NOVEL FROG Chapter 3: Alone
Chapter 3: Alone
Location: Estriduros Republic; Acordus System; Acordus 3; Acordia; Mage testing center
Noooooooooooooooooooooo.
My eyes tear up and my knees start giving out. I recognize Shay grabbing me to prevent me from falling. This just can’t be! I must be dreaming. Not Tommy!
I blink a few times to get the tears away. When I look back at Shay, she shares my shocked expression.
“Thomas!” I shout, my voice comes out raspy. “Let me go, Shay, I need to free him.”
She just shakes her head. “You can’t, Sara, he is theirs now, fuck, I’m sorry, it should’ve been me.”
The Privates are very efficient in handling Thomas. After affixing the collar, they inject him with something. Sad eyes look at me in apology, before they gloss over, and he falls unconscious. I let out a scream.
The soldiers carry him out of the room and the Sergeant at the table calls out to Lara. “You’re all from the Henry Nelson orphanage, right?” He lays down a piece of paper and points at it. “Take this, so the caretakers know what’s going on. Now out with you, I don’t have all day.”
I can’t believe it. Thomas is gone, just like that. I’ll never see him again. The fact settles in, and I slump down on a nearby bench once we’ve exited the testing room. I bury my face in my hands and the tears just won’t stop flowing.
This is not how things were supposed to happen! Just why? How can Thomas be a Mage? I barely notice Shay and Lara sitting down beside me. They both lean over to hug me. I’m a bit surprised by Lara’s reaction, as she normally doesn’t care that much about me.
I don’t even know how long we’ve been sitting there. Sometime later, we return to the orphanage. The trip goes by in a blur, and somehow, I end up back in my room. How is this possible? The chances were so low. He is just the second Mage out of the orphanage since I was brought here. And the other guy was the son of a Mage. Thomas, a fresh one as they call them. That’s just unfair. What do I do now? He’s been my only real friend here.
Location: Estriduros Republic; Acordus System; Acordus 3; Acordia; Henry Nelson Orphanage
The next few months flew by, and my life’s gotten worse ever since. The other girls started picking on me, as there was no more Thomas for whom they wanted to seem nice.
School is the same as always, but I just can’t find any motivation to learn the stupid stuff the government wants to teach us. I spend my evenings alone in my room with Thomas’s holo tablet, which I stole out of his room before the others could plunder it. Together with some pictures and our Gravity Ball suitcase, these are the only things I managed to save. All his other things went to the other orphans and even his room found a new occupant within a day. They really are efficient if they want to be.
We’re currently getting closer to the end of summer, and it’s finally starting to get a bit colder. At least this means that the twin suns don’t burn me that much anymore. Therefore, I go for long walks every day, just to be alone. I think I’ve now walked every single street there is in Acordia. I even visit other cities sometimes, thanks to the UFT.
I simply walk around and buy random stuff because I don’t need to save money for a tablet anymore. I guess Shay is the same. While she didn’t lose her best friend, all her hope for the future just broke away. I think I’ve seen her around five times since the testing, but that’s about it.
Another morning and I’m being awoken by a knock. It’s been caretaker Maria’s ritual for the past few months. “Good morning, Sara. Come on it’s a beautiful day, you can’t stay in your room all the time.”
At least she’s trying. The other caretakers are just ignoring everything around me. Whether it’s me being late for school or other people bullying me – they just don’t care. Only caretaker Maria. While her ritual is annoying me, as I just want to stay in my bed, her kindness is the only thing that keeps me from running away.
“You’ve got mail.”
That second sentence jerks me awake in an instant. I’ve got what now? Just who would send me a letter? Who even writes letters anymore? Can it be…? No, he’s locked down in the academy, I think. Faster than ever before I put on my clothes and open the door. Caretaker Maria smiles down at me with her wrinkled face and kind brown eyes. Her graying hair is bound up in a tight bun and her thick glasses reflect the morning sunlight shining through the windows.
“I’ve got mail?” I ask in disbelief, and she just smiles.
