Chapter 81

It should not be a major concern. There can't be more than, what, five thousand people in this place? maybe even six?" Sasha shrugged.

Anthony said, while swallowing his words, "I'd rather be in the British Museum during rush hour." "Perhaps even Times Square," the speaker said.

The two were still as they stood side by side at the entrance to the conference center, which were surrounded by a crowd of athletes wearing matching white suits. They had their own version of the regulation whites that was borrowed and didn't fit very well, but otherwise they were dressed the same as everyone else. Sasha was the one who suggested that they come up to the event already dressed in their fencing attire so that they would be able to more easily blend in with the throng.

Less X basement, more athlete.

However, at this point it was irrelevant because neither Anthony nor Saha could bring themselves to enter the building.

Anthony said that this was a poor plan of action. The night before, he had absolutely no dreams, which was a very rare occurrence for him. Even though he had no idea what it signified, it made him anxious nonetheless.

"Or a fantastic suggestion," Sasha added. If we don't step in, we'll never know what we're missing. You can do it!

They were completely still.

Sasha inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Okay. You know how there's always someone that you wish you could just stab through the heart?

"Just one?" Anthony forced a grin in spite of the queasy sensation that was developing in her stomach.

"Pretend that today, every person you interact with is that one." Sasha took Anthony's hand in hers and gave it a quick squeeze, and that was the end of it. No more stalling. "It is time to begin fighting for what we want," the speaker said.

"Or at the very least, enough time to enter the building on foot." Anthony nodded. But Sasha was absolutely correct. It was now or never.

They allowed the throng to carry them past the doors, which ultimately led to them entering their first competition.

Anthony had never encountered anything even quite like to it. The onslaught of people in uniforms, waving flags, shouting words, and surrounding him overwhelmed him. He spotted club jackets that referenced locations that he had only ever seen on television. However, the well-known American institutions of higher education that he was familiar with gradually came into view, one colored warm-up after another. The universities in question are Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford. Anthony was familiar with the names since they were worn by Americans dressed in preppy sweatshirts who were on the express train to get to the hip neighborhoods of Brooklyn to buy a scoop of ice cream for five dollars or homemade pickles in small jars.

Anthony was well aware that he would never attend a school like that again in his life. It was quite unlikely that he would ever attend another school again. He made an effort to be unconcerned. Not everyone was cut out to go to school. He was the son of a physicist who specialized in space, and just look how beautifully it turned out for him!

But Anthony realized it wasn't only the schools when he spotted a pair of young ladies go past with their hair braided to perfection. It was the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the swimming pools, and the laundry rooms all of which were involved. The dogs that are restrained and the recently mowed grass. It was completely inappropriate for him to be in the same room as any of these other people. They breathed in air that was distinct from the air that he did.

"Registration. And a check of the weaponry." It sounded as though Sasha was speaking from a great distance away. "Jack recommended doing that as the next step. However, let's wait until the very last second to put on the gloves.

They still have the odor of cat urine." Anthony wasn't paying attention at all. He was only capable of staring for so long.

He is aware that extraterrestrial beings now inhabit this planet. But these young ladies, it's almost as if they came from a different planet. He's never been this close to such stunningly attractive women before in his life.

Then one of the females with braids turned around and giggled at him as she stared back at him. She got closer and whispered something to her buddy, who turned around to look at Anthony at the same time. Both of them were dressed in shirts that bore humongous images of horses on the front.

How come horses? Is it true that wealthy individuals have an obsession with horseback riding? Anthony became increasingly aware of what the females saw in him as their gaze remained fixed on him for longer. The worn-out, oversized jacket with his name written on a scrap of duct tape that was affixed to the back of it. The sagging Papps that he had to secure with a safety pin at the waist, along with the single suspender that was hanging down. The unkempt curls that he'd chopped himself with scissors that he'd borrowed. shoes with so many holes that they were unfit even for use as sneakers, let alone as fencing shoes.