Day two of testing: four tests to go.

William stared up at the ceiling of his shared room, watching the morning light shift from night to day. He barely slept at all. He had fallen asleep, of course, but he woke with the same jittery nerves that he had hoped to leave behind. Failing one test was no big deal. It wasn't like it was a catastrophic defeat either. He could always redo that trial on Friday after comparing his scores to Astral.

Why bother even trying at this point? If he failed all of his tests, Astral wouldn't even bother with a re-do. Why would she? She claimed to not even want the position on his favourite team. She should bomb the tests just to get Seth off of her back. But she couldn't now, could she. Not with Seth watching her like a hawk. What was with that anyway?

His reasons to keep an eye on her had to be more than just time management and convenience. Is it possible that they knew each other before she enrolled in the Academy? No, couldn't be. She would have said something. She was a little know-it-all who wouldn't hesitate to show off her hand, especially if it was something that he wanted.

Seth wouldn't allow her to fail. That meant that his real obstacle was Seth, and he already knew how to game the system. If he tagged along on all of Astral's mentored sessions, he might be able to pick up a few tricks. Plus, if he failed all of his tests, Seth wouldn't force Astral to redo the trials, there'd be no reason to. He could spend Friday beating Astral's scores, even if it was just by one point. A win is a win, no sense in stressing himself out over it.

The lights eased on, mimicking dawns gradual, gentle light. In ten minutes, the morning alarm would wake the heavy sleepers. William shared his sleeping quarters with five other boys of the same year and field of study, a total of six boys per room. He had the same group the year prior, and it was unlikely to change in the years to come unless they were unable to continue their studies. Transfers would fill in the empty bed. He was grateful that his group wasn't cursed with an obligatory temporary support system of a newbie. It was going to be hard enough keeping Astral in line.

Now that she has Seth's undivided attention, he wondered how long it would be before she was advised to drop him. How long would it take for someone to tell her that she shouldn't mingle with working class? How much longer before whispers that people like him were only using her to help themselves? He worried that she might believe them. She might be some stupid rich brat, but that just meant that she was even more likely to swallow their lies.

He pushed the blankets away, resigning himself to an early start, and pulled a training uniform from his wardrobe. If he moved fast enough, he could get through his morning routine just as his roommates started theirs.

Dressed and ready for some early training, William was pleased with himself for having the foresight to do his first aid test the day prior. The four half-day lecture and practical studies would consume his competition's mornings until Thursday. He grinned at his reflection on his tablet's screen. How did that search thing go?

"Search: Seth Wright," he ordered his tablet, taking a moment to review the spelling. "Ok." He leaned back against the outside wall of his dorm as the application searched the campus. He had a plan. He'd casually go over to wherever Seth was training and strike up a conversation. He'd ask about how Astral was doing, maybe offer a bit of advice on how to handle her, all while copying Seth's routine.

It was doubtful that the senior student would spend the next three morning sitting through a course whose content he was already very familiar with. His plan was a good one, William assured himself.

"Student not found" the tablet reported.

He stared at the tablet, his brain failing to understand the message that appeared: a flaw in the system? He activated the search manually, tapping on the screen, and held his breath. Didn't Liam have the same problem with Astral?

The screen transitioned to the map, revealing a little person marker on the ground floor of the Leadership tower with Seth's name hovering over it. William breathed again. Just a program glitch. He would jog there, he decided and happened to encounter Seth along the way. Weird coincidences happened like that right? And now that they had someone in common, it wasn't like just running into him would be all that weird. Right?

He found Seth sitting on the steps of the Leadership building. The dishevelled captain rested his head in his hand, preached on his leg, as the other hand carelessly rolled a small pebble within reach. William called out to the captain, offering up a casual wave that he hoped didn't look out of place. Seth's eyes snapped toward the approaching student, suddenly alert. He rose to his feet, his hands sliding to the back of his person, out of sight. His posture remained firm, confident though his eyes drifted immediately to something across the street.

William glanced down the road, catching a shrinking shadow cast by the morning's light. The student closed the distance between himself and the captain. "Early morning training?" William asked. It had to be; Seth was rarely seen in such a state outside of training, and it was common knowledge that he trained hard. Seth nodded. "Took advantage of the light," he offered. "Winter's curfews will be harder to work around."

