Anand’s eyes darted around the classroom, his mind racing. It had been a few months since the last rift appeared off the coast of Singapore. Another could appear anytime, anywhere; even right here. Anand wondered if it’d be possible to make it to the bunker under the university. Every student knew where it was located and was taught how to reach it. But only a handful of them had visited it since freshman year during the mandatory tour. He looked at his classmates wondering how many of them knew how to reach the bunker quickly. It was unlikely any of them were as prepared as him; especially Ray. He was too headstrong to retreat in a fight, there was no way he knew what to do in an emergency.

Anand turned to look up at his friend. Even as children Ray was always taller and he had grown further in adulthood. Ray looked back and furrowed a brow.

“Buddy, you’re staring. What’s up?” he asked.

Anand shook his head and whispered back, “Uh, I was wondering, do you remember where the bunker is?”

“The one under the union, yeah.”

“Okay, but do you remember how to get there?”

“Duh, I follow you. Or Eve. Whoever’s closer.”

Anand rolled his eyes. “But, what if we’re not close.”

“I’ll stick to a teacher and wait for y’all to find me. It can’t be that hard.” Ray replied and held his hand over his head.

The mostly silent room started to grow louder as students began packing up to leave. Anand quickly tossed his laptop and textbook into his backpack. Ray carefully put his things away. Even with caution, the hollow right sleeve of his jacket got caught in the zipper of his bag. Ray shifted his shoulder to escape and sat back.

“Need a hand,” Anand asked while watching his friend struggle.

Ray waved his right sleeve and chuckled, “Do you have a spare?”

Anand zipped up the bag and Ray slung it over his shoulder. They exited the empty class into the bustling halls of the school. Loud banging of shut lockers mixed with the sound of a myriad of voices conversing. Ray stood in front of Anand, carving a path through the crowd to the back of the building. They were immediately overwhelmed by the scent of flowers filling the air. Their colorful petals were scattered on the path leading into the school's botanical garden. The path continued forward with trees arched overhead, only allowing a small amount of light to eke through the leaves. Along the walkway were small congregations of tables filled with students enjoying their free time. Ray stepped away a few times to greet classmates. Each time, he announced his presence by loudly crunching leaves underfoot. Once he was satisfied with greeting enough people, Anand led them to an inconspicuous separation in the greenery. They pushed aside some branches to deviate from the path and found themselves at a single table surrounded completely by trees. The hidden opening was serene with only one other student inside.

A gust of wind swept a pile of leaves into her choker and afro. She chortled while tugging the foliage away. While cleaning herself up she noticed the boys and flashed a toothy grin.

“I win, again,” she said.

“That’s not fair, Eve. Your class gets out before ours.” Ray complained.

Anand pulled out a chair and sat down. “You could always opt out of the race. It’s stacked against you. I mean, you stop to say hi to everyone we pass.”

“I can’t not say hi to everyone. I’m not a monster!” Ray huffed. “Look, one day, Professor Jacobson will let us out early and I’ll swoop in here before Eve. While saying hi to everyone. Then, I’ll drop out of the race.”

“What if I quit before that?” Eve asked with a smirk.

“That won’t happen. You like beating me too much.”

“That… is very true.”

Ray sat next to Eve and grabbed a comic out of his backpack. He kicked his feet onto the small table and relaxed. Eve moved her notebook away then continued to study. Anand sat on Eve’s other side and pulled out his laptop. He had left a forum open discussing the rift that appeared six months ago.

Even though he’d seen every possible theory about the rifts, he still revisited the sites regularly. Information died down in between rift appearances but there was always the chance that someone discovered something new. Anand didn’t want to risk missing the information that got posted during the few hours he had to spend in class. Today something caught his attention that he’d never seen before. Not the giant creature stepping out of the rift; that was nothing new. Rather, the smaller one that seemed to accompany it.

Anand had heard rumors about the smaller creatures but he’d never seen images of them. This picture wasn’t clear or anything, but it was something. It looked like an animal. Or maybe a human. There was no way to properly discern whatever was in the picture. Whenever a rift appeared, everyone’s inner photographer took a break. It was beyond frustrating. Anand was adamant he could get a good picture. Anyone could if they had the right plan.

