Uh oh. Was I in trouble already? I tried to think of what I possibly could have done in the brief minutes of my first day back.
“Jonaz Maven.” Oh, perfect. They must have seen the pod incident.
“Mira Raveen.” What? What the heck was going on? I was pretty sure I hadn’t done anything to her, outside of my thoughts anyway.
Mira came skittering back over to Chaz, her eyes as wide and confused as mine were. Another four names were called out, but they were students I didn’t know. What kind of conspiracy was this? Meela and Dash stared across the hall; their mouths dropping open into surprised little ‘O’s’, or maybe they were actually mouthing ‘Uh-oh’.
“Chaz you better go,” I said reluctantly as I realized students were filing out of the hall. While their bodies were in the process of leaving, they were all totally straining their necks, twisting to stare back at me and the others left behind. I could feel a slow, burning blush creeping over my face. This wasn’t good.
“I’ll meet you both on our bench at break, okay?” he answered. Mira’s face scrunched up in a hideous kind of way, clearly unimpressed with his shared concern for the both of us. I gloated openly.
Gently he pried Mira off him, brushing her hair from her face. He bent his head, whispering something reassuring in her ear alone, which seemed to calm her. My gloating died a quick and painful death as Chaz walked away from us and joined Dash and Meela, who were still giving me frantic stares. Um, where was my support? I turned peevishly in the other direction and exited the opposite end of the hall.
Mira caught up with me and we made our way down the hall, in step. It was an uncomfortable moment of static silence because we never spent any time together where Chaz wasn’t between us. As far as I was concerned, we shared nothing in common besides Chaz.
Hesitantly, we entered Zarian’s office, me leading the way because unfortunately it wasn’t the first time I’d paid a visit. The room was white, spacious and round, with a huge marble desk taking up half the room. On it sat a glass orb of floating space dust, a communication screen, which she used to monitor (spy on) us, a pitcher of water, and an antique frame flashing different images of her family. Boring really. Behind her desk, one long window threw more brightness into the place. It was kind of dazzling. I wondered how she worked in here without needing eye protection.
There before me, to my absolute joy, (yes, rich sarcasm here) was Jonaz. He’d already draped himself casually over one of seven chairs lined up opposite Zarian's desk, as if he did this sort of thing every day. He raised his eyebrows, his dark eyes mocking me again. I narrowed mine back.
As if I had space lice, Mira immediately moved away and sat on the other side of Jonaz, on the end chair farthest from me. Good. I didn’t want to be anywhere near those two people let alone sit next to them in this room. Who was worse? My day was getting weirder by the minute, and unfortunately I could tell by the unpleasant sensation of adrenaline coursing through my veins it was about to get worse. Ignoring them both, I sat, but not in the last chair near the door. I didn’t want Jonaz to think he intimidated me. I’d die a screaming, painful death first.
The other students slunk into the room, their faces ranging from terror to rebellion. A small, pale girl with straight, red hair sat next to me on the end chair, without a word. Her knees were trembling and she really didn’t look like a troublemaker; more of a timid, law-abiding type. A moment later an absolutely stunning girl with long, thick, golden hair, and two more guys, entered the room. They sat in the remaining chairs between the evil annoying ones and myself.
“Jonaz!” cried the attractive girl. She gazed at him with beautiful, wide, amber eyes. “Do you have any idea what this is about?”
“Sorry Stelli. I swear I haven’t done anything I shouldn’t have...well not since last night anyway.” He winked at her and she laughed. Oh seriously? Not her too. If he was going to carry on like this all morning, I envisioned using my powers to throw him out the window.
One of the boys sitting on my other side tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped, my nerves already tightly wound.
“Twell isn’t it?” He had startlingly green eyes, messy bronze hair, and was smiling warmly at me, like he might know me. I’d seen him before but had no idea who he was.
“I’m Marz. I was in your universal history class last year.”
“Oh, yes, hi,” I said brightly, as if I knew exactly who he was. Awkward. To my right I heard Jonaz snort. Just as I turned to serve him my filthiest look, I was distracted by the sound of the door closing firmly behind us. There was instant silence as Zarian walked briskly to her desk. Everything about her was orderly and crisp, from her white, blunt bob framing her severe angular face, to her stiff silver pantsuit. Even lint didn’t dare to go near her. She began speaking before she even sat down.
