The beep of her handheld woke Alex up. She rolled over in bed and clicked a button that brought up a real-time hologram of her mother. She smiled and said groggily, "Hi, Mom."
"Hi, honey." The hologram's face frowned. "You're still in bed? Your meeting is at nine, isn't it?"
"Mom," she replied, trying and failing to hide her exasperation. She scooted back to rest her head against the creamy upholstered headboard and brushed back her chin-length black hair. Her sheets fell away, revealing her bare, toned arms and a pale pink camisole. "It's seven o'clock in the morning."
Her mother clucked. "But you still have to get situated. You arrived on campus just last night. It might be a good idea to get an idea of where everything is before you have to be at the meeting. You don't want to end up in a rush, do you?"
This was nothing new. Her mom was such a worrier. She was known for planning things days, even months, in advance to account for all possible things that could go wrong. Rain. Traffic jams. She probably even considered the possibilities of natural disasters.
"You're right," Alex relented. The only way to appease her mother was to give in.
The hologram's eyes surveyed the spacious and extravagant room. "This is a nice dorm room. Are you sharing it with anyone?"
Alex wasn't sure if she should call it a dorm room. More like a luxury suite. A plush queen size bed, wood paneling that complemented the polished floorboards, a giant bathroom with could only be a Jacuzzi for a bathtub, a TV screen as big as an entire wall, and a whole space off to one side for working out, complete with a breathtaking view of a crystal-blue lake.
"No," she answered. "The top floor of the North Dormitory is for the ten highest-ranked recruits. Some of them are sharing dorms, but father wanted me to have my own space."
"Of course." The hologram shook her head. Alex's mother never did like opulence, but her father believed it was a good demonstrator of rank and power.
"I called to talk to you about the gala this coming Friday," the mom said. "I know it'll be out of your way, but it's important that you attend it to support your father. You are the face of the Concordance Policy. I think it would mean a lot to your father if you were there to speak about your experiences in the first week and to make your rounds with the guests."
"I plan on being there."
"Good. Also, General Vargas mentioned to your father that she would like you to visit on Saturday. She wants to congratulate you on taking the first spot in the rankings and to show you their Meta advancement program in case you're interested in doing next summer's internship in Macot and want to diversify your field experience."
Macot was certainly different from other provinces, both in culture and the gang-related Sanser issues confronting its Metas. Alex couldn't figure out why General Vargas went out of her way to be nice to her. General Castillo and General Ronley certainly didn't bother themselves, and General Hanson of Calsin always had his own motives for everything he did.
Vargas was different. She was a hard woman, but she seemed to have taken a liking to Alex. Maybe it was because Vargas and Alex's father used to be partners.
"I'll accept her invitation for this Saturday," Alex said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Her mother paused. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes," Alex answered quickly. When that didn't erase the worry from the hologram's creased forehead, she added, "I'll be fine. This will all take some getting used to, but it's nothing I can't handle. I'm General Drasse's prodigal daughter, aren't I?"
If her mom sensed her sarcasm, she ignored it. "Classes start on Monday, don't they?"
Three days from now. "Yes."
"When will the Sanser students arrive on campus?"
"Starting tomorrow."
"He's already at Saranth," her mother said. "Kray Eagan, that is. He spent the week at the Eagan's home to prepare for attending Calsin Foundation. I wasn't sure if you knew-"
"I did know." She sighed and got out of bed. "I have to go, Mom. I need to get an early start, remember?"
"Using my words as an excuse to run, are you?" Her mom's tone suggested she was joking, but Alex knew she wasn't happy to drop the subject either.
She'd tried many times over the last ten years to get Alex to open up about private things. Ever since Alex suddenly found herself with more rules and expectations than any seven-year-old should have. The day Michael, Alex's older brother, failed as a Meta was the day her journey to become one began.
"I'm not running," Alex said, reaching out to turn off the handheld. "But I can't stay too long. I'm sorry. Love you."
