Chapter 1

The sudden jolt in the plane brought Priar's head to his knees. It was the first time he'd been in the sky and to feel this sick when they've only just left the ground wouldn't bode well for the other's. He could already taste the bile forming in the back of his throat.

Each seat was full of bright eyed trainees, some laughed with their friends. Other's worried as Priar had, but none sat alone. They all had a connection to one another in some way whereas in Priar's case, no one had paid attention to him. No one had known his name nor his face. No one except the trainee seated beside him. A shorter student with wild blonde hair and his collar popped. 

Priar tried to sit up straight and look as average as he could. At new schools all around it was best to not stand out. Making new friends would always end in a harder time leave, and Priar did not plan to stay long. 

His nails dug into the seat's arm rest. From beside him he heard a laugh. The very same student had noticed Priar's unease. 

"First time in the air?" he asked with a grin. 

"You could tell?" Priar replied.

"Well, when you're panting like a dog, yeah- I can pick up on it."

Priar laughed off the comment to distract himself from the tension building in his stomach. The plane itself was a lot smaller than he'd thought. His house was near the airport so he'd watch all of those jetted giants taking off and gliding low enough to disturb everyone's sleep. Back then he envied the people aboard, he'd wished he could travel to sandy beaches and ice-capped mountains; although, now he'd do anything to be back on the ground.

"Name's Slug, like the bug." He held his hand out to Priar, offering some comfort. Slug had solved most of his problems with making light of a bad situation and with this, it was no different. 

Priar shakily shook his hand, the color of his skin turned a pale white. "I'm Priar-" the words were choked back by a sudden uncontrollable urge. It rose through his chest and filled the back of his throat. Slug's smile quickly faded. He knew more than anyone what was coming next. 

Priar stood from his seat and raced to the bathroom. In the same motion he opened the door, bile ejected and filled the toilet. He'd saved everyone from a disgusting first day, but he'd ruined their first impression of him in the process.

. . .

Their plane eventually came to its destination at an island a few hours off the coast of California. They'd passed overhead of an expansive manor, made with an older influence to its architecture. The walls were made from discolored stone. Towers littered the roofs like a prison, watching every corner and crack, shining their beacons on every shadow to pass by without clearance. At the front was a spiked gate locking even the most stubborn of critters out of the grounds. Past the manor was a hedge maze equal in size. From above it looked similar to an ant farm with its winding paths and numerous dead ends. The size of the academy would be around 2,000 acres of land all together, every inch leaving Priar mesmerized.

They landed at their own cleared airstrip, guards were stationed at every inch of the place. The plane was guided into its designated spot and not soon after, the trainees were funneled from the plane to the manor where the entrance ceremony would be held.

Priar, barely standing at that point, hung off the shoulder of Slug. He'd already been preparing for the worst, keeping his face as far away from Priar's as possible. 

"Good lord man, you're loud." Slug said in reference to Priar's breath. "I really hope you brought your toothbrush." 

The pair followed their guide through extravagant halls trimmed with gold. There was not a speck of dirt or dust in sight. The smell tingled the back of Priar's neck, reminding him of a hospital.

They entered a grandiose auditorium much akin to an opera house with balconies above the normal audience's seating. Slug helped Priar find his seat among the crowd before leaving to find his own.

"Wait!" Priar stopped him. Although still lightheaded, he could at least think straight enough to say what had been on his mind. "Thanks for- you know. You're a good guy, man." 

Slug smirked, "Bah, forget about it!" he imitated, waving off the compliment "Come on dude, you're making me blush!" he punched Priar's shoulder then left to settle in on his own. After a few more minutes of confusion Priar spotted that along the balconies were mixes of people around his age and older. He wondered if they were families, or perhaps instructors?

The lights dimmed. The faces of his peers faded with the black. The stage lit by an almost blinding light. From the left of the curtain, a clacking of heels echoed throughout the room. A middle aged woman stepped from beyond the veil, her greying hair curled over her shoulder. She wore a black jacket and skirt with a white button up shirt to compliment it. Although her professional attire gave the image that she was all business, Priar could tell from the way she wore her smile that she was genuinely happy to be there.

"Good evening all of you new faces. You may address me as Headmaster Dahlia. I'm sure most of you are tired from your long trip over, so I'll keep it short. Some of you have come here looking for guidance in your life. Others might have familial ties to this academy, and I'm sure quite a few of you wish I would hurry and finish this speech so you can get to shooting at our firing range. 

A chuckle rises from the crowd. 

Regardless of your reasoning however; we are all here. Whether you hate or love this place, you are here together. I ask you to remember that in the coming years. In a world like this it is oh so easy to lose sight of, why. Why you live, why you fight, why you die. Which is why it is paramount you look to those around you. Remember their faces. Remember that when you are exhausted, beaten, and afraid, your family is there in the shit with you. Feeling those same fears. Asking those same questions. Your family is all around you and I ask that you all remain family even after you've all moved on. She paused, a nervous smile rising from her lips. "That's all."

Claps from the balcony filled the hall and the trainees apprehensively followed suit. The Headmaster shuffled her paper's on the podium and without losing her smile, she stood still for a moment, watching the crowd in admiration. Then, lights cut from the stage leaving everyone plunged in darkness. 

BURB BURB BURB

A deafening siren blared loud enough to pop Priar's eardrums as all of the trainees quickly rose from their seats in surprise. Those on the balcony remained seated. Headmaster Dahlia spoke, that same smile glued to her.

"There's an active threat in the building."