The Academy Defenders

by T. J. Robinson

  Lincoln waited for additional information, but Otis remained silent. “So how do I know where Sector 8 is?” Lincoln finally asked.

  “You will be given a map of the academy during orientation. As an additional reminder,” Otis continued, “Sector 8 is surrounded by a green Barrier that can be seen rising high into the air.” Lincoln remembered the green light he had seen at the academy’s outer wall.

  “The Barrier is impenetrable and can only be crossed under authority of the Keepers for training exercises or for the Challenge. If, by some incredible feat of luck, a recruit were to bypass the Barrier without our approval, a warning siren would blast across the entire academy, letting us know of the unauthorized entry. The recruit would be expelled from the academy immediately, no questions asked.” Otis gave Lincoln a hard look, and Lincoln immediately looked down at his feet, feeling guilty even though he had no intention of trying to cross this Barrier. “We do not take this matter lightly. We have recently seen signs of someone trying to sneak into Sector 8. Whoever it is will be found and punished. We Keepers are charged with keeping the academy and its recruits safe from all threats, even those coming from the inside.”

  Together, they traveled down a dirt path positioned alongside the lake Lincoln had seen while riding in the Lulu. A few minutes into their journey, they came upon a stone-and-wood building with a dark green exterior. Smoke spilled out of the chimney, filling the air with the delicious smells of a roasting fire. The building had a large porch and an equally large front door, covered with a carving of a giant bear standing on its hind legs and roaring ferociously while raising its front paws high above its head.

  Otis pointed at the building. “That’s Asher dorm.” He pointed toward the lake. “And that’s Atlas Lake. One night last year, five grizzlies escaped Sector 8 and were later found at the lake wading near the shore.” Lincoln was about to ask if grizzlies wandering through the academy was a common occurrence, but before he could, Otis added, “We’re still not certain how the bears got through the Barrier, but I bet the young man you met earlier might have an idea.” Lincoln knew what Otis was implying and smiled as he remembered Milo’s antics earlier that day.

  As they continued on the path, Otis taught Lincoln more about the academy. The recruits stayed at the academy for a total of five years. Those in their first two years spent most of their time in Roemick Tower, while those in their final three years split their time between the north tower, which was called Romya, Sector 8, and on training assignments outside the academy.

  The eight Keepers were each assigned to guard, or protect, a specific building within the academy. Wolfert protected Roemick Tower, while Otis protected Romya Tower. The other Keepers were each assigned to one of the six dorms.

  As Lincoln listened to Otis, he felt both excited and a little nervous. Here he was at the academy, where his grandpa once taught and his parents once trained. For the first time in his life, maybe he wouldn’t feel so different from everyone else. Maybe he wouldn’t have to try to be invisible. Maybe he could finally be himself. Of course, since Lincoln would be younger than most of the other recruits, maybe things would be just like they had been at home.

  Eventually, they arrived at the Finn dorm. It resembled the Asher dorm, but was painted blue instead of green and had a fierce eagle with its wings spread wide carved into the door rather than a bear. As they approached, a porch full of kids waved at Otis and watched Lincoln curiously.

  Otis tapped on the massive front door with his staff and a glowing blue square appeared in the middle of the eagle carving. He placed his hand on the square, and a second later Lincoln heard a click as the front door swung open.

  Lincoln stepped through the doorway and into what Otis called the great room. Three of the room’s walls were covered with several closed doors. The fourth held a giant fireplace, a fire burning brightly inside. The vaulted ceiling rose all the way to the roof. As Lincoln looked higher, he counted four levels of indoor balconies.

  “The dormitory has five levels, one for each year of recruits. First-years live here on the first level. If you survive your first year,” Otis gave him a wink, “you’ll move up to the second level on Atlas Day, which is on the first of August. A few weeks after that the next year’s training begins.”

  Otis pointed to the fireplace in front of them. “Each level has a fireplace and common area. The common area is for the recruits in that year, except of course the first floor. The great room is for all Finn recruits. As a first-year, you don’t get much in terms of space.”

  A large man saw the two of them and waved at Otis. “Let me guess, another Keeper,” Lincoln whispered.

