Qualify (20 page)

Seriously, I am fortunate that I can remain seated without keeling over and tripping over my own legs, or my feet snagging on the coffee table before us. It could be worse; I could be having an attack of the hiccups, loss of bladder control, or spontaneous drooling.

Good thing Logan seems to be unaware of my discomfort. Neither is Gracie or anyone else in this lounge group.

“Yeah, can you believe it, we get to fight with swords! Real swords!” a freckled redhead younger boy keeps saying. His name is Charlie Venice, and he is sitting on the other side of Gracie, and sort of hitting on her. And by hitting on her, I mean, he is being loud and saying dumb things in a stupid voice and constantly grinning obnoxiously. His token is glowing red—about as red as his hair and freckles.

Gracie is oblivious, because I notice she is chattering with everyone, and looking over at Logan, and at the guy on the other side of him, who introduced himself as Daniel Tover.

“So, people. We made it this far. Now what are all your plans to make it all the way? To Qualify?” Daniel leans forward, speaking to everyone in general. He’s dark haired, older, with a large-featured pleasant face and a slightly crooked nose. His expression is steady and comfortable. “I mean, we passed the initial tests, and now we have all this bizarre training. What do you think it is all leading up to?”

“Yeah, what’s up with all that fighting stuff? And the four color Quadrants? It’s like we’re in a creepy color-coordinated camp,” a petite and pretty brown-haired girl says. Her name’s Mia Weston, and she is also a Red. As far as I know, I am the only Yellow in the room.

Logan is watching me—I know with my peripheral vision, even though I am trying to look straight ahead while pretending to be fascinated with what Mia is saying. He definitely must be looking at my yellow token. That must be it, there’s no other reason for him to be looking at me.

“So, Yellow Dorm,” Logan says, turning his face at me, and leaning in closer. “What was your Combat like? I’m curious what’s it like to have to work with nets and cords—or whatever they call it. Swords and blades are intuitive, but the Yellow Quadrant weapons seem very complicated.”

“It’s pretty weird, I guess,” I say, trying not to look directly into his eyes, while my cheeks begin to warm up again. “We didn’t get to do anything with them yet, only watched the demo. The two Instructors were showing us all the four types of weapons. I have to admit, they were really something! Amazing moves!”

“Were they also stuck-up a-holes, like our Instructors?” Gracie laughs, nudging me.

“Kind of, yeah,” I say. “But then they’re
astra daimon
, which I suppose gives them some kind of excuse for having an attitude.”

“Oh, really?” Logan looks at me with even more interest. “I’ve heard that term used today in Culture class. Isn’t that supposed to be their highest elite Pilot rank?
Astra daimon
means something like ‘star demon?’”

“Is that what that means? I didn’t know,” I mutter. “Okay, yes, that would make total sense, since Ancient Atlantean shares linguistic roots with Ancient Greek. . . .”

“Yeah, that’s their elite fighting forces.” Logan pulls out a small knife from his jeans pocket and flicks it open then snaps the blade folded again, with a clever motion of his fingers. I stare at his sleek movements, his strong, well-shaped hand.

“Those hotshot Pilots, I hear they’ve all got fancy call signs,” Charlie says, leaning in over Gracie. “Oh, wait! I was early to Combat class, and heard a couple of Goldilocks Instructors talking quietly out in the hall, before anyone else got there. Get this—apparently their giant motherships are no longer in those low-altitude positions in our skies! You know how they used to be parked right over the cities and stuff, so you could see them when they first showed up? Well, now that we’ve all been Preliminary-Qualified, those huge ships have gone back up into orbit!”

Daniel Tover leans forward and glances at him. “Since when?”

“Happened overnight! So now instead they’ve got space shuttles landing and going up all the time. And not just here, but all over! They go back and forth between all the RQC compounds and their starships, on a regular basis.”

“I think I saw one launch this morning,” Mia says. “We watched it from our dorm windows.”