“Come down to the dining hall, grab a meal, and then you can have it. Can’t have you starving, can I?” I grumble, but there is nothing I can do once caretaker Maria has set her mind.
I inhale my breakfast as fast as I can. I don’t even care about the others gossiping. After finishing, I put my plate back and run to caretaker Maria’s office. She lets me in after my rather aggressive knocking and hands me a yellowed envelope with my name on it. My brain shorts out. I recognize that handwriting!
“Thank you, caretaker Maria,” I call out and rush back out of the room. I ignore everything else and rush back to my room. I sit down at my desk and take a deep breath in anticipation. With shaking fingers, I rip open the envelope and find a single sheet of paper:
Hey Sari,
I hope this letter gets to you. It’s hard to send messages from here. I kinda befriended one of the guards, and he is the one sending out the letter. I really hope this works out.
I hope you are doing well. You can’t be discovered as the Republic’s new Gravity Ball superstar while doing nothing 😊.
Jokes aside, you are probably asking how I’m doing. Can’t say everything is fine, but the conditions here in the academy are surprisingly good, considering how they treated me after the testing. The accommodations are a big upgrade compared to the orphanage, we get three free meals a day, and our days are practically just like it’s been in school. The only difference is that we have theoretical lessons in the morning and after lunch, there is the practical part.
I can fling spells now Sari, can you believe that? Just like in the movies, but still very different. Anyway, they tested my power, and it turns out I’m a Senior Mage in power, while still at the very bottom of the stage, they say this makes me a prodigy in magic. Pretty cool huh? The not-so-cool thing is that they forced me on one of the two possible paths. So, I’m an A&D Mage now – Senior A&D Mage Thomas Nelson. Ah before I forget, A&D means Attack and Defense. But looks like I’m only going to learn defensive spells so that I’m not going to be a danger to them…
That reminds me, they say they’ll have me join the military once I’m graduating. So, there is a chance that I’m going to come to the Acordus System on a patrol. I hope I’ll see you again if that’s the case.
The letter goes on with Thomas telling me other stuff. Even the unimportant random facts. But that’s just how he is. I also have to stop reading multiple times as my eyes tear up all the time. I finally finish the letter just to come to a realization:
I have to join the military!
Even better, this is a way for Shay off the planet too. I can’t believe she hasn’t thought of that yet. I leave my room in a rush to visit Shay. I knock nonstop, as I can barely hold back my excitement. Still, I wait and wait… and wait. She doesn’t open her door. Is she even here? I try to open the door, just to find it locked. Well, looks like I’m on my own for now.
I go back to my room and fire up my tablet to visit the military’s webpage. After the super-fast connection of the orphanage finally finished loading the page, a hologram of probably the most handsome soldier they could find greets me. “Welcome to the official page of the Estriduros Military! For general information please click on the button on the right or just say information. For recruitment press the button on the left or say recruitment.” I decide to first look for general information, as I have absolutely no clue what they do besides fighting others.
The information page finishes loading, and I finally get some context. There are three branches of the military. First, the Star Force which is pretty straightforward. They are all about military ships and long-range engagement. Next, we have the Space Rangers. They are also on starships but take care of boarding actions and inner ship defense. Also, if necessary, they can execute ground-based missions. Lastly, there is the Planetary Force. They are the smallest armed forces in the Republic and take care of ground-based defense or large-scale ground-based attacks, but this doesn’t happen all that often.
One thing is pretty clear to me. Thomas won’t be joining the Planetary Force. He said he’s pretty powerful, so for what reason would they waste his potential waiting for ground-based attacks, that’ll probably never happen. This leaves the Space Rangers and Star Force. He said, he’s concentrating on defensive spells, so that means probably Star Force, but I can’t be sure.
Anyway, that’s enough information now. Next stop, the recruitment page! The soldier hologram congratulates me for my courage and willingness to join the military and the next big block of information greets me: Requirements.
