Graviton II

CHAPTER 1:

Lyra’s POV

TEN YEARS LATER…

Self-sabotage or necessary improvement.

That's the deal of all this, did I want to capture attention? No.

Did I want my rightful grade? Hell yes.

The computer lab’s in tight lockdown the moment Bellamy Devon’s pathetic party was underway in the junior common rooms, “I think we’re going to have a problem if step one of the plan.” Arya whispers as we slide into the room after I scanned the code properly this time.

I trudge towards the open screens, I log in using a name and password from a simple Cairo operative, but I don’t log the time and switch off the code tracer once I’m in. I hack into my school account before changing the grade from a ‘D+’ to an ‘A’ which matches all my other grades.

Arya gives me her login account next, I change her ‘D+’ to an ‘A-’ which was her usual grade, “This professor is such a bastard.” Arya mutters while Eden checks look-out. Indeed, he was a major bastard. The better question is why was he a bastard.

“Hurry up, little heiress.” Eden breathes out.

I look up, “Do we seriously have to go with that nickname?”

It was flattering.

Just not ideal.

I purse my lips and get up after switching off the screen, “Arya—you take the left set of stairs, and the bridge. No one would think to run there,” I tell Arya, her bright smile and sickly pale features that were only just overpowering mine illuminated in the shadows cascading in the computer lab. Her pitch black curls ended at her shoulders, her piercing brown eyes nodded to me, half Korean, half American, she was a five-foot-three model, without the height.

I turn to Eden, her blue eyes penetrate my pine green ones, “Eden—take right. I’ll retrieve a hoodie from the lockers and move through the crowd of students.” I insist.

Arya forward rolls on the carpet toward the door, nodding, “We’re in agreement. You ladies have twenty minutes, then I’ll get back-up.”

Eden rolls her eyes, “We don’t exactly have reliable backup, A.” She nicknames.

Arya snorts, “I have a few friends outside the grid and based on Lyra’s Mom’s gang-affiliations, I’d say you have friends too, sis.” Arya winks at me, I raise an eyebrow at that. Besides the fact the head leader of the two most deadliest gangs in the world just so happens to be my grandfather, something no one but Mom and Dad knew.

I roll my eyes, “Mom would kill me if she found out I did. So would Dad.” I mumble, running a hand through my straight rustic honey-blonde hair. Eden removes a hoodie from a spare metal closet behind the teacher’s area.

I fiddle my arms through it before Arya opens the door only an inch, one where it barely creaks, “Alright, we’re good. Let’s go. Keep your eyes and ears open, ladies.” Arya initiates.

Eden leaps towards the right and I move forward while Arya springs like a ninja down the hall to the left. I side-glance her, before rolling my eyes when I move swiftly forward and pause at the sound of the party two floors down, yet I could hear it from upstairs.

I purse my lips and roll down the stairs quickly, before entering a crowd of drunk, horny, dumb students on their last day of holidays before the semester starts up tomorrow. Graviton Academy has always been one of the top, most prestigious schools on Graviton, but what they never discussed before entering, was that its plans before you graduate is to suck the soul from your body and curse your family for the next eight generations.

I move around and dodge a near-miss of an elbow straight to my face before I see my moronic ex-best friend with his tongue down Abigail Benson’s throat. Kline Terrence is the epitome of a hero in the wrong novel as Mom called him when I turned thirteen and he asked out Abigail on a dare, only to date her which exploded in my face. By the time eighteen rolled around the corner, they were already the heroines with morals where they’d sacrifice their love for the greater good.

However, what I didn’t agree with…was when Mom told me that at the age of seven, Bellamy Devon, the notorious walking darkness of our year, had orchestrated a party at Mom and Dad’s estate to invite his friends’ parents as a stunt to get me to go to the same school as him. She called him the stereotypical villain with the attitude malfunction.