  “Bingo,” the man approaching answered. His hair was a collection of shaggy brown and white patches, and he kept it longer than Otis or Wolfert did.

  I’ll bet I know his name. All he needs is a miniature barrel around his neck, Lincoln thought, grinning slightly.

  “The name’s Bernard,” the man told Lincoln, “but everybody calls me Bernie.” They shook hands, and a warm smile spread across Bernie’s face. Lincoln immediately liked this Keeper.

  “Well, I suppose I should thank you for bringing us another one of the best, Otis.” Otis and Bernie embraced, and Otis whispered something into Bernie’s ear. Bernie’s demeanor instantly changed. His muscles tensed as he turned to Lincoln.

  “Someone attacked you and your mother?” Lincoln nodded. “Is everyone alright?” Lincoln nodded again.

  “I can’t believe this!” Bernie continued, his voice rising as his temper flared. “Listen to me, Lincoln, whoever’s responsible will pay. Nobody messes with one of my recruits.”

  “Uh ... thank you,” responded Lincoln uncertainly, not sure what to make of Bernie’s sudden change in temperament. “By the way, everybody calls me Link.”

  Bernie relaxed and smiled once again. “Link, you’re going to love it here. I know Otis tries to stay impartial, but Finn’s the best dorm at the academy. Make yourself comfortable while I round up our orientation committee.” He looked at Otis. “Brother, if there’s nothing else, we can handle it from here.”

  Otis turned and held out his hand. “Good luck, Lincoln.” As the two of them shook hands, he leaned toward Lincoln’s ear and whispered, “If you ever tell anyone I said this, I’ll deny it, but Bernie’s right. You’re lucky to be in Finn. We call Bernie the gentle giant. He loves his recruits as if they were his own children. He will protect you like no one else can.” Otis leaned back away from Lincoln, nodded his head toward Bernie, and walked out of the dorm.

  CHAPTER 4

  THE FINN ORIENTATION COMMITTEE

  BERNIE STEPPED INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE room, put his fingers to his lips, and let out a whistle fit for a train. Lincoln cringed as his ears rang painfully.

  “New recruit!” bellowed Bernie.

  A group of five recruits walked into the room. Lincoln recognized Milo and the girl who had pushed him into the fountain. She had her hands on her hips and stood apart from the others, looking annoyed.

  Milo stepped forward. “Well, Link, since I already know you, why don’t I take the lead?” He swept his arms around dramatically. “Welcome to the best dorm in Atlas. Before we get started, I’d like to—”

  “Milo, enough with the theatrics,” the girl from the fountain complained. “Just shut up for once and let us tell him who we are.”

  Milo rolled his eyes, but he remained quiet. The others quickly introduced themselves. The blonde girl from the fountain was Kennedy Golding. She was from New York City, and now that Lincoln got a good look at her, he understood why Milo paid so much attention to her. She was one of the most beautiful girls Lincoln had ever seen. Her long, blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and perfectly applied makeup made her look like she belonged at a beauty pageant, not the academy.

  The third recruit, Trevor Wesley, was a lanky fourth-year with spiky, blond hair and thick, dark eyebrows. He mumbled his name and then slouched against the wall, way too cool to pay attention.


  The next recruit was Jack James. He was tall and handsome, with dark hair, blue eyes, and a confident smile. Like Lincoln, he was a first-year recruit, though he was a year older than Lincoln and seemed even older than that. Perhaps it was because of the large muscles bulging beneath his T-shirt. In an odd coincidence, he was also from Chapel Hill and had even attended the same school as Lincoln for a few months before transferring somewhere with a better football program.

  Jack wanted to know all about his old friends from the school, including the Hastings brothers and a bunch of their friends. Lincoln didn’t want to tell Jack they were world-class jerks, so instead he pretended they were all great guys. Jack finally ran out of things to say, and everyone’s attention turned to the fifth and final recruit.