Anand wanted to find out more but his phone alarm went off. He checked the time and swore under his breath.

“How has it been an hour?” he complained. “I’ve gotta head to the dorms. My laptop’s dying and Mom’ll chew my ear off if I’m late again.”

Ray furrowed his brow and asked, “Wait, why are you calling today? I mean I know you do daily but we’re literally visiting Middleton tomorrow. They’ll see you, then.”

“They can’t let me have a single day of freedom.” Anand grumbled. “Missing a single call could screw that up. It doesn’t matter if they see me tomorrow. You know how my parents are.”

Ray stashed his comic and hopped out of his seat.

“I’ll come with you, then. What about you, Eve?” Ray asked.

“I think I’m gonna finish this assignment. I’ll meet up with you guys for dinner,” she replied.

The boys left the garden and walked around the school. Past the front entrance was a large courtyard surrounded by low walls. Nearby were tables and benches occupied by groups of students relaxing in the cool breeze of early winter.

A statue of a mechanical beast stood in the center of the courtyard with a plaque reading, “Commemorated here is the first step in combating Riftwalkers. The first triumph of the Gaia Defense Force: Battle Enhanced Armored Robot.” Even in a hurry, Anand paused to admire the statue. Ray took the chance to greet some friends.

Once they were done, Anand and Ray walked out of the courtyard towards a set of stairs built into the hillside. At the bottom of the hill sat two large grey buildings near the end of a cliff that overlooked a lake. To the left was Fran Dorm and to the right, Tor Dorm. The boys approached Fran Dorm and tapped their fingers on a small scanner near the door to open it.

The inside of the building looked far less industrial than outside. Fine wood flooring shone under chandeliers hanging overhead. A circular reception table sat in the middle of the entrance hall with two students sitting inside.

“What’s up, guys?” One said with a nod of his head. “Ray, remember you’ve got a shift running the computer labs tonight.”

“Yeah, dude. I’ll be here,” Ray replied and tossed a thumbs up to his coworker.

Anand greeted their schoolmate with a nod before walking away towards a carpeted hall and a stairwell. His and Ray’s room was on the second floor near the middle of the hallway. Anand unlocked the door and while he was fiddling with the keys, Ray stepped inside and climbed the ladder to his loft. Anand quickly plugged in his laptop. While it was powering on, he tossed his backpack under his desk.

His phone buzzed again and he quickly replied while scrambling to find his headset. Before he could, a WhatsApp notification popped up on his laptop screen and started to ring.

“Where are they?” Anand mumbled.

“It’s okay if you use your speakers,” Ray said.

Anand hated openly talking with his family. But, if he was late for the call he’d hear about it all weekend. He really didn’t want to deal with that. With a resigned sigh, he thanked Ray and sat down to answer the call.

“I’m here! Right on time!” Anand said. A hint of fear eked out of his voice as he scanned the screen.

“Hey, Bhai! It’s Sonia!” A teenage girl said as she appeared on the screen.

Anand calmed down and grumbled. “Your text made it sound like I was late. But, it’s just you.”

“I thought it would be better if you saw me first! Would you rather have Mom? Or worse?”

“Good point.” Anand conceded. “So, what’s up, Brat?”

“I’ve got projects,” Sonia said excitedly.

“Why do you sound happy about it?”

“Because it’s for a pottery class.”

“I can’t believe Dad was okay with you taking that.”

“Just be excited for her, dude,” Ray chirped.

Anand let out a long sigh and smiled. “What are you making?”

“Is it a box?” Ray yelled from his bunk.

“Yeah! Good job, Ray!” Sonia yelled back.

Anand turned to his friend and asked, “How’d you guess that?”

“She’s talked about wanting to make one for weeks,” replied Ray. “Not a hard guess.”

“Exactly,” Sonia said excitedly while holding a small box up to the camera. “We actually made them last week and they went in the, uh, the big oven thing-”

“Kiln,” Anand interjected.

“Yeah, the kiln. Some idiots’ broke and mine had an air pocket so a bit of the edge cracked but it still works. Look!” Sonia exclaimed while balancing the box on one hand and petitely lifting the lid with the other.

“That’s actually pretty cool, Brat. Any other homework?”

“Nope! I’m all done and I already told my friends that I’m hanging out with you this weekend.”

