The Coordinate

Chapter 1: Empty Skies

Bright glitters scattered across the sky. Captured fireflies glued to the abyss. The escorts of a pale, beautiful maiden that danced on an empty pavillion to guide travelers and decorate the darkness.

They were stars.

That's what her mother told her. That's what they looked like, and they were always above you whenever darkness took root, telling you that no moment is ever truly black, reminding you that if the night gets darker, then one must shine brighter.

But they were there no longer. The maiden in the skies was now covered in a veil that she hated to wear, and her escorts were gone, and the maiden was left to its lonesome. However, lonely as the maiden may be, the fate of her escorts was a tale sadder than hers, and each of them was lonelier than she was.

She wanted to see them. She wanted to see the stars, the real ones. She had wanted to see it dance and fly and shoot throughout the sky, but when she looked overhead, there was nothing but a claustrophobic darkness.

In a moment, the city lights below flared up all at once, and the lights of the warding towers lit up the horizon, keeping the darkness at bay. They were false starlights, she thought. Imperfect replications of the real thing. 

White small puffs fluttered from above, piling and collecting on her boots and hair. They were cold and soft. They looked like they came from that same empty pavillion, only now they were weeping and battered, less white and cold than how she remembered them to be. 

She took a deep breath, taking in the cold, crisp air. The winter winds blew on her face as her hair glided on it. Her skin didn't mind the night's cold. In fact, she relished on it. Her gaze still laid glued overhead, her eyes darting for a small glimmer, a glimpse of the real thing.

Just a moment would satisfy her. She just wanted to see it with her own two eyes, then grab unto it with her own two hands. 

Bright light polluted her eyes, filling her periphery and coming from behind her. She turned around, finding a familiar silhouette of a man on the doorway. The door closed behind the man and approached her. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was Jordan, walking towards her on the snow-filled balcony.

"Knew I'd find you here." Jordan said, leaning towards the balcony railing with her. His long, brown hair was tied into a bun. His narrow eyes, chiseled face, and green eyes was somehow more visible in a dimmer paler light.

"Where else would I be every night?" Winter replied.

Jordan snorted, "Touching yourself under the sheets, maybe?"

Winter's eyes widened, her face warmed up, "Err... that too, but did you really have to bring it up?"

"Not necessarily, I  just came to tell you to have dinner already. They've cooked up a feast to celebrate."

"Celebrate for what exactly?"

"Getting into the Collegium Initiative Program's Career Capability Test, I guess."

"Oh. Right."

Jordan turned around and leaned on the railing on his back and turned to Winter. Her pale skin glistened in the false starlight, her red hair was like the dying ember on a blackened, sooted wood. 

"So, did you a star?" Jordan started,

"Not a single one. And it's supposed to be a special day too. It's the winter solstice, you see. The night's supposed to be longer and darker tonight."

"Yeah, and tonight's when we fly go to New York's underground city to take the capability test. You nervous?"

"Why would I be nervous?"

"Mrs. Finch said the passing rate for the spacer exam is 0.7%."

"Oh..." she gulped, "Well, I'm nervous now. Thanks, smartass."

Jordan took a small capsule from his pocket, and with a press of a button, a flushing sound, like a gentle stream, came from it. He handed it over to her, "Want it? It's ice cold, just the way you like it."

Winter took the capsule, opened it, and took a sip. An ice cold chocolate drink and snow, the perfect pair to start the night. "Thanks," she said, "So, you'll be an engineer, right? What kind of engineering exam are you looking forward to taking in the capability tests?"

"Bio engineering and mechanical engineering, I guess. I've taken a liking to it."

"Two? At the same time?"

"Yeah, would that be hard?"

"Yes, it-" she paused, then playfully snorted, "Actually, for you, not really. Only the ace student of the Protostar Academy can achieve such a feat after all." 

Jordan smiled back, "Well, I am a genius and a prodigy after all. It's barely a challenge for someone like..." He petered out as Winter's sad gaze fell on him, "Hey, Winter, what's wrong?"

"Nothing really, it's just that you can easily achieve your own dream with that kind of talent. Becoming a spacer demands more from me than it does for anyone."

Jordan's eyes lit up, "Well, why don't you stop trying to be a spacer and... you know, pursue another career? With the capability test and as a part of the Collegium Initiative, someone in the industry is bound to hire-"

"Out of the question. I'm only going to be a spacer, or I'm not pursuing other jobs at all."

Jordan's brows slanted, "But think about it, being a spacer is strenous, difficult, and dangerous. Getting into a Spacer Bay is difficult enough already, being an actual spacer is even harder. Is that really worth it for all you have to do?"

"Yes. It's worth it." she said assertively.

"Hm. Well, let's leave it at that." Jordan said, reaching his hand out to Winter's own. Winter snorted cynically and handed the capsule to him. He took a swig of the sweet drink before handing it back to Winter.

"If you do it like that, Mrs. Finch might think we're drinking alcohol."

"It's fine. We're 19 years old. We're practically responsible enough to do that."

"We need to be 21 though." said Winter.

"Pshh. Who the f**k actually drinks alcohol at 21 though? Age ranges are so arbitrary."

"There you are breaking conventional rules and laws again." Winter laughed. Her face then turned forlorn as she gazed back to the skies. "Say," her voice lowered, "What do you think life was back then? Before the novasapiens came here and integrated themselves with us?"

"Why that a question?"

"Well, it's just that mom said her grandmother enjoyed that life a lot. You know, more trees, fresher air, birds aren't mostly extinct, and those goddamn exhaustions in the skies didn't exist yet?"

Jordan paused, contemplating, "Life may have been more peaceful and enjoyable back then, but less convenient and more stressful."

"Right? Isn't that a kind of world you want to return to even if it has its fair share of downsides?"

