Fire at a Distance

Part one: Chapter 1

I stood outside the headmaster's office, leaning against the wall. No thoughts crossed my mind; they didn't have anything on me. Even if they did, I didn't do anything. Besides if I had done something they wouldn't know about it. I've spent the last two years at this place keeping me head down; I'm not going to give them a reason to de-rank me. At least not anymore than they already have, but even those moments were all preplanned.

A girl stepped out of the office, her expression serious. She turned to look at me and smiled, it was Sam. "He's ready for you." She said as she turned down the hall.

I didn't bother to hesitate; I knocked lightly on the door and waited for a response.

"Come in..." His voice was stern and as I entered the room I lost all my confidence. It wasn't headmaster Williams like I had expected. The man stood by the window staring out into the vast and brightly fall colored woods. He turned towards me and obviously saw the change in my features.

"You can address me as your new headmaster," he said in a serious tone.

"Yes, sir," I replied, lowering my gaze. Just looking at him and hearing the authority in his voice, and the way he carried himself made it obvious that he was of higher ranking than our usual headmaster; and wanted me to know it.

He grinned, "Call me headmaster Chalice. Now you are probably wondering why I called you down to my office, are you not." It seemed like a rhetorical question, but his pause worried me.

"Yes, sir, I am very much so curious."

He sat down in the chair behind his desk and examined me, "You're awfully well built for the rank you are, why is that?"

"Excuse me sir?"

He sighed as he spoke, "I have been going through records and you have been here for six years, yet you are still within the third measure of ranking. With your scores you be higher ranked, you have an overall of 590 out of 480, how is that?"

"Over achievement sir."

His grinned returned, "I see, then why is it with your extraordinary scores and performance rate you are not head of your team or at least part of an advanced team?"

I clenched my jaw, "I fear I have gone unnoticed."

"For you to go unnoticed with your scores and achievements, you would have to be ducking in the shadows." He said tossing my record on the desk.

"They didn't train us for Project Shadow Child for nothing."

He chuckled, "That is very true. I just wanted to inform you that your work has not gone unnoticed with me, as of today you are being transferred to the alpha squad. There is a team there without a captain, so you and a fellow crew member have been transferred, a Samantha Bly."

"Yes, sir."

He stood, "You're dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." I said as I left the office.

I walked down the hall to my old section and sighed. Why did he have to go through my record? Honestly, why am I being transferred? Slowly I entered our dorm and found Sam packing her things.

She was still smiling, "I already got you a box." She said without turning to look at me.

I walked over to my corner cubby and started to put things into my box, "Do you find it odd?"

The room fell silent, "Find what odd?" She asked as she walked over to where I stood.

I continued packing as I spoke, "That we've been advanced?"

"No, not really. I've been here for a year and you have been in this section for the past two years... if you ask me it's about time they have promoted us."

I shrugged to acknowledge the thought, "But by four levels?"

She didn't answer my question, but just simply walked to the far end of the dorm and pulled down a picture, "I know why you've been trying to stay here." She said as she walked back over and placed the photograph on top of the filled box.

I frowned, "That's not fair." I said, pushing the photo down the side of the box out of view.

"You know I'm right. Your dad would want you to work hard to be in alpha..."

"What about what I want?" I asked angrily.

She sat down on the bed and sighed, "What do you want?"

"I don't want to be compared to my father that's for sure."

"That doesn't mean you should beat yourself down. You're lucky that Headmaster Chalice advanced you."

I sighed and said what she wanted to hear, "You're right..."

"Wait, what?" She asked with a grin.

"You're right, I shouldn't beat myself down."

She stood and strolled across the room to her cubby, gleaming with achievement, "That's good to hear, Captain."

I cringed as I slung my bag over my shoulder and picked up the box, "Please don't call me that, nothing has changed."

Her smile faded as she realized what she did, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to."

"It's alright." I said walking slowly to the door.

"I'll see you in a bit, Fox." She said softly.

"Thanks." So much has happened in my life, just the thought of being referred to as a captain worries me. I have gained, yet lost more than I have. My father was a captain within his first year of school here when he was my age, he was still a captain when he was 'killed' on a mission. Being a captain is the highest honor when it comes to schooling here at ARCA, which is short for Advanced Researching Center Academy, that is for a team. When it comes to the school itself, there's the headmaster and his adversaries, but to get there you have to know people. But I have no intention in working directing for the headmaster. I would rather eat a bullet than fetch the morning paper and make coffee.