• Chapter 3: Bonds



    The weeks that passed after that were almost like a dream to Cyrus, that erased the first part of the year that he spent alone. He didn’t have any classed with Rigel or Celena, but they found time to spend together, and Cyrus quickly learned a lot about his new friends. Whenever they were out of class, and not sleeping, it seemed the three were inseparable, running around the school together, making mischief like normal kids, and even studying together. It turned out that Rigel, in terms of learning and knowledge, was far ahead of the other two, knowing things that even some of the teachers might not. I short, he was a bit of a genius, more than Cyrus himself thought he could ever hope to be. Celena was amazing in her own way, too. She was more athletic than most 6 year olds ever were, and she had quick reflexes. She usually scored the highest in the flight simulation games that were in the large lounges, located near the lunchroom.

    Whenever Celena or Cyrus told him that, though, he just shrug and laugh, and tell them, “Look, that’s my only good quality…you, Celena, though you aren’t as book smart as us, you’ve got great instincts, and in those flying simulations, man, you rock! Plus, you’re really athletic.” He would pause, and then glance over to Cyrus, “and Cyrus…you’re like a perfect mix of the two of us. You’re great at everything! And you’re smart…not just knowledge-wise, but you’ve got great judgement…”

    Cyrus got embarrassed when he received praise like that, whereas Celena seemed to glow in it. If they weren’t in the lunchroom, or in one of the lounges, they were in the library, where Rigel would help them if they didn’t understand something. They would also watch old videos of battles in pace, something they wanted to get used to, since they hoped to be on one of the great vessels themselves. They’d discuss strategies used, and even come up with a few of their own, some of them crazy, but a few, they realized, were really rather clever.

    Today, however, Cyrus and his two friends, were going to study together again, for an important test coming up the next day. They had been studying for it for a while, but today would be their last chance to cram the rest of the subject knowledge into their heads. Cyrus didn’t need to take the test, though, it was Rigel and Celena’s chance to test into the classes they would need to become star Travellers. If they could pass the tests, both physical and knowledge, they’d be allowed into the classes Cyrus was taking now. Cyrus himself didn’t need to study, since he was already in them…but the other two had asked for his support, thinking he might be able to help, or diffuse any fights, since sometimes Rigel and Celena didn’t mix very well together. The two often argued about trivial things, though it rarely got too serious, since Cyrus was there to settle things down.

    As Cyrus rounded a corner, he heard a crashing sound, as if someone had fallen. And, indeed, someone had. Rigel was sitting on the floor, holding his elbow, wincing slightly, but glaring up at a group of older students, that were in Cyrus’ class. Cyrus was frozen for a moment, not in fear, but at the look in Rigel’s eyes. It was a cold, deadly look that Cyrus had never seen in the seemingly gentle natured kid’s eyes. The other boys didn’t seem to see it though, and Cyrus had a sudden worry for their safety. He had at first been worried for his friend, but at the look in Rigel’s eyes, he knew that he was worrying about the wrong person.

    Instead of backing off, though, the biggest boy, who seemed to be the leader, puffed his chest out, in an attempt to make himself look bigger, “You’ll never make the cut, loser! It’s a bit laughable to think that the son of a criminal could ever hope to be a Star traveler! Stop now while you have the chance! That little girlfriend of yours isn’t going to make it either, she’s too dumb!”

    Son of a criminal? Cyrus thought. He hadn’t heard anything about that, though none of the children had really talked about things like that. It didn’t really matter to Cyrus, though, since Rigel couldn’t possibly be responsible for whatever his parents did.

    Rigel remained silent, and only narrowed his eyes, as the boy continued. He wasn’t making anything better for himself, and Cyrus wondered how much longer Rigel would hold out. “…and like I was saying about that other punk, Cyrus. Even dirt like you shouldn’t hang around his type. He still stinks of his mother’s milk, and’ll get a full ride all the way up to the top, riding on his daddy’s coattails.”

    Cyrus felt his face go hot, in anger and embarrassment. It wasn’t like it was his fault that his father was on the Planet Board, and besides…family has nothing to do with your career path… he thought. He was about to step out, when he heard someone laughing. Blinking in surprise, he realized it was Rigel laughing. It seemed they had finally gone a bit too far.

    “Look, I don’t know what your deal is, but…” Rigel began. Cyrus peeked around the corner again, and saw that the cold look from before was replaced by a slightly annoyed one, “You should really go and study, instead of picking on weak little boys like me, unless that’s your style? We’re all going to pass on our first try, unlike you guys, who couldn’t pass until now, after three attempts. And I hear you barely made it? Please, Cyrus has more worth in his pinky toe, than all of you together…and even Celena will score higher than you.” That surprised Cyrus a little. Rigel didn’t seem to upset about them insulting him.

    What happened next, though, shocked Cyrus even more. The leader of the older boys had turned red with anger, and now stepped towards Rigel, with his fist raised. He moved to punch him, but Rigel calmly sidestepped, and then, with quickness he hadn’t seen in the other boy before, knocked the bully’s hand out of the way with one arm, and then, just as quickly hit him in the face with the palm of his hand. With a slight smile, Cyrus thought he’s a guy I’d never want to get angry…

    The boy fell to the ground, clutching at his face, and Rigel watched him for a moment, a slightly sad look on his face, although Cyrus couldn’t figure out why. The other boys were frozen for a few moments, but then exchanged glances. They hesitated a moment, and then moved towards Rigel, who glanced up at then, and took a step back, tensing slightly. That was when Cyrus made his move. He stepped around the corner, and then said, “Look, you guys sure don’t have any pride, or honor! He’s all alone, and you try to attack him, 3-to-1? It’s not very fair.”

