Chapter 2
_Puckall
I was the first one in my dorm room. Which made me feel relieved, but only for a few minutes. After a while, I remembered who my roommate? Bunkmate? Dormmate? Whatever. I remembered who they were. Dakota Ripley.
A lot of times I feel bad for him. As far as I know, he doesn't have any friends. I think what intimidates other students is the way Dakota looks. I mean, I'm used to it, but most people aren't.
Most people just call him by his last name. However, a lot of the names he gets called are untrue. Even my friends think it's weird that I call Dakota, Dakota. Because he's "such a freak." Which I disagree greatly with. Dakota just looks different, and that doesn't make it okay for others to pick on him.
Really, I wouldn't call my "friends," friends. They're just those people you hang around to survive school. I mean, before I started to hang around those "friends," I was picked on, bullied, and even beat up. Only because I couldn't speak up for myself. Literally, I don't know how to speak. You could say that I'm mute, but really I'm deaf. I could've had surgery to fix that. Considering that cybernetics is the new thing. However my family never really had the money, so I'm stuck with sign language and lip reading.
I'm not the best with lip-reading, but good enough to know that my "friends" didn't want to learn sign language just for my sake. So, I never really talked to any of them. In my defense, I didn't want to talk to them. They were all rude and bullied everyone. So, now that I'm going to the Academy I've severed all connections with them, and hope that I don't see them ever again. But maybe I'll be able to make some new friends. I hope one of those friends will be Dakota.
It's been over half an hour since I got to the dorms, and Dakota hasn't shown up yet. Where could he be? I thought that maybe he was just running a little late, and hoped that he would be on time for the ceremony. I thought about waiting a little longer but then decided against it because I've been late to a few larger events before and the outcomes were never good.
The Acceptance Ceremony has never shown pictures of the 22 students that were chosen for that year. The SSA doesn't tell the public their names until after the Acceptance Ceremony. Along with the photos for the news.
I walked into the back room where everyone who is accepted meets. Back there we're supposed to put on our academy uniforms. Which are royal purple with two stripes from the right shoulder to the left rib cage. The stripes, in order, are orange and gray. Along with black pants.
Almost everyone had their uniform on. Everyone except Dakota and me. Obviously, since I just got there. Dakota was still nowhere in sight, but no one was really worried except the director. The director was freaking out because we had about five minutes before the ceremony started.
Those five minutes quickly passed and Dakota still hasn't shown up. Everyone was lined up in alphabet order, and as always I'm first. The director told everyone, as my interpreter told me, that he'll take a picture of each of us and the pictures are then shown on holoscreens to the audience. The pictures that are also shown on the news for everyone else to see who was accepted for this year.
I wasn't too worried about being in front of a large crowd because it reminded me of when my older sister was accepted into the Space Sojourn Academy. I was eight at the time, so I'm not too nervous, but then again I tend to forget a lot of things. Basically, your name gets called, you walk out, and your picture with some information on a holoscreen shows up. Information such as your name, what rank you are, your age, and the type of job you are interested in. For the rank everyone starts out as a cadet, that's the only similarity with most of the cadets.
The director, we finally learned his name, was Kronen Elderon. He told everyone what I already knew. So I didn't need my interpreter to repeat it to me.
Dakota still wasn't there and everyone could see the professor Elderon, he teaches us all astronomy, was getting even more anxious. More anxious than he was before at least.
We had to start anyway. With or without Dakota. My interpreter went out into the audience so I could see her, and told someone to tell me when my name was called.
"One, Puckall Archway," called Professor Elderon. Someone had to nudge me to go forward, so I knew my name was called since I can't hear it exactly for myself. Just as my interpreter told them.
I walked out onto the stage where the straight line was supposed to be. I pulled on a straight face and from there I could see the double-sided holoscreen and my interpreter. The screen read:
Name: Puckall Archway
Age: 13
Height: 5'6"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Doctor
A picture of me with my black hair, icy blue eyes, and dark copper skin tone that was littered with vitiligo. Which is mostly on my arms, hands, and chest currently. Although, you could see some of it peeking out from the collar of my uniform, and it can always spread farther as I get older.
After that everyone else was called out alongside the picture. I signed it to my interpreter that I would just read the
holoscreen, and make it easier for her. So she didn't have to spell out all the names.
Name: Naomi Asshewequa
Age: 14
Height: 5'0"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Technician
Naomi had royal purple hair that I assumed was dyed, sky blue eyes, and kind of a pale tan skin tone. She stood next to me, and from there, everyone else followed.
Name: Jonas Asteroid
Age: 16
Height: 5'11"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Combat System Engineer
Jonas had medium brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and more of a darker tan skin tone.
Name: Jacelyn Birch
Age: 18
Height: 6'3"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: First/Fighter Pilot
Jacelyn had maroon hair, rust or copper eyes, and more of a copper skin tone.
Name: Farely Buckthorn
Age: 17
Height: 5'6"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Astronaut
Farely had alabaster white hair, iridescent eyes, and a very pale skin tone. In my opinion, Farely might be the palest person I've ever seen.
Name: Tsui Tsukanai
Age: 18
Height: 4'11"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Biologist
Cassa had bleached hair with her brown roots showing, hazel eyes, and a medium brown skin tone.
