Gathering his own things, Trevor then turned to Kinson. "What's up with you? Did your evaluation go alright?"
Kinson sighed, tired of explaining his failure. Still, he mustered the energy and opened his mouth, "Not really. I got lost in the deathdream, again."
"Oh. That's tough," Trevor said and scratched his head awkwardly.
Trevor jumped as Kinson abruptly pounded the wall with his fist. "It happens to me every time!" Kinson exclaimed in an uncharacteristic outburst.
"Woah, calm down! It's not the end of the world. Honestly, I thought you'd be feeling rather depressed about it, but you seem more frustrated," Trevor remarked.
"He's already been through that phase," a new voice broke in.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Kinson folded his arms and leaned up against the wall as Celeste walked over from down the hallway.
"It's not like I have wealth or talent, like you guys. It was pretty much inevitable, knowing my situation," he said defensively.
"Oh, relax," Trevor leaned up against the wall, "you can always apply for another program."
"That's what I told him, but it seems he didn't take it to heart," Celeste criticized gently.
"Yeah, yeah, I know you're right. It's just frustrating because nothing ever seems to go right in my life," Kinson shook his head.
Celeste looked down, a shadow over her face. "I'm sorry." Kinson felt a little surprised at her reaction. It's not like it was her fault.
"Yeah. I mean, that's kind of difficult to refute. But just because it hasn't doesn't mean it won't," Trevor gave him a thumbs up.
Kinson looked at the wall. His friends were right, but that hardly seemed to matter at the moment. Suddenly, Celeste's green eyes lit up.
"I have an idea! You remember how my father is vice president of the BPI, right? I can check with him to see if they need interns for any research projects! Even if you are unable to attend here, as long as you have an internship there, your future is practically guaranteed." she explained in a rush.
"That's a great idea! I'm sure they will have something," Trevor added.
Kinson nodded, thinking slowly. The Bureau of Psionic Improvement, or BPI, was always looking for ways to further utilize psionic abilities or increase the efficiency of known abilities. This might very well be something he could look into. Or, at least, he hoped so. Otherwise, he would probably have to seek out a mortal occupation.
"Okay, let's give it a shot," he responded, then added, "Thanks, you two. I don't know where I'd be without you."
"I'm simply remembering the Dreams class you helped me pass," Trevor laughed, holding his fist out.
Celeste laughed, a melodic sound rarely heard from her, and the two bumped fists. Feeling better, Kinson joined them in walking to the northern passage.
Colony, the large city they were in, was the first permanent settlement built outside the Asteroid Belt. The city had been painstakingly constructed on Titan, one of the largest of Saturn's many moons. The moon was still in the process of terraforming, and likely wouldn't be freely habitable for another hundred years or so. As a result, the city was constructed mostly underground, sprawling beneath the moon's surface in a massive man made cave system. A large portion of the structures, such as the university, were only partially submerged, with windows giving vistas of the unique topography and Saturn's ever-present ring. The atmosphere was relatively thin, so a sky alight with stars appeared both day and night.
The passage before the friends, like most everywhere in the city, was lit by soft white lights, created to emulate natural lighting on Earth. Skylights every so often reinforced the artificial light and brought in the distant light of the sun. The rush of students leaving the campus for the dormitories had since passed, leaving them in relative solitude, broken only by the occasional hurrying student.
"How did your guys' Advanced Studies go?" Kinson broke the silence.
"Oh, so so. The telekinetic department isn't too bad, I guess. The most fun thing is definitely Psiball, which you dragged me from earlier," Trevor complained with a smile.
"I'd say the same for me. For first impressions, I feel that I've already learned most of the subjects the perception classes are going to cover. I only hope it'll give me a good chance to practice. " Celeste sighed hopefully.
"Oh, that's cool," Kinson said, looking down.
Celeste waved her hands frantically upon seeing his dark look. "I know, I know, we shouldn't complain. At least we were able to enter the Advanced Studies."
"It's not that. I was just pondering how long I'll be able to continue to attend here. If I'm not in an Advanced Class before the end of the year, won't I be expelled?" he asked worriedly.
"That's still a few weeks away. Let's not think of it yet," Trevor said.
Advanced Studies were the way forward for students of the Titan University of Psionics. Each study covered a specific psionic principle or ability available to psionics, and allowed students to specialize and gain the necessary skills to excel in their field. Students in their first year were required to qualify for and begin study in a program, which would prepare them for a more focused curriculum for the duration of their enrollment. Thus, if one were unable to obtain a place in an Advanced Learning program, they were unqualified to remain at the university.
Kinson let the conversation drift from that topic, and the gloomy mood quickly dissipated. After a few more minutes of walking, they reached their turn. The dormitories occupied several levels, with the boys assigned the bottom half.
As they arrived at Celeste's floor, she suddenly stopped and turned around with a curious look in her eye. "Oh, hey, what's it like being in a deathdream? I don't think you've ever told us, and online accounts are all over the place."