Once Upon A Night’s Sky

James Bennet had always had a way of picking things up quickly, maybe just a little too quickly. His mother had called him her little star. His brother had called him bloody lucky. His father had called him intelligent. His teachers had called him gifted and now the officer in front of him was calling him a cheater. James blinked.

“I didn’t cheat,” he blurted. The words not quite registering as he sat up straight within the chair he had been slouching in only moments before the officer had charged into the empty room.

“Don’t mess with me boy!” The officer warned taking a step closer to James’ sitting form. In the silence of the small box room the officer’s voice was a power of force. Standing strong against the older man’s intimidating size James never broke his eye contact.

“I did not cheat!” James persisted this time with more conviction. The officer watched him closely for a moment before straighten his crossed arms throwing an item of paper towards the desk situated ahead of James.

“Then just how did you manage to score a near hundred percent in your entrance examination?” The officer breathed through a clench jaw. James looked down to find the sheets of paper the officer had thrown upon the desk had been the remains of the general knowledge examination he had sat only hours before. His eyes scanned the top sheet taking in the hastily written score in the top corner. It read 99.5%. James sighed letting his fingertips run through the short spikes of his rusty raven hair before turning back to the officer.

“I did not cheat” James repeated for a third and final time. “Look why would I cheat, I mean the results are just going towards a personal profile aren’t they?” James concluded trying to reason with the officer’s sense of logic. The older man frowned watching James closely.

“You wanted to rank highly. Score well in all subjects, become captain maybe?” the officer branded, watching him with a knowing look as James breathed deeply his own jaw tightening.

“What good would it do to lie about what I’m not good at,” James slowly questioned in return. If James knew anything about this war it was to never overestimate your skills. It was a trait that would get you killed and that was something James was never planning on letting happen. Nowhere in his intent was he about to become captain he had a reason enough for that.

“Even your brother didn’t score a near perfect result,” and there it was, his brother. James ignored the branded comment never breaking the officer’s eye contact. He had done nothing to feel guilty about.

“What exactly was my athletic and strength rating?” James breathed as he lent back against the spine of his chair once more. He let a deep breath escape his lips calming himself as the officer watched him slowly.

A moment passed before the officer suddenly turned snapping his eyes away from James’ as he stormed from the white walled room. Yet James barely had a moment to let a relaxing sigh escape his lips before the officer charged into the room once more a look of distaste spread across his eyes.

“Average,” the officer breathed, James nearly smiled

“Some people are just better at other things like facts and numbers rather than brute strength. I did not cheat.” James stated eyeing the officers structured build with a knowingly look. The old man clenched his teeth once more.

“I’m going to keep my eye on you boy,” the officer warned before picking James’ tests back from on top of the desk and charging from the room once more.

James sighed as he let his eyes close to the empty room.

“Great” he thought as he rested the back of his head against the chilled wall behind trying to even his breathing. It had been a little over two weeks and someone was already keeping a close eye on him. His plan of laying low wasn’t being put into motion in the executing effect he had hoped. Yet with a brother like his just what had he been expecting?

It been a long week and a tough two weeks since he had first been handed his recruitment date. Though James had known in detail about each physical and non physical test he would be put through when he arrived at the recruitment centre they had still been a tough shock to his system. His brother’s insights into the examinations could only get him so far.

There had been a series of four examinations just as Dylan had written about. Each taking a day alone the first had been a series of fitness assessments. The day had dragged and tired James’ muscles to the brink of exhaustion. He had known it hadn’t been one of his best performances. The second day had involved an experiment with space environment and coping. Though James had been barely able to move the entire day he had felt it had gone well. Moving into the third day they had been tested and analysed upon their general skills including mechanics and first aid. Lastly the fourth day had concluded of general knowledge and IQ exams. It was upon these last two days that James had felt he would perform the strongest and he hadn’t been wrong.

The results from each day were put together to portray the candidates strengths and weaknesses. Together this personal profile would show the armed forces where the candidate would benefit them the most. Walking into the recruitment station James had known that he would have acceded in the intelligent tests but the fitness is where he had also known he would lack. James wasn’t weak but he had never been strong. He had grown up knowing where his strengths had laid and that had been his mind, yet James also knew that intelligence could only get him so far.

Dropping his hands he pushed against the wooden surface of the desk standing to his feet. Raising his left hand he reached for the frames that perched against the bridge of his nose as his right started its assault against his tired eyes. Though James was often to be seen wearing these simple black frames he in fact only needed them to read. Taking the glasses he pushed them deep within the inside pocket of his jacket as he slipped his arms through the sleeves. James needed sleep. He needed to gain back the strength he had lost in the last few intense days. It was only going to get worse as their training began.

Closing the door on the nearly empty room he had been held in for the most part of the day he started his way down the dimly lit corridor towards the exit. A glimpse through the only situated window the corridor held told him it was well past dark and into the night. Sleep was calling to him as was food.

As he reached the main forage James slowed softening his footsteps. Behind the receptions situated desk a young woman with fiery curls and beaming smile looked up from her computer screen. Tilting her head gently to the side the young woman watched James with question as he continued to stay in his paused state. He had never been overly good with women especially the ones he was attracted to. With heat rising to his cheeks James moved towards her.

“Bennet,” James spoke before she could ask “Name?” a custom he had become used to over the last few weeks. She smiled at him softly before reaching across to her computer screen.

“James Bennett?” she asked looking up at him after a moment’s silence. James nodded respectively as he came to a stop leaning his frame against the mahogany wood work of the desk she was perched behind.

“Your two weeks are up,” she stated looking back between James and her screen. James nodded softly he already knew this he had been counting down the days correspondingly.

“Do you know when my departure date is set for?” nodding the women turned to her left letting the wheels of her chair slide across the tiled flooring for a moment as she reached across to an open draw. James stiffened this was it, he may have had to wait an agonizing year but the moment he would find out his department date was finally upon him.

“It never even registered,” the young women whispered as her hands paused upon the envelope branded with James’s name. “Your Dylan’s younger brother aren’t you?” she asked looking up at him. James stumbled against the counter his stomach dropping as the pity behind her eyes hit him with unexpected force. He never moved but she seemed to understand.

“He was in my year you know, always so polite truly a gentlemen.” She paused sighing “How’s Jenna I haven’t spoken to her since well...” the young women trailed off as she placed the envelope upon the wooden work top before him. James shifted as she picked up on his uneasiness. He would never get better at this.

“She’s fine,” he lied as he picked the envelope from the counter. Jenna had been his brother long term girlfriend for as long as he could remember and the fact was he hadn’t spoken to her in months. He had posted a letter through her door before he had left but she had never agreed with his decision to recruit and as much as James respected her opinion he didn’t need her to try and stop him either.

Baring the young woman with a nod goodbye he set for the exit slowly turning his back to her. His hand pushed against the cold metal of the doors handle as the young woman called out to him one last time

“Good luck,” she breathed

“Thank you.” James replied never quite turning to face her as he escaped through the door. He had never really been any good at goodbyes.

***

Walking into the night the wind blew rapidly against his hands as he fought to open the letter within the envelope he had been handed only moments before. Squinting his dark eyes he skimmed the letter automatically picking out his departure date from London. Three days. Looking up to the night’s colourful sky James let a sigh escape his lips. Though in reality it had been only two weeks since his 21st birthday the shuttle from London had been a long time coming, too long for James. Three days and he would be leaving to join them, three days and he would be one step closer to his brother.