I am back in my room. The reunion with Vasht was as sweet as it was brief.
I'd already heard about the Academy's dropout rate. One in four students is cut during the first week. Out of a thousand new admissions, that's not exactly a small number. I just hadn't expected it to happen on the very first night.
But this is what I must expect from now on – unexpected trials meant to test me. Even if Director Gearford is my friend, that means nothing.
He had told me:
"Don't worry, I won't make it too easy for you. The new exam will only level the field a little. Knowing you – if you still carry something of the boy you were – it will be more than enough."
I sigh at the thought. He's still my teacher, through and through.
When the clock strikes one past midnight, the alarm sounds.
I startle, even though I knew something was coming. The alarm comes from outside. I rush to the door and throw it open.
My ears are assaulted by a screeching, wailing sound. As though Heya herself were blowing the Horn of Doom.
I'm on the ninth floor of the massive dormitory. Outside is the connected balcony of each room, and beyond the railing lies the Academy, now lit by flashing red beacons.
Steel scaffolds and brass pipes glimmer fiery red, casting the grounds in crimson. Next door, a student bursts out half-asleep, stumbling to the balcony. Others on my floor soon follow.
"What's going on?" someone yells over the din.
"Are we under attack?"
"Is this an exam?"
Correct – a special one, just as Director Gearford promised. One that will test me as it tests all of them. Not on my family's wealth or the size of my name.
Suddenly Director Gearford's voice rings across the campus, amplified by some Voltrum device I don't know.
"Dear students of Gearford Academy!"
His voice still carries that same fire whenever he addresses his pupils.
"I trust you've arrived well. I am Director Gearford, the… yes, the Director of this Academy. Do wake your neighbors if, somehow, they manage to sleep through this trial."
The secret is out, and I watch the shock ripple across the dorms like a wave. Perhaps I was wrong in my first impression. These students are being thrown into the cold water just like me. Except that, a day ago, I didn't even know I'd be here.
Some follow the order and pound on still-closed doors. I notice the one to my right is yet unopened. Whoever's in 93A must be a very deep sleeper to miss all this.
The Director continues:
"Gearford Academy stands for three things: excellence, progress, and trust. Many of you are here for the first two. You hope to make a name for yourselves, perhaps even to join the Big Three. Some of you already have positions secured, but come here to recruit, or to cement yourselves as legends."
He pauses.
"But the third is what will carry you through these three years. So I've decided that your first trial will be built upon it: trust."
My eyes widen. How is that supposed to help me or even put me on the same level with the others?
Vasht, what are you thinking?
"The rules are not simple, so I will expand them as the exam unfolds. But I'll only say them once… after that, you may ask the mechanical rats you see everywhere. Their name is Zig. Now listen well."
The boy beside me finally seems awake and shouts into the night.
"Wait, what is this? We haven't even had classes yet!"
Like falling dominoes, others follow. From above and below come shouts:
"It's the middle of the night!"
"We don't have any Fuel yet! How are we supposed to use our Steamer abilities?!"
"Is he insane?!"
But not everyone panics. Many already seem to understand what's at stake. Some stretch, lace boots, pull on coats. Others glance warily at their fellow students. Their potential rivals.
Even if Gearford hears these cries through Zig, he ignores them with ease.
"You will form teams of three. Once chosen, you will report to a Zig. Registered teams cannot be changed. With your team you will complete three separate tests. Choose wisely."
Faces change instantly. Just moments ago, some had looked prepared for anything.
Now I hear someone mutter:
"That wasn't on the list…"
Ah. So that's what Vasht threw away. A folder full of standard exams. None of which, I imagine, included a midnight trial.
"You'll learn the details later," the Director's voice howls across the grounds, "but know this: I was not lying when I said this trial is about trust. Or at least about cooperation. So choose wisely."
I try to think of the implications. Those who already know someone here clearly have the advantage. The only person I know is the daughter of the CEO of Blackwood Steel. Wonderful.
"Oh, and you have five minutes. If you fail to register your team within five minutes, you will be expelled from the Academy."
I could swear I hear Vasht laughing.
"Good luck!"