"And that's pretty much how it went," Kinson ended his recap with a smile.
He had met with Celeste and Trevor for dinner, as usual, and filled them in on his Advanced Study time. They looked rather interested in the whole matter, constantly asking questions. Unfortunately, he couldn't answer a lot of them, as they had to do with confidential matters.
"From what I understand, it should be a great chance for you to strengthen your ability, right? I mean, who would even wish for the best psionist of their field to be a personal tutor," Trevor exclaimed. "It makes me feel a little jealous just thinking about it!"
Kinson shook his head. "Oh, it's not like that. It should just be some pointers or something."
"Sure it is. She's pretty cute, isn't she?" Celeste rolled her eyes.
Kinson coughed and changed the subject. "I guess so. How did your classes go?"
"Oh, mine was great. I've decided to join a schoolwide competition. It's in a few weeks, so I'll be real busy till then" Trevor leaned back in his chair with a smirk.
Celeste reluctantly took her gaze off of Kinson and looked at Trevor. "Really? What about?"
"The details aren't all out, but it's an annual thing, so I asked around some of the more experienced students in the telekinetic class. Apparently, It's pretty similar to a game of dodgeball. There are team and single events, where the goal is to knock the opponents out of the ring. Usually, the stage is raised a dozen or so feet above the water, so it's quite a fall if you lose. It's a true telekinetic duel," Trevor explained dramatically.
"Do you get to throw spears and stuff at each other? Or just balls?" Kinson raised an eyebrow.
"Who knows. Starting next week, we'll be able to show up and practice during Advanced Study periods or free time. You're more than welcome to come and watch then. I'm planning on winning, so I'll be spending every second practicing!" Trevor exclaimed.
"You do? Isn't the competition schoolwide? Won't that mean you'll be facing the fifth years? I heard there are several class 5s in that year right now," Celeste leaned forward and rested head on her arms.
"Well, I think it's more about strategy than power. Sure, they might be able to react faster and throw harder, but if I predict all their actions with my game knowledge, what could they do?" Trevor exclaimed confidently. "I'll be taking the 'W' for sure.
"Experience? Don't forget, this is an annual thing. I'm sure some of your rivals have joined every year, right? That's more than 5 times as much xp as you could possibly gain this year," Kinson rolled his eyes.
"Oh, I guess I hadn't thought of that," Trevor deflated like a balloon, sinking further down into his seat.
Kinson winced inside, feeling a little bad. He hated saying something a little discouraging to him. After all, hadn't Trevor tried to give him hope despite his own hopeless situation a few days ago? With that thought in mind, Kinson intentionally lightened his voice and tried to cheer him up.
"Don't worry about it too much. It's been a year since the last competition, and the court will be completely different. If you familiarize yourself with that, it'll give you an advantage in the match. That might balance out the difference in skill and power!"
"Hmm, you might be right about that. In that case, it's time for me to start my special training!" Immediately, Trevor's mood switched once more, and he stood up looking energized.
"That's the spirit! If best be going too. Do you mind if I join you?" Trevor nodded, so Celeste stood and the two walked out together.
Kinson watched them leave. Although the whole thing sounded interesting, his own mind was filled with the team's mission at the BPI. He sighed, his face devoid of the confidence he had shown his friends. The inevitable confrontation with the Nightmares had bothered him ever since the meeting, and each new thought put another chill in his bones. If only he were like Trevor, able to shake off negativity at a moment's notice.
After a moment, he stood, and headed back. After leaving the cafeteria, he suddenly recalled a promise he had made. Pulling out his phone, he began to draft a text. He hesitated. It would probably be better to call. After a few rings, the familiar sound of his mother's voice sounded in his ear. Her enthusiasm blew him away.
"Hey Kinson! It's been a while and I almost started to worry. How have you been?" she gushed.
Kinson signed. Way to start it off with a guilt trip. "Oh, I've been pretty good. I wanted to call to tell you about the advanced study program. "
"Really? You finally got into the Deathdream program? That's great news!" she exclaimed.
"Well, not exactly. I still failed the evaluation, even on the third try," he admitted glumly.
"Oh, I see. That's too bad. You know, you're always welcome at home, even if you can't attend Titan another year." his mother consoled him.
"It's way better than that! One of my friends has some connection to the BPI, and they were able to get me an internship which would count for Advanced Studies."
"The BPI? What kind of project would they have a student working on?" she said in surprise.
Kinson scratched his head. It was a bit hard to explain due to the legal situation, but he had already thought about this answer. "It's actually a little confidential, but I'll be helping them with some research on death dreams. It is actually related to the situation on Mars, too."
His mother went silent for a bit. Kinson waited for her to organize her thoughts. He knew the invasion on Mars had a much greater impact on her than him. She had grown up on Mars, and was old enough to recall a lot more of the horror than him.
"Are you sure you're alright with that? You don't have to continue going to the university if you don't want to," she said softly.
Kinson took a deep breath. For him, quitting wasn't an option. The nightmare's final, piercing stare was the clearest memory that had lingered with him, but it wasn't something he wanted to keep in his mind forever.
"Yes, I'm sure. Right now, my hands shake every time I think of those monsters. I even avoid walking alone at night, afraid to see their glowing eyes in every shadow. I want to face my fears, and overcome them."
His mother hesitated a little more, then said, "Okay, if that's what you want. Just know that your father and I love you, and you can quit and come home at any time. We would never blame you for something like that."
"Alright, I might take you up on that. I love you too. It's there anything else before I hang up? I just made it home, " he said, opening the front door to his dorm.
"Hmmm, oh yeah! What were your plans for the summer? Does the internship carry over, or will you get some holiday? You haven't been home since fall break, after all," she reminded.
"Uh, I'm not actually sure. I forgot to ask," he scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "but I think it goes through the summer. I'll check with them tomorrow, and see if I get a holiday or not."
"Alright, just text me," his mother replied.
"Will do. Talk to you later!" Kinson replied.
Putting down his phone, Kinson looked around the empty apartment. He still had a few hours until lights out, and it wasn't likely Trevor would be back any time soon.
Kinson sat at the table, opening up the university's app on his phone. He swiftly navigated to the general knowledge section, and opened up the dreamwalking section. It was now time to do some studying.