A/N: In this chapter, you'll get to see some original poetry from me!
Chapter Three – A New Friend, An Old Enemy
"Bag checked?"
"Check."
"Got your backpack?"
"Check."
"Guitar?"
"Check."
"Ticket?"
"Check."
"Phone?"
"Check."
"Hug for your favorite former crop duster?"
Sky laughed, hugging Dusty and receiving a nuzzle from the plane in reciprocation. He, Blade, and Maru joined Sky and an invisible Nick to see them off at the airport. Sky felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. This would be the first time she would be alone on a trip, if one didn't count Nick's presence. But she was determined. She was going to the Academy for Psyche Students, and she was going to learn everything she could about her powers.
"So you are aware of the plan, right?" Blade asked.
Sky nodded in confirmation. "I fly to Albuquerque, take a coach bus to Alamo, and there's a separate bus that goes from Alamo to the school. I also have the name and number of the student guide who's going to meet me at the school and show me to my dorm."
"Very good." Blade nodded. "Make sure you give us a call when you arrive."
"I know, Blade." Sky laughed. "I have to call you, I have to call Dusty, I have to call Skipper and Sparky, I have to call Mayday and Rosa and even Windlifter. Basically, I'm going to be announcing to the entire world that I had arrived at APS."
"As long as you get there safely." Blade said. He chuckled when Sky hugged him too, and he gave her a nuzzle. "Be safe. Keep in touch."
"You got it." Sky nodded. She looked to Maru and spread her arms. "Maru?"
"Eh, I don't do mushy feely junk." Maru rolled his eyes.
"Come on, you know you love me." Sky said. Maru scoffed and rolled his eyes, and then nearly shouted in disgust when Sky gave him her biggest hug. Dusty and Blade laughed at the sight.
"Keep an eye on her, okay?" Blade whispered to Nick.
"Don't even have to ask." Nick whispered back.
"Come on, Sky!" Dusty encouraged. "You're gonna miss your flight."
"Okay, okay." Sky nodded, shouldering her guitar case. She gave Blade and Dusty each one more hug before she walked off to her gate with Nick by her side. They made their way towards the plane, up a ramp with the rest of the human and vehicle passengers. Just before they boarded the plane, Sky and Nick looked to the windows of the airport where Blade, Dusty, and Maru watched. They waved and called their goodbyes, seeing their friends return the sentiments.
"We're on our way, huh?" Nick whispered as Sky took her seat.
"You bet." Sky nodded.
The plane soon took off. Being a 6:15 a.m. flight, Sky had to sleep the entire way and only woke up for her layover in Phoenix when she had breakfast. Five hours later, the plane touched down in Albuquerque and Sky and Nick deplaned. Sky wasn't used to being a passenger on a plane. She spent much of her time riding Dusty or Blade, and that required her to be alert and tense. She was also quite stiff from her not-exactly-comfortable sleep on the plane. But she was excited to have time to phone everyone back home, grab lunch, and find the bus that would take her to Alamo. Nick loved being back in his old home state. While they were on the bus to Alamo, he pointed out the different aspects of New Mexico weather and the various animals one could find in their backyard. Sky showed sincere interest in this, and it certainly helped the time pass by. It took two hours to reach Alamo, and they made it just in time to catch the next bus to the academy. That ride took twenty minutes of driving down an old dirt road.
"Caramba. This place is kind of in the middle of nowhere." Nick commented.
Sky checked her phone, seeing the time to be about 2 p.m. "I'll just be glad to get there. Besides, look at that forest. All that wilderness is going to be right in the school's backyard. I wonder if I'll get a couple hikes in before the weather gets cold."
"We'll see." Nick stared out the window and something caught his eye. His jaw dropped. "Oh…my…Ford…."
Sky followed his gaze, and her jaw dropped. "Whoa."
