Nick James - Skyship Academy

Soon they arrived in the center of a meandering hallway on Level Six. Posters, artwork, and faded maps hung along the curved walls. The gray carpet was noticeably stained. Ms. Gray wrangled them together in a huddle, keeping her voice low. “We’re heading by some of the classrooms on our way to the canteen so I need you all to be quiet, especially around open doors. The teachers are expecting you, but we don’t want to interrupt lessons.”

She turned and started off down the hallway. Cassius lingered by the elevators and stayed on the outskirts of the group in case he needed to make a quick escape. He closed his eyes for a moment, calming his racing nerves.

Then they wound down the most randomly designed corridor Cassius had ever walked through. What could have been a straight shot devolved into a series of twists and turns, alcoves and walls. Terribly impractical, but it would make hiding easier. He made a note of it.

They passed several closed, numbered doors before arriving at the entrance to a library. Cassius peered through a large glass window in the wall before traveling around the perimeter into another hallway. Several doors hung open before them. Ms. Gray raised her finger to her lips and moved forward.

As they passed the first open door, he hid behind a tall Asian boy and caught a quick glance of the room. Empty except for a few old desks shoved into the corner. Same with the next room. Where were all the students?

Then his chest tightened. Heat.

Not again.

He loosened his tie, struggling to block out the pain. His breathing shortened as he considered the worst possible scenario. Fire. Explosions.

Remembering the medication, he reached into his jacket and felt around for the pills. When he was sure no one was looking, he slipped the tiny white capsule from the packet and tossed it into his mouth.

They arrived outside the third door. His heart did a back-flip. The pain remained steady. A woman’s voice came from inside the room. Ms. Gray held out her hand to stop the visitation group and stepped through the open door.

Cassius gripped his chest, forcing the fire back inside of him. He was not going to let this happen. Not when he was so close.

Ms. Gray emerged from the room and ushered the group of eager students closer. They surged through the entrance. Cassius stayed back. He couldn’t risk any of the Shippers he’d met in Syracuse recognizing him. He settled just outside the doorway, ducking behind the group.

The teacher, a short African woman with a bright smile, stood facing them, going on about the merits of the college’s academic programs. Cassius tuned her out. The heat pounded through his torso but he held it at bay, peeping through cracks in the group. His eyes searched every row of the classroom, up and down, looking for Fisher.

In the fourth row from the doorway, two seats back, he found him-the same pathetic runt he’d met only days earlier on the rooftop, head resting sluggishly in his hand.

Cassius fought back a smile. He ducked away and detached himself from the group, tiptoeing to the next open doorway.

He slipped inside the empty room and darted behind a shelf, pulling the bag from his shoulder and unzipping it. He removed the pieces of the pistol from inside and attached them, hooking it onto the belt underneath his jacket. Just in case.

He leaned against the wall and controlled his breathing. The thudding in his heart grew fainter. The medication had begun to take effect.

“All right, folks.” Mrs. Dembo closes her textbook. “Excellent job today. Time to head to next period. Monday will be infinitely more interesting, I promise.”

I shut my book with a satisfying thud and shove it under the desk as the rest of the class shuffles out the door. Only two more periods of this left. Hopefully I can make it. And given what’s happened already, I mean that literally.

I stand and stretch, walking through the row of desks to the door. Just as I’m about to leave, Mrs. Dembo holds out her arm to stop me.

“Not so fast, Jesse.” She positions herself between me and the exit. The remaining students pass around her until it’s just the two of us.

She frowns, arms crossed. “What was all that about today? You looked horrible.”

I focus on the wall, hands in pockets. “I told you. I didn’t sleep very well.”

“Lack of sleep doesn’t cause seizures, Jesse.”

“Maybe I ate some bad chicken.” I shrug, knowing what’s really going through her mind. “You should check with the cooks.”

Her eyes narrow. “If we didn’t have visitors today, I’d have sent you down to the infirmary without question. As it stands, we’re going to get you checked out tonight.”

“But, I-”

“If it happens again today, you’re to get help immediately, even if there’s a whole group of visitors in the classroom at the time. Do you understand?”

“It was just a stomachache.”

“We’re not arguing about this, Jesse.”

“Whatever,” I mutter, and try to push my way past her.

Her arm stays steady, a bar across the doorway. “Was it just a stomachache, then?”

I glare at her. “What else would it be?”

She shakes her head, but doesn’t respond. I push past her. She lets me go. I leave the room without looking back. She knows full well that there’s something wrong with me, but won’t come out and say it. Nobody will.

I storm down the hallway, but I don’t get more than a few feet before an arm juts out and curls around my neck, choking me from behind as it yanks me into an empty classroom.

The door shuts and locks in front of me. My captor’s arm tightens around my neck, drawing me closer. “Don’t make a sound,” a voice whispers in my right ear, “or it’s over.”

I gasp for air and reach up to my neck.

The arm loosens and pushes me to the ground, face first. I flip around, just as my captor pulls a gun from underneath his jacket.

I look up. Even without the Unified Party badge I recognize him immediately. It’s the guy from the rooftop. Cassius Stevenson.

He aims a pistol at my face, looking down at me with the same arrogant expression as last time. And I thought my day couldn’t get any worse.

“What are you-” I don’t finish the question, realizing how senseless it’d be. He’s here. End of story.

“Shh.” He takes a step forward. “I told you to be quiet. Next time I fire.”

“How did you get up here?” I whisper, not expecting an answer. I comb my memory for mistakes I made back on the Surface, breadcrumbs that could have led him back to the Academy. But even if he’d found the ship, security would’ve taken him out before he reached the sixth level. He shouldn’t be here. A Pearlhound like him shouldn’t think twice about someone like me.

Cassius eyes the room for a moment before returning his attention to me. “This is what’s gonna happen, Fisher. You’re gonna help me out here, all right? We need to get down to a shuttle and head for the Surface. You’re going to take me to the elevators, and you’re gonna to do it in silence. This pistol is loaded with Pearl energy. You want it fired into your heart?”

“I’m not taking you anywhere.” I push the pistol away from my face.

He crouches and grabs me by the collar, forcing the tip of the pistol into my chest. “All right, then.”

“No, no!” I panic. Sweat pools inside my school suit. “Don’t shoot!”

He drops me, standing but keeping his finger on the trigger. “I could’ve killed you easily a few days ago,” he starts. “I can do it again, so don’t play games with me.”

I nod and bring my knees to my chest. “You… you wanna get off of the Skyship?”

“That’s what I said,” Cassius responds, “and I’m taking you with me.”