FLIGHT
As soon as Mia entered the room, murmurs erupted. Rippling through the groups of students scattered across various corners and along the walls. She didn’t have to guess what it was that they were muttering about. She knew.
After the incident in the kitchen, Principal Hoffenberg had told them to return to the dining hall while he stayed behind to clean up the mess. But it was hard to act as if nothing had happened when Mia returned to her seat at the hall. The first thing she noticed was the low rumble of whispers and pointing at the holograms. The blank expression on the faces of all four creatures was gone. And in its place was an upset look: brows arched down, head lowered and shoulders slumped. But among them all, the corners of the coyote’s mouth drooped and its bottom lip jutted out in a sad little pout. Negative two hundred flashed on the scoreboard below the coyote.
“Mia.” A snap of the fingers tore Mia out of her reverie. She lifted her head up to see Colt let out an exasperated sigh. “The first class today is Flight.”
“Flight?”
“Yup.” Colt pointed a finger to the timetable he was holding in his hand.
Mia glanced past him to the room that stretched at least twenty yards. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors lined all four walls, reflecting everyone in the room. Empty of tables and chairs, the mirrors threw back the perfect view of every student, from head to toe, from all angles. Though it was less of a classroom and more of a dance studio, Mia still felt that this didn’t seem like the right place to be learning how to fly. Shouldn’t they be out in the open field and not here—confined by walls on four sides and the low ceiling?
Murmurs fell silent as a giant man in his early thirties entered the room. His biceps bulged, straining through his shirt. Everyone gave way, in awe of his build, stepping back for him to pass through. He reached an empty spot in the room, along a wall of mirrors. And with the mirror behind him, it emphasized his broad shoulders that were as wide as a panel of the mirror. He spoke, his voice gruff like a sergeant.
“I’m Gerald Chase. Your Flight teacher. And today we’ll start learning the basics.”
Excitement tingled down Mia’s spine and a smile curved her lips. Flexing her fingers and rotating her ankles, she prepped herself into a ready stance with her back straight like bamboo.
Professor Chase cast his head down as he walked about in circles. Everyone watched him, not daring to speak a word. The silence was marred only by his heavy footsteps. After a minute, he stopped. His gaze sweeping the room. And Mia’s head tilted ever so slightly to meet his gaze. Higher and higher. As if he was standing on tiptoe. Then, he approached them. But unlike before, there was no swinging of the arms with every step taken. His arms were still at his sides. So were his shoulders that were bouncing up and down previously. He approached them like a still statue frozen in time.
Realization struck Mia. Emerald eyes glanced down. Professor Chase’s feet were off the ground. In fact, he floated an inch above the sprung wood. The bulky man then began to glide in circles. Slithering like a snake. Light as a feather. Meandering in and out of the students who were starstruck with their mouths agape. A small grin hovered on his lips as he tilted his chin up a fraction and crossed his arms behind him. The act itself seemed to be a voiceless command that pushed him forward, such that he was no longer moving around slowly but rather, traveling at the speed of a skateboard.
“This is what we’ll be learning today. How—” his hand made a sweeping stroke “—to glide.”
A series of thumps and grunts echoed in the room. And finally, a single loud thud—of a body landing on the floor—arrested everyone’s attention. All heads perked up and turned in the direction of the commotion. Including Mia.
“Phear! How many times do I have to repeat myself?” shouted Professor Chase in a thunderous voice. “Concentrate!”
A gray-haired man rose from the floor, stumbling a little before planting two firm feet on the ground. Even from across the room, his face and build were somewhat familiar. Mia was certain she had seen him before… Arthur!
Annoyance flashed in his eyes as Professor Chase gestured animatedly with his hands. After a while, his fury doused to a mere spark of anger. The chatter in the room rose again to its normal volume, drowning out his words. But from the way his mouth moved rapidly, it didn’t seem like the incessant lecture would be ending any time soon.