Speaking of the devil himself, I caught him score near the pool tables wearing a black sweatshirt and jeans with high tops (because that makes sense), he smirks and clicks fingers with his second-hand mafia-looking, high-strung Jason Mahoney. The boy who has the life of a rockstar given his parents’ hot shot, academy award winning actor-actress titles that he hates to name is what he’s known for anyway. I grab a masculine hoodie from the nearest chair, smelling of Chanel, and tuck my curls in a bun under my hood. I attempt to walk away, I try to walk away, but when a girl overhears her name being discussed between boys, she definitely disguises herself to discreetly listen in.

“Where is the Little Heiress anyway? I thought she and her groupie friends were supposed to be at this party?” Another close friend of Bellamy’s mentions with a cue in hand and a look of mischief in his glazed over eyes. I was looking at Owen Benson, Abigail’s screw-up of a twin brother, not identical.

Bellamy takes a sharp inhale of Jason’s fat-free, nicotine-removed, safely made smoker that most of the teenagers around here enjoyed because it had that dizzily calm effect to it which normal drugs and alcohol do, “Where do you think? That minx is always at home with her family before school starts.” Jason scoffs.

Bellamy glances at him, his eyes roaming the room for a second before I turn to face a beer-pong table, “Kadence, come join us, man.” I tense when Bellamy calls out just past me. At first I thought it was my jersey, but the muscular, thick-headed combat bulldozer on the couch watching a sports game looks over and I recognise the senior right away. I breathe a sigh of relief, it isn’t his jersey I'm sporting. Sensual, sexy music plays in the background, before I move through the junior’s kitchen and freeze at the sound of a set of cues being tossed on a table behind me.

I walk swiftly behind a couple who couldn’t exercise boundaries to save their lives, dodging a drunken girl in a tank top with boobs bigger than Graviton itself, before I spin under a shirt being thrown through the air like a frisbee and freeze when my hood is pulled off roughly. I straighten and turn slowly to find a chest as the culprit. I trail my eyes up past an eight pack that his obnoxiously small shirt outlines, up collarbones that look as though they were sculptured by Picasso, to the jawline that apparently made panties drop like bombs in all areas. Full lips, light stubble, straight nose, cornering, and intimidating ember eyes with ebony ashes to match his short, trimmed hair.

He wasn’t a ‘bun’ kind-of-guy.

He’s giving me this dirty look.

Well, not me, my jersey.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” He asks me, his tone of voice so low that it would cause an earthquake. You know, if Earth was still a ‘thing.’

He’s staring at the jersey like his fiery eyes could burn it to a crisp. I raise an eyebrow at his hostility, before overnight the sound of Jason’s thudding form taking up room in the hallway. Owen and Brandon Gray stand behind them in this now crowded hallway, “It’s a borrowed artefact.” I say without question.

Bellamy looks like a narrow-eyed dragon when he grabs my upper arm like he owns it and pushes me forward, “I was informed you’d be at your Father’s house with the rest of the enriched investors of Falcon’s newest establishment, you know, dressed like a cupcake next to your brothers and sister.” He sounds highly sarcastic right now.

I pull my arm out of his veiny, tattooed hand. I remember when he got it, Eleanor, his mother, was beyond furious while his Dad looked at his own hand in a way that suggested he thought he too, could pull that shit off, “There’s a reason you shouldn’t show up to parties like that…take the fucking jersey off, Lyra.” Whoa, he said my name in this order, dead serious shit flaming off of him.

I roll my arms, “It’s warm,” I excuse, folding my arms, “—and screw you. Wearing a man’s jumper isn’t illegal around here, last I checked.” I retort, albeit it wasn’t my best comeback.

“Oh, it’s fucking illegal for you. Where is thing one and thing two, you girls are normally attached by the hip?” Bellamy mutters, moving me out into the men’s common rooms, the noise bangs shut and the lights are no longer migraine-inducing out here.

I fix the sweater, only for him to grab it and rip it off me before he throws it over his shoulder and the guys toss it aside. Brandon swipes his key card before Bellamy pushes me into their shockingly clean dorm room. It’s not like it was my first time here, but then again, he didn’t need to know that.