“Firstly, I can tell you that you are not here because you are in trouble, although for some of you, your previous conduct in this school could well be the reason you are here now,” Zarian said dryly. I tensed in suspicion at this statement. There were a few murmurs and the redheaded girl sat up a little straighter, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. “I will be brief and to the point,” she continued. “You are all aware of the special abilities you each possess, outside of the average Comian’s normal mental and physical abilities.” I was so taken aback by this revelation I nearly fell off my seat in shock. I felt horribly exposed; as though she’d suddenly pointed out we were all sitting there in the nuddy. I slunk down in my chair, trying to make myself less noticeable. Mucking around in class with my friends was one thing, but a teacher laying it out there in front of people I didn’t know made me more than a little nervous.
At least it appeared the others were just as uncomfortable with Zarian's announcement. Around me chairs squeaked, throats gasping and grunting in equally surprised response. With another shock, I realized that this meant Mira too had some sort of ability. This was big news to me. What had the little beast been hiding? Hypnotic powers used to lure poor, helpless victims like Chaz probably. And what about Jonaz? It had to be a joke. The only abnormal thing about him was the size of his ego.
“For some of you it is a gift you have already begun to develop,” Zarian continued. “For the rest of you it’s a talent you hide to avoid being noticed, or because you are simply lazy.”
I squirmed in my seat; paranoid she was looking at me when she said it. So okay, maybe I was a tiny bit lazy, but last time I checked that wasn’t a crime. Maybe I just didn’t want many people to know I was different. Fitting in at upper schooling was hard enough as it was, for planet’s sake. “I am now telling you that you have all been noticed,” Zarian broke into my indignant thoughts. “For the last few years here at Caran, we have watched every one of you closely, as we have with all students at this school, to ensure that you excel in your studies. But, that’s not all. We also watch to monitor signs of the extra abilities you each possess. We report what we see to the Governing Body, and it comes down to this. On their behalf I have been requested to inform you that each of you are slated for special training here at Caran. A team of trainers will be coming in every day to work with you for the first half of each school day. These trainers are experts in the fields of your abilities and will train you to your full potential.”
Complete silence, not even the sound of jaws dropping. I tried to work out if she was joking, but her mouth was pressed out in a firm I-am-dead-serious line, and her eyes were grave. I peeked around at the other six, taking in their reactions. It was a combination of eyebrows disappearing into hairlines and squinty-eyed scepticism. The redheaded girl, displaying open-mouthed horror, seemed like she might melt off her seat to the floor at any moment. The blond girl stared wide-eyed at Zarian, as if she was stunned.
Lastly, I snuck a glance at Jonaz, and it appeared that finally, there were some things in this world that could wipe that smug expression off his face. The thought cheered me momentarily, until I glanced at Mira. Unnervingly interested, she was leaning forward in her chair, her shifty, narrow eyes focused keenly on Zarian. I moved my focus back to Ms. Zarian, who gazed calmly back.
“Why?” I broke the silence with my most intelligent response.
“I’m sorry, Twell?” Zarian smiled patiently.
“Well, I just mean, why are we doing this? I mean, okay so we have a little extra ability than others, but so what? Why do we need to develop it, is there a point?”
“Yes, of course there is a point. Thank you, Twell,” Zarian replied. “The relationship between Como and Abwarz has been shaky since before the time you were born. Abwarzians are beginning to grow restless again, and have begun re-approaching other planets for water.” I nodded. I’d heard all this before. Their nuclear-weapon production had poisoned their fresh water with toxic waste. They could survive on their desalinized water, but it held little nutritional value, lacking the essential minerals of natural water. They much preferred it fresh and preferably taken from other planets. In other words, they were greedy, environment-destroying jerks.
“They want our water again?” Marz asked quietly.
“Yes,” Zarian admitted after a pause, “but as they destroyed our trade agreement when they attacked us, they are now being forced to look further away for water.”
“And I’m sure they’re asking the other planets ever so politely,” I muttered.
“Indeed. And they are becoming increasingly desperate,” Zarian replied. “Unfortunately the leaders of Abwarz are reigniting resentment and hostility towards our planet. It seems that one hundred and forty moons of peace are not nearly enough to heal old wounds.”