  Lincoln had been sneaking glances at her since she first walked into the room. She wasn’t beauty-queen perfect like Kennedy, but she was just as cute, in a girl-next-door kind of way. Something about her drew Lincoln’s attention like Kennedy never could. She was average in height and had a slender, athletic build. Her deep red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and contrasted sharply with her fair skin. A few freckles dotted the tip of her nose. She was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, and the only jewelry she had on was a small, silver watch and a pair of simple earrings.

  “I’m Skylar McKinley,” she told him, flashing a bright smile as her green eyes sparkled. Lincoln’s heart rate sped up as he smiled back. A few seconds passed. Lincoln realized he was staring and quickly glanced away, blushing.

  “So, Link,” Milo prodded, “I know we met earlier, but the circumstances didn’t allow for a proper introduction.” Kennedy rolled her eyes as Milo continued, “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?”

  “There’s not much to tell,” Lincoln stammered.

  “Any brothers or sisters?” asked Kennedy.

  Lincoln shook his head.

  “Aha, an only child ... just like Kennedy,” chimed Milo. “Did you get the royal treatment too?”

  Milo narrowly dodged the elbow Kennedy threw at him. He grinned and looked at Lincoln.

  “Well, I wasn’t always an only child,” explained Lincoln awkwardly. He hated telling people about Noah. “I had a brother, but he died in a fire when we were little.”

  The grin left Milo’s face. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  A heavy silence filled the room. After a few awkward seconds, Milo cleared his throat and asked another question. “Are your parents Guardians?”

  Lincoln nodded. “Yep, I just found out last night. My grandpa was too. He used to be an instructor here.”

  Trevor suddenly stood up straight, his eyes widening. “Wait, your last name’s Thomas, right?” Lincoln nodded. “Your grandpa’s not Tyler Thomas, is he?” Lincoln nodded again.

  “Dude,” Trevor said excitedly, “your grandpa’s a freaking legend! My dad’s always going on and on about how your grandpa’s the best instructor the academy’s ever had.” Trevor’s face went white. “Wait a minute. We heard he was just—”

  “Maybe we can talk about that later,” Milo said loudly, interrupting Trevor before he could finish.

  “Right,” said Trevor guiltily. “Sorry.”

  Lincoln looked down and didn’t reply. After already bringing up Noah, the last thing Lincoln wanted to do was talk about Grandpa’s recent death, the news of which had apparently already made its way to the academy.

  Luckily, Bernie came to his rescue. “Time for the tour,” he announced. Lincoln gave him a grateful look. Bernie winked back, adding, “Come on everybody, time’s a wastin’.”

  They followed Bernie toward the row of doors lining the left wall of the great room, stopping at the one closest to the exit. “This is my room. Now you know where to find me if you need me. Wait here.”

  Bernie disappeared into his room, reappearing a few moments later holding a wooden box. He opened the top of it, revealing a blue square. “Put your hand on the square,” he ordered.

  Lincoln did as instructed. As his hand touched the square, it glowed brightly for several seconds and then slowly faded. Lincoln removed his hand, and Bernie snapped the box shut.

  “You can now unlock the doors to our dormitory, as well as the other academy buildings where you are permitted, by placing your hand in the square on the door. There’s a map of the academy waiting for you in your room. Areas marked in green are off-limits without faculty permission. If you don’t have your map with you, just watch Milo. Anywhere he goes is certain to be out of bounds.”

  “That’s uncalled for,” protested Milo. He grinned. “It’s true, but still uncalled for.”

  Bernie winked again, and Lincoln smiled. “These hooligans will show you around the rest of the dorm. I’ve got some work to do.” Bernie gestured to his room. “I’ll be in here if you need anything.”

  Bernie disappeared into his room. Milo led the rest of the tour, teasing the two girls relentlessly as he did so. Trevor quickly settled back into his too-cool-for-this-crap routine and didn’t say another word throughout the rest of the tour. Lincoln tried to walk beside Skylar, but Kennedy had her by the elbow and refused to budge, giving Lincoln a crusty glare whenever he approached. So Lincoln ended up next to Jack, and as they went through the tour, the two of them got to know each other. Lincoln found out that Jack had come to the academy a few weeks earlier following some sort of miraculous touchdown during a football game where Jack flipped over three defenders. Lincoln then told Jack about the run-in with the FBI agent.

