Before Luke knew it, the weekend had passed, and Monday soared in like a falcon riding the winds. Luke awoke to an email saying he had received a letter at the mailroom. After he was done with his morning LC's, mandatory learning community classes for all freshmen at CUA, he stopped by McMahon Hall to check his letter box. Luke, like nearly 90% of the students at CUA, struggled to open his mailbox. The mailbox had a locker combination that he found on his online student account. It reminded him of high school. He was used to opening lockers then and never had problems with it.
But these mailboxes did not want to be opened. He followed the directions, turn clockwise four times and land on the first number of the combination, turn counterclockwise twice and land on the second number (this was always the hardest step for people), and finally, turn clockwise until you reach the final number.
After several attempts, and several failures, Luke asked for help in retrieving his mail. The lady behind the counter asked for his mailbox number and Luke told her. She went and collected the mail and handed it over to him.
"Is this yours?" She asked.
Luke looked at the white envelope. It was addressed to him: Luke Sanchez, Opus Hall 703D. Yet, Luke did not recognize the return address, partly because it didn't have any.
"Yes," Luke answered as he took the letter. "Thank you." He took the letter towards a nearby table and ripped it open, destroying the envelope, and unveiling the letter inside.
He read the letter, and his heart started to race. Either the letter arrived at the strangest of coincidences or it knew something about Luke that he didn't know about himself. It read:
Dear Luke Sanchez,
We have been notified of your recent achievements and demonstrations of exceptional talent beyond human capacity at The Catholic University of America in defense against an assault by three Xesters. With such evidence of exceptional courage, dedication, and solicitude, we would like to formally invite you to accept our invitation to join the St. George's Academy's family. Located in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, St. George's Academy (SGA) is a free school dedicated to serving the Blessed Trinity in the continual struggle against the forces that seek to undermine the good in the world. Only students of a special heritage can be admitted into SGA—a special heritage you possess.
You will shortly be contacted by an ambassador from SGA. If you wish to accept our welcome, you will need to accompany the ambassador to our campus. You may have many questions about who you are, and where you come from. SGA has the answers. Any questions you have will be answered in full once you arrive. I implore you to think over this opportunity to serve the Blessed Trinity and fight for the greater good. It is our students and alumni that God will work through to assist in his mission to right the world of malevolent forces.
I look forward to meeting you in person.
Sincerely,
Dean Ammon
It didn't take him long to reach Campus Ministry. He barged in, ignoring the receptionist and opening the door to Father Matthew's office, who was working on his sermon for next Sunday's mass. The receptionist caught up and placed her hand on Luke's shoulder.
"Sir, you can't just barge in like that," she growled.
"It's quite alright Candice. I was expecting Luke."
Candice turned around and walked off like a sassy bird, hobbling over to her seat and tweeting beneath her beak curses Luke didn't care to understand.
"Read this." Luke said thrusting the letter into Father Matthew's hands.
After Father Matthew perused the letter, he tossed the letter on his desk and sat back on his chair. "And I'm guessing you just received this in the mail?"
Luke nodded. "Have you ever heard of this place?"
Father Matthew sifted his brain again for any recollection that could be of help. "I've never heard of this school, but I've heard faint gossip from one of my seminarian classes as an undergraduate, of a school established to train special humans in order to take the battle to Satan when the final days emerge. Although, very few believed such a school existed..."
Father Matthew picked up the letter and looked for a return address and saw none. He handed the letter back to Luke. "Until now that is."
"Rocky Mountains—you'd think such a school would be easily found so close to Denver."
"It may be more complicated than that. Sometimes doors lay hidden in plain sight," Father Matthew said.
"How can I even trust this school exists?"
"I recall you feeling the same a week ago about demons," Father Matthew pointed out.
"Yeah, but that was different. At least demons appear in the Bible, but a school training people to fight Satan?"
"I'll admit it has no precedence in any of the books of the Bible, but that doesn't mean it can't be true. The Church teaches the Immaculate Conception of Mary, a doctrine not found in the Bible. Some answers must be sought outside the bounds of a book, even if that book is the story of our faith. The truth is, miracles happen every day, and if we keep our noses down in books, we'll miss the myriad number of signs that God provides."
"I guess—but who's this ambassador I'm supposed to meet?"
"That would be me," Luke heard from behind him. He turned around and dropped the letter to the ground. The guy's hair looked disheveled as usual. His bags were held by thick glasses, and his ice green eyes looked like frozen algae. He still wore his gray hoodie that he would always wear sitting by his desk, cluttered with books back at Opus.
"You're the ambassador?" Luke said.