Owen drops on their luxury couch with his feet propped up on the stone of the electronic fireplace in the middle. Brandon and Jason aren’t far behind before Bellamy points at the black and blue bed in the back corner, “I’ll deal with you in a minute.” He says to me, I give him a look that says to ‘bite me’ before he hands his smoker discreetly back to Jason.

I scoff, “You think hiding that shit from me will stop me from telling Eleanor her son’s gotten into drugs already?”

He gives me a flat look, “I can swing it right back around by telling Alexandrine her daughter, who’s supposed to be at a rich ball, is sneaking around school? Spill it, what were you up to? I know you weren’t at that party until ten minutes ago when you thought you could dodge a crowd, which makes you extremely obvious in a crowd of drunk people.” He points at me, eyes stern.

I just stare at him for a second. He’s a fun, low maintenance guy to everyone, but when he sees me, completely different personality. Like he flipped a switch, all of a sudden he’s a half-mature, authoritarian douchebag who reminds me of Uncle Emmett, the step-by-step, rule-loving engineer of the Ultimate Graviton team.

“Getting a feel of the corridors before tomorrow’s start in the beast’s mouth.” I answer with.

He folds his arms, “You’re not leaving here until you tell me the truth.”

I get off his extensively organised bed, “Caesar beats Devon on all accounts. I was doing recon for the newest assignment, for your information. Now, be a good pipsqueak and get out of my way. I’m on a tight deadline.”

“You mean a curfew? Exactly where does the head of Graviton think you are right now? At Eden’s? Or Arya’s? Or in some ditch on the other side of Graviton?” He over-exaggerates.

“Well, if it was the third one, you’d hear about it on the news already.” I tease, walking around him in my noiseless boots that made me feel like a stealthy agent of a contract intelligence organisation in the field sometimes. Suddenly my world flips upside down and I’m eye level with his back, before his shoulder momentarily knocks the air out of me on a black duvet which feels crispy cold , much like his heart.

He doesn’t shock me when he starts pulling at my waist, checking my back pockets, my front pockets, the boots and then, the bastard stares at my boobs, “Give me your phone.” He orders. Nothing was on the phone, in case this happens. Arya and Eden didn’t text, we made these plans at least two months ago after dealing with the worst professor on the planet. Bellamy dives in without remorse and shockingly taps his knuckles against my shirt over my breasts. Finding nothing but my boobs. I give the middle of his pants a tap, he doesn’t even flinch, I narrow my eyes at that, before kicking my leg up harder and he grabs it.

“Watch it.” He points at me.

“You fondled my goodies.” I argue.

He rolls his eyes, “I did a general police pat down, heiress. You don’t go anywhere without that pesky phone of yours, where is it—for fuck sake, was it in the jersey we just tossed? Jason!” He calls out, before I release a hint of a smirk.

Bellamy being Bellamy, clicks and grabs me by the jeans. I shriek and yelp when he lifts me in one hand, shakes me so that my phone drops out of my waistband pocket at the back. He swipes for it and drops me effortlessly on the bed covers before swiping in a code. The screen goes red.

He trails his deadly look up to me, “The. Code.”

I just shrug. He tries once more and frowns, before typing in another and it’s my turn to frown, “How do you know the date to my first gymnastics trophy on earth?” I blatantly ask him, and he blatantly ignores me as he searches my text messages, before narrowing his eyes, he grabs my arm and rips me right up in his face.

“I wonder what Charleston and Alexandrine will say when I give them back their eldest daughter for being at a party.” He says, grabbing his biker helmet. I could quite literally just take a teleportation pod back, but I’d like to see how Bellamy Devon will react to his Ducati SPACECRAFT latest design pulled apart by the shockingly fastest dismantle the girls and I had ever done. He gets us down to ground level and presses his hand to the small of my back to nudge me forward. Before his whole body freezes.