It was the Academy for Psyche Students. They were almost there. The school had a stone wall around it and metal gates, and in clear view just behind the entrance stood a castle-like building that looked like a cross between Hogwarts and Kylemore Abbey. With the trees flanking the road, the scene looked like something out of a fairytale book. Large brass letters atop the metal gate read "Academy for Psyche Students." The gates opened, and the bus pulled in around a sort of bus loop to stop between an elegant stone fountain and a stone pathway leading to the castle-like building. Everyone unloaded from the bus, and Sky couldn't stop staring at everything.
"This is amazing." She breathed.
"So cool." Nick sighed, materializing beside her.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be invisible?" Sky hissed, careful to be discrete so nobody heard or noticed them.
"Don't worry, Cuervo." Nick assured. "I only let you and Blade see me."
Sky took comfort in that. Besides, she liked that she could make sure Nick was near her so she could keep an eye on him. "Okay. Let's get to my dorm. I want to walk around and check out the place." She scanned the area, discovering a group of young adults that looked like students. But these people wore forest green shirts with the APS logo on the back and golden yellow lettering on the front that read "Student Leaders." Each student held a sign with names on them. When Sky found her name, the girl holding it waved with a cheery smile.
"Hey!" the girl greeted. "Name's Rachel."
"Hey. I'm Skylar." Sky greeted.
"I know." Rachel giggled. "I watch air racing all the time. Come on. I'll show you your dorm." Sky nodded, readjusting her guitar and backpack and dragging her suitcase behind her as she followed Rachel. "Kinda nice to have a celebrity or two around here."
"Would be nice to see more vehicles around here." Sky noted. "Pro-human or something?"
Rachel laughed. "Nah, that's just how things turn out. It is a school for psyche humans, after all. Most of the vehicles around here are actually professors. Some of the psyche humans bring their Soul Connect Partners. That being said, only about a handful of the students here have actually found their Soul Connect Partners."
"How many students are there?" Sky asked.
Rachel thought for a moment. "I'd say maybe four hundred."
"Wow. Small classes." Sky mused.
"The last graduating class was about forty-eight students." Rachel shrugged. "It's a combination of the number of psyche humans in the world and the fact that it's a little expensive to come here. Lots of other psyche humans like to go to the other schools or take the recreational classes around the country."
"Makes sense." Sky said. "Why'd you come here?"
"Thought it would be the best place to go." Rachel said. "It's also the closest to where I live. I'm on financial aid."
"Cool." Sky nodded. "I got a scholarship."
"Nice!" Rachel said. They arrived at a brick building, about five stories high, with black shutters and a set of dark brown wooden doors. The area around the building was grassy with trees dotted around. Several other students lounged around outside, and several more unloaded things from moving trucks to move in. Rachel led Sky inside the building, where Sky and Nick discovered grass green carpets and rustic-looking décor.
"Nice place." Sky commented.
"Each of the dorms has a theme." Rachel explained. "This is the Wildlife Hall. The entire place is wilderness themed."
"Sounds great." Sky said with a wide smile. "Reminds me of home."
Rachel giggled. "I'm glad. Well, check-in is at the front desk there. You'll get a key that works for the front door and your room. You're welcome to walk around the campus, but tomorrow the Student Leaders are giving formal tours in addition to helping with class registration. For now, just move in and relax. Welcome to the Academy for Psyche Students."
"Thanks." Sky said gratefully, waving goodbye as Rachel left.
"Well let's go!" Nick encouraged. "Let's see what your room is like!"
Sky giggled softly and walked over to the front desk to get her key. Her room was on the third floor, room 313, and she hurried up the stairs to see what it would be like. Nick helped her along, also eager to see the room considering he would be staying there with Sky.
"307…309…311…ah, 313!" Sky found a door that had metal numbers on it that read 313, along with a small sign above the numbers that said "Deere Room." "Huh. I like it." Sky mused. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, taking a look around. The semi-spacious room had a bed next to a large window, a dresser next to the door, and a desk pushed against a wall with a swivel chair. The wallpaper was dark green with elegant flower designs and the floor had cream-colored carpet.
"Looks cool." Nick mused. "A little fancier than I thought it would be."
