The Academy - The Dream
#1 of The Academy
This is the introductory chapter to my new series entitled The Academy. Before I get started, I'd like to give a shout out to the two guys who were my biggest supporters through Rocky Mountain Times. foxmoulder992 and eveser, both are great writers, go check them out. I hope you guys like this one too.
***
The hot summer sun beat down on Raleigh which would normally have kept most of the inhabitants inside, enjoying blissful air conditioning. However, it was the week after graduation and the last place all the diploma wielding high school grads wanted to be was cooped up inside. Most of them could be found at the reservoir, swimming, playing frisbee, and naturally drinking. The cops, knowing the ritual, tended to turn a blind eye to the banks of the lake this time of year. Just don't get caught piloting a boat across its wide expanse.
On the southern bank, near a small inlet, three such former students lay talking. Two boys, a wolf and a snow leopard sat on towels stretched across the coarse sand. The third, a slim female river otter lay between the snow leopard's legs, her head resting on his lap.
"So, do you think you'll get in Kirian?" asked the wolf. His fur was umber brown and steel grey on his back, transitioning to sand and khaki on his sides and belly. Black tipped his ears, and the end of his short tail.
"I see no reason why I shouldn't," responded the snow leopard named Kirian. Where his friend's colors were considered "normal" Kirian's complexion turned heads wherever he went, for he was an albino. His fur, rather than the cool gray of his mother's or the siena of his buck father, was blindingly white. The spots which covered his body were pale silver, and nearly indiscernible from the white, unless one knew to look. However, there was one on his shoulder as well as a ring near the end of his tail which were black, contrasting starkly with the rest of his complection. His, similar to the spots, was a slightly darker shade of grey, but in the noon day light appeared just as white as the rest. The only color in his appearance were his eyes, which were gold.
"How about you Joe?" Kirian asked, addressing the first boy.
"God I hope so. My dad would probably disown me if I didn't."
"Harsh."
"Tell me about it. He seems to think the only respectable career for me is professional military. It's not that I don't want to go, to the contrary, just lay off the pressure."
"I don't see why you two are so eager to go get shot up." This comment came from the otter. She was tall, thin, and very fit. Her fur was mostly dark brown, with black in areas. She had bright red-orange hair which she kept short, much to Kirian's shagrin.
"I'm sorry Traci," Kirian said, his voice full of sarcasm, "but we can't all become professional athletes like you, miss I'm on the national swim team."
"You could have."
"You're right. I could have, but I want to serve my country. Besides, the academy has a biathlon team, so I can still compete through college. And military personnel are granted leave to compete for the national team, so it's still an option."
That was the problem with growing up in Raleigh. It played home the Jardine Military Academy, which was built at the base of a mountain to the north of the city. The cadets were often in town, in uniform, giving it even more presence. It had such an influence on the local life that, to not get accepted was devastating to the applicants from the two local high schools. Some had been known to leave just to avoid the city's shame. There were five locals applying that Kirian knew of other than Himself and Joe.
"When's that stupid ceremony?" Traci asked rolling her eyes at Kirian's comments.
"Sunday after next, and you," said Kirian bending down to kiss her nose, "are going to be there, when I get in."
"If I must."
The Academy acceptance ceremony was just as, if not more so, important to the applicants as graduation. Everyone who was chosen would be there with their families to officially be invited to the school. The Academy took only the best and each class had no more than one hundred fifty cadets. After graduating, those who attended the Academy always got the best assignments and were looked at first when it came time for promotions.
"How can you be so sure you're going to get in?" asked Joe.
"I don't know. I've just got a good feeling about it."
This was of course a lie. Kirian was scared shitless by the thought of the yet unreceived letter of acceptance. He worried more and more every day about not getting in. He would never admit this though, especially not with Traci there. He suspected she knew but, admitting it to her, meant he would have to admit it to himself.
Kirian leaned back and stretched out on the bank. Traci rolled over, crawled up till she was eye level with him, and lowered herself to kiss him.
"You're kind of cute when you're nervous," she whispered.
"Get a room you two!" Joe gibed.
Kirian reached blindly for a rock. His paw found one and he lobbed it towards his friend.
"Hey!"
They spent the rest of the day at the reservoir, swimming and talking. Finally, when the shadows started lengthening and the air began to cool off, they packed up and headed back to town. Kirian Dropped off his two friends before driving home, the knot which had formed in his stomach tightening in expectation and fear of the upcoming weeks.
***
I opened my eyes with the now familiar uneasiness in my gut. The wait was over, in less than a week's time I would be attending the Academy, so why did dreams still plague me? I reach for the letter which lay folded on my end table and switched on the lamp by my bed. There was no need to re-read it. My eyes had followed the printed words across the stiff paper so many times I had the stupid thing memorized, but I found reassurance in its physical presence between my fingers, and the black letters in front of my face.
Dear Applicant,
Congratulations on being accepted as a cadet at the Jardine Military Academy. It is my duty to inform you that the new cadet ceremony is to take place Sunday, the 23rd of May. If you wish to continue your acceptance process, please be present yourself in the General Hastings Ball Room no later than 1800. Family and friends are welcome. The evening's uniform will be service dress, or civilian equivalent. Any applicant who is not in attendance, is thereby terminated from the selection process and their slot will be given to the next candidate. I wish you the best of luck in joining the 2137 Academy class.
LtGen/Richard Kohl Office of Academy Admissions
I lay the letter back down, my heart slowing to a normal rate, but still beating hard and looked at my clock. It was only 2:30.
"Go back to sleep," I told myself with no success.
But I must have managed eventually because I next awoke to the sound of my mom knocking on the bedroom door. How the hell was I supposed to wait ten more hours? Had I been dreaming about something last night?