I snigger at the priceless look on his face, “That ball you’re talking about was yesterday, dipshit. My dorm is already locked in, but we figured you’d pull some shit like this, som ta-da, karmas a bitch, am I right?” I giggle when he tilts his head before Arya comes up behind him and slams a black bag over his head. Eden laughs and is about to cuff him when he rips the bag off, rotates, shocking both girls by skilfully snatching the cuffs and locks them both together in less than forty seconds. My jaw drops at his speed and agility. Clearly he worked out over the non-existent summer holiday everyone had.

Bellamy shoots a magnetic twister right for my legs. I flip over and dodge those but I miss the fact he’s a six foot four giant with no remorse. Jason and Brandon manage to take Arya and Eden back to our dorm while Bellamy keeps me locked in handcuffs and ankle cuffs on the side-walk while he and Owen fix his bike in less than half an hour.

“This is just rude.” I say for the fiftieth time.

Owen checks the wheel whilst giving me a dry, flat look. Bellamy fist bumps him and nods to him, “Are you sure you’re alright with this one?” He points to me.

I scoff, “I have a name.”

“How did you manage to dismantle his bike when it should’ve notified him the second you touched it?” He asks me, incredulously.

“Don’t feed into her supply, Owen. I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Bellamy mutters, checking the shields on his baby before Owen struts back inside. I smirk under my breath and watch his behind roll up to the elevator.

“Do you honestly get off doing shit like this to me?” Bellamy asks me, blankly.

I shrug, “No, but it’s a hoot to watch your idiotic face get pouty because I dismantled your priceless baby.”

“Lolita deserves better than you, you know. You were her first backpack, now look at what you do to her.” Bellamy actually pats his motorbike.

“Lolita’s a fucked up old film, dude.” I point out.

Bellamy looks over to me, “Tell me, Little Heiress, what’s a straight A student doing illegally changing grades the night before school starts back up again?” He wonders, folding his arms before he squats in front of me, demagnetising the cuffs from locking me into this tense, taut position.

I narrow my eyes to stilts, if he didn’t know before, how the hell did he come to know now?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I retort, eyeing the city behind him.

He drops in a seat on the side of the walk next to me, “Did you not think I’d get notified if your file changes by even a letter or decimal that wasn’t verified by an education professional?” He rhetorically inquires.

“Righting a wrong, obviously. Cairo shouldn’t be notified by those changes, so thanks for pointing me in the right direction of that technological error that clearly needs fixing.” I imply that I’ll do just that.

“Graviton uses Cairo. You’re lucky I stopped it from getting flagged.” He says to me.

I frown and glance at him in my periphery, “You don’t know shit about coding.” I insult easily.

He dangles his phone in front of me, “Except I get notified by the people who do know shit about coding. Pour it as a supervisor on the school board fixing a mistake. However, I can call my guy back up and tell him the truth. I take it your parents won’t be so forgiving on that one. The last time you fell in grades was when we left for a false plant extract for fake granny on your Dada’s side.” He mocks.

I close my eyes, “Don’t bring that shit up.”

“Don’t force me to bring that shit up. Professor Silo’s class didn’t flag any problems, why did you fail it last term?” He questions me.

I merely stand up, “I’m going to bed.” I mutter, strutting inside. He follows, all until he has to split up to get back to the men’s dormitories. He stands in front of the elevator and stares at me.

“I’ll find out eventually.” He calls out to me. I simply ignore him and flutter back into my private room, with Arya and Eden in the rooms next to mine. The second he mentioned what happened in those dark times during Mom’s second pregnancy when Dad put his trust in the wrong person, in Vulcan and Ella Caesar. I remember the month after he came back, the fights they had. It felt like I was the rope they tugged from one side to the other until Dad’s panic attacks got so bad that he finally went to her and then, over one night, I knew they were getting back on track.

