Chapter 6

The car eased gently through the imposing gates of Vanguard Academy, the massive V symbol that hovered overhead. Tim's heart raced between excitement and nervousness as they entered the grounds. The presence of guards all over the campus dropped a cold shiver down his spine, surely cementing the impact of this new chapter in his life.

As the car slowed to a halt, Tim looked out upon the vast and picturesque campus, resplendent with lavish edifices and effervescing with life of every kind; indeed, it was almost too much to take in—too much for one man who, for most of his life, had hardly entertained the thought that he would be doing what he was.

The driver alighted first and opened the door for Tim; he followed, alighting tentatively and looking around in wonder. An aura of reverence fell stiffly over him, realizing the greatness of the opportunity at hand.

"Mr. Tim, we've prepared some clothes for you," the driver indicated, pointing to a smooth traveling bag next to the young man. "All that you may need is in there."

Tim nodded gratefully, mind reeling with everything that had happened that day. He said with an even voice, soft but filled with real appreciation.

The driver just nodded before climbing back into the car and driving off, leaving Tim to stand in front of the grand entrance to Vanguard Academy. He drew in a deep breath, steeling himself for the unknown journey that lay beyond.

Tim had determination in his heart and hope in his eyes, picked up the bag, and proceeded towards the entrance when, suddenly, a car passed him speedily, raising dirt that surrounded him in a cloud.

His face is full of dirt, Tim coughed, seeing the car stop a stone's throw from him. From the car got out a tall figure and from it came one very expensive red T-shirt, white palazzo trousers.

His name was Brandon, and he came over with his bodyguards. With the sneer on his lips and followed by his bodyguard wolves, Brandon rode over to come swaggering over towards Tim who was now wriggling underneath. "Tim the cleaner," he sneered; his voice oozed with contempt. "The number one loser in the world."

Images of Brandon bullying him and taking away his girlfriend, along with a host of other traumatic memories, came flooding back into his thoughts. Anger and resentment filled him, and his chest heaved in and out.

He struggled to keep a straight face under the verbal lashings from Brandon. The very words Brandon spoke, cutting into him and stinging like a bee, made his fists clench and his stomach fester, but he knew better than to let them release the anger inside of him. Brandon and his gang would spell trouble, maybe even in a legal brawl with the Wongs.

But he had to subdue them; he had to keep himself calm. It was his time to be at Vanguard Academy, and he'll be damned if Brandon was going to ruin it for him; he'll be damned. He forced himself to rein back his emotions and watch Brandon and his bodyguards swagger away, laughing all over again in an echo.

"Now, now, don't let that jerk bother you. He's just a bully who loves to get a reaction from you. Sadistic dude," he said, the voice of reason in the sea of havoc that was his thoughts.

Tim looked over to see a guy, smiling widely and approaching him. "I'm Bryce," he introduced himself, extending his hand.

Tim seized Bryce's hand, grateful for the timely intervention from nowhere. "Tim," he replied, managing a laugh this time.

Bryce's eyes were glittering with realization. "Hold on, you look familiar," he puzzled out in confusion, scratching his head.

Tim laughed, and he felt a little lighter for this encounter, though it was recent. "Yeah, used to work here before," he admitted.

Realization slowly dawned on Bryce's face, as if he were understanding something. "Ah, that's it! I remember now," he said. "Well, welcome back!"

As Bryce continued his enthusiastic monologue, Tim gradually faded out, his mind trying to catch up with everything that had just transpired. Bryce's voice followed him growing back, both loud and clear, and soft to himself, "Hello? Where did he go?"

Tim heaved his travel bag up the stairs as fast as he could, eager to see his new room at Vanguard Academy. Right at the entrance, he could hear music blasting out from Room 8. He walked in pulling his travel bag further into the room to Room 8 and pushed the door in with his key.

Inside, a man was vigorously working out as his muscles glistened with sweat. "Hey, I'm Tim," he called out, but the guy remained focused on his exercises, apparently not minding Tim at all.

Puzzled, Tim thought about where the third roommate was supposed to be. Just then the door opened again and Bryce made his way inside, wagging a big smile. "Well, look who's here! Didn't expect you, Tim," Bryce said, clapping him on the back.

