50A/N DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN SKYLAND!
This is my first ever Fanfiction story. In fact, I was unaware of Fanfiction's existence until a few months ago... No, I don't live under a rock. :) I just hadn't heard about it. Strangely enough, the whole idea for this story came to me some time ago, before I even knew about fanfiction - I guess I never forgot about Skyland.
Mila stood in the corridor behind the auditorium, wringing her hands nervously. Today was Graduation day and twenty or so of the students from the Sphere Guardian Academy were going to be presented with their future careers. The seijin girl bit her lip and readjusted her form-fitting grey uniform for what should have been the millionth time; she had to look presentable. Mila was a slender girl with dark hair and cobalt blue eyes. Her black hair was pulled back into a loose braid and a few stray strands floated down the side of her face despite her best efforts to keep them in place.
Mila looked around at the other students waiting in the cramped hallway; a group of rowdy boys were all talking loudly; some giggly girls stood aside, watching the boys and gossiping between themselves. That was the popular crowd. She was part of it but… she just didn't feel very happy or excited right now. She was downright anxious.
Other students however, were discreet or silent. The twin sisters, Gwen and Cleo, were sitting against the wall, whispering urgently to each other. Barry, a robust and silent young man, was standing alone, staring at the wall with an intense glare as if it was responsible for the fact that they would soon be ushered onto stage. And then there was Katie; poor, worried girl. She was unsuccessfully trying to hide the occasional tears running down her cheeks. She was always so emotional; no one understood it. What was there to be sad about? She was going to be a guardian! The highest of honors.
Ryan, one of the loud boys, nudged Mila's arm. "You coming with us tonight or what?"
Mila stared at him. "What? Oh yes, whatever…" She answered absent mindedly. Ryan frowned briefly and went to join his friends again. Mila sighed restlessly and smoothed down her hair for the umpteenth time.
"It'll be fine." A voice told her.
Mila looked down at the pale, skinny boy beside her. He had wispy blond hair, grey eyes and stood shorter than her. She smiled.
"How do you know Olli?"
The boy kept a firm gaze ahead, waiting for the Sphere official to come out of the metallic door and usher them onto stage. His eyes shone with fierce determination. "Because, we're going to rule the world remember?" He muttered and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips. Mila elbowed him playfully and they both laughed.
"This freak giving you a hard time Mila…" It was Ryan again, with his goons standing behind him. A smile stretched on his handsome, dark face as he looked down at Oslo.
"Ryan…" Mila sighed tiredly. How many times did she have to tell him to leave her friend alone?
Ryan stood forwards and jabbed Oslo in the chest, making the smaller boy stagger backwards.
"Ryan, stop it!" Mila exclaimed as Oslo's hands flickered blue; this was no time for a fight. These boys had bullied Oslo too many times for her liking and it was falling on her last nerve.
"Come on Mila, you seriously defending this loser?" Mila's face burned up and she grabbed Ryan's arm and led him to the side.
"You tell them to leave him alone or we're over, do you understand?"
Ryan frowned, his thick eyebrows lowered and his dark eyes glinted. "What the hell is wrong with you, ever since you've started hanging out with that-"
"Be quiet. Listen, I don't want our last day at the Academy to be like this. Everyone deserves to have a perfect graduation ceremony, they've worked hard enough."
"All right fine, whatever..." He took her wrist and pulled her close. "We're going to have fun tonight alright? Don't worry about it…" He looked over at the boys and nodded; they walked away from Oslo. Ryan leaned in towards her but she pried off his arms and pushed him away angrily; it was considered improper for guardians to interact this way in public. It was rather undignified and insulting.
"Sorry about that…" Mila told Oslo, raising her voice to indicate her frustration towards the boys.
Oslo watched Ryan glare at him briefly and join his friends again as he dusted off. "Doesn't matter. They'll pay one day." He answered darkly.
Mila disregarded the comment and brushed some dirt off his cheek. "There. All neat and ready." She said brightly.
Just then, the door opened with a hiss and a woman came out; immediate silence fell. The students scrambled to take their positions and soon, they were all standing in their usual straight line.
"It's time." She stated and smiled fleetingly. "Congratulations students."
A few whoops of happiness escaped the class and the woman lifted her hands for silence. She reminded the students of the expected demeanor on stage and of the routine that was to be strictly carried out into the ceremony. Mila was too nervous to listen; the official's voice sounded like it was a million miles away...