She clicked it off before her mom could give her the usual motherly advice about school and boys and even her clothes. But never about being a Meta. That was one area her mother stayed out of. Which was a real shame, since it was the biggest part of her life.
The inside of her elbow was throbbing. She twisted her arm to get a good look at the red-ringed bruise near the joint. It was healing, just like the last two did, but Alex knew it was a matter of time before more bruises began showing up in other places.
And then one day, the injury would happen somewhere she wouldn't be able to ignore.
Just like with her brother.
#
"This is sooo boooring," Stan Aries said, reclining in his chair. He slouched even more and placed his feet on the console desk in front of him. "Whoever is supposed to lead this meeting should be fired."
The ten top recruits were gathered in one of the classrooms in East Wing. Alex was glad her mother had woken her up extra early, because she'd gotten lost at least five times on her way here. She had to walk through a maze of glass-walled bridges suspended between buildings, across a massive atrium with Calsin's red-and-gold banners and enough tables to seat hundreds of students, alongside a beautiful garden of blooming flowers, with the lake in the backdrop, around the East Combat Tower, and past a dozen classroom buildings.
Saranth Foundation paled in comparison, a fact that she knew her father intended to correct by next year. He'd been furious when the ANEF selected Calsin as the first province to host the new Sanser students, despite the Concordance Policy being his idea.
It was 9:25 a.m. now. Most of the group was whispering amongst themselves, but some were fooling around with the table consoles, bringing up entertainment holovids and checking messages from friends. One of the boys was playing the latest version of Dawnfall; his character's realistic Viking hologram was fighting a girl in an armored battlesuit.
She had plenty of experience with the game. A long time ago. It used to be Kray Eagan's favorite pastime whenever he came over to her house in their younger days.
Alex tapped her fingers on the glass desk impatiently. Robert slung an arm over her chair and leaned over to whisper, "Want to bail? I can think of ten more interesting ways I'd like to spend my Friday morning. And at least six of them involve you."
On her right side, Liam made a gagging sound masked by a cough.
Alex was saved from answering when a tiny Meta woman in her black-and-gold uniform breezed into the room. "Good morning, everyone! I'm sorry for the delay. It took me forever to find this building. They really ought to number things better, wouldn't you agree?"
"Or you could put just a bit more effort into not wasting our morning," Aries muttered.
The woman's smile wavered. "Ah, yes, sorry about that, Mr. Aries. I'm going to keep this short and concise. My name is Juliet Curtis. I have been placed in charge of the warden-charge system. As you're all aware, the Allied Native Forces will be implementing a new program called the Concordance Policy. This means that fifty Sansers were handpicked-"
"So much for keeping it short," Aries said.
Robert chuckled, and the Meta's cheeks grew red. "The reason that the ten of you are here now is because you will act as . . . guides for the new Sanser students. Each of you will be assigned five Sansers to look after for the next four months. Your job will be to-"
"You're kidding, right?" Aries interrupted again, amidst a chorus of confused murmurs from the others. "Guides? We didn't come here to train to be pushovers. We came to become soldiers. That means the only interaction I'd like to have with a Sanser is when I'm picking them off with my blade or blasting them away with a tog."
"As expected from a caveman," Liam whispered. Alex bit her lip to contain a smile.
The Meta waited until the voices died down. She looked frazzled, but also annoyed. "I can imagine your feelings on the matter, Mr. Aries, but the command comes from above. I'm only here to deliver the message. Your duty will be to make sure that the Sansers integrate smoothly to life on campus. You are expected to assist them as needed, but more importantly, you are required to keep an eye on them, in case any of them decide to step out of line."
"Are we allowed to, ah, discipline them if they do step out of line?" someone asked.
"As you see fit," she answered.
Aries grinned and rubbed his hands together. "That's more like it."
"But only if there are any issues," the Meta added. "Keep in mind that this policy will determine the future of the Meta Faction. If we want it to succeed, which we do, we have to make sure that we keep things peaceful between our group and theirs."
