The Echoes of Rivalry & Ruin (The Acamancy Series I)

Chapter 8: The Echoes of Foundation

I head back to my dorm to grab my book and see if Mallory is back so I can show her my schedule. But the room is empty, so I grab my book from the bookshelf near my bedside and take it back downstairs and to the water fountain outside of the training centers, near the auditorium. Next to the fountain is a map of the campus so I decided to check it out. We got maps in our dorm to use, but they don't include everything, just common class areas, dorms, cafeteria, etc. this map has it all: Am-c, Fam-ac, Surrounding areas with the local shops, a few houses that are owned by professors, and the freeways. I get a good look at the layout.

I am in the Main Quad, which is a circular common ground with the fountain in the center. Surrounding the quad is the auditorium to the North, training center to the East, a river to the South, and a field to the West. Just beyond the auditorium are the flower gardens and beside those is the vegetable garden. Then further up is the North Pond, the light tunnels and an orchard. Near the orchard, but further north but also to the east is the housing complex than many professors live in. I wonder if Dean Philips and his family live there. I think he has a son around my age, I bet he is a student here too. Across from the houses to the west side of the far north part of the map, is the roadways and shops. Then, to the east, behind the training center, are the East Fields and the wind tunnels, and even further east are the mountains and the East Forest. To the South is the river, just beyond the river are Buildings H, S and L which house basically every indoor class at Am-c. Beyond those buildings, and even more southern is the library, housing office, and the dorm rooms. There is a bridge over the river you can take from the Quad to the classrooms and vice versa. Or you can go around the river on the East side of campus. You just don't want to go around the river by cutting through the West Fields because just beyond the West fields is Fam-ac. They have their own dorms, classrooms, cafeteria, training center, battle grounds and more. We share the library, they attend a few classes here, though I am not sure which ones, but mainly we are separated for safety reasons.

When Acamancy turned from Academy for Manipulation and Control into Acamancy Academy there was a lot of debate about whether or not to keep the Fire Academy for Management and Containment, also known as Fam-ac, or to combine all of the students. To everyone's surprise the Dean of Fam-ac at the time wanted to remain separated, so they did. Fam-ac used to be a fully contained chamber of sorts, they were not allowed out in the open at all until Year Three, they only got fresh air from barred up windows, and fenced in patios. The Founders were terrified of the Fire Manis and wanted them controlled as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Nowadays Fam-ac is very similar to Am-c. They have buildings made from a darker, more flame-resistant metal that doesn't heat as quickly and doesn't burn. Our buildings are mostly brick and cement. Their fields are all dirt, no grass, they lack gardens and trees, and even the bodies of water we have around. Am-c is beautiful. It's like they built the school to complete the land it sits on, it doesn't disrupt the greenery, the water, the forest and orchards, the gardens, the mountains and hills around, instead it is placed in between them, slightly hidden away, but mostly just to not disrupt the peaceful nature.

It worked perfectly though, we needed all of the land, we needed trees and open fields, not just wind tunnels. We need rivers, and ponds, not just fountains. We needed mountains and rocky hillsides, not just stone sculptures or rocks. We needed open stretches of night sky, and access to rainfall to make rainbows, not just light bulbs and tunnels. We needed the mountains with peaks that get snow, a lake that freezes over and an environment with temperatures below freezing, not just an indoor skate rink and snow machines. To completely learn, hone, and use our Skills to the fullest, man-made structures will not do. They're great in some areas of course, the technology to make snow and keep ice frozen allows the Ice Manis to work year-round. The indoor sky zone has day and night settings, moisture levels, and mock sunlight to allow Light Manis to practice rainbows, star collecting and light control any time of day or weather. The running water of the fountains and the technology to add waves without wind to the lake and river allow beginning Water Manis to get a head start on the push and pull of the water, to practice shield resistance and enhance waves, even when there is no wind that day. Acamancy is the perfect balance of beautiful natural land, and new age technology to truly allow us to hone our skills in every way.