When Mom looked ready to burst after nine months of preparing, and learning how to fall in love and do it better this time, Dad stuck to his word. He shoved his other family out of his life and has been a better man since. Once Lysander, Lazarus, Darius and Dahlia were born…the entire Graviton Ultimates team changed. Dad never let go of Mom again and after so many years, I finally saw what Mom’s maximised happy state was. With Dad. With my siblings. Sometimes still with me, though since I’m here all the time now, I text and maybe see a couple times a month and call every week, but we’ve been closer. On Earth.

I dump my head on my burgundy pillows, with a view of the city and Graviton core, I drift my eyes closed when everything becomes too heavy.

******

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Rise and Shine, ladies! Time to get up!” The boys do this every semester, breaking into the girls’ dormitories and prank them a good two hours before they actually need to get up anyway. I groan and look at my vaulted door, there is no way they were getting in that way.

I shower, change into my Graviton uniform. All juniors had to wear sharp green and black suits, the seniors are red, middle students are blue, anyone lower than juniors, like those who started high school and aren’t juniors of college, are in yellow strips and black suits.

I use the private teleportation pod in my room to get to the cafeteria for an early breakfast. No one in my year is in sight while I order a coffee using my keycard number.

The best thing about my parents practically owning this school is the free breakfasts and lunches. Everyone gets free dinners, that’s part of the institution, but every morning I love a good mocha.

My phone vibrates with a message. I smile under my breath when Arya and Eden start talking shit about Brandon and Owen, clearly both of them got into their dorms.

I lean back in my seat and open up the database for my next set of classes. I flip my iPad pen between my fingers before the schedule opens and I raise an eyebrow at the fact every Wednesday is freely open for me. Even classified on screen.

My other classes though, AP Astronomy, Spatial Genetics, Database mechanics, quantum realms, Travel Physics, Human Physiology and check it, software programming. The shocking bit was that none of my classes had combat training in it.

My iPad is almost pulled out from underneath my fingers, but I jolt to stop it, only to find a pair of ember eyes penetrating mine, “What? You don’t want to show me your schedule?” He smirks in front of me. I pull it back from him in annoyance, his uniform matches mine except for the fact he looks like a giant in a penguin suit, I don’t.

“Piss off, Bellamy.” I mutter.

“Ooh, someone’s in a bad mood this morning. If anything, I should be in a bad mood, you tried to pull Lolita apart.” He scoffs, grabbing my drink, he takes a swig of it because that’s not gross at all. He suddenly moves to drop in the cushioned seat next to me as Jason and Owen move into the seats they were in, both of them with their own trays of pancakes.

“I didn’t try, I succeeded, and that’s the worst name you could’ve chosen for that piece of junk.” I retort, crossing one leg over the other, I move my fish plait to the side. While it took a while to get the machine right, I made a robotic braid and plait system that would plait my hair for me in the morning.

It’s shockingly good considering girls in our year ask me every now and then if I could plait their hair for them. The machine accessed a butterfly plait on the sides at the top before moving into a fish plait. Bellamy slides my drink back in front of me, “How did you leave your dormitory before anyone could see you?” He asks me, curiously.

“You mean when boys predictably target the girls’ dorms two hours before they need to get up the first day school starts back up and you’re wondering how I went about unseen? I’ve been up for over four hours.” I mutter, trying to look tired, considering I am partially lying about that.

Jason raises an eyebrow at me, “Committed to escaping us, huh?”

Arya and Eden drop on the seats beside me, both of them looking like death as they stare down Owen and Brandon, who steps up to sit down too. I drop my head on Arya’s shoulder, “What do you have first?” I ask her.

She drops her head over mine, “Everyone has Combat Advancements, babe.” She says to me in reminder.

I smile, “AP Astronomy.” I show her my schedule and Eden leans in with a shocked pair of eyes, only for Bellamy’s masculine hand to snatch it from my hands.

“What?” Bellamy bites, staring at my schedule with a narrow-eyed gaze.

Us ladies all look at him, “Problem, Bell?” I ask in a taunt.

“Jealous, Bell?” Eden asks with a grin.

“Confounded and confused, Bell?” Arya wonders. The guys all look highly amused, while Bellamy flattens his expression.

