Page 78 of Nova Academy

‘And they really believed that?’ Reece asked Cadmus who was telling us what I assumed was meant to be an amusing tale. It was about a time he and his friends from back home pretended to be a group of celebrities to get into a VIP section at an exclusive club.

‘Yup! And we didn’t have to pay for a thing. They were fawning all over us like we would shut the whole place down forever if they didn’t.’

Henrik piped in. ‘How didn’t they realise?’

Cadmus just shrugged. ‘I don’t think they cared one way or another, but when we started throwing around credits like it was nothing they started to take us more seriously. We may not have been celebrities, but wewererich.’

Dorian scoffed. ‘Fucking rich kids. You do whatever you want and get away with it, but if someone in poverty so much as steals a crumb from a bakery they’re locked up for life.’

The room’s mirth died down at his comment, and Cadmus looked uncomfortable as if he didn’t know how to respond to his privilege being thrown in his face. ‘Ah, I forgot you’re here on scholarship.’ He said the word as if it were a sin to speak it out loud, and not for the first time his actions highlighted how out of touch with reality this man was. He truly had never had to worry about a single thing in his entire life, and it showed.

‘Indeed. Iearnedmy spot with hard work and high scores. Not all of us have a rich Mummy and Daddy to give us everything, you know.’

What had originally been intended as a light-hearted tale had quickly morphed into an uncomfortable silence as everyoneprocessed what Dorian had just admitted. I didn’t see what was wrong with working hard for what you achieved or getting into an elite academy on scholarship because you couldn’t afford to pay your way yourself. I was utilising that benefit myself.

‘I’m here on scholarship, too,’ I spoke up to defend us scholarship kids. I might not have come from the same background as Dorian, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t working damn hard to achieve my goals. They were just completely different goals than everyone thought.

‘You are?’ he asked, and his surprise made me frown.

‘Of course. I thought everyone already knew.’

‘Um, it’s not really something people talk about openly here,’ Henrik explained to me.

‘Why not?’

He shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the new direction of the conversation. ‘Well, most of the cadets at Nova are from wealthier families.’

‘I know,’ I said, even more confused. I had obviously missed something the others believed common knowledge.

‘So most people here would consider scholarships a… sort of charity function of the school,’ he continued, his face twisting with disgust at his own words. I understood why. Scholarships as charity was a despicable perspective. Who could look at someone who had busted their ass working hard to receive the best scores possible, only to tell them they weren’t good enough because they didn’t have any money?

I must have spoken those thoughts out loud, because everyone suddenly seemed very interested in their shoes.

‘Right?’ said Dorian, who was the only one that seemed at all pleased with my commentary. ‘I’ve worked harder than all of the so-callelite, and I’m still considered beneath them? As if,’ he scoffed.

‘Anyway..’ Cadmus drew out the word. He was apparently donewith the conversation which seemed to piss off Dorian even more, who stood up and left in a huff.

‘I keep putting my foot in my mouth, huh?’ said Cadmus, and I saw a rare show of vulnerability for him as he seemed genuinely apologetic for his words.

‘You haven’t had much experience taking care of yourself without the aid of others, have you?’ I asked. I hadn’t meant for it to be an insult, merely an observation, but the way he flinched made me think thatIwas now the one sticking my foot in my mouth.

‘I joined the military to get that experience,’ he admitted in a small yet defensive voice. ‘I’m not trying to offend anyone. And I’m not sorry for how I grew up. I’ve always had money and that’s always opened doors for me that aren’t available for others. I might not understand from personal experience, but at least I’m trying to humble myself.’

I gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ‘I didn’t mean it in a bad way,’ I informed him. ‘I just meant that it can be triggering to listen to those kinds of stories when you’ve never had those privileges for yourself. The way I grew up… I wouldn’t wish that onanyone, but it’s just made me appreciate the good things more. Work harder to keep a hold of them.’

I started to say more but stopped myself just in time. Talking about my past was a dangerous route, and I already said too much.

‘Can I ask you something, Arty?’ Reece addressed me from his perch against the kitchenette’s countertop.

I tensed, ready to shoot down anything I couldn’t answer. ‘Sure…’

‘Did you grow up in a cult?’

I blinked. That wasn’t the direction I had expected the questions to go, nor had I expected him to be so blunt. I was about to say no, but then I thought about it a bit more. I hadn’t technically grown up in a cult, per se, but I had grown up in a comparable manner.

The innocently curious expression on his and everyone else’sfaces pushed me to do something I didn’t think I ever would: talk about my past. ‘I wouldn’t call it acult,’ I started. ‘But I was isolated and sheltered from the worlds outside the compound. And there were a lot of rules. Breaking them came with some pretty severe consequences, too. And we were expected to do things… things I didn’t want to do…’ I trailed off.

Memories bombarded me of spittle flying from angry-set mouths as I was shouted at for refusing an order. Or failing one. Of the way I felt when they demanded I hurt people‘in the name of science.’Or how they threatened others to force my obedience.

---