Steel Ethereal

Ch. 15 The Graduation Ceremony

            

Rob

Thankfully there was no one waiting for us when we arrived at my apartment. We dressed, with me still borrowing Charlie's jacket for warmth. We got breakfast as we said we would.

Charlie spent the day with me in case they came by, but the hours passed. The sun descended and Charlie stayed over.

The next day we returned for our formation. It looked as if nothing had happened. None of the officers confronted me at all. One even greeted me in a close to friendly manner.

It terrified me and made me think there was more in store for me in terms of punishment.

Charlie stayed with me as long as she could. She sensed my insecurity and stuck close to as if to protect me.

Still, as two weeks passed, nothing did come. As if the whole incident had just been swept underneath the rug.

Two more months passed and the day of our graduation came.

I ranked first, Charlie was ranked sixth.

Gutierrez was second still.

Although I was labeled the strongest, the smartest, and the most resourceful of the class, I was still unsure about myself. Those words used to describe me, they weren't words I would have used when I lived in my village.

I still felt as if I were below par with what Riley had wanted me to do.

Riley.

In my months spent training and sparring, I hadn't so much as heard from Riley at all. I wondered if he and his assistant would be there at the graduation ceremony.

Luciana would be there, I was sure. She knocked on my door soon after the incident where I was left to suffer and she made sure I was alright. I nodded, not wanting to give too much away. When Luciana saw I wasn't much for words, she turned to depart. I called for her and asked her to attend the ceremony. It would have meant a lot.

She nodded with a bright smile, "I was going to go anyways. But I'll embarrass the crap out of you when you're on stage."

Now here today was. I was taking another step in my place at Promenade. It all seemed so surreal. Like at any moment everything would become a blur of colors and I'd wake up back in my village with Gina.

"You're letting it get to your head." Charlie says as she adjusts my uniform. She's noticed my blank stare. "Take a shot, I'll calm your nerves."

I took two.

Charlie's hands moved expertly until my tie was done pristinely. If there was one thing Charlie completely excelled at, it was dressing to a tee. The instructions regarding our dress uniform were absorbed into her head and memorized almost instantaneously. She dressed herself without any need for help.

We readied ourselves at Charlie's apartment, which had gotten much neater than the first time I'd entered. There were empty bottles of alcohol here and there, but the floor and kitchen were clean. The bedroom, however...

We stood in front of the bathroom mirror. I gazed at myself not recognizing the stranger in the officer's dress uniform looking back with the same quizzical look. I wondered if I was the stranger in the mirror for a second.

"I still think it's stupid we have to wear our arm welds. They make it hard to move in these already starched up monkey suits." She says flexing her jacket arm. I could make out the folds it made when pressed against her officer's tool.

"It's ceremonial. It's not like we're going to fight each other to the death, or run a marathon."

But I felt a bit more at ease with the arm weld at my side. The night before, and early that morning I had a strange feeling in my mind. It felt like unease and it crawled up through my skull and draped over my face. It was a mix of anxiety and anticipation, as if something were to happen.