"Yes Luke, I am. Now I assume you've read the letter from Dean Ammon?"
"How did you?" Luke stuttered.
Father Matthew chimed in, "Pardon the interruption, but Luke, who is this young fellow?"
"This is..." Luke tried to speak.
"If you must know Father then go directly to the primary source himself," Luke was interrupted. The guy continued. "My name is Kevin Hernández, ambassador and alum of SGA here to escort you to, blah, blah, blah. Come now Luke, we should be off. It's a long journey to the Rockies, and I prefer to catch an evening flight to sleep on the way to Denver before the morning hike up the mountains."
"Whoa, whoa, slow down. I have so many questions, and what makes you think I'm willing to go?"
"Because, you have so many questions, and no sane person would leave such important questions about one's life unanswered. That's not including the fact that my brother risked his life to deliver you from the gaze."
"Your brother? The gaze?"
"You can't sit here and tell me you haven't had any recollection of that moment in the Garden. I've heard enough muttering in your sleep to know you had some impression of the event."
"You mean..." Luke thought back to the series of disrupted dreams he had recalling the moments when he was a lost child. Xyi, Michael, Jurgen. One of those three saved him. From what he could piece together, Jurgen was evil, Xyi was dead, killed by Jurgen in the Garden, which left... "Michael?"
"That's Spongecake. Now if you want any more information, you'll have to come with me."
Luke believed Kev knew a lot more than he was letting on. That nickname for Michael, Spongecake, was only spoken once by Jurgen in mockery. Listening to Luke's mutterings as he slept, which he didn't even know he did, Kev might have been able to piece the dream together. But, Luke knew he was hiding something that belonged to Luke—Luke's own memories.
"Tell me what you know Kev, now."
"I already said enough, anything else will be mere speculation. Dean Ammon will inform you further."
"Kevin..." Luke snarled.
"Was that a threat?" Kev asked.
"You expect me to leave my schooling, to leave my parents, to leave my friends, to leave Nellie, all for some answers?"
"All of whom can be written to by letter. Now come, I've already written Dean Ammon of our pending arrival."
"Well I'm not going," Luke said. "I can't just pick up my life and move it somewhere else."
"Luke," Father Matthew heard from behind him. "I think you should go."
Luke turned on him. "Are you crazy Father? You just saw three demons attack this campus. The minute I leave..."
"It is not your job to protect this campus against evil, it is the jobs of the CUA community to resist temptation and do good. Don't worry about those demons either, I'm pretty confident they won't test the strength of CUA's fortress anytime soon."
"But still..."
"Imagine all that you can learn at this institution, not just about your past, but about what you possess. Your unique abilities, your connection to Uriel, wouldn't you want to figure out how real that connection is and how to master your abilities?"
"Yeah, but Father..."
"Your friends and family will still be here, but this opportunity will not if you pass it down. See what you can learn, and then—come back and teach us."
Luke was torn. He didn't want to uproot himself and leave his life in D.C. behind, yet at the same time he did want to understand his background and master this ability he possessed.
Luke knew his parents could understand—paint it as a school exchange program or a study abroad trip and they'd be fine with it. They always encouraged him to travel and explore the world. His suite mates would be cool with it too, although Alex may have a few choice words to describe his abandonment of the suite.
Luke knew his decision hinged on one conversation.
"I need to think about it," Luke said.
Kev snorted. "You need to talk about it. And I managed to wrangle the person you need to talk to." Kev stepped aside and sitting at a picnic table outside of Campus Ministry was Nellie, pushing her red hair back in the wind.
Luke's cheeks went red, both from embarrassment and anger. Why did you track down my girlfriend Kevin? He wanted to ask. But he couldn't stay mad staring at Nellie. He walked passed Kev and out of the Campus Ministry Office like a Greek sailor attracted to the calls of a siren, drowning in the gravity of the situation and the decision he had to make.
*________________________________________________*
Author's Note
St. George's Academy: a secret school located up in the Rocky Mountains that trains those "adopted" by angels to harness whatever special talents they have in defense of the Lord. Sounds a lot like God's very own military academy for humans. You wouldn't be terribly off if you guessed that. In another series I'm working on, the main character reaches this academy in book four, although it's hinted at throughout the first three books.
And who would've thought Kevin had a connection not only to the school, but to Michael, the chaperone who was escorting Luke through a garden in the prologue and in chapter 11. What are your thoughts on Kevin? Did you think Kevin would ever be that important of a character?
Meanwhile, Luke's decision on whether or not he should abandon CUA to head to this special academy will be revealed in the next chapter...the very last chapter in this novella.
See you next time for one final hoorah.
- L. A. Rivera