Within a few minutes, the students were all waiting in the darkness behind the velvety black curtains of the auditorium. One by one, their names were called out and the line would shorten. Applauds echoed on the high ceiling as the names continued... The students were being called in order of age; not that there was much age difference in the class; one year's difference was the limit. Mila watched the individual students file off through the silken drapes and disappear; she swallowed fearfully.
Soon it was Oslo's turn. He tensed and nodded sternly forwards as if urging himself to go and walked off to stage briskly. He vanished. When Mila heard her name reverberate, she stood in shock, her legs glued to the floor. The tall boy standing behind her gave her a gentle nudge. "Go." He whispered.
And she did; Mila strode onto stage, a confident smile plastered on her face.
The blinding light thankfully hid the crowd from view as she shook the Academy director's hand and accepted a wrapped gift package containing her new uniform. The director was a tall, muscled man in his late thirties; his squinting, blue eyes always gave him such an intimidating allure. Today however, he had the slightest hint of a smile on his thin lips, which Mila couldn't help being relieved about. She then shook another faceless dignitary's hand and accepted a rolled up piece of parchment; her degree. She smiled to the crowd and waved briefly before finding her pre-registered seat on stage next to Oslo.
From her sitting position, she had a clear view of the auditorium which had a high arched ceiling dotted with circular, white lights. The floor of the gleaming, black stage seemed to disappear into the blinding glare of the spotlights that bore down onto the seated graduates, making it semi-impossible to see anything of the audience except blurry, shifting shadows. Judging by the noise emanating for the auditorium, she could guess that the entire school had been assembled to watch the graduation, as was customary.
Finally, when everybody had been called out and seated, there was a series of long formal speeches from several Sphere dignitaries which were rather dull and monotonous. Mila could catch whispers and mutterings emanating from the restless crowd.
Afterwards, the usual sternness reapplied to the ceremony as the director stood behind the metallic, black podium; the whisperings ceased at once. He thanked the dignitaries and proceeded.
"Dear guests, students and graduates, it is time for the handing of the tasks…"
Mila tensed again, she had almost forgotten about this part. They would now hand out the jobs to the graduates. The best professions were on the city blocks of course, where guardians had next to nothing to do all day but lounge next to the artificial beaches and go on shopping sprees. She could remember the years when her younger self had been part of that audience; she could still remember feeling awed, watching all those lucky graduates file off across the stage. The fact that she was actually graduating hadn't actually sunk in yet; it just seemed so unreal.
But it was going to happen; the future was colliding with the present. She could only hope that everything would turn out fine… There were jobs where graduates were assigned to fly around in ships all day to scan areas. Those were the worst rankings of course; being limited to the confines of a small sphere patroller for countless hours each and every day, without any real action or excitement. The less talented seijin students were usually assigned these careers. After all, seijins were not all equally skilled. Some lacked potential and some, such as herself, were simply remarkable. Mila acknowledged and accepted this truth; she could only hope that the officials had actually remarked her exceptional skills and that she would be rewarded for her talents.
The students were now going to be called by age, their surnames were hardly ever mentioned. Some students still knew theirs but Mila had no remembrance of having a last name...
"Cleo." The name shook her from her thoughts as a girl walked forward, casting a nervous look in her twin sister's direction. "Assigned to squadron thirty-seven." Not too bad, Mila thought. Cleo nodded happily and smiled as a badge was fixed to her shirt.
Mila applauded with the crowd as Cleo took her seat and her twin sister Gwen walked towards the podium. That girl was a gifted student, Mila thought, as she watched Cleo settle back into her seat. But Mila also considered that she had superior powers.
Once again, the names filed out in a painfully slow manner. Oslo was assigned to Squadron two which was an extremely high ranking considering that the highest possible rank was one. Mila applauded cheerfully. She wasn't cheerful at all really, it was all a façade. The waiting was nearly unbearable...
Mila was called forwards after an agonizing few minutes. This time, she didn't hesitate when she heard her name. Trying not to think about the fact that her entire future linked to this moment suspended in time, she arrived next to the podium and stood stock still, taking the habitual straight position. Arching her back as vertical as was possible. She would be proud with whatever career she was assigned. Proud to be part of the Sphere.
