"When Jake and other slum kids made their way to the capital, they didn't head straight towards the city. Only straight towards the Sullivan's estate. But this time, as Jake and Curtis drove across the bridge that connected the slums to the capital, Jake was finally able to truly be in the capital. And it was a sight to behold.

It looked like a utopia: buildings that touched the sky, clean and paved streets. The atmosphere of the capital city was way different than the slums, and it felt different. As they drove, Jake looked out the window like a kid in a candy store. His eyes darted from shop to shop, scanning all the people in their nice clothes and fancy-looking dogs. He marveled at the cars they drove next to, which seemed even more expensive than the one he was in. This was Gardenia, the capital city that Jake, for the first time in his life, was in. The capital city called Glendora, and it felt like a dream.

They continued driving until Curtis pulled into a massive parking lot. They were one of many cars that parked, and as they got out, they were one of what was thousands of people walking towards a large and wide building.

"Holy shit," Jake exclaimed, "what is that? A mall?"

For the first time in a while, he was smiling. He had never been to a mall before, only the little shopping district in the slums, but they paled in comparison to what he thought was a massive mall before him. His expecting hopes were shot down as Curtis got out of the car.

"Don't be foolish, Mr. Jake. This place is much too small to be any mall. This is a gymnasium that the military academy holds the entrance exams."

Jake was disappointed but still impressed by the sight in front of him. Both Curtis and Jake became absorbed by the mass of people. The closer they got to the building, the slower they went. Jake couldn't help but look around, and something hit him.

"Hey, Butler, I thought you said this place was an academy."

Annoyed, Curtis corrected him, "My name isn't Butler, it's Curtis. And it is. Why are you asking such a foolish question?"

Jake didn't think it was foolish, and he didn't take the butler's comment as an insult either. "I'm not. It's just there aren't just young people here. There are tons of old folks here."

Curtis scanned the crowd himself, and when he did, he understood what Jake was asking. "Oh, the Gardenia Military Academy isn't like a normal school. All those that are 10 years of age and up are allowed to enroll."

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"10 years old?" Jake responded, "You're telling me that the military allows little kids to enroll and fight?"

"Yes, they do if they're skilled enough. Haven't you heard of the warrior Confucius?"

Jake's eyes narrowed. The name seemed familiar, but where did he hear it from? He dug through his mind, chasing the lingering thought. When he found it, he exclaimed, "Oh yeah, I have! From school. He was some great guy from the East, called the adoptive son of Gardenia."

Curtis rolled his eyes when Jake called one of this country's great warriors just some guy. "Yes, Confucius was from the East. When he came to this country and enrolled, he was only ten years old. He then graduated when he was eleven."

"Damn," was all Jake could muster.

"Yes, damn indeed. He then became a legendary warrior. As time passed, they were getting closer to the building, and the large crowd they were in began to separate into different lines, each line leading to a registration desk.

"Every second that passed, Curtis would look at his pocket watch. 'I wish they'd hurry up, we don't have all day,' he would say every five to ten minutes. Each time he did, the pace that he would tap his foot would increase. It didn't happen nearly as fast as he wanted to, but they eventually made it to their lines' registration desk.

Behind the desk was a wrinkled old woman with red hair. 'Hello today, may I ask, are both you young men putting in an application this afternoon?'

'No, just him,' Curtis responded, pointing at Jake.

The old woman's eyes then rested on Jake. 'Okay then, dear. I'm going to need a bit of information from you.' Her voice was soothing and calm. It made Jake crack a small smile.

'Yes, ma'am,' he responded as he watched her grab a piece of paper and a pen.

'Okay,' she started. 'First bit of info, have you ever tried to enroll in the academy before?'

'No, ma'am.'

'Okay, and how old are you?'

'Fifteen years old, ma'am.' She gave him a "mmhmm" as she scribbled away on her paper. 'And what's your name, dear?'

Jake answered with his first name, but when he went to say his last name out of habit because he had been saying it for years, he went to say "Green," but before he could, Curtis cut him off.

'Sullivan. His name is Jake Sullivan.'

The old woman's eyes went big, and she stopped writing. Then she looked up at the pair. 'Did you say Sullivan?'

'Yes,' Curtis answered. 'I thought… Sullivans were accepted without the need of an exam.'

Curtis flashed a grimaced smile, annoyed by the old woman. He tried to hide it as he patted Jake on the back. 'Well, that's true, but Jake here said he wanted to have the full exam experience.'

The old woman's eyes rested on Jake once again, then she looked back at her paper and wrote down that bit of information. 'And finally,' she asked, 'will you be needing any rental weapons for the exam?'

Jake didn't get the chance to answer the question because, again, Curtis chimed in and answered it for him. 'No, he won't… Mr. Jake has his own.'

The woman only nodded and finished her paperwork. Then she handed Jake a sticker. 'This is your exam number. You are applicant number 1267.' She then smiled at him and bowed her head. 'I hope you do well.'

Jake could only get out a quick 'Thank you' before Curtis was pulling him to the exam building. As he and Jake made it to the building's doors, Curtis stopped.

'Well, this is as far as I go. You're not coming with me?' Jake asked.

Curtis rolled his eyes. 'No, I'm not. As you can see, I'm not taking the exam, you are.'

'Well, aren't you going to wait for me?'

'No, why would I? My job was to simply bring you here, and I've done what I was supposed to do. Now it's time for you to do your own job. If you pass, you'll be accepted and shuffled into the dorms and go through that whole process. But if you fail…' He smiled at Jake, and the devilish smile was back. 'You know what happens then.'

At that, the butler Curtis turned. "Back and left, leaving Jake there alone in a sea of people. The boy didn't stand there long as he turned himself and walked into the building, ready to take his entrance exam."