Star Runners (6 page)

SCORPION: Thx. I fly alone. Pointer would be to not get in the habit of trusting someone to watch your back. Razor used to cover you. Don't get caught sleeping out there. Stay unfocused if you want to die.

Austin laughed. Somebody took this too seriously.

He sat back at the keyboard.

ROCK: Let me know if you change your mind. I would love to fly with you. Appreciate the tips. I'll keep it in mind next time. Just trying not to fall off the leader board.

Austin thought Scorpion logged off.

SCORPION: Fall off? Go check the leader board. See you soon.

Austin clicked on the leader board when the game screen popped up. He swallowed hard and placed the soda back on his desk. It took a moment for the image on the screen to register.

Austin had surpassed Razor on the server's leaders. He hadn't paid attention to his statistics this summer, but knew he had improved. He didn't know he had improved this much, however. He smiled and lingered on the screen. He earned a spot at the top of the elite server in
Star Runners
. Any minute, Austin would receive an e-mail promising a scholarship to a real university. He hoped Josh hadn't just been lucky. He hoped the scholarship deal still existed. After all, he had been the only pilot to take down Scorpion in a dog fight.

Austin leaned back after a few minutes. He hit refresh on the screen and watched his in-game messages. Two messages from other pilots came across the screen. Both asked for detailed tips on how to take down Scorpion. Every time Scorpion took down a pilot, the victims would look up his statistics page and see Rock had been the only pilot to beat the legend.

But Austin didn't care about his momentary fame. After ten minutes, no other message arrived in his inbox. He never gave it much thought before, but he knew now why he had been obsessed with
Star Runners
all summer. With Josh receiving a scholarship by excelling at the game, Austin figured he would be able to do the same.

The dream, it seemed, was not going to happen tonight.

"I thought it seemed like a fine school."

"I suppose," Austin replied, watching the community college's campus.

"I know they don't have a baseball team," Mom continued, her voice rising, "but they have intra-murals you could play when you're not working."

Austin sighed. She attempted to improve his mood all morning. The orientation at his new college had been a snooze fest. Speakers started the day with lame jokes followed by even worse attempts at pretending to be excited about the new school year. Some in the audience laughed, but most flipped through information packets or remained buried in their smart phones or tablets. Austin would be taking three classes; college algebra, U.S. History, and biology.

Mom worked hard to get him this chance, and he knew it. Perhaps everyone was right about this school being a stepping stone. Perhaps he would go on to bigger and better things. Acing his courses here could lead to a scholarship to state or an Ivy League school.

The financial aid representative said they did not provide grants for would be baseball players, which came as no surprise. He didn’t participate in any clubs, didn't have any other extracurricular activities, and didn't have a high grade point average. Austin felt like a paying customer to the college, not a valuable addition to their scholarly life.

However, he qualified for a number of different loans, all of them high interest. He wouldn't have to pay them back until he finished school, but faced a staggering amount of money later. Mom stayed positive, but mentioned they should save some money before he started.

He shook his head. He opened his orientation packet and glanced at the flier on campus safety, but he kept thinking about his
Star Runners
’ score. When Josh excelled in the game, he was whisked off to California to attend a prestigious private school so difficult to gain admission it was nearly a complete secret. Austin surpassed Josh's score last week and had still heard nothing. His expression darkened. He thought of Josh on the beaches with gorgeous girls swimming in the Pacific. He thought of Kadyn in Savannah attending the art school of her dreams.

"Want some ice cream?" Mom interrupted his thoughts.

"Sure."

*****

As the chocolate ice cream melted in his mouth, Austin let his thoughts drift to school.

"I can get the mail," he said as they turned onto their street.

Finishing the cone in one large bite, Austin hopped out of the car at the end of the driveway. He pulled back the mailbox door and paused. A glossy, blue packet topped the pile of mail. Austin swallowed the last piece of the ice cream cone as he stared at the packet. It felt cool to the touch as he slipped it out of the mailbox. He stood at the edge of driveway.

