"Announcements. Announcements."
I woke up to the voice of Chief Tiger's Eye over the mass PA system. I cracked
my neck and rolled out of bed.
"After breakfast, classes will be canceled for SITs with star ratings of ten. If this
applies to you, please report to the awards hall within five minutes after breakfast. If you
have a perfect star rating of ten, this applying to five students and five students only, do
not check out of class, go strait to the awards hall."
There was a clipping sound of announcement finish.
I threw my fencing uniform that I was going to wear to class, and traded it for a
black skort and jade green sleeveless shirt. I brushed out my hair quickly. I could pretend
I slept through the announcement and go air boarding today.
As I changed the clip of announcement pick up sounded again.
"Silver, make sure to go. I assure you that you'll want to be there."
I grinned. The whole compound must have known that it was rather up my alley; to play is smooth rather then dashing to be first in line at the awards show.
Every time you're in a class here, you don't get A's or B's or C's for grades, you get star ratings. Your average is your, kind of like your GPA. I've never rated under nine stars, and ten is my GPA.
I have perfect ten star ratings. Me, Cannon, a boy, 17, named Heat, a boy 18 named Glory, and 19 year old boy named Delta are the only ones in this compound of four thousand.
I'm the only girl because it's a huge accomplishment to hit ten star ratings. At school a wimp could get their...what's it called? 4.0? Anyway. Here girls have a hard time because some of our classes are ninja, judo, running. Things where you are graded
on physical ability.
And then the buff guys can have a hard time because of stealth classes. Just because you're big and buff, it doesn't mean you can easily cart that muscle mass into rock crevices.
You have to be likeable, or the teachers might just knock a fourth of a star off for being cheeky. An attitude will kill you. I have no idea how Cannon has managed his ten stars.
And on top of all of this, you also have to be really smart. You have to memorize bomb codes, learn mind tricks, study a million things. It's really hard. I had a tough time in Chinese. Chinese and Japanese were my worst subjects. Spanish, Italian, German, Czech'? Piece of cake! But ug. I'm glad those are over!
I checked my mirror. I had to look good. It's hard to be the only girl with a ten rating. I mean, I love it. It's an accomplishment. I think there are only ten other girls with it in the world. But the guys always seem to think that there was a glitch in the computer and that's why.
Second reason, whenever I go to those elite SIT banquets in Washington D.C., well, with a ratio of five guys to a girl ain't to shabby. Especially when we hit the dance floor.
I grabbed my air board. It's like a snowboard, or a skateboard, only it's a hover board. Personally, I think that the CIA got the idea from Back to the Future. But they would never admit it.
I stepped into the all and threw down my air board. It gravitated off the carpeted hallway. I jumped on and careened down toward the elevator.
Technically, you're not allowed to air board in the dorms, but I don't really care. I'm pretty good at it, so I don't bash into kids or break things like some of the other SITs do.
I hit the lobby button and the chute hurried down six floors. I slipped on an extra coat of lip gloss in and walked out of the doors.
I threw down my air board and leapt on it, letting it spin in a dizzy fashion. A few
SITs in the lobby watched me.
"No air boarding SILVER!" Agent Maple yelled from behind the front desk.
"Sorry!" I called and zoomed out the double doors before further rebuke.
I whipped around the courtyard fountain toward the cafeteria.
Sparkler was sitting on it reading, as usual.
"Hey girly." I slowed down.
"Hey!" He jumped on her air scooter. It's like the tricycle for air boards, but some kids handle them a lot better. It's an air board with locking hooks on your feet so you don't slip off. I used to use them when I was practicing flips on the board. Sparkler just likes it better.
"Wassup?"
"Everyone wants to know why Chief wants all the ten stars! You have to tell me all about it afterwards. You're lucky that you're excused from class though."
I shrugged lazily.
"You're lucky. All the girls have crushes on Glory. Oh my gosh, he is so cool!"
I chuckled. Since Glory is 18 he basically only hangs out with the older boys and older girls.
I sighed and swiveled my air board in a fancy motion. Glory's handsome features flashed lazily in my mind. He's a spur-of-the-moment buy, but at the same time, he's serious about being a SIT. Anyone can tell he's going to be top of his class and do many great things.
I just became a ten-star agent last year, so I'd only spoken to him three times. It was at the jet to the Elite SIT banquet he asked the time. At the banquet he'd bumped into by accident, and at the ride home he'd poked his head up from between the privacy screens to ask permission to pump up the volume on the amp of his electric guitar.
