Together

Chapter 28 ★ Amy

I eat lunch and see an order flash across the screen.
NEW RECRUITS REPORT TO SIMULATOR 2 FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS AT 1530.
Good. I'm ready to get this over with.

★★★

Wolf walks beside me. Sam and Lou chat quietly behind us. Eventually they fall silent, mimicking the space around us.

★★★

We arrive in the simulator room fifteen minutes early. No one else is there, strangely, since they've all learned better than to be late by now. Lou looks at Sam who shrugs and sits in a random chair.

Ah. Bean, Petra, and the other Toon Leaders come in in a large group. All are dead silent. Petra smiles softly at us, but it disappears as she plops into another chair and puts her feet on the railings.

The others come in two different groups. Allie forms her own group and comes in shortly after the Toon Leaders. She too is silent, not even daring to smile or acknowledge us. All of the boys come in as one rowdy group, disturbing the eerie silence that the rest of us had silently agreed upon. They seemed to be denoting who was going to be a squadron leader, and the fights were escalating pretty quickly.

Just before Hot Soup was about to step and stop it, Colonel Graff and Major Anderson show up and silence falls again. They walk in, polished boot heels clicking on the rock floor, and ask Petra and Sam to get out of their chairs. They take a seat and begin tapping furiously on their screens.

After about five minutes of tense quiet Major Anderson stands up.

"If your name is called please come forward. You have passed the test and are granted the rank of pilot. They are as follows...Samuel Reynolds... David Finch... Alex Sourti..." David passed!

The major calls out name after name, all of them boys. After she's done, a group of about thirty people and the Toon Leaders are left. My heart rate picks up a bit. Does this mean I didn't pass? What about Sam and Lou, or Wolf, or Allie? Did all five of us manage to fail? My fear is incited further when Major Anderson stands up and walks toward the door. She takes about fifteen boys with her as she leaves, allowing the ten remaining boys and five girls to stand nervously in front of Colonel Graff.

He looks up at us, then back down at his screen and begins to tap.

★★★

It's been about twenty-five minutes since Anderson left, and I'm losing my mind. Beads of sweat are forming on my forehead and lower back from how hard I'm concentrating on trying not to seem annoyed. Or desperate. Or both. My heart is pounding now, like it's trying to win a marathon. And the Colonel just sits there. Tapping. Always tapping. He doesn't look up, he doesn't say anything, he just taps

Major Anderson appears suddenly at the doorway and points at five of the boys. They follow her out into the hallway.

★★★

It's almost been a full hour of standing here, waiting for someone to say something. Petra has nodded off, and several other Toon Leaders look close to sleep as well.

What happened? I must not have passed. The others don't look concerned! Anderson is going to call me into the hall next and tell me I'm iced, I'm sure of it.

Suddenly, a chair squeaks. The Toon Leaders don't seem concerned, but the rest of us jump in surprise.

"Congratulations," says Graff. Oh no. This is it. I'm done for. I'm so sorry. "You lot were dumb enough to actually get yourselves chosen as squadron leaders." I visibly sag in relief. Lou looks close to tears and Sam wraps a comforting arm around her. Petra seems to have woken up and is now standing in front of her chair, face unreadable, but her eyes betray a proud glint.

"Don't get too excited. Others may be added due to controlling squad size, and earlier groups have some as well. You ain't big shots just yet. Toon Leaders are meeting with Ender tomorrow, and you lot will meet him in a week or two when you've had some more training." Wait, what? We were supposed to have at least another month before Ender gets here!

"But sir," I find myself saying, "Major Anderson told us that we'd have at least another month to get used to each other before Ender got here."

"Major Anderson needs to learn when she is obligated to give you information. You'll meet in a week. Squads will be assigned tomorrow followed by day long training until you meet with Ender. Dismissed."

"Yes sir!" All of the squadron leaders walk out of the room together. The boys walk in front of my friends and I. Faintly, I hear "What're girls supposed to do anyway?" "Yeah! They don't belong here!" "We'll eat 'em alive!" followed by laughter.

It's nice to know your teammates think you're worthless.

Allie must see the look on my face because she nudges me and says, "We'll show those assholes whose really worthless tomorrow."