    “Cyrus!” Rigel said, eyes widening slightly, in surprise. The surprise was quickly replaced by a slight smile.

    “Tsk. Just when it was getting good…” a familiar voice called out from somewhere nearby. Celena rounded the corner from the other side, frowning slightly. She made her way over to Rigel, who Cyrus was now standing in front of. “Well, looks like it’s evened up, now!” she said, cracking her knuckles with a devilish grin.

    Rigel, no longer worried by the bullies, made a slight pout, “Hey…if you two were watching the whole time, why didn’t you help?”

    Celena, who now seemed to be ignoring the three bullies, glanced back at Rigel, raising an eyebrow, “Hey, I don’t wanna have to hold your hand and take you to the bathroom! Besides, that little show you put on was interesting…you’ll have to teach me that move one day…”

    Rigel shook his head, and then looked at Cyrus. For a moment, he looked worried, but then his gaze shifted to the three bullies, who were looking less confident than before. Even they had heard of Celena, who scored near perfect on all the physical classes, including self defense. Even though they were bigger, they’d lost their leader, who was sobbing lightly, blood still spilling from his nose, and collecting into a small pool by his face.

    Cyrus smiled slightly at Rigel, and then turned to the boys as well, and then said, “Look, we’re not really looking for a fight right now. If you leave now, and take your little…friend with you, we won’t tell anyone about this. After all, you could get in a lot of trouble, for bullying someone.” Cyrus had a smile on, but his voice was tight, and made no room for questions. The boys looked at each other, and then on of them bent down over their leader. They picked him up, and without another word, took off.

    Cyrus let out a sigh of relief, and turned to see Celena laughing quietly, and a relieved looking Rigel, who was now leaning up against the wall. “Well!” Celena said, patting Cyrus on the back, “That went pretty well! Good job you two!” She seemed to be the only one not bothered by what had just happened. She actually seemed to have enjoyed it a bit, and was now smiling cheerfully at the other two.

    Rigel sighed, “Well…I don’t think I’ll be able to study after that…” he muttered, shaking his head. Cyrus agreed. It was a little too much excitement than he’d bargained for that day, and he didn’t feel like he would be able to concentrate all that well, if they were to study.

    “Well, I won’t say no to passing up studying! Besides, with all that you guys have taught me, I’ll be sure to pass both tests!” Celena said, tilting her head slightly. “So, should we just hang out and read books? Or something? Or should we play some games?”

    Rigel and Cyrus glanced at each other and laughed, both thinking the same thing. Only Celena would start a fight with three older boys, scare them off, and then want to play games.

    They did end up playing games, though, but decided to leave early, so Rigel and Celana could sleep. Cyrus seemed much more anxious than the other two, though, for the upcoming test. He desperately wanted them to pass, both for them and himself. He realized that his first two friends would probably be with him for a long, long time, if they passed these tests.

    While Rigel and Celena both got enough sleep, Cyrus was kept awake by worry, and excitement. He was sure they would both pass, after the three of them had studied together. They were, collectively, at the level that Cyrus’ classes were at now, so he didn’t see how they couldn’t pass. Still, he was worried that maybe they wouldn’t have covered everything or…well, he stayed up almost all night thinking about everything that could go wrong.

    The next day, he sat outside the testing rooms, nervously pacing the hallway. Classes were called off that day, just for these tests. Of course, the star Traveler’s test wasn’t the only one going on today, since there were many other career choices. So Cyrus worried by himself, in front of the closed door, as his friends took the test that would help decide their future. If they didn’t pass this time, he knew they could retake it, like the four bullies from the day before had, but they usually struggled to keep up with the classes after that, since they had to take even more, in an even shorter time than normal. All he could do now was hope that they made it. Since the tests were taken by computer, on special work desks, where they could write, the scores would be known almost instantly. The physical tests were done in the same room. They weren’t very spectacular events, just reflexes, and flexibility, simple things, maybe a little running, and that would be scored on the spot too. After both tests were completed, the students would know whether they passed or not.

    He fretted up until the moment when his two dear friends stepped out from the room. He couldn’t read their expressions at first, they were a bit neutral, and he thought his heart would stop beating. But then they glanced at each other, and Celnaa broke into a broad grin, running the rest of the distance. She threw her arms around Cyrus, and cried out, “We both passed!” Rigel came up behind her, grinning happily, but saying nothing

    Cyrus was frozen, and Celana finally let go of him. He was too happy for words, and the other two chuckled lightly. “Aw, look, Rigel, he was more worried about it than us!”

    “It sure does seem that way, Celana…I think we might have broken him with out wonderful news! Of course..to make things even better, I scored the highest on the knowledge test…and of course, our little demon here far outranked all of us in the physical test! She didn’t do too badly on the knowledge test though. All that studying paid off!”

    “Oh hush you, he’s still trying to cope with the ‘passing’ part…hey, hey, Cyrus! Earth to Cyrus? We’re going to be Star Travelers together!”

    “Th-that’s…” Cyrus managed, and then smiled, grabbing both of their hands, “Yeah…we’ll be able to travel the stars together…” He looked at the two of them. They were all so different, and yet, like he had many times before, he sensed that their friendship wouldn’t end anytime soon.

    Rigel and Celna smiled back at him, and then Rigel said, “It’s a promise then…no matter what happens…”

    “We’ll travel the stars together, and look for new places to live…discover new things…” Celena continued, “Even if some force tries to stop us, even the government….or..or…”

    “Or something bigger…?” Cyrus added, glancing over to a nearby window, and the sky beyond it.