Once inside the large mirrored administration building, she took the elevator to the fourth floor and checked in with a receptionist.
“Please have a seat.” The woman directed Ari to white chairs lined against the wall.
Ari sat stiffly, glancing around the office. Sleek angles and designs were muted with soft colors, but it still had a doctor’s office feel.
“Ariana Mendez, Advisor Williams is ready to see you.” A mechanical voice spoke from her HUB.
Ari stiffened. She’d forgotten she wore a new HUB, one that the school was hooked into. She hefted her bag on her shoulder and grabbed her suitcase, wishing it didn’t look so shabby. Unlike the rest of the modern design of this room, the advisor’s door was mahogany wood. Authentic wood doors were a rarity. They cost a lot more to add security to.
In the center of the gold knocker, a small camera was buried deep within. Since the advisor was ready see her, there was no reason to prolong the inevitable. She tapped the gold knocker and a mechanical voice replied, “You may enter.”
She walked into a world of old and new mixed together. The furniture was obviously from an older era and a painting—an actual physical painting—of a golden field hung on one wall. Computerized screens covered the other wall, which sat across from his desk. This room had to be the most expensive place she had ever been in.
The man behind the desk had no trace of age, sitting tall with short black hair. The only thing that gave his age away was the surgically tight skin. Only rich people preserved themselves so well. He would probably be considered attractive, if his lips weren’t pressed into a rigid line.
“Hello, Ms. Mendez. Please take a seat.” Without looking up from his screen, Advisor Williams waved her to the over-sized leather chair in front of his desk.
She nodded while she slid into the chair.
“I have been reviewing your file for the past several minutes, and you have quite an interesting case.”
Ari shifted in her seat.
“I can see you are a bright student. Top scores on your written tests. Even an aptitude for programming and advanced problem solving. Interesting that you were assigned Virtual Programming when you didn’t complete the session though.” His voice rose hesitantly as if he wasn’t sure if he dared question the evaluation of the test himself.
Ari remained silent, the knot in her stomach twisting in worry.
Williams stared for a few moments longer before turning to Ari. “My responsibility is to make sure you are given the tools to succeed and to weed out any potential problems. Be that as it may, I hope we won’t have any problems with your adaptation into this program. I know coming from your background may pose certain ... challenges, but you’ll need to immerse yourself in the program and strive for the excellence that permeates this Academy.”
Ari had stayed silent throughout the conversation, but now she realized he expected an answer.
“I will complete the program, sir.” She had no other choice but to complete. Failure wasn’t an option.
“Good, good. That’s the spirit. I have your class schedule and some forms for you to read. Sign and return them to me by the end of the day. I can upload them directly to your tablet.”
When she pulled out her old tablet from home, he tightened his lips. “That won’t be adequate for your classwork.”
“I can make do.” Ari had rigged enough old gear. She was confident that she could manage.
Advisor Williams probably wouldn’t consider her old tablet worth killing a rat with. “I’ll send the tech department a requisition form right now, and you can head down there to pick up the new gear. In our student union, you’ll find meals, and a basic shop for clothes and other hygiene items. Your monthly stipend should be adequate to cover your needs.” He didn’t bother hiding the judgmental disdain creasing his face. “You may go.”
Ari stood and gathered her bags. She left the office as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the cold chill he gave her took longer to leave.
Her HUB directed her along a path that weaved amongst the unique buildings. Every building was slightly different in shape, and used a mixture of glass, metal, and synthetic materials. Each dorm housed a different concentration: hardware, electronic security, network systems, and a few others Ari couldn’t remember. This campus was the biggest in the west for electronics. She passed a shorter building with a constant flow of students streaming in and out. After accessing the map on her HUB, she discovered this beige building with arches on top was the student commons, holding the cafeteria, multipurpose stores, and a gym. The student tech supply center was in the rear.
She pushed back her hair and headed off. The flawless perfection of her surroundings pushed past the ordinary, becoming almost surreal, like she was on another planet. The bright flowers dotting the campus produced a rich, fragrant smell that trailed along the path.
At the tech center, she headed through the automatic doors. “The attendant will be with you shortly,” a pleasant woman’s voice spoke above her. The entry room appeared small, but behind the counter it extended farther back into a myriad of shelved rows, cubicles, and locked cabinets. An electronic sign-in screen hung from the ceiling. Her name appeared on the screen, indicating she was the next in line to be helped.
Behind the divide, a guy, entranced in a game, propped his feet up on the counter. He had canary yellow hair, which fell to his ears in a naturally messy style. It clashed horribly with the silver metallic uniform clinging to his slim build.
“Whatcha need?” He didn’t bother to look up.
Ari stepped forward. “I need a ... a computer, I guess. I’m in the virtual design program, and they said
