Time-Skip 4 Years
The final months of school passed in a blur — late-night study sessions, senior pranks, last-minute college applications, and bittersweet "lasts." Spring had arrived on Skrylimpo-7, bringing with it the restless feeling that everything was on the verge of changing.
Mason stood alone in the school courtyard, leaning against the gnarled trunk of one of the old guardian trees that ringed the campus. The bark pressed rough and solid against his back as he watched the world with a strange detachment — friends laughing too loud, teachers trying to corral students into meeting deadlines, couples sneaking kisses behind lockers like the future wasn't barreling toward them.
And Olivia, of course. Always Olivia.
She was perched on one of the picnic tables, legs swinging as she flipped through a study guide. Every so often, she'd glance up and catch Mason watching her, and toss him that crooked, knowing smirk — the one that said I see you, dummy — before lobbing a crumpled ball of paper in his direction.
Mason caught the latest missile with a lazy hand and uncrumpled it, already grinning.
"Stop brooding. We have a calc final tomorrow."
He chuckled, crumpled it again, and arced it perfectly into the recycling bin.
Over the past few years, they'd become inseparable — a unit. If Mason was around, Olivia wasn't far behind. If Olivia needed backup, Mason was already at her side. The kind of best friends that made classmates groan and mutter, "Just date already." But it was never that simple. Not for them. Not with everything they'd survived — the trauma, the dreams, the unspoken things wrapped tight like wire between their ribs.
Still, Mason wouldn't have traded it for anything.
He looked down at the datapad in his hands. The confirmation message glowed softly on the screen.
**Application Accepted: CMSC Academy.
Mason's breath caught in his throat. He gripped the datapad tighter, like the message might disappear if he let go.**
A real shot. A real future. A chance to become the person he'd promised himself — and Olivia — he could be.
His heart thudded hard against his ribs.
He hadn't told her yet. He didn't know why. Maybe part of him was scared. Scared that the future he was chasing would mean leaving her behind.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Olivia hopped down from the table and wandered over, hands stuffed into the pockets of her threadbare jacket.
"What's up, Phoenix?" she teased, using the nickname she'd given him years ago — back when he first admitted he wanted to rise from the ashes of his past.
The word struck him differently now. He thought of the phoenix again, from that old pamphlet with the curling fire. Rebirth. Rising. Becoming something new.
Mason smiled, despite the weight in his chest. "Nothing," he said.
"Liar." She bumped her shoulder against his, settling in beside him under the tree's shade.
For a moment, they stood in silence, watching the chaos around them — the rush of adolescence slamming against the inevitable shore of adulthood.
"Feels weird," Mason said, voice low. "Everything's about to change."
Olivia nodded, eyes distant. "Yeah. It is."
She didn't sound sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.
Mason looked down again at the datapad, the screen still glowing.
"Liv…" He hesitated. "I got in."
She blinked. "In? Where?"
He tilted the screen toward her.
Her eyes widened.
"…Mason. The CMSC Academy?"
He nodded, pulse pounding. For a second, she just stared — like she was seeing him in a new light. Then she stepped forward and threw her arms around him. "I knew you would," she whispered, holding tight. "I knew it."
Mason held on, grounding himself against the swell of emotion. But even as he wrapped his arms around her, something sharp twisted deep in his chest.
Change was coming. Fast. And he wasn't sure they could outrun it.
He loosened his grip, but Olivia didn't let go right away. When she finally stepped back, her hands stayed on his arms — grounding herself, maybe grounding him too.
She let out a soft, breathless laugh, blinking fast.
"You're really doing it," she said, voice thick. "You're gonna be one of those wild academy cadets."
Mason chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"If they don't kick me out first."
She rolled her eyes — that familiar eye-roll that always managed to steady him. Above them, a breeze stirred the branches. Mason caught the scent of the spring blooms nearby — sharp and sweet, like the world was determined to stay alive even as it spun into something new.
