Cipher [A Gravity Falls Tale] #Wattys2016

Sixteen

So came the beginning of secondary school. Will got all the classes he signed up for-- luckily for his academic career, the public school system reflected little of the outside world's bias against his kind. His time in the early stages of secondary went by fast. Despite the advanced nature of his classes, he continued to fly through them at an astonishing rate.

His determination was constantly fueled by the taunting of those above him. There was a whole group of students from upper levels of society-- Torrington, some of his circular friends, twin pentagons, and even a square who was full of himself because his father worked for the Ministry of Peace-- who constantly liked to remind him that, no matter how good he was in the classroom, he would be a failure in the real world.

Will had rarely wanted so desperately to succeed. Every little victory in class was a victory against their insults. It was paradoxical: he could care less about what they thought, yet he felt a need to succeed. Was he proving them wrong, or proving himself to them? Or both?

Regardless of his motives, this determination carried him comfortably through his education for quite a while, with all of his basic classes finished in half the expected time. Few kept up with him, though Kryptos maintained the ambitious path of success as well.

The two had been nurturing their dream of early acceptance into an academy practically since they knew it was possible. Now for the first time, it seemed like they were actually close to achieving it. Despite all the heckling from his peers and stress from classes, Will felt it had been worth it.

He and Kryptos sat in his room one day, working on some advanced chemistry problems that lay sprawled across his large, flat desk. During the first Colors Festival after Will had started secondary school, his dad had used part of his bonus to buy materials and had built him this desk as a present. Considering how much his workload had increased, Will had appreciated it then and still loved his desk. 

Now, here they sat, fiddling with "advanced" work that was way too easy for them.

"So," began Will, breaking the silence. "Ah, have you applied to any academies yet?"

Kryptos beamed; if there was anything more that excited him that academics, it was talking about his academic prowess. He pushed his glasses up his face and turned to Will. "Well, I haven't exactly applied yet, but I meet all the requirements for several of 'em. Octagonal Heights looks the most promising, though. Their engineering department is incredible."

Will nodded. "Yeah, they have a lot of good programs there, I've seen. But I think I may apply to the University's Academy. They have some of the best theoretical physics programs in practically all of Flatworld."

"That's, um, great, Will," said Kryptos, "but you do realize just how competitive the University is? Shapes come from all over to try and get in-- and they only take the very best. Do you really think you can get in?"

"I think so," announced the triangle confidently. "I have some of the top marks at our school. I've been working at this for years. I really think I stand a chance. I mean, heck, I know you stand a chance, too, Kryptos, but I know you're more interested in engineering than my weird sci-fi junk."

Kryptos shrugged. "If you think so, then." Will went back to his homework, slightly unsettled by the uncertainty in his friend's voice. Kryptos, trying to be a good friend, never tried to dissuade Will from his improbable dreams, but he was a young man of facts. And the facts told him that Will's dreams had a slim chance of happening. This along with his lack of knowledge on how to be socially adept left him lacking in the encouragement department.

Still, Will continued to pursue his goals. He had decided long before not to let any amount of doubt in his abilities get to him. Finally, one day walking out of class, his favorite mathematics instructor stopped him.