"Assigned to squadron one." Mila gaped for a moment as the words formed into meaning.
Squadron one! Squadron one! She would work with the best guardians. Even maybe the Commander herself! There was no higher ranking for a new graduate and this meant that Mila was evaluated as one of the most promising students of the Academy.
The crowd roared with applause and Mila beamed with joy as the little golden pin with her squadron number was fixed to her shirt. She walked back to her seat as if in a dream and sat down.
Squadron one.
It was a busy job but she would manage.
Since Oslo had been assigned to squadron two, then it probably meant that they would get to work together. Mila kicked his foot as she sat back down. "We'll be working together!" She whispered excitingly.
"Yes, I suppose." He answered darkly. Mila's smile faded a little.
The ceremony continued... Others weren't as lucky however; as it turned out, Gwen hadn't followed her sister in the rankings. She was going in the patroller unit to scan the skies for unidentified blocks. Poor Gwen, the job was so lame. The girl had walked back to her seat, her hand brushing against the metallic pin on her shirt; the disappointment on her face had been evident.
A few girls preceded Mila, including Priscilla. Mila found Priscilla's girly personality irritating, especially because of the fact that they shared the same dorm room. "Assigned to squadron 23." Priscilla shrieked with happiness and Mila sighed with relief. She'd probably never see this girl again after departing the Academy. Good.
Oslo looked unhappy; Mila knew not what was wrong with him. She shrugged and straightened up as new graduates were called, applauding with actual happiness this time to encourage them.
Name after name after name…
After the relief of finding out her new job, Mila found that time was travelling rather quickly now. She barely had time to register who had received which ranking when the director returned to the podium. This typically meant that the ceremony was coming to an end.
But something was wrong. Mila caught whisperings in the air. It seemed one person hadn't been assigned a task yet. Katie. The girl should have gone right before Ryan in the age order. Mila hadn't noticed until now. She'd been too preoccupied with herself.
The audience had noticed that something was wrong too, because people murmured and pointed towards the stage.
"Congratulations to all the graduates and best of luck with their new careers…"
Mila peered at Katie, who was pale-faced, sitting up straight and grasping the chair as if she was going to faint, her finger nails digging into the wood.
"However, it seems that we have an unexpected announcement to make considering one of our graduates." The director turned around and motioned to Katie. "Miss Greenwood, please step forward." The fact that he used her surname was unnerving. It was insulting for one to be reminded of their last name; it was considered an obstacle of sorts, something that limited someone's loyalty towards the Sphere.
Katie eyed her colleagues nervously, as if asking for some form of support. People averted their eyes. This never happened during ceremonies; something was terribly wrong.
Katie shuffled over and stood next to the director. "Yes?" She asked.
The man barely glanced at the girl, as if he hadn't even noticed her presence. "Miss Greenwood is a very promising student to the Academy…" He said. Katie jerked her head with surprise. "The guardians who found her knew this when they saved her from the rebellious family she was living with. It seems that we have made the right choice." The crowd applauded and Katie looked flustered.
"Her family has since been involved with the rebellion." Katie gasped in surprise and looked at the director. "Coincidently, we have your rebellious brother here today at the ceremony." He stated happily.
There was a shuffling sound as two brigadiers dragged a struggling boy onto stage. He couldn't have been older than sixteen; he had red hair and a freckled face. His wrists were cuffed behind his back and he was gagged. The robots forced him to his knees and Katie gaped with terror.
"Andy." She breathed.
Blood seeped through his shirt in numerous places and he had a swollen, black eye. Their eyes met with intensity and Katie shook her head. "Why?" She whispered to him.
"It seems the boy tried to come rescue his sister with a couple of rebel pals." The sphere official pursued.
Laughter echoed in the auditorium. Mila didn't laugh though; she couldn't help feeling sorry for these two who were being humiliated in front of everyone.
"He joined the rebellion. He isn't a seijin." He spat out with disgust as he eyed the boy. "Can't choose your family now can you?" Some spectators and graduates laughed. Oslo nodded with approval. Mila was shocked; it seemed she was alone in thinking that this wasn't amusing.
Mila looked back forwards; Katie rushed to Andy's side only to be pushed back when the brigadiers lifted their guns threateningly.
"Today is your chance to prove your loyalty to the Sphere Miss Greenwood." He said. "Kill him."