"Always training," William laughed. He felt stupid for laughing. He hoped it didn't sound forced. He noticed the rest of his team was nowhere in sight. "You train on your own too?"

"I have to get cleaned up before meeting up with Daamon for the next trial," Seth replied, ignoring the question.

"Right, about that..." William hesitated when Seth's shifted to listen to him. "I was wondering if I could tag along?"

Seth cocked his head, considering William's request. "I don't see why not, though I don't expect that you'll get much out of it. I managed to get through the prep with her yesterday. My responsibility at this point is to ensure she doesn't hurt herself so that she's able to complete the trials."

"Protecting your interests," the student chided. Seth barely cracked a smile.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to get cleaned up," Seth nodded toward William before walking away.

The student watched his hero turn down the path leading toward the courtyard. Astral getting hurt hadn't been an angle he had considered. He had an advantage over her; he knew what was coming. She didn't have to get hurt per say, but the workout would leave her pretty sore for days. Her complaining muscles were bound to have an impact on her scores. The real question was, would she be able to recover in time to be able to retake the tests. Seth would definitely have her re-do the trials, and she would perform better. Wasn't worth the risk, he decided.

William stared up at the Leadership tower. Seth must have preferred the training equipment in this building. He must have decided to train early to avoid fans, giving him plenty of privacy during the testing week. Academic testing was done prior to admission for first years. In William's case, his previous year's final exam scores dictated his learning groups for various classes. Physical training worked on the same principle, only the first week of school was dedicated to assessing the students in a controlled environment. All of Seth's free time must have been put toward training. He'd do the same, he decided. Astral was a noob; he'd be able to beat her scores blinded folded and both hands tied behind his back. Besides, his plan involved failing the first set of scores anyway. If he trained hard for the next two days and rested on Thursday, he wouldn't have any issue demolishing her scores.

*****

Forty-five minutes into his routine which consisted of random selection of training equipment, students were starting to filter in. "Serious about getting on to Squad VII this year?" Roger McAlister was a hulking mass of muscles, whose bicep strength alone could crush William's head like an egg.

"I heard there was an opening," William tried to be coy. He didn't need or want the competition, especially if Astral decided that the games weren't worth it. She could be so fickle.

"I heard it was already reserved," Roger replied and flashed a set of pearly whites. "Should join us on Squad IV instead."

"I just might," the student replied. Squad four made silver rankings last year, which meant that they won at least three championship games before being taken out. They demolished their opponents in the ranking games, and it was rumored that they were going to be Squad VII's major competitors this year.

"You'll need to register if you're serious," the player sat on the machine next to William and began his lifts.

That's right, squads couldn't select members from non-registrants. The game registration system narrowed down the scores to the applicants who were interested in competing. It also had the added benefit of being able to filter results based on specific scores achieved during the testing week. He wondered why Seth didn't bother reminding him of that small but important detail. He was positive that Seth already had Astral register. He wondered if he could access the registrants list to see if he was right. He could always ask, but then he'd run the risk letting her know something she would have been unaware of otherwise. Maybe he could talk her into not registering, as a personal favour.

"What do you mean the slot on Squad VII is taken?" William asked as the implication struck home. Was failing one test enough to convince Seth that it was a done deal? Was the bet just for the endurance run? It was getting hard to breathe.

"Rumour has it he has his eye on the heiress to Omega Corp. Imagine what we could do with that sort of tech," Roger cooed as though visualizing an attractive woman. "Advanced Robotics, cybergenetic enhancements.... Hell! Maybe even a power suit! Oh, that would be awesome!"

"He told her that he didn't want any of those things," William admitted.

"He's not going to tell her that, is he," Roger grinned. "She's a girl. She wants to be seduced. She wants to feel wanted. In the end, she'll go to the squad who promises all the pretty things she wants."

"What if I got her to join your team?" William wondered.

"You know her?"

"Yeah, she's that rich friend I've been telling people about," William shrugged like it was nothing.

"Can you do that?"

"I can tell her a few things that might make Squad VII look lame," William admitted. "All you really have to do is tell her that she doesn't have to do anything. She's like some sort of sponsor. She'll like that. Tell her that she's helping the underprivileged or something. It'll make her feel useful like she's helping the big picture."

Roger nodded. "I'll work my end then, and you work yours."