I checked my reflection on the dial of my watch. The glass face can be mirror like on command.
Last year I'd looked a lot different. For one, my eyes had rather changed colors. The light blue had sharpened to a memorable, piercing color that I love.
Second, I'd developed a bod. Ha. That felt funny to say. But yes, my chests had formed, and my toning work outs had provided me with a coveted hourglass figure.
My hair was thicker, and I'd started to let it flow loose over my shoulders instead of back in a tight braid like I used too.
I felt a lot more confident now. I mean, I always acted confident around guys. Most of them thought I knew exactly what I was doing all the time. But then I felt unsure about cracking the jokes I cracked. Now my outside actions matched my inside feelings.
"Wow, there is a compound of jealous girls. Glory and Cannon in a room, and you're the only girl."
"You're forgetting Cannon."
Sparkler chuckled wryly.
"All right, what's the grub?" We threw our air boards to the lock wall outside the cafeteria and they locked themselves to the chain magnetically.
We walked in to the filling room and snagged metal trays from the pile.
I slid into my table, which is the nicest one to me. It's next to the window so I can watch the courtyard.
Sparkler slid in next to me. And leaned in over her empty tray. "Look." She hissed.
I looked over as Cannon sauntered in the door, flanked by Stone and Seadra. He surveyed the tables and continued walking, letting the other SITs move around him and S
squared.
Without even looking down, he snatched a tray from someone walking by and walked toward his usual table in the back. It's always filled with girls, 16 to 19. The three have their pick of the crop, but the girls are always vying for Cannon.
Cannon strolled by our table. He paused and looked down at me.
"Hey Baby."
I pressed my thumb against my tray and my meal vaporized according to my thumbprint. I picked up my morning smoothie and sipped it daintily.
"Excited to see what Ol' Chief-y has in store for us ten-stars later?"
I looked over where Ivy was sitting at Cannon's table, glaring daggers at me.
"Your fan club awaits O Cannon." I looked pointedly where Shadow and Stone had all ready began eating.
"You're the only fan I'm interested in Sugar." Then he walked over to the table, flopping coolly between Ivy and Sapphire.
"You act too cool around him." Sparkler dug in to her breakfast sandwich. "You become like him almost."
I shrugged a shoulder, "He brings out the worst in me. He aggravates me."
The new wind of late students came in and my friends, Granite, Cactus, Omega, and Alpha settled in my table.
Sparkler is my best friend, but I enjoy hanging out with these guys too.
Granite is a guy. He's pretty cool. Him and Sparkler used to be best enemies after a duel gone bad in fencing class, but now they're pretty tight. I think he has a crush on her, but she's always gallivanting after older guys or crowd magnets like Cannon to notice.
Cactus is also a guy, he's really good at dirt biking in the desert and stuff. His sand blonde hair is in a crew cut and his life revolves around mechanics. He'll probably be a busy bee when he graduates the SIT program at 19. Maybe he'll work in gadgets. It sure seems like something he'd do.
Alpha and Omega are best friends. They were raised in the same compound so they became tight and even picked their names together. Get it, Alpha Omega. It's the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet. I'd personally dig Delta, Epsilon or something, but oh well. Anyway. Alpha is a girl, and Omega is the guy. They're both really into guns. They're both expert shots, and are always competing over who is better. They transferred from the Texas compound two years ago and I'm a pretty good friend with Alpha. Omega is a little droopy at times, but fun all together.
Sparkler always says that the group I hang out with is all-wrong for my personality. Since I'm one of the most popular girls on the compound, she says, that I should have friends like Glory and Cannon and they're kind of crowds.
I would probably fit in good there. And sometimes I'm tempted to sit in the "center table" as we call the long table in the center of the cafeteria. It's filled with the more popular, high ranking, good looking SITs.
But I could never abandon Sparkler. She's my best friend. And although she's not that pretty and she only ranks 3462 in the school, she's my friend.
"So, you're going to tell us what happens at that ten star meeting today right?" Granite asked, sipping his orange juice.
"Course, unless they sign us to secrecy. But I really doubt it's anything but another SIT banquet or something."
"You really think they'd cancel your day's classes just so you could get some fancy-shmancy invitation?" Cactus asked.
I shrugged.
"Silver's just lucky she'll be within touching distance of Glory." Sparkler sighed wistfully.
I smirked and snorted. "I've only talked to the guy three times."
"You counted!" Sparkler crowed triumphantly.
"Guess you'll see Delta too." Alpha agreed with a coy grin
"Alpha, Delta! It doesn't get much perfect then that right?" Granite smirked.