A sleek silver line stretched across the top of the dark blue. Austin's reflection gleamed in the glossy finish. He turned it over. On the opposite side, a bright silver emblem with a sword in the center glistened in the afternoon sunlight. The words "Tizona" appeared under the emblem in a solid font as if it had been carved into the packet.

Austin's brow crinkled in thought. He had never heard the word “Tizona” before, but the silver sticker at the bottom of the packet had his name on it. Clinching his jaw, Austin slid his finger between the dark blue tape sealing the packet and pulled it back.

The right side of the packet contained a small stack of papers and pamphlets. He looked past the business card with the shiny sword symbol to the business letter on the left side of the packet. A silver sword letterhead gleamed at the top of the page. His name and address followed under the symbol. He read the first words:

Mr. Austin Stone,

We would like to congratulate you on being selected as a candidate for a full scholarship to the prestigious Tizona School of Excellence…

Austin slapped the packet on his thigh and screamed. He glanced around to see if anyone heard, bit his lip and ran back to the house. His heart raced as he sprinted into the garage. He smashed into Mom on the way.

"What is it? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Am I okay? Look!" He jabbed the packet into her face.

She jumped back and laughed.

"What in the world?" she asked and started reading. "Oh, my God!"

"I did it, Mom! I did it!"

He threw his arms around her neck and squeezed.

"Austin, honey, let's not get too excited, yet. We need to look into this first."

Austin nodded. He didn't even know where Tizona was located. What type of school is it? What did any of this mean?

"I know," he said. "It's just ... I never thought I would get a letter like this."

She touched his shoulder. "I know, honey. Come on, let's go inside and give this thing a look."

*****

Austin glanced at the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes. The recruiter for the Tizona School of Excellence, Jonathan Nubern, would be arriving any minute. Nubern's card listed a number and nothing else. It hadn't seemed strange to Austin until Mom pointed it out. She also mentioned the packet contained vague information about the "greatness" of the school and no substance.

"It's all icing without the cake," she had said.

Small plates surrounded butter cookies on the coffee table and freshly brewed coffee simmered in the kitchen. For the first time since graduation, Austin wore khaki pants and a button shirt.

Mom sat across from her son and studied the packet. She wore a dress with red and blue flowers. She went to the salon yesterday and topped off the ensemble with her favorite jewelry. Austin stared at the golden dolphin necklace Dad had given her.

He smiled. Dad should be here.

The doorbell rang. Austin inhaled and, for a moment, he and his mother just looked at each other.

Mom laughed. "I think someone's at the door."

Austin stood, took one last look in the mirror, flattened his hair, and hurried to the front door. The recruiter stood on the front porch and stared into the front yard with his back to the door.

Austin took a breath and opened the door.

The recruiter, dressed in a dark blue suit and a crisp white shirt, turned around. The recruiter tucked a blue packet identical to the one Austin received under his arm. He smiled and reached out his hand. "Austin Stone?"

Austin clasped the man's hand in a solid handshake. "Yes, sir."

"Jonathan Nubern," he said in a deep voice. He studied Austin with steel gray eyes and a slender face.  "I am with the Tizona School of Excellence. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you as well." Austin turned and gestured toward the house. "Would you like to come in?"

"Yes, of course."

Nubern strolled into the living room. He nodded to Mom and offered his hand. "Good afternoon, ma'am."

"Mr. Nubern. Welcome to our home. I'm Eileen, Austin's mother."

She led them to the living room where the coffee and butter cookies awaited. The trio sat around the table. Mom smiled as they settled. Silence passed for a moment as Nubern crossed his leg and produced a black tablet on his lap before altering his gaze to face Austin.

Austin held the stare into Nubern’s gray eyes before reaching for a butter cookie. When he looked back, Nubern continued looking at him.

"Well," Mom said as if to break the odd quiet hanging over the room like a morning fog, "we are looking forward to hearing about the school."

Austin glanced at Mom.

"Why do you want to attend Tizona?" Nubern asked, his voice steady and deep, almost robotic.

"I, ah, have heard it is an excellent school."

"That's implied in the name. I want to know why you want to attend."

Austin shifted in his seat and stared at the ceiling for a second. "I want to go to college."