They are, well… I wouldn’t say impossible to meet, but very hard for someone out of a backwater like the Acordus System. I mean I could join up for the Planetary Force pretty easily, as you only need to be moderately physically fit and have a basic understanding of the Republic's politics, but that is not the goal I’m aiming for, as it brings me no closer to Thomas. Star Force is pretty much out for the count, as I cannot learn advanced space theory here on Acordus 3, which is a prerequisite for Star Force. That leaves the Space Rangers. It’ll be hard, but doable. They require peak physical fitness and also basic starship theory.
I’ll have to train every day to achieve this but for a chance of meeting Thomas again? I will!
After deciding, I head back out and knock at Shay’s room again. No answer. Weird. I go down to the common room and ask some boys if they’ve seen Shay. One of them answers. “Yeah, she left a few days ago. Had a large backpack with her and mumbled something about training down in the woods in the south. She hasn’t returned since.”
The heck? Did she have the same idea?
“Thank you, Matt. I’ll go out to look if I can find her if someone misses me.” I doubt that problem will arise. Currently, we are in the summer holidays and besides Caretaker Maria and my bullies, nobody seems to know that I exist.
I go back to my room to plan. South… Remembering my geography lessons, I can think of one town to start looking for her. The town of Spicagi next to Rocugo Mountain. I pack my own backpack with some clothes and put on my old hiking boots. With that, I leave the orphanage and walk to the grav train station.
Unfortunately, Spicagi is a smaller town, which means, I can’t use the UFT. That ride is going to take quite some time. I should be in Spicagi in the late afternoon though.
When I finally arrive, I take in the town. It is quite different from Acordia. Gone are the clear lines and homogenous districts. They make way for a full-on chaos of buildings. They were built without a grand plan in mind. Streets are curvy, bypassing the buildings, and some houses are even partially built into the mountain. Also, the average height is only two stories.
If I were Shay, I’d train all day and come back in the evening to sleep in the cheapest hotel I could find. With this thought, I head out to find exactly that hotel. It is easier than I thought. Right next to the station is a small billboard, advertising all the hotels.
It’s a bit of a walk until I reach the cheapest hotel I could find on the billboard. It’s located at the edge of the city and looks like it was in its prime some 50 years ago. I enter the lobby and ask the receptionist about Shay. Unfortunately, she tells me she can’t help because of privacy laws. I’m welcome to wait in the lobby though. I decide to do just so. At least the chairs are rather comfortable.
Luckily, I guessed right, as just a few hours later, a visibly sweaty Shay enters the hotel lobby. Upon seeing me her eyes go wide. “What the fuck?... What are you doing here?”
I just stare back at her for a while, then a frown enters my face. “Well, I was looking for you, Shay. I think I found the solution. But it looks like you were faster than me… Why didn’t you tell me?”
She winces. “I didn’t think you wanted to leave. I mean we were never that close, right? Also, how could I know?”
Right, I haven’t known that I want this either before today... I blush a little. But still. “Uhm right, I just made the decision earlier today. Thomas sent a letter…”
Shay’s jaw drops. “He what? Tell me everything!” She sits down next to me, and I tell her. I end with my speculation of him either joining Star Force or Space Rangers. Shay was silent the whole time, deep in thought.
“I think you are right. It is probably Star Force. I’m training for Planetary Force, but this changes things… I’ve always liked him, you know.”
I blink and just look at her. Then I start chuckling. “You too? Oh my god, is there a single girl on this planet that does not fancy him?”
My chuckles escalate to my first full-blown laughter since Thomas was taken away. Shay’s face is beet red, and she looks down in embarrassment. Finally, I get myself back under control. “You know, I think you might be the only one who actually has a chance.”
She stares at me. “For real?”
“Yeah,” I nod at her. “You are kind, beautiful, and share his exploratory drive. You just have to get your swear words under control.”
A goofy smile spreads across Shay’s face. “You know what that means, right?” She asks but doesn’t leave me time to answer. “We’re going to train and train and train from now on. Planetary Force isn’t enough anymore. We have to shoot for the stars.”
I return her smile. “Space Rangers it is then.”
“Space Rangers indeed.” She replies.