Academy (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 1

"Are you sure you have everything?" Simon's mother fussed as they walked through the airport. Simon nodded, a tiny smile on his face. "Yeah. I have enough clothing to survive in the arctic."

"Do you have your phone?"

"Yes." What a silly question. He never left home without it.

"Laptop?"

"Mhm."

"How about chargers?"

A small sigh slipped out of Simon's mouth. "Mom, you checked my luggage before we left, in the car on the way here, and when we got to the airport."
His mother laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll back off."

The woman on the intercom began to echo throughout the airport.

"Flight ninety-two will be boarding in five minutes."

Seeing as the pair was close to the doors, they didn't need to rush. Simon shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"I guess I need to go now, huh?" He asked. His mother hugged him tightly. When she pulled away, he could see a few tears in her blue eyes.
"Be safe, okay sweetheart? And behave yourself. And send me lots of pictures!"

Simon nodded. "I will."

"Now go on, before you miss the plane."

Simon was about to say goodbye, but his mother had already turned away and was walking off.

"Bye..." He said to no one in particular. He walked over to the doors and waited until the flight started boarding.
He was actually surprised at how many people were actually on this flight. To his left, a young man with brown hair and thick glasses, and to his right, a girl about his age who was absorbed in whatever she was watching on her tablet. It wasn't Simon's first time on a plane, so he wasn't exactly nervous, however he was curious. He couldn't help but wonder if any of the other kids on this flight were headed to the same school as him. He wouldn't have been surprised.

He decided to try to take his mind off of the school and hopefully catch up on the many, many hours of sleep he had missed, leaning on the wall of the plane instead of the chair itself. To his surprise, he found himself falling asleep rather quickly. He allowed himself to drift off, rather glad for the empty seats next to him.

It's so cold...where am I?
There's water...am I underwater? Why am I underwater? I can't breathe! Get me out of here!
I-I need to get to the surface or I'll surely drown...oh god, how in hell am I gonna get to the surface?! I must be a hundred feet under!
That's it. I am going to drown here. What's the point of trying? I'm...I'm dying.

"Excuse me, we've landed."

"Huh...?" Simon opened his eyes and saw a flight attendant. She was looking at him with a cocktail of concern and confusion.

"We've landed." She said sweetly. Simon rubbed his eyes as he was brought back to reality, nodding.

"Hm? Alright. Sorry." He mumbled, standing up and stretching before getting his backpack from the carry-on compartment and following the steady stream of people leaving the plane. He couldn't help but take in the aesthetic of the Literock City airport, interested.

Everything looked so different from home, from the color schemes, to the people. As people ran over to their friends and relatives, Simon noticed that not only was their clothing different, but their features were different. For instance, he was seeing a lot less fake boobs and bad dye jobs. A man walked over to Simon, to which Simon took a step back.

"Hey, calm down kid." The man responded to this action. "I'm supposed to pick up a boy named..." He checked a piece of paper.
"Simon Brokenbell? I'm his ride." The paper had the bright gold logo of the R.J. Academy, which he recognized instantly.