Chapter 3 - THREE

The garrison, an academy for the mentally advanced. Or in other words, psychics. Inside this monumental Institution our the worlds most valuable minds. Men and women with either the ability to kinetically move things with their minds or literally create them. Every year over three million students are tested for potential psychological abnormalities. An examiner might walk you into a dark room and ask you to find your own way out.

Or maybe they've put an essential item for leaving the room high above you that you have to retrieve without leaving the ground. Some people can adjust their eyes to make out different shades of darkness. Or they can will the high item to come to them. Each test, every question, even the various answers are all used to place an individual in one of three classes.

Kinetic, telepath, and channeler. Fifty percent of the applicants that get excepted are telekinetic's, another forty are telepath's. The last ten and the rarest are the Channelers. Those with ability to gain one the three titles were given an even more important one, scholar. Behind those walls are knowledge. And those with knowledge and the means to apply it have power. That is all Yazayzel ever wanted in life.

Luckily for him his wait was nearly over. That's what what he'd been telling himself for the last six hours. Yazayzel was ready, he had to be ready if he was ever going to surpass him. Any thing less and he'd always be in her shadow, and he was tired of being in his shadow. Today was the day he took his first step towards be come a psychic, a true scholar. He had resolved to settle for nothing else. He was waiting outside of the examination building with everyone when the doors began to open.

A woman wearing a sleek black sleeveless jumpsuit approached them. The upper chest and shoulders were protected by a brown leather coat that hung to the back ofher knees. The sound of her combat boots drew my attention to them. The soul of the boots were covered by the pants of the jumpsuit as if on purpose. Then she suddenly disappeared.

It took Yazayzel almost three seconds to noticed the blur moving threw the crowd. Stopping on occasion, apparently to judging or evaluating each of them. When she just appeared in front of Yazayzel he jumped. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him then moved on.

" Okay, I guess that's enough for now. Fallow me inside and we'll begin the evaluations " her voice a lot more mature then her appearance suggested.

Yazayzel hesitated for a few moments. He had admit entering the exam building made him feel nervous, it was a good thing he wasn't alone. Both of his friends Philip and Ant were here with him. They'd seen higher classman go crazy before and after they'd taking theirs. Ant's older sister went ape shit when she failed her examination.

The memory itself had his hands shaking. The examiner re-entered the room and took a look at each of us while checking things off her clipboard. When she was done she looked up as if she was having a problem comprehending what she was reading.

" You!, your a Bosmen, aren't you!? " Philip rolled his eye expectantly.

Philip was a Bosmen. His family was well known for consistently producing elite scholars. It didn't surprise Yazayzel or Ant much any more. But out of the three of them, he was by far the most knowledgeable about any of this stuff.

" Isn't that what it says on the clipboard " she rolled her eyes, as if she'd just remembered how elite families were.

The examiner gestured toward the reinforced steel door in front of them. After about a hundred applicants had entered the the next room she cut off the rest of the line and closed the door behind them. Everyone was handed a similar uniform to the examiners with the exception of the color being white. Everyone seemed confused after that. Yazayzel and his friends were lost until a few of the other candidates started stripping down to their underwear to put on their jumpsuits.

With no other option's he fallowed they're lead. He caught the attention of a pair of hourher haired twins giggling in his direction. He couldn't make out what they were saying but it hadn't seemed bad. They were both exceptionally beautiful with a standard figure. If he didnt know better, he would've thought they were flirting with him.

They suddenly started glaring pass him and he looked behind him to see Alyssa tuccio. Her figure was flawless but he didn't stare to long. He was well aware of her short temper and what usually fallowed. When they were all done changing the examiner made her way to a tall podium with a few other's.

" Welcome new applicants to the american garrison. My name is Natasha Qum and as of this moment I am your head instructor. You'll come to me if there's anything you wish to know. Many of you look like promising future students " she smiled as she paused.

Many of the others applicants yelled out comments about how they would be students. And how they wouldn't fail. Even Philip said something about this bing in his blood. But Yazayzel said nothing. He was still focused on her smile. It felt misleading in away. She held up a had to silence the crowd before continuing.

" Most people don't want to know who they really are. Because that would mean excepting their flaws. Or the fact that they will never change the path they've paved for themselves. Or the mistakes made though passed experiences. You do not and will not have that option here "

Her tone brokered no argument. This registered as a warning to Yazayzel. With a snap of her fingers the room dissolved. It just fell away like a curtain to the ground. Natasha now stood in front of a seemingly large glass door, holding back a storm of multi-colored clouds. It was amazing and disconcerting all at once.

" When this door opens you will be subjected to the will of nature, time and death. For your sake, I hope you can come to turns with them " she let that hang in the air for a moment.

" You only goal once it begins is to make it to the pillar, alive! That is your only way back. I wish you all good luck. You'll need it " after that every examiner left the room in complete silence.

Everyone looked at one another with expression of fear and anticipation. Only those from the elite houses seemed nonchalant about it. A minute later the glass door started to vibrate and so did the floor. A second after that the door cracked then shattered. Flooding the entire room with what Yazayzel could only call liquid light. His eyes flew open in an panic, he inhaled deeply with each new breath. His skin stung as a icy wind do over him with great speed.

He tried to sit up but something was keeping him pinned to the ground. At first he had assumed the various leaves and branches that covered him had been the cause. But when he looked down he found Alyssa fast asleep on his chest.

If his head hadn't been killing him he might have woken her up. Instead he just fell back asleep. When she finally woke up, he played dead for a few minutes longer. He did not want to deal with an embarrased girl and her notorious short temper for the rest of the exam. When he was sure she'd had enough time to gather herself he rose from his pretend sleep.

" I guess I have you to thank for being alive " he said in a joking yet grateful tone.

She shook her head yes then tossed him a thick stick. It was no bigger then four feet but strong and thick

" We still have a long way to go and my generosity stops at frozen river diving " in others words she wasn't about to help him walk.

" Are we the only two people here " she nodded yes.

" Well to ne honest im not completely sure that we are. But I also haven't seen anyone else either " she gave him a worried expression.

He gave her a smile and she blushed slightly. She pointed towards the sky and he saw what she was looking at. It was simply amazing. A tree bigger then anything he'd ever seen. Every leaf gave off a mysterious glow and every branch spread for miles. Alyssa started walking and he fallowed.