"When do you leave?" Olivia asked.
"Few weeks after graduation," he said, the words weighing down his shoulders. "They want us there early for orientation."
Her fingers twitched nervously at her side. He saw it in her face — the fear. Not fear for him. Fear of losing something. Fear of being left behind.
She forced a smile, but it came out brittle.
"You're gonna kill it," she said. "You're gonna be amazing."
He nodded, but it felt hollow.
Then, suddenly, Olivia's eyes lit with something fierce — reckless.
"You know what?" she said, stepping back.
Mason raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I'm applying too."
He blinked. "Wait. What?"
"I'm serious." Her grin widened, daring him to argue. "If you're going off to join the CMSC and launch yourself into some wild galaxy-saving adventure, I'm not just gonna sit here and run my parents' restaurant."
Mason stared at her, stunned.
"I'm not letting you get yourself killed without me," she added.
He laughed — a real, sudden laugh that punched through his chest and lightened everything for a moment.
"Olivia, the academy is brutal. It's dangerous. You can't just—"
"—be ready to punch people in the face?" she cut in. "Yeah, I've got that part down."
He laughed again, more freely now. But when it faded, they were quiet again. Eyes locked. No more joking.
"Are you sure?" he asked, voice low. "You don't have to… just because of me."
Her face softened.
"I'm not doing it because of you," she said. "I'm doing it because I want to. Because…" She hesitated. "You're my best friend. And whatever's coming next — I don't want to face it alone."
His chest tightened. He nodded, swallowing hard.
"Okay."
She smiled — a real, unstoppable smile — and looped her arm through his.
"Good. Now come on. I've got paperwork to fill out, and you're helping."
They walked together across the courtyard, sunlight drenching the world in gold. The future loomed ahead — huge, terrifying. But for the first time, Mason wasn't afraid.
They had each other. And somewhere inside him, a small ember of hope caught fire.
Later That Night
Olivia sat at her desk, bathed in the soft blue glow of her tablet. The room was dim, lit only by the flicker of a weak desk lamp and the quiet hum of the night beyond the window.
Mason had gone home an hour ago, still buzzing with excitement. She hadn't told him she hadn't submitted the application yet. Didn't want to get his hopes up. Didn't want to get hers up.
She stared at the screen.
"This is it," she whispered.
One click. Everything would change.
She hit Submit.
The screen froze — for one long second. Then a soft chime.
Application Received. Thank you for applying to the CMSC Academy.
Olivia slumped back in her chair, heart racing.
Now, the wait.
Days Later
Mason found her sitting alone outside the school library. She was hunched on a stone bench, knees to her chest, arms wrapped around them. Her face was buried. The wind played with her hair, but she didn't move.
"Hey," Mason said, approaching carefully. "I was looking for you."
No response.
He sat beside her.
"What happened?"
Olivia didn't speak. She reached into her jacket and pulled out her datapad, pressing it into his hand with trembling fingers.
He opened it.
CMSC Academy Admissions Division
"We regret to inform you that due to the timing of your application submission, the class for this year's intake is now closed…"
He read it twice. Then lowered it slowly.
She finally looked up. Her eyes were red, swollen.
"I waited too long," she whispered. "I was scared. I second-guessed everything. Thought I could make it perfect. Thought maybe…" She trailed off, blinking fast. "I thought we were gonna do this together."
Her voice cracked. She dropped her head into her hands.
Mason's chest twisted. He wanted to fix it, to go back and click the button for her, to punch a hole in fate and drag her through with him.
Mason placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"I'm still going," he said quietly. "And I'll be looking over my shoulder the whole time. Waiting for the day you show up and blow everyone away."
She laughed — a soft, bitter sound.
"And if they never let me in?"
He met her gaze, steady and sure.
"Then I'll still be looking."
The wind whispered through the trees. And in the silence between them, nothing needed fixing — only feeling.