"How about Alpha and Omega." Omega grunted. Him and Alpha are dating, but
she always goes off on teasing tangents about handsome Delta. He, of course, knows she's kidding, but it's an ongoing joke.
I rolled me eyes and polished off my eggs. "Anyway, have fun at classes without me. After this surprise meeting I'm going to go to the air board gym and work on some new moves."
"I'm telling you though. You and Glory are perfect for each other!" Alpha insisted.
Omega bobbed his head in agreement. "It's true. You're both ten-star, physical wonder models. And you're both the most popular of your sex at school."
"Do you always have to talk like that?" I grinned. "Anyway. If I'm so popular then why doesn't Glory know who I am?"
"Because he never looks at the SITs under 18! Come on! He would totally dig you baby!" Sparkler laughed.
"True, the only reason Cactus here gets any date opportunities is because all the girls think he must be hot to hang with you." Granite lolled his head lazily.
I sighed. "So basically you're saying I should ditch y'all and go to the center table?"
They all looked at each other and spoke at once,
"well-no"
"We're saying that you should chill with them sometimes."
"And date Glory."
"And introduce me to him."
"And throw it in Ivy's face."
I laughed, "so really this isn't about me being more popular, it's about you guys getting the perks."
They grinned in admittance.
The shrill siren announced the end of the meal.
I stood up and pushed a few locks of hair in place. "See you guys later."
With that I wove to the door outside and pushed the small silver ring around my
finger. My air board unlocked in response and floated above the ground.
I jumped on it and veered toward the awards hall.
#%$&%()&%$#!#$%&()(&%$##$%&()(&%$##$%&(
I locked my air board where Cannon's all ready was. I always see his black one, with a silver skull, all over the place around school. Glory's white, red, and blue tie-dye one was next to his.
I took a breath and checked my reflection again, then pushed into the room confidently.
Cannon was leaning against an empty glass trophy case chatting with Delta. Delta was floating on his anti-gravity boots, arms folded.
Delta is also a Mr. Popular. It seems all the ten stars are also good looking. Delta has a classical Greek face. It's chiseled like. He's got a cool pale complexion to match his dirty blond hair. His hair is curly and he always where's T-shirt cut-offs to show off his arms. He's proud, sort of like Cannon, but missing the lazy suaveness.
Heat was studying a large trophy that our compound had won years ago for the invention of Fish, which is an extension of Jewel. Jewel is an artificial intelligence computer program. Jewel was also invented by an SIT about five years ago. (But Maxell replaced it two years ago. That trophy is in the high bracket office.)
Heat looks like a swimmer, or a dancer. Something in between. Of course, he's ok looking as well. I don't know how all the ten stars manage to be good looking. I think a lot of it has to do with something I started learning in physical theories class. It seems like the beautiful good looking people are more confident in themselves so it gives the power to do well and be smarter.
Anyway. He's got a tall wiry figure and longish brown hair that goes about to his earlobes. He's a gymnast if you ask me. He totally excels in ninja, karate, judo, and those sort of classes. They're his favorite. He's an excellent dancer. Then again all the ten stars are. Me included. At the dances we totally rock the floor! But he especially. He can break dance like there is no tomorrow. He's really popular among the girls, of course, not as much as Glory.
Glory.
I looked over to the side. Glory was punching several buttons onto his spy watch. He flicked his head to the right, sending a dark brown hair into it's proper spot. His hair waved over his forehead perfectly. His brilliant tan matched his warm brown eyes and his white, even smile matched his clingy white shirt. I liked his fashion sense actually. It was a white long sleeve button down, open, over a white T-shirt. And his crisp blue jeans were the perfect length of coolness.
His head raised and he looked up at me. "Um, this is a level ten meeting. Sorry."
I looked behind me, expecting to see another SIT that had wandered in.
"No. You."
I blinked. "I am level ten."
Glory mentally counted Cannon, himself, Heat, and Delta. "We're missing Silver, and everyone knows there's only five 10-star SITs in this compound."
"I am Silver."
He blinked. Twice.
"She got beautiful eh Boss?" Cannon laughed from where he noticed I'd walked
in.
"She got older." Heat mumbled.
"Yes. It's a good thing too. She just made the cut off age. And trust me, you four will need her greatly."
We looked over where Chief had just walked in.
He wore all black and the typical garb of Chief. Little pins of accomplishment donned the lapel of his jacket.
"What do you mean?" Glory tore his eyes off me. He looked around. "What's this about?"
"The Spy War."