Anand groaned. “You know you don’t have to do that.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with Mom and Dad. What if you blow up and let it slip?” Sonia asked.

Anand glared at his sister and shushed her. She held up her hands and surrendered.

“Okay, okay. Mom is on her way so I’m gonna watch TV. Peace.” Sonia said and ran off before Anand could reply.

“Mera bachcha,” A woman said softly while sitting on the couch and tilting the screen upward. She wiped sweat from her brow. Even through the screen, Anand could see faint red marks around her pupils. “I told you not to bully your sister.”

“Hi, Mom. I wasn’t bullying her,” Anand replied to the tired complaint. “‘Brat’ is a term of endearment. It’s my nickname for her.”

“Haan, haan,” Priya said sarcastically. “How are you? Are you eating well? How are Raimundo and Evelyn?”

“I’m good. The guys are good. We haven’t had dinner yet but we’re eating well.”

“Have you packed for this weekend?”

“You ask everyday.”

“Well, have you?”

Anand turned to look at the unpacked duffel bag in his closet in all its deflated glory. He turned back to the camera and replied, “Yes.”

Priya pursed her lips but didn’t push the issue. “Okay. Dad is coming so I’ll go finish making dinner. Love you, beta.”

Anand remained silent but unlike Sonia, Priya wouldn’t leave until he responded.

“Love you, too, Mom,” Anand said with an eye roll.

Priya grinned and walked away. Those were the easy conversations. Next was the final boss. Anand felt a chill down his spine as he heard shuffling through the screen. A stout, well dressed man shifted into frame. Even through the screen, Anand could feel the intimidating aura of his father.

“Hello, Anand. How is school? Are you excelling in your classes?” Arjun asked stoically.

“Yes.” Anand twiddled his thumbs under his desk. He felt himself stiffen and couldn’t meet his father’s gaze.

“I’ve been spending extra time in the library and meeting with my professors outside of class. I’m currently working on a report about rifts.”

Arjun frowned. “What class is that for?”

“Interplanetary Analysis. It’s one of my electives,” Anand replied meekly. His father always complained about his choice in electives.

“Remember to focus on your proper classes,” Arjun said sternly. “You aren’t at Cahlgren University to become any ordinary GDF agent. You will join the medical team.”

“Okay.”

“Dad, dinner’s ready.” Sonia called from off screen. She was the only reason Anand could last a whole weekend around his family. He silently thanked her.

“Right,” Arjun replied to Sonia but never turned away from Anand. “We will talk again tomorrow once you arrive.”

He walked away without ending the call. Anand did so and shut his laptop before slumping in his chair. All the built up stress in his body washed away.

Ray put down his comic and sat up, his legs hanging off his bed.

“We’ve been here for two years already, dude. When are you going to tell your parents you’re not gonna be a medic?” he asked.

“Never,” Anand replied.

“You know, they’ll find out you’re trying to be a pilot sooner or later. I mean we graduate in a couple years.”

Anand spun in his seat.

“If I’m lucky, they won’t know till I die.”

“Come on, man. They’ll be angrier that you lied than about your decision,” Ray said. “At least my mom always is.”

“My parents would be mad that I’m not gonna be a medic and that I lied. Then, each time they remembered, they’d get angrier,” Anand replied, hoping the conversation was over. As per usual, Ray wouldn’t let it rest.

“That wouldn’t happen.”

“Ray, how long have we been friends?” Anand asked dryly.

“I dunno, forever?” Ray paused. “Forever plus a year if we consider our moms knew each other before we were born.”

“Right. How many times have my parents reacted positively to anything I’ve done?”

“Once,” Ray said triumphantly. “When you got a scholarship to come here.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Anand replied sarcastically. “How many times have they reacted negatively?”

Ray feigned ignorance.

“I can tell you. Do you want me to tell you?” Anand asked forcefully.

“No.” Ray frowned.

“Exactly,” Anand said snidely, “You’ve known me over two decades and only once have they been happy with something I’ve done. Even then, Dad was disappointed that I wouldn’t be a doctor. Being a GDF medic is the next best thing in his opinion. It’s all he wants for me.” There was a twinge of anger mixed with sadness in his voice.