"Thanks," Tim answered gratefully at the first friendly face. He had hardly begun unpacking when Bryce lurched in close and spoke slowly under his breath. "Quick heads up, mate. Be outside by 8:00 PM on the dot. The school doesn't appreciate lateness."

And at that, Bryce's face grew ominously grave, and he added, "And then there are three more golden rules around here: one, don't mess with Thai's things; two, just don't bother even looking at his side of the room; and three, worst of all, don't even bother talking to Thai."

The mention of Thai struck Tim as odd, and he wore a puzzled expression on his face. "Who is Thai?" he asked, looking around the room.

Bryce inclined his head ever so slightly toward the man who, unfazed, carried on working out. "Him," he said in a lowered voice. "He's not that friendly, and trust me, you don't wanna be in his bad books. He's got a bit of a reputation."

"Sure thing," Tim nodded in agreement, making a mental note to not go anywhere near Thai's things or the side of the room. Didn't want to start on the wrong foot with his new roommate.

No sooner had they finished unpacking than the large loudspeaker crackled to life, encouraging all the recruits to attend the gathering in the auditorium. Tim and Bryce shared a glance and then doubled out, joining the thousands of other recruits from all over the world heading into the large hall.

All through the auditorium was the excited rival chatter of the recruits and the warmth of all those packed bodies. Tim and Bryce wormed through the people, searching for a place to stand.

As Tim and Bryce took their seats, the audience began to settle into silence, and a woman approached the podium. There was something about her that made Tim unable to put his finger on it, but she was formidable. Something was commanding in her presence. Instantly he knew her. It was Mrs. Lopez, the Head of Security at Vanguard Academy.

"Everyone pays attention, recruits!" Mrs. Lopez had bellowed, her voice strong and slashing, sharp, cutting through the racket like a machete. "Of course, all of you know that 65 years ago, for the first time, the earth was struck by the parasite alien race, the VIREX, born to eradicate mankind and make our planet their own."

The words of Mrs. Lopez sank in, and Tim's heart pounded in his chest. Tim had heard tales of the VIREX invasion since he was a babe, but to hear it spoken of with such matter-of-factness sent a chill down his spine.

Mrs. Lopez continued, her voice unwavering, "Humanity has fought with all our vigor for the last 40 years in this battle against these monsters and is struggling to take back our own home. The battle is so far from over."

Tim looked across the auditorium at the mix of determination and fear across the faces of the other recruits. This was anything but your run-of-the-mill school and he was definitively not your average student either; they were soldiers, warriors in the war to save humanity.

"Recruits of Vanguard Academy, we have selected you to be the few and the brave who answer the call to stand against VIREX," Mrs. Lopez proclaimed, addressing the group of students before her. "You will be receiving grueling physical and mental training for the tasks at hand."

A ripple of excitement ran through the auditorium with Mrs. Lopez taking the floor. Most importantly, there was the adrenaline taking its way through Tim's veins. That was what he had signed up for; that was what he had been training for all his life.

"Remember," Mrs. Lopez's voice rang out, firm and unwavering. "The fate of humanity rests on your shoulders. Failure is not an option."

"'As recruits of Vanguard Academy, you have been selected to be among those courageous enough to hold in person the VIREX menace,'" she stated, her eyes boring into the gathering. "'But be that as it may, this job is not for the faint-hearted. Many a person has lost their life fighting these monsters, and many more have dropped out of the program.' "

Tim shivered at the words of Mrs. Lopez. The realization of how much danger they were in hit him. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

Mrs. Lopez went on, her voice serious. "But every one of you has taken an oath – to destroy every VIREX and to serve the Vanguard to the— end. It's not really an oath to be taken flippantly."

Finishing his speech, Tim felt a load of responsibility placed on his shoulders. He looked around at the other recruits whose eyes burned with determination. They were ready for whatever lay ahead.

Everybody was preparing to exit the auditorium. And then, Tim turned and there she was: Tess, with Brandon. What was she doing here? Did she get recruited to the Vanguard Academy, too?