"I hear this place used to be an estate." Sky said. "But it was abandoned and left that way for decades. I read that the designer of the school kept most of the original decorations to cut down on the cost of remodeling."
"Still a cool place." Nick said.
"It's amazing." Sky sighed, dropping her guitar case and backpack onto her bed. "And, you know, it's cool that I finally have my own room instead of an area blocked off by a curtain."
"I had to share my room with my sister." Nick said. "Never blocked off my side with a curtain."
"Well, Sparky and Dad didn't have an extra room for me, so they had to block off a section of the hanger." Sky shrugged. "It was nice, but this certainly offers more privacy."
"I think this is gonna be a good experience for you, Sky." Nick said.
"Yeah, definitely." Sky said. She sat on her bed and opened her guitar case, pulling out the instrument. "Best of all, my guitar survived." She plucked at a couple of the strings just to make sure.
"So does that mean we can hear a pretty song out of you?" Nick asked.
"I don't sing in front of people, Nick." Sky reminded him.
"You should." Nick encouraged. "You have such a beautiful voice."
"Maybe when I'm alone. But when I'm in front of someone, I'll just sound stupid." Sky said.
"Nah, you won't sound stupid. You'll sound stupid if you go like this." Nick suddenly burst into a series of very bizarre, very crazy sounds, making funny faces that mostly resulted in his tongue sticking out. Sky slapped her hands over her mouth to hide her laughs.
"Shh!" Sky hissed between her gut-bursting laughs. "Somebody's going to hear you!"
Nick gave a mile-wide smile. "Nah. You're the only one who can right now."
Sky giggled, shaking her head. "You are so silly."
"Still doesn't deny the fact that you're a great singer." Nick gave Sky's guitar a nudge with his nose. "Come on, Cuervo. Let's hear that pretty voice. You always say that you express yourself through music."
"By myself." Sky insisted.
"Not now." Nick countered. "You seem so happy about all this. Sing something happy."
Sky could see Nick would be arguing this until the tractors came home. "Fine." She tuned her guitar and began thinking of a song that could describe her current mood. Soon, she thought of just the song, and she began playing.
Took a chance on a new adventure
Packed a bag and headed on out
I don't know what I'll find here
Just gotta know what I'm about
I won't let anything stop me
This is my chance to find my place
Maybe I'll find a couple new friends
Maybe I just need some space
It's a new adventure in a world unknown
I feel my family with me, I'm not alone
Who knows what I'll see on this journey I'll take?
I don't think I'll need a break
Sky finished her strumming, and she felt her cheeks burn as she looked to Nick. The ghostly helicopter smiled broadly. Sky cleared her throat. "I….uh…..you know, it's just the song that came to mind, so….uh…."
"You don't need to explain yourself, Cuervo." Nick assured. "You're just being you. I love it when you do that."
Sky's entire face burned, and she rubbed her guitar. "Shut up. You are making me blush."
"Good. It's my job." Nick gave her a playful nudge, making Sky giggle.
"Well, well, well. I thought I heard music in here."
Sky and Nick looked up and towards the door. A nineteen-year-old woman stood there, her skin slightly tan from a desert environment with freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks. Her rust-colored brunette hair looked a little wild and unkempt, just above her shoulders in length, with cobalt blue streaks. Her eyes were a pretty shade of crystal blue. She wore denim shorts, a yellow T-shirt with a blue 51 on the front, a pair of cobalt blue glasses, and a cobalt blue racing jacket that had some stickers across it. Two things stood out on her: a bullet casing on a chain that served as a necklace and the fact that she wore roller skates instead of regular shoes. The skates added enough extra height that she stood as tall as Sky.
"Hey there." Sky greeted, setting her guitar aside. She could tell the newcomer hadn't noticed Nick, which means he was true to his word about staying visible only to Sky and Blade.
"I heard I was going to have a new neighbor." The brunette said. "Didn't know she would be a music aficionado."
