Chapter 1: Titan Academy
I watch the big castle on top of the hill. A castle surrounded by high walls that almost the peak's tower can only be seen. The hill is surrounded by verdant forests and flowing rivers where the castle stood. It actually covered the half of our town’s area. This castle is a place where people like us with special abilities can study. A school where only the elites and with special abilities can enter.
"There will be a day that I’ll gonna enter there." The person next to me said, his name is Lucas.
I turned to him and snorted. "Dream on! You won’t be eating for a month just to buy a pair of uniform in that school."
All people in our town are born with special abilities. But not all can enter and study at that academy. Only the people who have money that could spend two million barya of silver or half a million barya of gold can enter the Titan Academy.
He looked at me accusingly “You drat! There is no harm in dreaming!”
He lay down beside me on the grassy land and we peacefully watched the blue clouds above. We are here on one of the hills beside of our village where we can look the school on the other side of the town.
Since we were young, Lucas's dream is to study in that place. I remember when we were still ten years old that he started working and save up his earnings on his fourteenth birthday to enter the Titan Academy. But after two years of hard labor, he realized that no matter how hard he worked, he could never earn a half a million barya of gold.
Lucas has super speed. He is very quick. Sometimes you can only see his silhouette in the winds. He can easily finish any task given to him. So I thought it might be possible for him to earn enough money and will be admitted to that school.
But reality hits him, he has a lot of responsibilities. He has four younger siblings and a sickly mother. His father died when we were twelve years old. That time he stops saving and focuses on providing food for his younger siblings.
Me? I don't want to go in that place. I actually don't have a dream. I will be eighteen next month, I would be at a legal age. I can leave this town whenever I want. But the problem with me is that I don't know where to go or what I want.
I have no family. Two years had passed since my grandparents who raised me died. Ever since then I live alone in the house. Sometimes I went to Lucas's house. Sometimes, especially when I have money, they ate in my house.
I have the special ability to enhance my senses and control. I can shut down my senses if I want to. I can tolerate pain, blinding light, and extreme noise. But most of all I can feel a threat even if it's a kilometer away.
My power is practically useless. It's useful but not the type that will enable me to live and earn money. I wish I have a power like Lucas. I want a power that I can use in work and earn money.
Because when you finish the basic education system in the town of Hesperia you should take care of your own life. The education system is free from seven years old until fourteen years old. Seven to ten years old you will learn how to read and write. Eleven to fourteen years old is learning about special abilities.
If you have money you can continue your education and enter Titan Academy. There, you can hone your power or ability. The Ministry sought the graduates from that academy. They are the ones who will have a definite job in the future.
If you are like us that is only until free education, you should be contended to have only extra jobs. They call us the informal workforce. No particular job. The graduates of Titan are the only one who has the right to have a permanent position. You will be permanent if you have backing from above. It's really hard to have a secure position for the people like us.
At the age of fourteen, you can have a job. But this is only limited in the town of Hesperia. If you are eighteen years old that's the time you are allowed to go out of the town to look for a job. The town won't care what you will do.
"What do you think they are doing at this time?" Lucas asks while yawning.
I snorted. "What do you think? They are showing off their wealth. They are good at that. As if the people like them who are born rich knows how to fight."
Lucas sits on the grass. "Whoa. I think that's already different." he jokingly said. "You're making it personal."
I roll my eyes. The way he talks is as if he is one of them. "I just don't like the way they look at us. Do you remember the time that they visited the town? The way they look at as is as if we are dirt in their shoes. They are the one who looks more like dirt."
Lucas laughs, "I think they are not used to seeing the people at their age working. You know that some of them enter the academy when they are seven years old."
"You are right," I mutter. "They are the kind of people who don't know the reality. They are all focus in their pretty clothes, soft bed, delicious food, they didn't work hard to earn. "
"Are you envious?" Lucas asks with a raised brow.
I look at him annoyed. "Envious? Ha! I'm just annoyed. This world is not fair. But because they are surrounded by their kind, they don't know how lucky they are."
The wind in the hill is slowly getting stronger. The color of the sky change, from blue it became gray. Not far, some dark clouds started to have thunder and lightning.
We stood up. "It's better if we went down. I still need to finish my work at Mrs. Cello before I go home."
When I turned to Lucas. He is not there anymore. I rolled my eyes when I heard his voice from below.
"Hey Shia! You are so slow. Let's go!" He waves his hand at me while smiling.
He is really arrogant when it comes to this things.
I wipe and clean my old pants before I hurriedly went down and join him. I don't have the slightest idea, that afternoon will be the last time I will see my best friend smiling.
***
TL’s note: It’s not edited yet by an editor, forgive me if you see any mistakes. I’ve already edited my post before, I didn’t notice that I publish the wrong one. Please free to comment if you see any mistakes in the grammar and such. English is not my fortè.