who’s North?”

  “Oh, no one.” I could feel my cheeks getting hot and I hoped the cracked pay-screen wouldn’t show my blush. “He’s just…he’s my roommate. He looks out for me sometimes.”

  “You have a male roommate?” Kristopher looked aghast at the idea.

  “Of course I do,” I said impatiently. “The Academy is an all boys school—remember? Don’t worry though, I’m being careful. North doesn’t know about us—nobody does.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about, Kris. I just…” Kristopher looked at me gravely. “I hope you’re being, well, proper.”

  I thought of North pinning me to the mat, of the way he’d held me and comforted me after my nightmare, of the way he watched me. My cheeks were so hot now I was sure they were going to set my hair on fire. “Of course I am,” I lied. “Don’t worry, dear brother, I’m still a lady, under my uniform and shorn hair.”

  He smiled. “A lady, my dear sister, you never were. But that was always what I loved about you.”

  “Oh, Kristopher…” I felt myself choking up—a lump had risen in my throat and wouldn’t go down no matter how hard I swallowed. “I love you too,” I told him. “So much. Now please promise me you’ll go on tour with your orchestra and be safe.”

  His face was filled with indecision. “I don’t know…”

  “Look at it this way,” I said quickly as the pay-screen beeped again, this time giving me a thirty second warning. “If you go, neither of us might lose a hand. If you stay and we’re found out, both of us will. Kristopher, you have to go.”

  At last, he nodded. “All right,” he whispered tightly. “But every part of me cries out that this is wrong. That I am a coward to leave you to face this fate alone.”

  “You’re not a coward to go,” I told him harshly. “But you’d be a fool to stay. Go, Kristopher. If you don’t I shall never forgive you.”

  He looked tortured. “I will go, then. But I shall never forgive myself if any harm comes to you.”

  “I feel the same way about you, dear brother,” I murmured.

  “Goodbye then, Kris.” He wiped at his eyes and I could tell he was crying. “I love you.”

  “I lo—” I began, and then the screen went blank as my cred-card ran out.

  I put my fingertips to the still warm screen, pressing hard enough to feel the crack in the middle cut my skin. “I love you too, brother” I whispered in the darkness. “Though the God alone knows when I may see you again.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Grief blinded me and I wasn’t nearly as quiet or careful on my way back to my dorm as I had been sneaking out of it. Maybe that was how I got caught.

  I was almost to the Goddard building—in fact the front steps were right in front of me—when my view was suddenly blocked by a large and horribly familiar shape. A heavy hand clamped into my shoulder before I could move.

  “Gotcha, freshie,” Broward whispered, leering down at me. “Ya know, Nodes said he saw you sneaking out. I told him he was crazy but looky here—he was right.”

  “Leave me alone!” I hissed, trying to pull away. But Broward’s grip was firm.

  “Don’t think so,” he grunted, pulling me closer. “I’ve been waiting months to get you alone, without North around to interfere.”

  “Broward, please be reasonable,” I said, trying to keep my voice even, though my heart was racing. “Why can’t we just put our differences behind us?”

  “Because I don’t want to,” he snarled, his face turning even uglier than usual—which was saying something. “You think I got up at the asscrack of dawn to be reasonable? I don’t think so. I’m gonna grind you to a pulp, Jameson. When I’m done with you there won’t be enough left to fill even one of your tiny little boots, let alone the rest of your uniform. I’m gonna—”

  But the other horrible things he had planned for me went unsaid. Suddenly a familiar voice was shouting from the window above our heads.

  “You down there! What the hell do you think you’re doing out at this time of the night?”

  Broward froze but I made the mistake of looking up. I found myself staring into the face of dorm monitor Lackson, the same one who had caught me the first night I tried to sneak a shower on my own.

  “Jameson,” he shouted. “I see you down there! Who’s that with you?”

  Broward glared at me, still keeping his face down. “You tell and you’re dead,” he hissed. Then he slipped away, into a copse of bushes around the side of the dorm and was gone with a rustle of greenery.

  “Hey!” Lackson yelled. “I saw that! You—Jameson, stay where you are.”

  Since he had already identified me, I didn’t have much choice. Miserably, I stood waiting until he ran down the steps and out of the dorm to grab me by the arm.

  “Got you!” He acted as though I was trying to run from him though I was just standing there, mute and defeated. I had come so close to getting away with my warning to Kristopher. Now, who knew what might happen? “Who was that with you just now?” Lackson demanded.

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry, sir. It was dark and I couldn’t see him.”

  Lackson frowned. “Don’t lie to me, cadet! You’re only going to make it worse for yourself.”

  He was right but I was fairly certain I would make things much worse for myself by telling on Broward. He already wanted to beat me to a pulp. If I gave his name to the Academy au
thorities, he would surely find a way to kill me. If North and I had still been on speaking terms, I might have risked it. But since we barely communicated anymore, I didn’t know how far he would go to protect me. I didn’t want to be completely on my own with a homicidal bully after me. So I simply shook my head again.

  “Sorry, sir,” I mumbled.

  Lackson’s face darkened. “You bet your ass you’ll be sorry for this, Jameson. Come with me now—march!”

  He dragged me into the dorm building and all the way up the stairs to my own room. At my door he stopped and glared down at me, clearly still fuming.

  “Sir?” I said hesitantly. “Should I…can I go in now?” I just wanted to get away from him, just wanted to lie down in my own bed for a moment and curl up in a ball of misery.