"It's not much." Sky shrugged, standing and walking over to the girl. "But it's fun."
"Well I'm your next door neighbor. I live in 311, the Hornet Room." The girl said. "Name's Harley Hudson."
"So that's why you're so familiar." Sky said. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere."
"I know, I know." Harley shrugged. "Daughter of the Hudson Hornet and crew chief for Lightning McQueen. If I had a dollar for every time I heard one or both of those things, I could pay for a year's worth of tuition here."
"Still cool." Sky said.
"Even if I was raised by a car?" Harley asked.
"You kidding?" Sky scoffed. "My dad's a Corsair."
Harley laughed. "I like you already."
Sky laughed. "Well I'm Skylar Riley. Most people call me 'Sky.'"
"I know." Harley shrugged. "I've seen you and Dusty Crophopper race. You know, I've been talking to Lightning about him meeting you two."
"Why?" Sky asked.
"You're champion air racers." Harley said. "He's a champion racecar. It's good to make connections."
"I can see why you took over for your father." Sky mused.
Harley laughed. "It's definitely a cool job. I love it."
"That's always good." Sky nodded.
"Yeah." Harley agreed. "So, are you a Connector?"
"A what?" Sky asked.
"A Connector." Harley repeated. "That is, have you found your Soul Connect Partner yet?"
"Oh yeah." Sky confirmed. "A couple years back. He's the chief of fire and rescue at Piston Peak National Park."
"Cool." Harley nodded. "I'm a Connector too. My Partner's a British police officer. The connection has given me ultra-powerful healing abilities and force fields."
"Really?" Sky asked, curious.
"I can heal people, both vehicle and human, without the injuries carrying through the connection to me." Harley explained. "The force fields are new. Recently mastered them." She peered out to the hallway, and Sky followed her gaze to a couple young men who harassed random people as they walked. Harley discretely raised her hand, palm out towards the boys. A small, blue-green, translucent bubble appeared on the ground, tripping the boys and sending them tumbling to the ground. Harley and Sky struggled to stifle their laughs.
"Not bad." Sky nodded.
"She's good." Nick admitted.
"So what powers have you gotten?" Harley asked.
"Uh, nothing new." Sky shrugged. "Nothing I've noticed, at least."
"Really?" Harley asked. "Interesting. Usually the Soul Connect is what activates the powers of a psyche human. The powers we have are influenced/hinted by our birthmarks."
"Where'd you learn that?" Sky asked.
"Personal research I did before I came here." Harley shrugged. "What's your birthmark?" Sky turned to show her birthmark. Harley studied it for a moment. "Hmm. Interesting. I would guess something relating to the elements." She shrugged. "Well, I'm sure whatever powers you have will awaken soon."
Sky shrugged. "I guess." She already liked this Harley girl. She was funny and friendly.
"You want a tour of the campus?" Harley offered. "Come on. I'll show you around."
"Sure." Sky nodded, discretely motioning for Nick to join them.
They walked out and Harley led the way around the campus. The late evening air was hot yet comfortable, and the busy nature of new students moving in made the area lively. Harley pointed out other dormitories, a large dining hall that had a mall food court atmosphere, a gym on the edge of the campus, and many wide, grassy areas where the students lounged about and relaxed. To Sky, APS was like a college campus with an almost Hogwarts feel to it. With the forest just nearby, and the national park still open for hiking, Sky couldn't think of a better place to live save for Propwash Junction and Piston Peak. Nick liked it too. He would still keep an eye on Sky, but he didn't really see a problem with the school at the moment.
"So you'll notice there's a nice mix of buildings that are being used and those that have been abandoned for who-knows-how-long." Harley explained as they walked. "The dean is still working on getting these buildings remodeled. The classes are kind of scattered, depending on which class you take. Plan accordingly."
"You seem to know a lot about this place." Sky noted.
"I've been here for the past three months." Harley explained.
"Summer classes?" Sky guessed.