He hands me my schedule dryly, ignoring the girls, “They’ve put you in senior classes and bypassed combat, because that’s not stupid at all.” He mutters, grabbing his phone to type something in the school directory with the speed of a gamer.

Soon the place is packed with juniors having breakfast before class. Arya and Eden got their usual breakfast muesli and berries, major health nuts as they are, while I just stuck to a breakfast bar. I wave goodbye to them when they’re all forced to head down the long stairs to combat classes while I move to AP Astronomy.

The second I get in the class, there’s a mix of blues and reds. This class isn’t normally one for group projects, it’s a mere process of learning then putting it to the test, literally.

I sit down before my worst teacher of all time, Professor Silo, steps in the bloody room, “Morning, students. You know me from Data processing last semester, now, Astronomical Structures today. Astronomy details the natural field of space sciences, including everything solar. Our stars, our constellations, our galaxies are all part of our studies. Now, today is going to surprise you, we’re going to head out in our suits with space technology, specifically magnifying light which will get perfect shots of our stars. Leave your belongings here, they will be safe in the lockers, time to suit up, ladies and gentlemen.” He calls out, before meeting my eyes. I hate the man so much right now.

I glance over when I see Cameron Tuchman, a senior with the brain of a god as some would say. He smirks at me from his side of the room and stands up, “Lyra Caesar, it’s shocking to see you in this class.” He comments, I glance at his team of five behind him, all looking at me like my name was one famous entity, yet the sight of me is something their eyes were glued to at the moment.

I raise an eyebrow at Cameron, “Do you plan on leaving me to the wolves of the class or can I be adopted by your glorious self?” I ask him, he grins and wraps his arm around me.

“Oh, you were adopted the second you got in here. How’ve you been, girlie?” He asks me, eyes twinkling at the prospect of this class being fun. He was his year’s definition of tall, dark and handsome. Caramel brown skin with halo brown eyes and dark chocolate brown hair, same height as Bellamy.

“Like I’m about to be dragged into the seven pits of hell, has Silo always taught this class?” I ask him, folding my arms, one of his teammates leans in and offers his hand.

“Timothy Jones, and yeah, he’s always taught this class. Apparently it’s a living nightmare but having it on your qualifications is a plus side. Probably because Silo is one of the harshest teachers in our school.” He tells me, I shake his hand before Silo opens a locker room for us to change in, he gestures to me over.

I clench my jaw, “I’ll be back.”

“Good luck.” Cameron says to me, bowing his head like a cowboy at me.

I step in front of Professor Silo with a tense nature. He folds his arms and raises an eyebrow at me, “Do we need to talk about the fact you didn’t re-submit enrollment into my Physics class that you failed last semester?” He asks me, pale green eyes penetrate my emerald ones.

I fold my arms, “We both know my work was nothing short of excellent and the sheer reason you failed me and Arya is because I wouldn’t do something you were trying to force.” I say lowly, he tilts his head higher.

“I didn’t fail you because of that, Lyra.”

“My work didn’t earn lower than fifty percent each time, you son of a bitch. You’re going to keep quiet about the grade, all you and every staff member knows is that the grade was wrong and has been altered to fully demonstrate my capabilities to their truest form.”

He leans in harshly, “You did what? That’s ruling on academic suspension.”

“Really? Because what are the rules on sexual misconduct? Orange jumpsuit, a pair of electrical bars and prison time, perhaps?” I ask him.

He clenches his jaw, “Lyra, I made one mistake…” He trails off when I give him a dirty look.

“One mistake, you failed me because I wouldn’t reciprocate your actions and then punished me by failing my friend too. You’re going to leave those grades alone and I’ll sideline the fact you inappropriately touched the daughter of the Head of Graviton. Prison will be nothing compared to what my Father will do, but compared to what my mother, the leader of Northerners, Phoenix, and Falcon will do to you is beyond any measure a professor can do.” I threaten.

He purses his lips and straightens, “Go change. Now.”

