Just Tourists ✔️

Chapter 7

Akio and I were walking around the classrooms when the sound of the loud speaker interrupted our conversations about past missions and weaponry preferences.

"All students part of the summer training program must report to the common place immediately. Anyone not part of the program must leave the common room area. Thank you," was all the unknown voice stated.

"What's the common room?" I asked Akio who had stopped talking when the loud speaker came on.

"It's where we usually go just to hang out when we're on break. We also sometimes have to report there from time to time for announcements as we are doing today," he explained as we left the classroom areas and headed deeper into the academy.

"How big is this place?" I asked already pretty lost.

"Several miles actually. You haven't even seen all of it. There are various levels depending on the category. We have classrooms on the fourth level. The various rooms like weapons, gadgets, and other equipment are on the third level. The training rooms like the arenas, swimming pool, and simulator are on the second level.

Finally the team's workspace and common room are on the first level. Not to mention the several hidden sub levels that only the teachers and 'special' recruits have access to," he summed up and I stood there with my mouth hanging open.

"And where are the bathrooms?" I asked in all seriousness but he laughed assuming I was joking. Peeing is no laughing matter. A bladder could ruin a whole mission psh...

He guided me towards yet another elevator and we went down to the first floor. There were already plenty of students going down a hallway leading to what I assume is the common room. Some students were wearing normal clothes like Akio and I but some were wearing other things as if the announcement had interrupted them in between activities.

There were a few girls who were wrapped in towels and dripping from head to toe. Some boys, shirtless might I add, were still catching their breaths from doing god knows what. And I even spotted the blonde girls I had seen in the simulator still covered in snow.

The common room was vast in decoration and size. It was the perfect description of a hang out for teenagers. There were couches and coffee tables spread out in the room. To the side I spotted some foosball and pool tables. The colors of the walls changed depending on the music in the background that was subtly playing.

"This place is great," I tell Akio as we take a seat together.

"Thanks, I designed it myself," a boy around our age says taking a seat on my other side. I turn to face him as he looks away smiling shyly as if regretting he spoke up at all. I couldn't see much of his face but he had a head full of blond hair and his skin was slightly tan.

"Hi I'm Charlee and this is Akio," I said pointing to Akio beside me as I took out my hand for him to shake. He nervously turns to face me.

"I'm Cole Evans," he says taking my hand politely and smiling slightly. Akio waves hello as well and Cole says a quiet hello in reply.

"You said you designed this place?" I asked him in surprise.

"Yeah its how I got into the school, I've designed most of the hardware system and data base that keeps the school running," he stated speaking up a bit more.

"Thats amazing Cole," I tell him and he blushes at the compliment.

"Thanks," he smiles and his blue eyes light up. Something tells me this boy isn't really used to compliments much. His blue eyes looked so familiar and I tried not to stare but I couldn't figure out why they stood out so much to me.

"So are you from here?" I asked trying to get some information.

"No I was born in the States but I moved here when I was really young," he shrugged his shoulders. Before I could ask him any more questions the lights dimmed in the whole room except the very center where a woman dressed sharply was looking at all of us. The room immediately silenced and our full attentions were on the mystery woman.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen. We're all happy to have you here with us today. I'm aware that some of you have been studying here with us for quite a while now and others have just arrived today. In order to keep everything sorted we're going to split you up into groups to perform roll calls, debriefing, and get your ID's. This was all going to be done tomorrow but we're a bit behind schedule so it will be done today," she explained.

I noticed she didn't even say her name but the way she presented herself gave off a feeling of authority. That and the official looking ID pinned to her wrinkle free black blazer. Group by group we were called up to answer a few simple questions like

'whats your name?'

'previous experiences'

'what specialties would you say you have?'

Then we were ushered into a small booth like section where our picture was taken and we were handed our 'intern' ID's.

"I forgot we needed to meet up with the director so that he could take us to our hotel," I told Akio once we were finished. I'd lost track of Cole and his hauntingly familiar blue eyes.

"Don't worry, you can come along with my group. We need to go to the hotel too," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok," I said following him out of the common room. We walked out of the dimmed hallways of the academy. It looks like they're shutting down the place for the night.

"I thought the academy was open at night?" I asked confused as I noticed it had been fuller during the day when we first arrived.

"Thats for the summer program. The kids who train here on a daily basis are here during the day and go home around three or four in the afternoon like a regular school day. Our classes start at five and end until ten which is when we head to the hotel," he explained. I nodded my head at the odd schedule.

"The good thing is we get to sleep in because we don't have to go to the museum until noon and we get the weekends off," Akio continued once we joined his group. I noticed he was the only boy out of the whole group from Japan.

We continued making small talk as everyone else in the group talked rapidly in Japanese. They gave me a few odd but not unfriendly stares since I obviously stood out in their group.

"Oh and when we say the hotel we don't actually mean a hotel. It's just a nickname or cover so others aren't suspicious," Akio says as we make our way out of the museum.

"What do you mean?" I ask confused. If it wasn't a hotel then where are we staying at?

"You'll see," he smiles and I roll my eyes. I guess I'll have to find out on my own.
~~~
Picture on the side of the common room.
~Lorna~