The Academy Read online

  I shook my head. “No, but I’ve read of it often enough. I’m looking forward to seeing it for the first time.”

  “You’re going to love it but we’ll have to find you a swimsuit.”

  “A swimsuit?” My mouth felt suddenly dry.

  “Sure.” He nodded. “Can’t go swimming in your uniform, shrimp.”

  “I guess not,” I said faintly. I just hoped that the suit he found me to swim in had plenty of coverage in all the right places. I was just opening my mouth to ask more about it but North was too busy hailing a hover-cab for me to catch his attention.

  Once inside the gray and white vehicle we glided soundlessly through a small town that seemed to cater to tourists. There were scantily dressed females everywhere—wearing less than women in Victoria wore as underwear. Though I was sure it was normal for Apollo, I couldn’t help feeling a little shocked at their immodesty. Deliberately ignoring the nearly naked tourists, I focused instead on the quaint, brightly-colored shops. Many of them were covered in a layer of soft, blue-green fur, which North told me was a type of algae called 'maiden’s tears'.

  “But…don’t people mind having algae growing all over their shops?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “They used to. The first settlers on Apollo tried everything to get rid of it. Then, when the first big storm came along, they realized the buildings that were covered in maiden’s tears held together a hell of a lot better than the ones without. It acts kind of like a natural glue—a protective coating. Now they encourage it to grow.”

  “Oh.” I was about to ask more about it but the hover-cab suddenly came to the end of the town and the scenery abruptly changed. The flat, sandy roads became rolling hills and soon we were climbing the side of a steep mountain covered in trees with long, trailing branches full of purple flowers. “This is beautiful,” I exclaimed, staring out the window.

  North smiled. “You sound just like my mom—she loves natural beauty because she grew up on Midas where everything’s so industrialized. In fact, when my dad proposed to her, she told him she’d marry him on one condition—that he built her a house on Apollo.” He smiled. “And they’ve been here ever since.”

  “It sounds like your parents are very close,” I said wistfully, thinking of my own distant father and the mother I had never known.

  North nodded. “Yeah. It’s a good thing too. I don’t think they could have survived what…what happed to Jamie otherwise.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, not knowing what else to say.

  North shook his head. “Never mind. Just wait until you see the house—my mom designed it herself. Well, she told Dad what she wanted and he designed it, anyway.”

  “Oh?” I looked at him in surprise. “I always thought your father was in the Space Corps, like mine.”

  “He was but he got a discharge after Jamie was born. He’s a master architect.”

  I was about to ask more about what a master architect did but the hover-cab climbed one last steep hill and stopped in front of the strangest and most beautiful house I had ever seen. It appeared to be built right into the side of the mountain with round, multicolored glass windows and a spiral staircase leading up to the broad front door made of some kind of driftwood. I also noticed a ramp on the side of the house leading to a side door. I wondered if it had been added later to allow easier access for North’s younger brother. I got the vague idea from North that he’d had some kind of debilitating medial condition but what exactly had he died of?

  “Well?” North asked. “What do you think?”

  “It’s gorgeous,” I breathed, really meaning it. “I can see why you love it. Your mother and father must be really talented.”

  “You’ll get to find out when you meet them. I told them all about you—called them while you were getting your ticket at the station.” North grinned at me. “In fact, let’s get out of the cab—here they come right now.”

  As he spoke two tall, well-dressed people—a man and a woman—came out the front door and down the spiral staircase to greet us. We quickly climbed out of the automated hover-cab and North slid his cred-card into its slot to pay it. It zoomed noiselessly away just as his parents reached us.

  “Daniel!” The woman, who had golden hair just like North’s, held out her arms. North embraced her warmly. When he pulled back, there were tears in both their eyes.

  “Hi, Mom,” he murmured and I saw him swipe at his eyes hastily with his sleeve.

  “It’s so good to have you home safe for the Break.” She smiled at him but I could see something broken in her warm expression. Obviously it was going to be hard for her—having North home without her other son to complete their family. I wondered uneasily if I should have allowed North to talk me into coming after all.

  Then North’s father gripped him by the shoulder and pulled him into a bear hug. “Good to have you back, Daniel,” he said huskily, when he released North at last. “We’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you too, Dad.” North smiled and I reflected that up until that moment I had never even known his first name. Daniel. It was nice—it suited him. Though to me, he would always just be North.

  “Well now, let’s not forget we have a guest.” North’s mother held out a hand for me to shake, which I did a bit awkwardly. “Kris, isn’t it?” she asked and I nodded.

  “Thank you so much for having me to your lovely home, Mrs. North,” I said formally, just as I would have during an afternoon tea in Victoria.

  “Oh my, such manners!” She laughed. “Maybe you can teach my son a thing or two.”

  “From what North tells me, he already has.” North’s father turned piercing blue eyes that looked exactly like North’s in my direction. “Thank you for tutoring Daniel in Astro Navigation. He tells me he would have had a hard time passing without you.”

  “Oh, no. Not really…” I could feel my cheeks heating up and then worried that it wasn’t a manly reaction. North was used to me now, used to thinking of me as a male. But would his parents see through my disguise? I lifted my chin and tried to deepen my voice. “I mean, he does fine on his own.”

  “Well, that’s not what he says.” North’s father clapped me on the back. “We’re very grateful.”

  “And very glad to welcome you to our home.” North’s mother gestured at the house. “Come on, let’s get you situated.”

  We climbed the stairs in single file and went in through the broad driftwood door. Inside it was just as lovely. All the furniture appeared to be made of driftwood too, but the knobbly outer bones of the couch and chairs were softened by large, plush pillows in a variety of colors. North’s mother seemed to have a liking for antiques from Earth-that-was—vases and figurines were scattered around in an artless, easy style that added to the warm feeling of the house.

  “This is all so beautiful,” I murmured as North, his mother, and I climbed another spiral staircase which led to the second floor. “I’ve never seen such an extraordinary house.”

  “Well thank you, Kris.” North’s mother beamed at me. “I do love to decorate although my boys tell me I go overboard sometimes. Jamie always says—” She stopped abruptly and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. Jamie is…was my youngest son. I’m sure…sure North has told you about him.”

  “Some,” I said cautiously. As we came to the top of the stairs, I turned to face her. “I’m, um, very sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you, dear.” She gave me that warm but broken smile again. “And I hope we don’t make you uncomfortable. We’re still learning to live without him. It…hasn’t been easy.”

  “I understand,” I said. “That is, I’ve never lost anyone except my mother and that was when I was born. But I can only imagine…” I trailed off, feeling stupid but North’s mother smiled at me again and put a hand on my shoulder.

  “You’re a very sweet boy. I can see why Daniel likes you so much.”

  “Mom!” North’s cheeks were red with embarrassment but I found myself smiling back at his mother