“Give me your word.” I order.

He eyes me darkly, “Go change, Lyra.”

I ran a disgusted gaze down him again before turning away to put on my suit. The class stands waiting near the room used as the flying simulator, which just so happens to be opposite the combat centre. I click on my space suit and line up next to Cameron and Timothy, “Follow our lead, kid.” Cameron tells me, I merely nodded even though I wasn’t going to do that. The door opens to reveal the concealed room used for the green light to give us the go ahead to float into outer space, where a transparent sphere with large telescopes are attached to the openings against the sphere.

“Alright, you all have training in directing yourselves through zero gravity, the only student I know who won’t have such training is our green-striped individual over here. Tuchman, take the reins. Lyra, over here a second. Direct your drones by pressing your hands in, click your feet to point your toes.” Silo explains, before I do just that and shock him by barrelling into him before he could shout stop. The class chuckles as one when Silo flips around before I shake my head as if dizzy.

“Oops, so sorry!” I call out, my reaction is completely fake by this point.

I smirk under the suit before scoffing at him while it’s quiet, “Don’t treat me as a fool, professor.” I mutter his way before directing myself back to Cameron, perhaps faking a few stop-starts on the suit before he pulls me in to look into the telescope.

My eyes widen at the sight of green, purple, blue, red and white constellations in the distance. The whole hour consisted of naming those constellations and finding out physical signs and details about it. When class finished after two hours, Cameron connected his phone to mine to exchange numbers, giving me a smile, “Nice job out there, junior.” I fist bump him before needing a break. The tenseness in my shoulders strengthen with every step I take. I find Arya and Eden groaning by the junior comms bean bags during break.

The guys are all facing them and the group chat explodes, before I catch sight of Bellamy sending the seventh text to my personal feed asking me where I am. I roll my eyes and walk around them, before poking Bellamy’s head, “Does this annoy you as much as sending heaps of messages like some clingy weirdo? Huh? Huh? Does this irritate you, you big baby?” I ask him before he grabs my hand and tries to pull me over the couch onto his lap. I scoff and twist my wrist out of his hand as I walk around and drop on the free bean bag next to Eden.

Everyone raises their eyebrows at me, “How was Astronomy?” Arya asks me, wiggling her eyebrows.

I furrow my eyebrows, “What’d you see?”

Brandon cracks up laughing, “You barrelling into Professor Ridges for no reason.” He tosses in the air.

I lean forward, they thought it was Ridge’s? I thought Cameron said Silo normally took over that class, “Accidentally.” I say, innocently. Arya and Eden throw their heads back and laugh at my antics, I smile under my breath, pulling out my phone, I remove the new messages on there before the bell rings. I close my eyes, could this day just be over already.

“We’re in Constellations and Solars next, you?” Eden tells me.

I groan, “Spatial Genetics.”

“Wait, that’s the class you requested to move into, right Bellamy?” Arya wonders, looking over.

I give him a dry look, “Are you serious? We had no classes together so you spent time during combat class to change that because you’re that bloody clingy?” I ask him, folding my arms.

He stands up before shocking me when he cups my cheeks, “Nah, I’m just joining this class for extra credit, now let’s get going before we’re late.” He insists, moving us around the couches and straight for the elevators. I fold my arms and lean against the doors, only for the worst scenario to happen right in this room, Abigail and Kline step in. Kline’s expression immediately changes the second we meet eyes. I stare at him for a long, stoic moment.

Abi though, she looks at her boyfriend before her expression darkens every-so-slightly, “Lyra, been a while, how was your break?” She asks me, as if the pleasantries are necessary.

“I worked for some extra money in my pocket, how about you?” I tell her.

She frowns, “Aren’t your parents supposed to be rich? Don’t you get an allowance or something?” She inquires, looking confused.

Kline is in the middle of a stare down with Bellamy, before the doors open and they thankfully get out first, going down the hall to the arts and culture classes. The doors close again for our level, “You’re not still hauled up in the fact Kline’s got a girlfriend, right?” Bellamy asks me, stoically.

