Chapter 8: Holster City

The following day which was the day Alex was to leave for Holster Academy, his mom prepared delicious meat soup for him and packaged another which was stored in Alex's ring.

Before Gavin, the old man who is the representative of Holster Academy came by, Amaya and her husband had a small talk with their son.

"Alex, before you go you should know that the Academy isn't an easy place for people with low societal standing. For us from small towns like this, it depends on our talent and hard work," Lucius said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Took a sip and relaxed on the couch which was opposite the center table.

"But for you. You are a talented son after all you are a Pendragon. Your mom and I expect great things from you. So go out there and make us proud, son!"

"I'll do my best and make you both proud, you don't need to worry about me," Alex replied excitedly.

"Come here, my little boy."

A loving smile hung on Lucius' lips while Amaya stood up from the couch and gave Alex a warm hug.

Not long after, a knock on the door was heard, finally Gavin had arrived. Alex and his parents said their goodbyes. It was solemn, heartwarming, and filled with a bit of sadness and longing.

The old man departed with Alex and took him where the other kids who were selected to join Holster Academy converged with the few students that were there for the Academy Selection.

There was a vehicle and the kids were gathered around it. Some of the villagers stood staring at the vehicle, while others shot a casual glance at it. Alex could hear some of the village kids talking about the vehicle.

"Wow. Mommy look, that thing is so big!"

"What's that?"

"I wish I could enter it too. It's so cool!"

The vehicle looked like a van but was larger, armoured, and bulky. Its glasses were tinted black and its tires were big, having rough edges and was sturdy. The vehicle was painted a dark blue colour with stripes of white.

'I'm guessing that's the Academy colour since the students are also dressed that way.'

On the two major sides of the vehicle, there was an emblem of a person's bicep. It was muscular. Two words curved above and below it forming a circle. 'Hardwork and Persistence.'

"Alright, we're complete. To the newbies, this vehicle is called a Spade and is used as a means of transportation by Academies. So everyone get in, let's move out!" Gavin said, his voice loud and clear.

They all got into the Spade, the newbies were filled with excitement and joy. The inside walls of the Spade were coloured white with black cushioned seats. Above the seats were white metal slabs; its purpose, was for the keeping of luggage.

There were a total of 20 seats inside, which were well spaced. Alex sat down on the seat. An irresistible sigh escaped his lips. He was shocked at how comfy and soft the seats were.

A few seconds after everyone was seated, the Spade engine roared to life and drove away from Marko Town, leaving it behind.

The journey to Holster Academy was uneventful and boring to Alex. The only thing he enjoyed a bit, was the view of the places they passed. Yeah, a bit because of how fast the Spade was. The vehicle was nothing but amazing. Before he could make out the objects he saw, they would be gone in the blink of an eye.

Three kids including Alex had been selected by Gavin. One of them, a girl, tried striking up a conversation with a student who was seated near her, asking questions about the Academy but it only lasted a few minutes.

Hours passed and it was evening, the Spade was still on the road. They had passed through several villages and towns as well as a city. During the time the Spade travelled through the city, it slowed down a bit as other vehicles were moving on the road.

'I heard from that student the girl was talking with that the journey would be for a whole day. I should better eat something.'

Alex summoned the packaged food from the ring and it appeared in his hands. His action caused surprise and envious stares from the others. There was one in particular, a student, who kept stealing glances at Alex's hand. Alex noticed this but didn't mind, he felt sorry for them that they had nothing to eat.

The aroma of the meat soup wafted through the air causing more stares at him. In front of them, Alex consumed it all unapologetically.

*****

In a dinner room with a beautiful chandelier hanging on the ceiling, a table was filled with delicious and luxurious foods. Ranging from grain to meat to vegetables. The sound of merry and laughter could be heard and felt in the room. This was the dining room of the White family.

On one end was a man who looked to be in his late fifties. His black hair was cut short and greyed at the sides, on his face was a pair of crystal glasses.

At his right-hand side, a teenage girl sat, with blue eyes, the same as the man sitting beside her. A smile hung on her face as she ate the food on her plate, but it was devoid of any form of genuineness. There were six chairs at the sides of the table, two occupied by the middle-aged man and the teenage girl. The others were occupied by the remaining members of the family.

A lady sat opposite the man, on her right side two young men were seated, and on her left, a teenage boy and then the teenage girl; both having a striking resemblance.

"I can't believe I've earned my third designation," Matt said, a broad smile on his handsome face.

"As expected of my firstborn son," Gerald White, the head of the White family said.

"We're so proud of you son!" The lady, Floral White said happily. Matt's two younger brothers shared in his joy as they congratulated him.

"Hazel, won't you-"

"Dad, I also want to join an Academy,"

Gerald was interrupted by his teenage daughter. A tense silence hung in the air before it was broken by the sound of Gerald sighing.

"Sweetie, we've talked about this before. You can't join an Academy, there's no need for you to join one. With your ability, you'll lead our White family to greater heights. Everything you need is right here."

"I don't care about leading the family, Dad. Why doesn't Matt do that instead? This is my life, I'll choose the way I want to live it. Not you, not the White family!" Hazel replied, her tone rising and a bit of anger seeping into her voice.

None of them had ever heard their father being spoken to in such a manner before. After all, he is Gerald White, one of the four kings of Lurora Empire.

The tenseness of the silence was much more this time around. It remained a while longer until it was broken once again by Gerald.