Katie walked backwards and shook her head with disbelief. Tears streamed down the boy's face. Mila couldn't believe this. Sure they had been trained to kill but none of the students had actually killed a human before. They had practiced on birds and dogs but this… This was horrible. How could they put her on the spot like this?
"Kill him." He repeated slowly.
"No." She murmured.
"Excuse me?"
"NO! I won't. He's my little brother, please I can't…" The whole auditorium fell silent and Mila could imagine people leaning forwards with anticipation.
"I you don't kill him, you won't graduate."
"I don't care! I won't do it." A simultaneous gasp escaped the audience and Katie cried with frustration.
Silence fell. Mila saw the director discretely press a button under the podium and two brigadiers materialized out of the shadows and grabbed Katie. She shrieked and struggled.
The man nodded to the brigadiers holding the pirate; one of the robots stood in front of him and lifted his gun.
"No! Give him a chance, please!" Katie screamed.
But it was already too late; there was a flash of bright light, a loud cracking noise reverberated in the auditorium. The boy slumped to the ground; dead. A pool of blood grew underneath him as he stared blindly at the ceiling.
"Andy! Andy!" Katie screamed frantically. Then she did something no one had expected, she blew the brigs away with a seijin energy wave and ran to her brother's side. The graduates fidgeted in their seats and a few screams rebounded through the hall.
Katie cowered over the dead body, sobbing hysterically. "No, no…"
"Take her away!" The director ordered to the graduates in general. Two volunteer boys stood forwards and dragged her roughly away from the corpse, her hands still tinged with her brother's blood. They pulled her back stage and out of sight until no one could hear her shouts and cries anymore. The remaining brigadier pulled the boy off stage in the other direction, leaving only a trail of blood as evidence.
The director repositioned his tie and faced the crowd once again, as if nothing had happened. As if smoldering brigadier parts were not scattered all over the floor.
"What a waste." He commented.
Mila had the strangest feeling that he wasn't talking about the boy. She felt sick to her stomach and the world seemed to be spinning out of focus.
"Mila?" Oslo asked. She waved him off impatiently.
"Let this all remind us that the rebels with fall and those who are unworthy of the Sphere will be punished." He finished his speech and congratulated the students once again before the curtains closed. He left without another word, carefully stepping around the pool of blood.
The students seemed somewhat perturbed by the death, but were either too happy about their graduation or too self-absorbed to pay it any more attention. While the graduates rushed out, some glancing backward to give the blood smeared floor a last glimpse, Mila sat there, clutching her degree and staring into the air. They had just killed someone and she had done nothing. Somehow she felt guilty and responsible. But she shouldn't.
"Mila, are you coming or what?" Ryan helped her to her feet and she walked dreamily along with her friends, leaving Oslo behind.
As the graduates walked outside, they merged with the crowd from the audience that was pouring out of the gathering hall. A group of ten year olds, undoubtedly in their first years of Academy training, passed them. "Best. Assembly. Ever." One of the little boys exclaimed to his friend, his eyes wide with enthusiasm. "Did you see that?" He punched the air with his skinny arms, mimicking a brigadier no doubt. His friend laughed. They ran off, arguing about who was going to be team captain at the basket ball court. It was a holiday for everyone today so the children were taking advantage of their rare free time to go play.
Mila kept walking, tuning out her talking friends. She watched the children run off around the corner of a gleaming pavilion and disappear. They were too young to see such things. Mila was disgusted that the director had let them sit through the ceremony.
Mila split up from her other friends and followed Priscilla, who was her roommate.
"See you later!" Priscilla shouted at the others in her lofty, sing-song voice. She tugged on Mila's sleeve as she rushed down the neatly paved street, chattering excitedly about make-up, nail polish and other useless things for the after-graduation party. Mila didn't pay attention, a feeling of cold, terrible guilt was spreading through her. She felt numb at the moment. Unable to take in the happiness that she alone seemed unable to feel.
Priscilla led her away, towards their dorm room.
Out through the courtyard.
Across the bridge.
Towards the highest, glistening building of the Academy block.
A/N So with this chapter I wanted to show what triggers Mila's dislike for the Sphere. It's a little violent but I wanted it to be realistic. I tried to create a sort of Sphere ranking system which I hope is acceptable...
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