“She just asked me why I’d try to earn money if my parents were already rich.” I point out.

Bellamy snorts, “Awe, then they suit each other well. Both are dim-witted, if I were to use your striking terminology.”

I glance at him flatly, “Kline has never been dim-witted, but he is a guy, they’re attracted to big boobs like sharks to blood.” I mutter, folding my arms.

He raises an eyebrow next to me, “Aren’t you an A-cup?” He had the nerve to say.

I look down, “Aren’t you the size of a tic-tac?” I retort.

He smiles, “Cucumber actually, seven inches easy. Can’t say the same about Terrence down there.” He comments.

“Normally it measures the same as their fathers, and if I remember correctly, our Mom’s made comments about it and Lilly mentioned that Kline’s dad was bigger than our dads.” I say, before cringing. Bellamy cracks up laughing, before I shove him out of the elevator. He belly laughs and has to lean on the wall at this point.

“Seriously just shut up. No more talking.” I mutter his way.

Throughout class, he couldn’t freaking concentrate for five seconds. I almost shove him in the water growth bowl for the aquamarine species caught in an outer space water zone which we were studying. His eyes widen when I try it for the second time before he wraps a heavy arm around my neck, “Nice try, little heiress.” He sniggers when I pull out of his arm and sulk as I finish the work we’re both supposed to be doing. He swipes it from me and takes the last question without argument. Our results tally in and open on screen in front of the whole class, every student pair is shown on screen, detailing me and Bellamy in first.

The professor smiles, “Well done, all candidates. Bellamy and Lyra, both of you please meet me after class, these results are excellent. Congratulations everyone, I’ll see you all tomorrow.” I sigh in defeat. Bellamy leans on the table I’m leaning on while we face Professor Kira together.

She smiles at us, clasping her hands together, “I see you two work really well in class.”

“I am putting up with him.” I blurt out, checking my nails.

She raises an eyebrow at me while Bellamy rolls his eyes, “You wanted to speak with us, Professor?” He wonders, folding his arms.

She gestures to us, “Come with me, I know you both noticed you have Wednesdays off every week and it’s labelled as classified.” She mentions, I freeze and look at Bellamy pointedly.

“Ever thought about mentioning that?” I question him.

“Only if it became relevant.” He tells me, I almost punched him.

“A commonality in only our schedules, which you saw this morning, and you didn’t think to tell me anything.” I gesture between us, before he shockingly grabs my hand and just intertwines our fingers, pulling me along behind Professor Kira. I pull my hand out of his when she moves us towards a sleek, jet black ship.

I stare wide-eyed at it.

She smiles, “You two are our brightest at the academy in your year and above. Bellamy here generated programming and imaging of multiple species in the science labs in his years at Graviton Primary school and Lyra, you have magnificent talent in databases, and engineering expertise, as well as geographical knowledge and mapping given your travelling. We’ve talked to both your parents at the start of the year and they all approved of your missions that will take the full day every Wednesday. Your first mission this Wednesday is to travel eighteen light years out and come back with as many species as you find. You can go out in any direction.” She says.

I fold my arm, “What if it takes longer than a day? Or if we get stranded?” I ask her, surprised that my mother agreed to this.

“There’s an emergency signal on board, and some of the most advanced systems which were invested in these types of missions. The more we enforce larger numbers of personnel, the riskier it is and the more facilities you need on board. I was assured that you two can work easily together and you will be fully compensated for every hour you’re working.” She explains to us, gesturing to the ship.

“Alright, I’ll let you two get settled, see me in my office on Wednesday, six in the morning, okay. It’s going to be a long day for you two.” She grins at us, walking around us just to let us adjust to this.

I stare at the material of the outside of the ship, it could survive a nuclear explosion based on the way it was manufactured. Bellamy walks in behind me towards the back, “This is something I can get on board with.” He smirks as we move up the ramp.

“Don’t make me turn seven inches into zero.”