Jordan sneered at her, "You watch too eco movies."

"What, no. I've always just thought that life back then was... much more fulfilling than this, I suppose."

"Can you tolerate religion?" Jordan spat,

"Well, I think their followers are annoying, but I don't hate them."

"Would you like a world where most people in it were religious? Because that was the world back then." snorted Jordan, "Guess finding out that humans came from novasapiens and not some magical omnipotent being did more than just shatter their faith."

"Religious people still exist, you know." 

"Yeah, and they're violent. The normal ones lurk in internet forums to talk about ridiculous conspiracy theories," Jordan sneered.

"So much for that," Winter said. "I just want a better world than this, I guess."

Jordan's ears perked up, "You said the same thing nine years ago."

"Yeah, and I still remember you promising that you'd make this world better for me and my mom." 

"I was and still am serious about that, Winter." Jordan's smile disappeared from his face. He stopped by the doorway, and said, "In any case, we should head back in. Don't want to keep the rest of them waiting, do we?"

"I suppose so," Winter said, following Jordan inside.

Inside the building, they walked across the halls and stepped downstairs, where humans and novasapiens of their age circled a large table full of food. One of them noticed the two upstairs and rose a cup, "There's the star child. Come on down, Jordan!" 

"You're already their friend?" Winter whispered to him,

"Of course I am. I'm a delight." Jordan said before gleefully rushing downstairs, filling a seat and lost himself into their conversations. Winter lagged behind and filled a seat beside the only person she recognized in the room other than Jordan; Rori.

The short-haired, toned girl wore tank tops as she ate, and was more or less just as shy and unsociable as Winter was.

"Hey, Winter," Rori started, reaching for a plate and giving it to Winter.

"Hi. Congratulations for passing the Selection."

"Hey, you passed too. Congratulate yourself too."

"Yeah, but I got the lowest scores out of all of the people here."

"Winter, 19 people out of 4,000 in Alaska passed the Selection. Even if you're the lowest scorer here, you've more potential than most students in the state, probably even the world."

"That makes sense." Winter smiled. "Thanks."

She then helped herself with the food, taking mostly sweets, desserts, and meat, until her plate was full of nothing but cupcakes, a chicken leg, and macaroons.   

"Of course you'd go for the sweets. I bet you want some ice cream too," said Rori.

"Yeah, I'd like some ice cream! Is there some?"

"Yeah, that guy Jordan's talking to is a pastry chef. Made all the deserts himself. I overheard him brag about making something called 'flash ice cream'."

"Oh, nevermind then," Winter said, taking a bite from the cupcake. "Wow," she blurted, "No wonder he passed the Selection."

"Less talking more eating, Winter. Everyone's eyeing the desserts too, you know."

Her eyes panned to every single individual in the table as she munched. She had different impressions of what was supposed to be the most talented young adults in the state. She pictured sophisticated women in silky drapes and cocktail dresses holding up wine glasses and talking about the dullest of things like politics, or classy men in suits shaking hands and exchanging pretentious philosophical ideas. Instead, what laid in front of her was the same kind of people you'd find in a normal classroom, filling each stereotype one would see in an average teen movie. That was a good thing, she thought.

Everyone in here hailed from different schools, and most of them had already socialized and worked together to create this lavish dinner. Certainly not what I had imagined.

Her eyes then turned to Jordan, who was seemingly the heart of the table. From where Winter sat, it like Da Vinci's The Last Supper, where Jordan was the Jesus Christ. Everyone here was talented and skilled in their own way, but Jordan somehow cast a shadow over them, and it was wise to assume they must have noticed that too based on how they're treating him. 

The main door of the room parted, and came in Mrs. Finch, a novasapien and their advisor. 

A translucent horn, paler skin tone, and an underdeveloped tail were the identifiers of a novasapien. Other than these three unique features, they looked, behaved, spoke like humans, which Winter supposed made their integration into human society seem so seamless.

One glance at Mrs. Finch was enough to instill a certain kind of submission and respect to anyone that laid eyes on her. All except for one person, who the advisor had taken a liking to years ago. And that person was no other than Jordan.

"Hello everyone," she started, This is a nice party you have here. No alcohol, okay? I don't want any of you having a hangover for tomorrow. Anyways, I'm Finch Ilya. I'm from the Protostar Academy in the Alaskan underground city, Sisix. I'll be overseeing you all as you take up the Collegium Initiative Capability Test. I've also helped in handpicking results from the Selection, so make no mistake that everyone here is talented and skilled in their own way. All of you are students that I and the Council of Sectorates approve of to lead this world. I hope that the capability test will propel you to your desired roles and careers if you pass, and will not dissuade you from your studies and passions if you fail. Make sure to also form connections with the proctors and fellow exam takers  there as they may help you in the future." Finch inhaled, "So, let me be the last one to congratulate all of you." Finch bowed as every student in the room clapped. Winter joined, clapping along with them. 

"Hey, Mrs. Finch!" a voice casually called. It was Jordan. Everyone in the table looked at him dumbfoundedly.

"I told Horus over here that you liked flans, so he made some. Come and eat with us."

Finch smiled, "Tempting offer. I think I'll take it. Please excuse me," she said, grabbing a seat and sitting beside her star pupil. She cleared her throat as she settled, cutting a large part of the bouncy yellow dessert into her plate. Immediately, that nervous tension was gone, all because of Jordan. The students, even Rori, returned to their gleeful states, quickly adapting and taking in Finch to their little party.

Jordan...

It was funny, actually, that someone as influential, charismatic, capable, and a million other words was under her beck and call, blindly following her like a dog. But nobody knew that. She had made sure no one did.

Because if, in the end, all goes well, she'll just be a distant memory, and Jordan... well... she  didn't even want to think what would happen to him.