“But, dude, you’re so much better at literally everything else it takes to be an agent,” Ray said, hoping to appeal to Anand’s logic. “Hell, Eve had to help you pass the 101 class for medics.”

“Dad says that hardship is the road to success. Becoming a medic would definitely ‘hardship.’”

Ray grumbled in frustration, “Whatever.”

“That’s what I thought,” Anand replied triumphantly and reopened his laptop. “I’m gonna try to crank out some more of this report. Tell me when you’re hungry.”

“Roger.”

Writing the report was beyond easy for Anand. A paper about rift history was bound to be an easy A. He cranked out paragraph after paragraph until he was sure he’d reached the limit his teacher was willing to read. Upon completion, Anand returned to the forum he had visited earlier. To his surprise, the image was gone. There were always jokes the GDF would cover up leaked info about the rifts but they never actually had. His intrigue turned to excitement. If the GDF was so quick to hide the image, that meant it was real.

“Yo, Anand, Eve just texted.” Ray said while holding up his phone.

Anand furrowed a brow and looked at his watch, realizing how much time had passed. The paper had taken him longer than he anticipated. He checked the group chat on his phone and made a mental note to revisit the site later. He and Ray left the dorms and made their way back to the courtyard. Across from the top of the stairs was the Cahlgren Union which provided a myriad of services for the students. The first floor had a number of stores and a food court. The upper floors had meeting rooms and even a gym as well as the underground bunker. Students were sure there were other secrets in the union but no one could search for them without getting reprimanded.

Anand and Ray went to the food court and found Eve already eating at a table near the east exit. Anand lightly nudged Ray towards the table.

“You go, I’ll get in line for food,” he said.

Anand mainly wanted some time to keep thinking about the creature he’d seen. He searched on his phone if any other sites had the picture but there was nothing to be found. Had he known it would be gone, Anand would’ve saved the image. There was no way he’d make that mistake again. Anand grabbed his order and returned to his friends.

“ButterBurger, no pickles,” Anand said while sliding a tray to Ray.

“Aw, you know me so well,” he replied.

“How was the call with your family?” Eve asked with a mouthful of rice.

Anand shrugged. “Same old, same old. Sonia made a box, Mom told me to pack, Dad reminded me why I’m here and not to have dreams.”

“Oh, come on. I doubt he said that.”

“He might as well have.”

Eve smiled softly and patted Anand’s arm. “I have no idea how you deal with that.”

“Meh, you get used to it. How’d your studying go?” he asked.

“Also, meh. I finished the chapter and got bored doing practice problems. I gave up and played games.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine on the test.”

“She always does.” Ray added while chewing his food.

“You know it,” Evelyn said with a grin. “What about you? I know you don’t have any upcoming tests but what about plans for Middleton?”

“I’m just hanging out with my mom. Plus, I’ve got some new comics on hold that I have to pick up.”

“I’ve got nothing,” Anand said and remembered his call. “I guess I’m hanging out with Sonia. And I have to go over my paper. Mom will probably make me bring back a bunch of food.”

“Neither of you are going out? You’re always stuck inside here, you should go do something fun in town!” Eve recommended.

“It’s Middleton. There’s nothing to do,” Anand replied incredulously. “And even if there were, Dad would complain that I’m not doing homework. It’s easier to not challenge him at all.”

“That’s… fair.”

They finished their meals and departed for the dorms. Eve and Anand headed to their rooms while Ray stopped at the reception desk to start his shift.

“Hey, leave the door unlocked for me,” he said.

Anand groaned. “I might as well just let people walk right into the room.”

“Oh, come on, man. The door will be closed and I don’t want to wake you up.”

“The lock isn’t that loud. What happened to your keys?”

“I left them in the room,” Ray answered as though the response was obvious.

Anand sighed loudly. He’d had this same conversation hundreds of times and was too tired to argue.

“Fine,” Anand said.

“Thanks, buddy,” Ray said and gave Anand a quick hug followed by Eve.

Eve gave Anand a hug when they parted ways and he continued to his room. Anand absentmindedly tossed some clothes into his duffel bag before stowing it near his desk. He climbed into bed and continued to look for more information on the creature he’d seen. Even with a clear mission, Anand easily got distracted by new theories and reports. Before long, his need to sleep outweighed his need to research and he dozed off.