Alex watched Aries as he traded a smirk with another boy. Troubling.
"If any of you are suspected of creating conflict, you will be expelled," the Meta declared. "So be careful for your sakes, if no one else's. Your official title will be warden for the next four months. Those under your care, the charges, have already been assigned to you. Just like you, the Sanser recruits have been ranked from best to worst, and each one has been matched with one of you.
"For example, Warden Alexandra Drasse took first place in Calsin Foundation's cadet rankings and has been assigned Sansers ranked first and second place, as well as forty-eighth, forty-ninth, and fiftieth. Warden Stan Aries placed second and has been assigned Sansers ranked third and fourth, as well as forty-fifth, forty-sixth, and forty-seventh. And so on."
The Meta unstrapped her handheld and clicked buttons. The giant screen at the front of the classroom lit up with the homepage of the school website. She clicked more things and a page with a blue background popped up, with the words STUDENT RANKING #28: ALISA MAYVILLE at the top. A nervous-looking Sanser girl stared back at them from a picture. There was a stream of information on the right side of the screen.
"You will find these assignments in an attachment in your Nexus inbox, as well as personal information about your charges, including their biometrics, backgrounds, education, even information about their habits and hobbies. You also have access to their class schedules and their Nexus inboxes. I would recommend that you either introduce yourselves through a message or find time tomorrow to greet them in person when they arrive."
"This is too much work," someone whined.
She smiled at the boy. "You're free to drop out at any time, but just know that the whole Meta Faction is counting on you. It would be a great disappointment if you didn't live up to expectations, wouldn't it?"
He fell silent after that.
"Any questions?" she asked.
No one said a thing. Alex saw everything from fear to excitement on their faces. She kept her composure, which was pretty hard to do, given she had no idea what was going on. Her father hadn't told her about this. He always kept her up to date on what was going on in the political world, if only because he didn't want her to seem ignorant.
Was it possible he didn't know about the warden-charge system?
She glanced down at her handheld. "I'm going to leave you cadets to go over the file and discover more about your new charges. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to contact me on the school Nexus. I'll see you all soon, perhaps in the classrooms."
The Meta left. Stan Aries immediately took control of the screen with his table console. He pulled up the Sanser date and then smiled at his fellow wardens. "Let's find out more about our new charges, shall we?"
The Sanser ranked first place popped up. One of the boys whistled and at least two of them sat straighter. "Whoa, she's a total babe," someone said.
Alex sat up, too, but her interest was piqued in a different way. Violet Darmosen. That was the girl's name. Darmosen being one of the most Sanser names possible. It meant Sen's Light. Violet had the standard black markings on her neck and her arms, exposed beneath her tank top, but there was something troubling about her.
She had cascading blond locks that bordered on silver, and steel eyes to match-cold and calculating eyes. Her features were refined: high cheekbones, a slim nose, a sharp jaw that hinted at stubbornness. Her shoulders were set straight, unlike those of the girl they saw before. She looked straight at the camera, daring whoever saw her picture to try taking her own.
And Alex was supposed to be her warden.
"Hey, Alex," the boy who whistled said, grinning at her. Hollis was his name. The orange fuzz of a beard on his face looked ridiculous to her. "Want to trade?"
"I don't think so," she said and looked away.
"Her stats look pretty good," Aries said, leaning forward. "She scored ninety-eight on the adaptiveness module. One hundred on 'Sen application', whatever that means. Wow-look at that. An average of ninety-five on intelligence-based tests. A smart babe."
"Alex averaged ninety-eight percent overall, idiot," Robert said, tightening the arm around her shoulder. "And she's way prettier. This Violet chick is no match for our first-place. Although she beat your ninety-four, didn't she, Aries?"
"Shut up, Nourse," Aries snapped as he clicked next.
The second place Sanser was a dark-haired boy. Alex relaxed. His cadet ranking score was ninety-two, but he didn't feel as threatening as the first-place girl. His eyes held timidity, and she knew he wouldn't give her a problem.
