Chapter 2

Lani slammed the folder down on the table in front of Bravan. He moved his sandwich away, almost instinctively when she stormed up to him.

Still chewing, he said, “Did you get a B?” Then he swallowed. “That must mean… that—that—I must’ve failed. Oh, man, what am I going to tell my mother. I can’t go back.” He dropped his sandwich and searched for an exit. Presumably to run away and never be found.

“No, I didn’t get a B.” Lani sighed, rubbed her eyes, and say beside him. “I got, I guess extra credit.” She pointed at the paper.

“I know it might seem foreign to you, but you don’t *have to do extra credit. *They’re my favorite type of assignments. What is it anyways?” He poked at the folder like it was an unwanted vegetable on his plate.

“I don’t know, I haven’t opened it. They said I should open it in closed quarters,” Lani said in a mocking tone.

“Wait—shouldn’t we all get extra credit? Can I open it? Maybe they wanted you to pass it out.”

“I don’t think you’re allowed to open it.”

“Why not?” Brevan asked. “Seems a bit unfair.”

“I don’t think it was meant for you, or anyone else, really.”

“Now I *really want *to open it.” He stared at it with an angle, hoping to catch a glimpse of any text that could’ve bled through.

“Whatever. I don’t care. It’s not my rule, go open it.”

Brevan squeezed his lips slightly, looked back at Lani, then back at the folder. When he reached to open it, he glanced one more time at Lani and said, “Ah, you know what? I don’t want to get you in trouble. I don’t want to open it.”

“Just open it, Brevan. Renem help me, now I’m telling you.”

So he did. He scanned for any faculty present and pulled in the folder, opening it slowly read the inside. His eyes progressively increased in speed as he it reset with each new line. He inhaled. A long inhale through his teeth. Then closed the folder and patted it. “Well… it’s very arduous for extra credit.”

“What did it say?”

“It’s a school.”

“No I know we’re in school, I don’t care, nor do I think the faculty care if you say it out loud.”

“No, no. They’re building an Annex of The Hafordian Academy. The south eastern tip of Haford, across from the Bramphian border. They want you to assist in their efforts.”

Lari sucked her teeth. “They said it was for the mission, the better tomorrow. But it’s all self serving.” She brought the folder up to rip it up.

“It’s for Laeriens. Actually, it’s exclusively for them.”

Lani shook her head. “That can’t be right.”

“It says it right here.” Brevan turned the paper to show her.

Someone ripped it out from Brevan’s hands before Lani could see it.

“Hey—” Lani turned. It was the Dean.

“Yes, Ms. Kerali,” Veran said, “It is in fact… right.”

Lani stiffened. “What’s the purpose of all this? Why couldn’t you have told me a second ago?”

Veran looked