A small twist of worry tugged at the pit of Mia’s stomach. The confidence that was brimming in her minutes ago had plunged like a stone to the river. Now, she wasn’t sure whether she could do this. This glide thing. An image of her in Arthur’s shoes flashed across her mind, again and again. Would she end up the same as him? Failing the examinations, getting retained and—
“Breathe,” said Colt.
Mia looked up. Her eyes met his. Green against blue. She drew a deep breath just as he gave her hand a squeeze. With her hands in his, Colt took two steps back, pulling her along. Belief gleamed in his eyes. Belief in her. Tingling warmth flooded her limbs as his unwavering gaze breathed life into the dying flame within her and fanned a small spark of confidence.
As Colt held her hands, he whispered words of encouragement. His voice soft and gentle, unlike his cold and aloof eyes. He stood in front of her, taking a step back one by one. His eyes never leaving her. Mia followed his guidance and for every step he took back, she advanced forward. Closing the distance between them such that his scent wafted up her nose—a light masculine scent of shampoo intermingled with the aroma of breakfast.
A gasp escaped her lips when the sprung wood beneath her was gone. No hard surface. Just air. She wiggled her feet excitedly but neither the tip nor the heel of her shoes came into contact with the floor. A glance down revealed that she had successfully floated above ground. By a few inches.
Letting go of her hands, Colt sidestepped to walk by Mia’s side instead of guiding her. A small smile worked its way across his face as she glided across the room, as fluently as a butterfly. He then stood at one corner of the room, watching her with satisfaction written on his face. There was a swelling proudness in the way he stood and held his head, just like how a father took pride in his daughter’s success—how he had taught her to ride a bicycle and she had successfully done it.
From the corner of her eye, Mia saw Angelica and Kayne engaged in a sour bicker. Slaps on the back. Mouths shooting off nasty words. And the next moment, they were chasing each other—Angelica running after Kayne, who had mastered the profound art of gliding.
A laugh burst out of Mia’s throat as she watched them. Whenever the two were together, they became children who lived without a care in the world. Something that she envied and yet, also not desire. Sometimes, she wondered how they could be like this. Accepting everything as it was—joining Asphodelus, attending classes, adapting to the society and culture here—and not questioning why they were here in the first place. A sudden uninvited image flashed into her mind: the streak of scarlet red that stained right where her heart was, the warm viscous fluid trickling down the gaping wound. No, she needed to know. How did she end up here, with this scar on her chest?
Mia pivoted around, her eyes scanning the sea of faces before landing on the man dressed in a hooded black leather jacket. But Colt wasn’t alone. Professor Chase, who was done chiding Arthur, stood beside him. His mouth fell open. And there began a rapid to and fro of words.
Emerald eyes focused on them, determination blazing in their depths. Mia bit on her lower lip as she pushed herself forward. Her mind was empty of words, except for the image of them looming nearer and growing larger. With her destination imprinted in her brain, her body moved forward in accordance with her will. Swerving in and out of the crowd. Buoying above ground surface. She met a few hiccups along the way, knocking into her peers and bobbing unsteadily such that her feet touched the floor a few times. And yet, she managed to reach her destination after ten minutes. Crossing the room to where they were was like passing a desert. She breathed a sigh of relief as she came to a rest before them.
“Hmm… Yes, I’ve heard it from Hoffenberg. Why don’t you try applying to be an Escort? Just—” Professor Chase clapped his chest with a proud grin on his face “—like me.”
The corners of Colt’s mouth tugged upwards by a fraction. His glacial eyes darted to Mia. Their eyes connected for a brief moment before he tore them away, returning his attention back to Professor Chase. “It’s okay, Professor Chase. I’m happy with my job now. Rather than escorting the new ones, I prefer to stay by her side.” And as he said those last two words, contentment glowed on his face. The once-hard features softened into a warm smile.
Shocked by his unexpected answer, Mia stilled. Her heart, which was supposed to be dead, skipped a beat and almost leaped out of her rib cage.