Charlie nods vigorously. “And also today, okay, there was some kind of extra-VIP shuttle arriving. Some really important Atlantean dude coming down to visit, and he’s here in
our
compound. Why, I don’t know. Probably to check up on us ‘Candies.’ You know that’s what they call us, right? They and the Dorm Leaders call us behind our back, Candidates—
Candies
. We’re all Candies. Oh, and from what I could tell, they used some weird Greek God sounding ‘call sign’ name for the VIP—”

“Who is it? Do you remember what they called him?” Daniel’s gaze follows Charlie’s excessive nervous movements.

Charlie shakes his head. “Like I said, some Greek mythology thing. I don’t remember that kind of junk.”

“Mythology is not junk,” I say. “And if it’s the same person, I think he was looking in on our Combat Training class. His name’s Aeson Kass—he was kind of different from the rest of them. Not just higher ranking but—hard to explain. . . .
Better
, I guess. He was wearing a black armband. But I don’t think they mentioned any Greek-sounding ‘call sign’ or whatever.”

Logan’s one brow goes up. Charlie and Daniel exchange glances.

Gracie stares at me. “Wow, I wonder what’s up? What was he like, exactly?”

I think momentarily. How in the world to describe what I’ve seen in class—the whirlwind Er-Du fighting demo, the amazing, almost inhuman speed of their moves? Both Oalla and Aeson were incredible, and for that matter, so was Keruvat, during the earlier weapons demo.

But Aeson Kass—okay, there really was something special about him. Just a little more, just a tad extra. If Oalla and Keruvat were blazing hot, then he was the
inferno
. . . .

I think and I say, “All I know is, he’s
astra daimon
, and he wears a black armband because he gave his life for Atlantis. I guess that’s the VIP part. That’s what our Instructor Oalla Keigeri said when she introduced him. I have no idea what any of it really means, or what his story is. That’s all I know. And yeah, I realize it makes no sense, actually.”

“He gave his life? How? Okay, that’s so weird!” Gracie has a big-eyed expression. She stares at me then glances over at Logan.

“Very curious, agreed.” Logan watches both of us. “There’s so frigging much about these Atlanteans that we don’t know. Makes you wonder about all kinds of other things.”

“Personally, I don’t trust them,” says another girl whose name I didn’t catch; I think it’s Becca. “It’s bad enough we are stuck in this impossible situation, and yeah, I get it, they are offering us our only way out. Great! But what really happens
there?
As in, up there, on those starships, and on Atlantis? Those of us who make it, what happens to us?”

“That’s the million dollar question.” Daniel slaps his leg and gets up. “You coming?” he says to Logan who nods, stands up also then turns to me and Gracie.

“Well, it was great to meet both of you, Gwen, Gracie,” Logan says, and his warm hazel eyes crinkle lightly at the corners. I stare up at his lean and powerful runner physique.

“We’ve been making the rounds of all the Red Dorms,” he continues. “Getting to know our fellow Red Candies. We’re from Red Dorm One. But now—time to hit the next one before the 8:00 PM homework hour.”

“Red Candies! I like that!” Charlie Venice makes a horse-laugh noise. “Checking out the competition, eh?”

“Yes, you better not miss the curfew,” I say, “or they might lock you up in the Big Bad Candy Jar.” Wow, okay, did I just make an actual albeit lousy joke in the presence of Logan Sangre?

Logan narrows his eyes mischievously, and I just about melt. “You bet,” he says. “See you later, Yellow Candy.”

Wow, okay. . . . What was
that?
Was that a flirt?

No way. No. Frigging. Way.

Chapter 10

A
s Logan and Daniel leave the lobby, Gracie’s avid stare follows in their wake. I know that look. When my sister is interested in something, she gets a very focused expression.

Oh no.
Oh, shining heaven, no. . . . Please, Gracie, please don’t let it be you looking that way at Logan Sangre.

Oh no.

“Did you see that guy?” Gracie whispers to me, turning around suddenly. Her eyes are filled with the essence of champagne bubbles.

“Huh?” I mutter. My cheeks are draining of all color.

“Daniel!” Gracie shoves me in the side. “He is so cute! His friend from our school, Logan, he’s way prettier, sure, but Daniel is oozing sexy awesomeness! Yumm! I think I want me some Daniel Tover from Upstate New York!”