Name: Ryon Clayton
Age: 17
Height: 5'10"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Navigation Specialist
Ryon had dark brown hair that was dyed magenta, golden eyes, and a light brown skin tone.
Name: Velek Cosmos
Age: 15
Height: 5'2"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Combat Pilot
Velek had dyed red hair, hazel eyes, and a tan skin tone.
Name: Kenden Evergreen
Age: 15
Height: 5'3"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Cyber Security Specialist
Kenden had natural red hair, cerulean blue eyes, and pale skin that was freckled everywhere.
Name: Lyga Henning
Age: 17
Height: 5'11"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Medic
Lyga had brown hair, blue-green eyes, and an olive skin tone.
Name: Lucas Himanka
Age: 18
Height: 5'7"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Analysis Specialist
Lucas had medium brown hair, caramel eyes, and a dark caramel skin tone.
Name: Kinney Johnson
Age: 12
Height: 4'3"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Life Support Engineer
Kinney had black hair, light brown eyes, and a tan sun-kissed like skin tone.
Name: Drake Languinem
Age: 15
Height: 5'5"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Physician
Drake had dyed navy blue hair, charcoal black eyes, and light brown skin.
Name: Haze LaViolette
Age: 16
Height: 5'6"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Equipment Engineer
Haze had natural red hair and an orange ambre to it, pale blue eyes, and a pale-ish skin tone.
Name: Silas Lexington
Age: 16
Height: 5'6"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Ship Captain
Silas had black hair, hazel eyes, and a medium brown skin tone.
Name: Senki Montresor
Age: 16
Height: 5'8"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Chief Officer
Senki had dirty blond hair, dark blue eyes, and a pale skin tone.
Name: Thannian Mordred
Age: 18
Height: 6'0"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: IT Engineer
Thannian had blond hair, gray eyes, and a dark brown skin tone that also was speckled with vitiligo equally on the right side of his face as it was on the left, and some was trailing down his neck.
Name: Addin Morgan
Age: 19
Height: 4'11"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Recruitment Commander
Addin had blond hair with green tips, dark green eyes, and a tan skin tone.
Name: Astrid Orzark
Age: 12
Height: 4'8"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Neuroscience, Psychology, & Medicine
Astrid had dyed forest green hair, violet eyes, and a black skin tone.
Name: Malachai Panic
Age: 15
Height: 5'6"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Life Support Engineer
Malachi had dark brown hair, aquamarine eyes, and a light copper skin tone.
Name: Red Raptor
Age: 14
Height: 5'4"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Cargo Pilot
Red had ironically a natural rust-red hair colour, light brown eyes, and a dark brown skin tone.
The holoscreen went black. I looked at Tirus, my interpreter, she finger-spelled d-a-k-o-t-a r-i-p-l-e-y. It was a name. Dakota Ripley. I glanced over to the line where I stood. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder waiting for Dakota to walk out, but he didn't.
Profesor Elderon was the most anxious I've seen him today and he's kinda sweaty. It looked like he called Dakota's name again. The Commanders and Admiral were beginning to be suspicious of Professor Elderon's leadership over the new recruits.
Then the holoscreen turned on, and most of the audience gasped. I think even some of them screamed. They had the look of horror on their faces. Also, Naomi flinched next to me. The holoscreen showed a picture of an obviously disheveled Dakota Ripley, most likely from rushing, along with the information. The holoscreen read:
Name: Dakota Ripley
Age: 13
Height: 5' 7"
Rank: Cadet
Job Interest: Communications
There were a few people that started yelling. I couldn't tell who they were yelling at. Admiral Ragland, for letting someone looking like that into the Academy. Profesor Elderon, for not having everyone ready for the ceremony. Dakota, for even considering to show up. Even though he wasn't even out on stage yet.
People from the past thought that we, the people in my present, were not going to care how everyone looked. In reality, it's almost worse because everyone wants to look "perfect," and if you didn't you were considered flawed. Like me.
Dakota walked out onto the stage slowly. He had his uniform on like everyone else, but he looked more disheveled from trying to be put on too fast. Dakota's tipped ears were slightly sticking out of his head of barely blue, almost white, hair. Which he insists it's natural, but everyone had their suspicions. His ears were turned back. You could tell he was being cautious about walking out on the stage. His hair is unruly as ever and he looked extremely nervous. His eyes darting back an forth a cross the stage as if he was assessing whether or not to join the rest of the Cadets.
Dakota joined the end of the line and faced the audience with the most masked face he could muster. At that moment, no one moved, until someone stood up and screamed,
"Abomination!"
I had to look over at Tirus for the translation. And knew that the crowd had heard the rumors of the "disfigured" boy that returned with that famous Sayer Ripley. A lot of the audience members were arguing with the officials when Dakota took a step back. He looked as if he was about to run off. Everyone else on stage still had their emotionless faces on and didn't bother to help out Dakota.
I took a couple of steps toward him, breaking the perfect line, so I could comfort Dakota. Even if I couldn't talk to him. He took more steps backward when the doors to the auditorium slammed open. Causing the audience to freeze. There stood John Reid along with the walking legend himself. River Coldstone.