“But what’s that got to do with us?” I persisted. An uncomfortable feeling began to expand in my chest, my mouth becoming as dry as a desert.
“As a nation, we must be prepared to defend ourselves,” Zarian replied. “The Abwarzians are a bloodthirsty, short-sighted race. Having destroyed their own planet, they are quite willing to plunder others.” She picked up the orb on her desk, rolling it in her hands thoughtfully. “Your parents’ generation sacrificed many things, even their lives, to protect our resources. We were determined not to repeat the mistakes our ancestors made on Earth when the ozone layer was destroyed. Anyone who made it through first grade knows full well that we are all descendants of the earthlings selected for emigration at that time. They gave up everything they held dear so that we might live today. Those of you who lost family members in Como’s first war with Abwarz are, more than anyone, acutely aware of those more recent sacrifices made, just to have peace between our planets this long.” I squirmed again at this. I supposed I was meant to hang my head and look devastated because my parents had been killed in that war. Instead, I was annoyed at what I felt were cleverly crafted words, designed to manipulate our emotional responses.
“All of you have been gifted,” Zarian went on. ‘‘It would be in the best interests of Como for you not to waste these talents, not when you could help protect what we have strived so hard to rebuild. So, we are asking you to train for this entire year, and refine your powers. You will complete a skills test at the year’s end and we shall determine whether your abilities are of a high enough standard to enter the Comian army.” I was having a hard time absorbing this information let alone picturing myself in the army.
Jonaz whistled under his breath. “Wow, so you’re actually serious? The G.B. wants us to fight the Abwarzians?”
“Jonaz we are not like Abwarz,” Zarian answered him. “We do not share their blood lust, nor do we want to stoop to their level. We intend to be smarter, to get ahead of the trouble, before we are caught off guard.”
“But why would we bother training, if we’re not preparing to fight?” Jonaz argued.
“Jonaz your impertinence is bordering on disobedience,” Zarian warned, her voice suddenly harder. “Sometimes war is a necessary evil, in order to protect what we love.” It was? This attitude from an authority was new and unsettling. I’d always believed that war was only evil, without any shades of grey. Or, so we’d been told, up until today.
“Well with all due respect, Miss, I don’t really see how I can help. I mean, maybe later when you need someone to scrape the others back together, but I don’t see how my powers could protect anyone.” I looked at Jonaz sharply. Despite the carelessness of his tone, there was tightness in his jaw, a flicker of something unsettling that contrasted with his relaxed posture. So he was a healer?
“There must really be a lot of girls in our school in pain, judging by the way those hands of his get around,” I muttered. Marz caught it, snorting with laughter. Zarian shot me a warning look before turning back to Jonaz.
“I hope you have a better understanding of your powers than that, Jonaz. I would also hope you understand how you could use them to protect others, should it come to that.” Jonaz opened his mouth to reply, but then a strange, dark expression flashed across his features. He closed his mouth and grimaced, as if he were in pain. What was that all about?
“Wait,” said Marz, lurching forward in his seat. “Does this mean we’re exempt from our partnering obligations? It doesn’t seem practical for us to be matched if we could end up going off to war, right?” Oh. I rocked forward in my seat, eager to hear Zarian's answer. Surely Marz was right? My breath caught at the possibility. This, of course, was the second reason Shay had given me the pod. She was trying to appease me, knowing the new law that applied to my generation plagued my thoughts increasingly as the time grew closer. An oppressive and inescapable destiny that was too painful to think about, let alone discuss. Because we’d lost one third of our population in the war, all citizens were to be partnered by one hundred and eighty moons old according to genetic compatibility. The Governing Body on Como knew everybody’s information; our abilities, our genetics, and ultimately our suitability to one another in reproduction. They said it was in the best interest of our survival to create a stronger race, to breed out unsuitable matches.
Love matches were rare, and had to be petitioned to the government and genetically tested. They were also frowned upon. It was considered socially irresponsible to allow our emotions to get in the way of the necessities of reality. Sometimes the petitioners’ genes were compatible and they were approved. However, I already knew of couples whose petitions hadn’t been successful, and believe me, you did not want to be around to witness the aftermath; it was downright distressing.