Two down, three to go. It looked like one of the other wardens would get Kray Eagan. She stayed alert as Aries clicked through the Sansers one by one, waiting for his familiar quiet eyes, the determination in every line of his body, as though he believed he could power through every obstacle in life. She wondered if he'd managed to power through the last two years in the Wasteland. The worst place imaginable on Earth, worse than even the Skads.
How much of him survived?
Robert rubbed the back of her neck with his large hand as though he sensed her tension. A perfectly normal thing for a boyfriend to do, but she couldn't help feeling like he was reaffirming their relationship somehow. Reminding her that she belonged with him. She leaned against him, and his hand relaxed against her nape.
By rank thirty-six, Alex was perplexed. Where was he?
By rank forty-five, she was beginning to think he hadn't been included in this year's pickings, even though her father said he would be.
And then forty-eight and forty-nine came. Two more of her charges, both boys. They scored seventy-three and sixty-five respectively. Worse than the lowest ranked Meta cadet out of all two hundred, who had scored eighty-eight-which was to be expected, given Calsin Foundation's reputation. Both boys didn't look threatening either. She could handle them.
"This guy sucks," Aries announced, laughing. "Forty-five percent aptitude in Meta civil law? Even my twelve-year-old sister could do better."
"Come on, I'm dying to see who the biggest loser is," a girl said from behind Alex.
Aries clicked next.
And there he was.
STUDENT RANKING #50: KRAY EAGAN, it said at the top.
Forty-three on the adaptiveness module.
Twenty-eight on Sen application.
Fifty-three across the board in intelligence-based testing.
Thirty-eight in Meta civil law.
At the bottom of a long list of pathetic results was: forty-three percent overall.
Aries burst out laughing. Robert chuckled, and there was satisfaction behind his amusement. "How the hell did this guy get accepted?" Hollis asked.
Alex rested her elbows on the glass tabletop, perplexed. It couldn't be him . . . and yet it was. Even if his face had changed a lot over the last two years. He'd lost that youthful softness to his features. Now they looked like they'd been chiseled out of stone.
His hair was cut close to his scalp instead of hanging past his forehead. And his eyes were the same dark-brown color, but they no longer looked inquisitive and alive.
They were hard. Empty of warmth.
The muscles in his shoulders were pronounced, and his arms corded. He was taller, too. 5'11", according to his biodata. He'd been 5'7" when they took him away.
She recognized him, even though he looked nothing like the boy she used to know. Even though now he looked surprisingly . . .
"Hot," the girl behind her purred. "Very tall-dark-and-handsome. I like."
"He's a Sanser recruit, don't forget that," Aries snapped. "And a pretty sucky one at that."
"Oh, shut up, Aries," another girl said. "It's okay for you boys to drool over pretty girls, but the second we see a good-looking guy, you suddenly cry Sanser?"
"These Sansers better keep away from our women," Hollis muttered.
"Are you serious?" the first girl, May, squealed. "Your women? You Neanderthal. I'm the third-ranked Meta recruit in this school. I don't need you treating me like I'm some fragile damsel, Mr. Nine."
Liam stretched out his arms as though to calm them down. "Alright, let's all remember that we're on the same side. If someone wants to enjoy eye candy, more power to them. But try to keep your excitement under control, alright?"
Someone booed and tossed a balled-up paper from the back. It landed on Liam's head.
"Love you, too, Ozzy," Liam said.
Alex couldn't take it anymore. This atmosphere. She suddenly felt upset, even though she couldn't understand why. "I'm going back to my dorm," she said and headed for the door without waiting for Robert's reply.
The walk back to the dorm building was long, but it gave her time to think. To digest what she'd seen. Kray Eagan might not be the best recruit out there, but he shouldn't have ranked so badly. He'd taken practice tests during his Meta training. His results had always shown potential. And now he was the worst recruit this foundation had ever seen.
It meant only one thing.
Something was wrong.