  Lincoln soon realized Jack was nothing like his friends back home. He was confident but not cocky, and unlike the Hastings and the rest of their friends, he didn’t treat everyone else as if they were scum.

  The tour ended, and Trevor escaped to his room on the fourth floor. The others sat down near the fireplace in the great room. As they warmed themselves by the roaring fire—it was surprisingly chilly now that the sun was down—the others taught Lincoln more about the academy.

  Training was year-round at the academy, with two exceptions. They got a four-week break for Winter Holiday and the entire month of August. August was the time given to the first-years to make it to the academy—although almost all of them showed up within the first few days—and for the other recruits to visit family or prepare for moving up to the next level of their training. On September 1st training began. The recruits’ days were divided into two segments, separated by a lunch break. The mornings were spent in normal school classes learning about stuff like English and math. The afternoons were when things got interesting.

  Afternoon classes rotated between physical combat training and something called rite control. Lincoln cringed at the idea of combat training with recruits like Jack and Skylar. He was pretty sure they could both beat him with one hand tied behind their backs. Rite control sounded just as scary. It was where they would learn to use their developing supernatural powers.

  The other recruits raved about the Academy Director, Mr. Gordon Rockwell. He had been at the academy for ages, and according to Milo, was “one of the coolest guys on the entire planet.” Each new recruit spent a few hours in a one-on-one meeting with him. Lincoln’s meeting would be first thing tomorrow morning.

  The academy had several instructors assigned to train the recruits. The first-year instructors were Miss Grimes and Mr. Spencer. Kennedy warned Lincoln not to get on Miss Grimes’s bad side.

  The five of them talked well into the night. Kennedy and Milo did most of the talking. Milo thrived on being the center of attention and kept everyone in good spirits with his jokes and hilarious stories. Kennedy was tougher to figure out. In many ways, she behaved like the beauty queen she was—disciplined, aloof, and proper—but she tolerated Milo and his antics in a way that suggested she wished she could be more like him.

  Bells tolled somewhere in the distance, and Kennedy stood up. “Ten minutes before lights out. We’d better get going.”

  “Lighten up, Kenne
dy,” Milo complained. “Nobody follows that rule.” Milo had brought out a bag of marshmallows and was roasting one over the fire. As he complained, the marshmallow he was roasting caught fire. He quickly pulled it away from the flames and blew it out. “Great. Now I have to start all over.”

  Kennedy ignored him, looking at Lincoln. “After your meeting with Mr. Rockwell, why don’t you meet us in the cafeteria for lunch?” Lincoln nodded. Kennedy smiled and then turned to Milo, tugging on his arm. “Come on,” she said, acting annoyed. “Link needs his sleep.”

  “Fine,” pouted Milo, and he allowed Kennedy to pull him from his seat and toward the stairs.

  Skylar stood and pointed to the wall on their right. “The first-year girls get those rooms. You boys get the others.” She gave both of them a smile, her eyes lingering on Lincoln for just a moment.

  “See you tomorrow,” offered Lincoln, watching Skylar as she walked away. Shaking himself from his trance, he followed Jack across the great room.

  “This is your room,” Jack told him, stopping at the door next to Bernie’s. “From the story you told me, I’m guessing you didn’t bring a lot of your stuff with you.” Lincoln shook his head. “No worries. They have everything you need in there. A lot of the recruits show up empty-handed.” Jack pointed to a door just down the hall. “That’s my room right there. If you need anything, come on over.”

  “Sounds good,” Lincoln replied. Jack turned to walk away. “Jack,” said Lincoln, pausing. Jack turned to look at him. “Thanks, for everything.”

  Jack smiled. “No worries. We all know what it’s like your first day. Things can seem a little weird at first, but give it a chance. You’ll love it here.”

  Lincoln opened the door and walked into his new room. The walls were dark blue. A window in the back offered a view of the academy grounds. A twin bed sat in one corner of the room with a desk and dresser pushed up against two of the walls. A thick, blue rug covered most of the wooden floor. A second door led to a private bathroom.