We understood we needed to repopulate. We knew that waiting for everyone to choose a partner would threaten our population’s growth. Comians were patriotic, when it came down to it, the honest necessity of the situation making the law easier to bear. However, now that I was only a year away from learning my destiny with no boyfriend in sight, the prospect was giving me a rash.
“You will still partner as is custom at your designated time,” Zarian smiled gently as she delivered the disappointing news, “but you will be exempt from the obligation of creating offspring for the duration of your service. After that, your normal responsibilities to Como would resume.”
Any reason to delay the concept of ‘offspring’ was appealing to me. I didn’t have a maternal bone in my body. Some of my friends found the prospect of having children a comfort, a consolation prize if you like, for the sacrifice of the heart we would be submitting to. But not me. Maybe if I was lucky I could even die in honour and glory, and never have to come back and procreate. Ugh. Ew.
“I’ve sent a message to your parents or guardians, to notify them of the situation,” Zarian said as she stood and moved in front of her desk to stand before us. “Your training will commence tomorrow, and will continue for the rest of your time here at Caran. Beyond that is not for me to address, as you will have finished your studies and no longer be under my care.” My head was spinning, overwhelmed with everything I’d just heard, and struggling to make sense of it all. Apart from Jonaz, no one else had said a word in protest. Not one argument, no refusals. I wanted to believe it was because they were still as dumbfounded as I was. They wanted me to fight for our planet? Me? I mean, I was only one hundred and seventy moons old for planet’s sake.
“Uh...excuse me?” the redheaded girl stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if we don’t want to do this?”
There was collective breath of anticipation. Finally, someone was putting it out there. Was there a way to say no to our leaders, when they decided everything else for us? I couldn’t see that there was any debate really. Who could ever say no without looking like they were disloyal to their own people? Selfish?
“Well...” said Zarian very carefully, “I think the real question is whether you trust your leaders to correctly discern your potential and call you to your true purpose. You trust them to choose your partners, and guide you in your career choices. So, will you trust them with this? Because they trust you Sazika.” Sazika looked as unsure as I felt. Quite frankly, I didn’t know if I could trust them with my future partner, let alone trust their judgment of my abilities. Besides, I was one of the lazy ones. There, I admitted it. Didn’t they know that? Sure, I could use my powers to fly a note under desks and through chairs in class, to be snatched by Chaz’s smooth hands. I could summon a carton of protein bites from the meal room to my bedroom, when I couldn’t be bothered going myself. Clearly, I could even shove annoying jerk’s pods out of my way if I was riled up enough to unleash my talents. But, could I do anything bigger than that? I had no idea because I’d never tried. I’d never needed to try.
“Wow,” Marz murmured, “I suppose we should feel honoured and all that.” He raised an eyebrow at me, bumping my shoulder in a familiar way. I shrugged back. Zarian’s wristband beeped. Looking at the message, her face darkened with annoyance. No doubt there was some couple off lip locking in the storage room. They must be stopped!
“Please excuse me for a moment, I have an... incident to attend to,” Zarian said, sounding cross as she moved towards the door. “Tomorrow you will need to report to your instructors in the assembly hall. Introduce yourselves while I am gone, and if I am not back before break, please resume your classes for the day.” She smiled encouragingly at us all, and walked to the door, where she turned back. “One more thing. It is reasonable that you be allowed to tell your closest most trusted friends you will be undergoing some extracurricular training, as it will not be something you can hide from them. You are forbidden, however, to elaborate on the actual reason why.”
“Wow, how unexpected!” I didn’t bother to hide my sarcasm this time. The redheaded girl gasped nervously next to me. Jonaz coughed. Zarian looked at me in a way that suggested I was treading in dangerous territory.
“Why not?” Stelli asked, looking disappointed.
“We don’t want to create unnecessary panic,” Zarian answered calmly, not taking her eyes off me as I squirmed in irritation. “Tell them you are simply working on improving your abilities, but please leave the finer details to our government. It is their place to warn and advise Como, should it be necessary.” With that, Zarian left the room. I could hear the hurried clicking of her shoes heading down the hallway, off to stop true love, or whatever it was.