Necropolis

Chapter 1

"You have all the information you need in your head, Laurel," her father would tell her after inspecting her test scores. "But information alone will not help you in life unless you can reason through it. That, my love, is called wisdom," he would drone on an on. Laurel found it vexing. Her parents were the only parents in the Metrodome that would have a problem with their child getting good grades.

Still, her parents never reported her "gift" to the school authorities like they should have. "You'll be better off if they don't know," they explained to her. "The Metrodome will recruit you for the Department of Defense or some such governmental job, and you'll never see the inside of a dance studio again."

That was all she needed to know. The mere thought of not being able to dance again was enough to keep her mnemonic abilities quiet. If only this ability helped her socially in any way. But it didn't. The fact that she could remember past conversations in great detail was actually a deterrent for Laurel, who in hopes of being helpful, would remind everyone of what was actually said. This, she learned after a while, was not well received by her peers. So, she learned to keep quiet. Then she got bored, and this eventually led to her self-alienation from groups.

Now she had been accepted at the Metrodome Ballet, as a high school student! She had achieved her life-long dream. And today her name would be called up and she would be given an award for this achievement. Surely, she would win the award. Who else was there? No one!

So as Mrs. Winston continued to jabber on about how seriously they take the "safety of their students", Laurel's fingers fidgeted, and her knee bounced nervously up and down under her desk. What if they didn't give her the award and talked on an on about the shield and the supposed enemies that lurked outside the Metrodome? What if—? Laurel felt a rough hand bearing down on her knee, steading it. Only, she couldn't see to whom it belonged, until she hunched under her desk for a better look.

The culprit was a boy sitting in front of her. He had his arm cocked behind his back and was reaching through the gap in the back of his chair. So shocked was Laurel at this unexpected touch, that her eyes grew large with astonishment. However, the moment that the boy turned with a smile on his face, her features softened significantly, to the point that they eventually dissipated into a mixture of disbelief and curiosity with a good dose of embarrassment—the boy was... pleasant to look at. She had never laid eyes on him before, and that meant he was new.

"You were making me nervous," he clarified with a cheeky grin, then released his grasp on her knee.

Stunned by this brief interaction, Laurel stilled her leg long enough to be distracted by Mrs. Winston's shrill voice as her VR image flickered a bit. She was starting her usual beginning of the year announcements. Well... Laurel thought, shifting her attention back to the screen. It may be all for the better, she surmised. She had been so anxious about walking up to the podium all by herself, that now this second option seemed more reasonable. The important thing, she concluded, is that I get it. I must get it. I will get it. The thought mollified her for the moment, and she made a special point to look past the new boy in front of her and focus all her attention on the VR image of Mrs. Winston.

Still images of the new staff members now flashed in front of them. There was a new Science and Literature teacher, a new custodian, blah, blah, blah.... Next came the new students. This was a big deal here at Rosslyn Hall, since the school prided itself on acquiring the most talented students from all the cantons in the Metrodome. Most of these kids were here on scholarship because they couldn't afford the tuition, but their great skill in something or other caught some headhunter's attention and now they were here. At Rosslyn Hall they would get the best education the Metrodome could offer. The "New Acquisitions", as they were called, were always presented before the whole school during the assembly. This year, they would have to introduce themselves from their rooms and give a short speech on how proud they were to be here, at Rosslyn Hall—"the gateway to greatness"—over the VR.