“Oh . . . yeah,” I say, feeling relief, and all the bazillion little blood vessels in my cheeks open up like floodgates again, and my sub-dermal circulation is instantly restored to normal. “He’s kinda way older than you, don’t you think? Logan is a senior, and so is Daniel, probably.”

“So?” Gracie glares, and her eyes get very wide.

“So he’s too old for you, Gee Four!” I say comfortably.

“That’s just total BS!” She lets her jaw drop, pausing in an attempt to find words sufficient to express her usual Gracie-caliber outrage. “What does any of that stuff matter now? Who cares how old we are? We could all be dead in a few months, or stuck on some crazy alien spaceship headed to some bizarre planet for lord knows what kind of life—”

“Well—” I play my tongue against my teeth and the inside of my cheeks. What can I say to that? “Well, they do still have laws
here on Earth
against that kind of thing. He’s probably over eighteen, and you, my little sis, are twelve.”

“Oh, puh-leeeze!”

I let my breath out. “Seriously, Gracie, listen to me, you have no idea about that guy, who he is, anything about him, whatever. Just cool it, okay? Besides, didn’t your Dorm Leaders tell you the No Dating rule? There’s just no time for that kind of silly stuff when we’re all here fighting for our lives. Remember? Qualification, hello? This is not summer camp.” I give her a light shove on the arm.

Gracie is frowning and turns her face away from me.

“Okay, have you seen George or Gordie yet?” I change the subject.

“No.”

“Want to come with me, now? We can go looking for them, check their dorms? There’s still time until curfew.”

“No! Leave me alone!”

“Okay. . . .” I pause to consider. Gracie is not looking at me and instead staring at her nails.

A few seconds tick away.

“I want to go
home
,” my sister announces suddenly, looking up at me at last. Her eyes are intense.

I bite my lip. Immediately, all traces of frustration at her are replaced by a protective desperate pang in my gut. “I’m so sorry, no, we can’t,” I whisper, putting my hand on her arm.

Gracie’s eyes are suddenly shiny with liquid. “I tried calling Mom,” she says. “But the e-dampers are on, and I forgot, I tried over and over, and there was no signal.”

“I know. . . .” I press her arm, my fingers feeling her beginning to tremble. We’re out in public, so I know Gracie is not going to fall apart on me completely in front of her new Red Dorm Five friends, but it’s pretty much touch and go.

“Okay, why don’t you go up to your girls dorm floor now and get some rest? What kind of homework did you get? You can look over your Atlantis Culture notes or something.”

“I don’t know. There’s not really any homework on the first day, is there?” Gracie wipes the side of her nose and tries to look normal, because Charlie Venice is looking at her a whole lot, and even Gracie has noticed by now.

I take a deep breath. “Believe it or not, I got assigned running. The Agility Instructor said I sucked, since I was last during the running laps. So I’m supposed to run every day.” I let out a short snort-laugh.

“You, running?” Gracie perks up and starts to grin. “Now, I’ve got to see that!”

“I know, right?” I laugh again, then get up from the sofa seat next to her and adjust the bottom edges of my T-shirt, tugging at the fabric nervously.

“Wait, where are you going? Are you gonna run now?”

I shrug. “I guess I
could
, since it’s my ‘homework.’ But I am so dead. I don’t think I can do it, maybe I can skip it tonight. Ugh!”

Gracie is looking up from the sofa at me. “Don’t go yet! Please, Gee Two, don’t go!”

“You’ll be all right. I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise! Bye, everyone, nice meeting you.” I wave sheepishly at the people chatting nearest to us. A few heads turn, and a girl and boy nod. Mia Weston looks up with a friendly expression and says, “Bye, Gwen!” Charlie Venice gives me a grin and then looks back at Gracie.

As I walk back out of Dorm Five, it occurs to me that my sister has found some okay people to hang out with, thank goodness.

Outside, the night is dark and cold, and the RQC campus is well lit. I shiver from the blast of chill as I hurry back to my own Yellow Dorm Eight. I suppose I could go and visit George and Gordie, but it’s almost 8:00 PM and they did say homework hour is limited curfew.