"No, that's just how long the classes last." Harley said. "Each term only lasts three months each, with a break from Thanksgiving until March. Sometimes they offer extra seminars over the winter and spring. But by having classes only last this long, it allows students to fully expand on their powers. It's rigorous, but fun."
"Sounds like it." Sky agreed. "Can't wait to see what I can learn. By the way, where do you stand on the validity of all this?"
"I think any teaching you can find, you should take advantage of." Harley said. "There's so much that's unknown about psych-man powers. It's great to learn about what we do know and try to expand on that knowledge for current and future generations."
"Point taken." Sky nodded. "All I know about my abilities have come from experiences with my family and friends."
"Oh yeah?" Harley asked. "Like what?"
"Well, I learned that I can change people's dreams." Sky shrugged. "My dad and my Soul Connect Partner sometimes suffer from bad nightmares, so I go into these dreams and I change them to help them sleep."
"Interesting." Harley mused. Dream changing. That's not very common.
Sky shrugged, but then grunted in surprise when she ran into someone. "Oh, sorry about that!" She paused when she saw the person she ran into turn around. This person was apparently a 22-year-old, fair-skinned woman with bottle blonde hair and mud-brown eyes. She wore designer jeans, dark pink heels, a pink top, and a white headband with what looked like faux diamonds.
"OMG." The blonde scoffed. "You must be joking."
"Samantha Waller." Sky said. "What in Chrysler's name are you doing here?"
"I'm a psyche human, loser." Samantha said snidely.
"Funny." Sky crossed her arms. "I don't recall seeing a birthmark when we were in fourth grade."
"It's in a very intimate place." Samantha said, sounding rather proud.
"Sure." Sky nodded, clearly not buying it. "And those diamonds are real."
"They are." Samantha insisted.
"Don't flatter yourself." Harley scoffed. "That headband came from an accessory shop and your psych-man birthmark is on your calf."
"Perverted much?" Samantha scoffed.
"It ain't perverted if you choose to walk around the pool in a bikini." Harley said. "I'm sorry, you two know each other?"
"We were in grade school together until I moved to Propwash Junction." Sky explained. Thank Chrysler I was homeschooled after that.
"I cannot believe they let a little tramp like you in here." Samantha sighed, staring at Sky like she were an ugly dog.
Sky looked ready to punch Samantha, but Nick gave her a nudge to stop her. Harley stepped in front of Sky, glaring at Samantha. "Honestly, Samantha, insulting people like that is just sad. I don't appreciate you insulting my friend. So why don't you run along and hang out with people willing to lower themselves to your level?"
"Don't think you're above me." Samantha said. "You're just another little rat."
Harley blinked, unaffected. "Wow. So pathetic."
Samantha's nostrils flared a bit. "You know, the room you're in used to be called the 'Horney Room.' Makes you wonder what that says about the resident living there."
Harley had the most deadpan of all deadpan stares. "A: that sentence is redundant. B: I don't know what that means nor do I care. C: that's not even true. Please walk away before you make a bigger fool of yourself."
Samantha scoffed in disgust, pushing past the girls. "You're both pathetic!"
"She's one to talk." Harley muttered.
Sky rolled her eyes, rubbing her temple. "How long has she been here?"
"Too long." Harley sighed. "And you've had to deal with her before?"
"School bully." Sky sighed. "One of the worst, too."
"Want me to spook her?" Nick whispered. He yelped quietly when Sky discretely elbowed him.
"Don't worry about it." Harley said. "She is so not worth it. Come on. Let's go get dinner at the dining hall."
"Sounds good." Sky agreed. She didn't like that she'd be in the same place as Samantha. She was one of the few bullies Sky remembered because of how terrible she acted. Sky often equated Samantha to Ripslinger, if not worse. But she wouldn't let this get in the way. She had a new friend, and the academy looked amazing.
By the end of the day, Sky was so tired she didn't have the energy to unpack her bag. She just flopped down on her bed and succumbed to her exhaustion. She started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Nick asked.
Sky smiled broadly at him. "For the first time in a long time, I am excited to start school."