"Why?"

"I want an education."

Nubern leaned forward on his knees, his eyes fixed on Austin. "And why, might I ask, would you like an education?"

Austin folded his arms over his chest and exhaled. "Because I want more than a dead end job. I want to do something with my life. I think there has to be more."

The corner of Nubern's mouth raised. "That is wonderful to hear, Mr. Stone." 

He made a note in his tablet before looking up. When he did, his expression had softened and his shoulders raised. "An education is exactly what I am here to offer you. Even though the semester starts in two weeks, we always hold open a few spots for students that might have been missed in our normal admissions process. We are very proud to offer you this chance at a secondary education. However, this is more than the normal college experience. You are going to experience an entirely new way of life, a new way to view the world."

"Can you tell us a little about the program?" Mom asked as she poured a cup of coffee for Nubern.

"Of course, Mrs. Stone."

"Please call me Eileen." She handed over the mug of steaming coffee.

"Of course."

Nubern took the mug and nodded. He took a long, slow sip before continuing.

"First, Tizona is a boarding school. There are other schools throughout the world that are a part of our program. I will start with the basics every potential student and parent wants to hear: There is no leaving the school campus except during certain designated times. We feel it is important to become saturated with the culture of Tizona in order to be successful."

"Sounds like a military school," Mom said with a shrug.

"Mom!"

"There's nothing wrong with that," she said. "Are you, Mr. Nubern, associated with the military?"

Nubern held up his hand. "It is a fair assumption and we get this question often. We have no desire to take the place of your West Point or the Naval Academy or any other military institution. No, our schools offer discipline and order with the goal of sharpening our students into successful members of society."

He turned to Austin. "Any idea of your chosen field of study?"

"No, not yet."

"That is fine. At Tizona, you will be given the chance to choose any manner of study. Our graduates have gone on to become CEOs of major companies, NASA engineers, scientists and many other occupations. There is no limit to your potential at this school. You will, without a doubt, receive the greatest education available on this planet. Afterward, I can guarantee you will make a difference you cannot begin to fathom."

Austin and his Mom exchanged a brief smile.

"What about cost?" she asked.

Austin tensed. The memory of the situation with the community college and the nightmare of financial aid came into his mind.

"There would be no cost," Nubern said as he drank from the coffee mug. His eye brows raised. "Delicious."

"Oh, thank you," she said, her face turning a shade of red. "Did I hear you right? There would be no cost?"

"I cannot exactly say 'no cost' since you will have to expend gasoline to get to the school, but the actual education will cost you nothing. If traveling to the school is an expense your family cannot handle, certain arrangements can be made to secure transport to the school."

Mom's mouth dropped open and she stared at Austin.

Austin broke the awkward pause. "So I will get a degree for free?"

Nubern's face hardened. "There are certain requirements to grant your ability to stay at the school, but there will be no cost. Books, meals, your room and tuition will be fully covered. However, you will be on probationary status for the first semester. During that time, you will be indoctrinated into our expectations and culture. We require all first years to maintain a high level of physical activity and standards. I understand you are an athlete?"

"I played for the baseball team."

"Excellent. You should not find our physical expectations difficult. Regular physical training will be part of your daily routine. A sharp mind is infinitely more effective when the body is a peak condition. Following your successful completion of the first semester, you will be granted full access to the school for the remainder of your four years. If the school does not meet your expectations after the first semester or you fail to meet with any of these requirements, you will be sent home with no charge to your family."

Nubern studied his tablet. "I should also mention you will have full access to the Internet, both in your rooms and in the common areas. Technology is an integral aspect of the learning process and is also import for maintaining contact with your family."

"What is the expected class load?" Mom asked.

Nubern rubbed his hands together and cracked his knuckles. "Actually, Eileen, we like to keep the details of our education techniques quiet at this stage. Each curriculum load is tailored to the individual student. The first semester will contain orientation courses and basic core curriculum classes. Math, science, you understand. Once past the orientation stage, the courses will become more focused and will highlight and enhance your son's potential."

"This all sounds very impressive, I have to admit," Mom said. "Do you have any questions, Austin?"