His clear blue eyes shone with an amused light. He chuckled after hearing the feminine childish voice of his youngest and only female child.

"Watch your tone, sweetie. The last time I checked, I am still your father and it is my responsibility to do what is best for you, whether you like it or not,"

"And as far as you live under my roof, you will do as I say. Is that clear?" Gerald stated and locked eyes with Hazel. Unable to withstand the overbearing gaze of her father, Hazel was forced to look away.

She clenched her fist, biting down on her lip. Instead of replying, she abruptly stood up and hurriedly walked away. Suppressing the tears in her eyes from rolling down her cheeks, she pushed the large double doors that led out of the dining room and headed for the spiralling stairs.

As she walked through the hallways above, the maids hastily went out of her way until she got to her room and shut the automated door.

Hazel sat at the side of her luxurious purple bed. Using a handkerchief, she dabbed the sides of her eyes, letting out a deep sigh, and smiled ever so cutely.

'As far as I live under your roof, you say. Well, everything went as I thought it would,' Hazel said to herself and chuckled.

The smiling girl seated at the edge of her bed was a vast contrast to the girl in the White Family dinner room.

Hazel was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a knock on her door.

"Baby girl, you there?" Her mother's voice reached her ears.

She remained seated contemplating whether she should open the door or not. Was she angry at her mom? Certainly not. Did she blame her mother for what happened? Maybe, even she didn't know.

Hearing the plea and worry in her mother's voice as she knocked once again, her heart softened and she stood up and let her in.

The two of them sat on the luxurious bed with Floral's arms wrapped around her daughter.

"I'm sorry about what happened, baby girl. You know your Dad can be hard sometimes. That's just because he's protective-" Floral was saying but was interrupted by Hazel.

"He's overprotective. What's wrong with going to an Academy?"

Floral smiled pulling Hazel to rest on her chest.

"That's because you're the ace of our family. If Rival families were to know of your ability, they would either try to take you for themselves or make it such that none of us will have you,"

"By that, I mean they will seek for you die."

Hazel sighed and gave Floral a long, warm hug.

'You can't be certain about that. I've made up my mind already. I want to experience the world for myself, I want to be free from this cage... I'm gonna miss you, mom.' Hazel said internally. After that, Floral left the room.

It was already late into the evening. The sun had gone down and the sky had darkened. It was a starless and moonless night.

Hazel sat in front of a table placed opposite a mirror that was attached to the wall of her room. Several ornaments and ointments were displayed on the surface of the table. There was a violet liquid in a bowl that Hazel was currently applying to her hair.

It changed her hair colour from jet black to a vibrant violet colour. After she was done, she went to the bathroom, and the sound of the shower was heard for some minutes. She dried her now wet and violet hair with a towel and hair dryer before styling it into pigtails.

Suddenly a knock was heard on the door of her room. A panicked expression appeared on her face until she heard the voice of the person knocking.

"Haze, you there? It's me,"

'Thank goodness. It's just Jason' She sighed in relief and went to open the door.

Jason walked into the room, his face looking identical to that of Hazel. When he saw her now violet hair, he shook his head and sighed.

"So you're carrying out this crazy plan of yours?"

"Don't call it crazy. If you say it's crazy that would mean I'm crazy, which I'm not. I'm just smart. And yes, I'm carrying it out...I'm running away from home," Hazel replied.

"I see your mind is already made up. Here, take this. That's all I've got for now." Jason said, handing her sixty gold coins.

"Mom, Dad, and Matt are in the sitting room below, Jared is in his room, and I'm... here." Jason reported, a sad expression appearing on his face.

Hazel took the coins and gave her twin brother a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Jace. I promise I'll be fine."

"Okay"

Jason left, leaving Hazel to her endeavours. A few minutes later, she was dressed in a black hooded jacket that covered her hair and black sweatpants.

An electronic pad appeared in her hands which she summoned from a storage ring on her finger.

"Royal Academy is the closest Academy I can get to but Dad will easily find me there. I'll let fate decide this one," Hazel thought to herself. She put the electronic pad back in her ring and immediately after she left her room through the window leaving the luxuries behind and looking forward to experiencing life to its fullest.

*****

The Spade continued to travel at a fast pace without making any stops. The students and recruited kids were given a pill which according to Gavin had all the necessary nutrients their body needed to function.

It diminished their hunger a bit but was nothing compared to eating a delicious meal.

When it was daybreak, the vehicle had reached another city. There was a billboard up front with the words "Welcome to Holster City"

'We seem to have reached our destination. Holster City huh, I guess the Academy got its name from the city' Alex thought as he smiled expectant to reach the Academy.

He marvelled at the skyscrapers and high-rise buildings in the city. Its inhabitants looked elegant, all dressed in nicely tailored suits, expensive pieces of jewellery, or driving beautifully designed cars that made little to no noise. The difference between Holster City and Marko Town was like light and darkness.

They journeyed a few hours before a wall appeared on the horizon. As they got closer, the wall became taller and wider. The wall was white, it looked like it was cut from a hard rock and its surface was rigid and uneven.

It turned out to be a fence that stood about 70 metres in height and stretched for several kilometres. The Spade reached a dark blue-colored gate that was 20 times the size of the Spade.

On top of the gate were letters made of the same material the gate was made from, forming the words HOLSTER ACADEMY. After travelling for a day and some hours, Alex and the others had finally arrived at the Academy.