The place was Creekshaw’s Port, right at the other corner of the town, way ahead in the shipyard. It was a thick mass of concrete picking inside the ocean, branching in every direction, hosting too many boats to count, both tiny and big, with and without motor. After they parked, right in the middle of it, America took Oliver to the east extreme. Both standed in the edge of the shipyard for a few minutes, and talked.

— Are you serious? —

Asked America.

— Yeah… I mean, why am I even telling you this? —

— I don’t know, you where the one who start making weird questions —

— That’s not true! —

Repleid Oliver

— The tangerine-kissing thing? —

— That question was about weird experiences, not kissing —

— Hey, hold it on tiger, I’m not the one who hasn’t ever kissed someone —

— Oh, fuck you —

— Yeah, you’d wished —

Oliver watched her taunting, then rolled his eyes.

— You really like to flirt, isn’t? I didn’t expect that —

— Of course, that’s the only funny thing one can do with boys —

— Really? —

America second-thought about it.

— Well, and sports, but that depends on the girl —

— And the boys —

— Yeah, fuck’em —

Then, Oliver saw his chance.

— You’d wish —

She laughed at that one.

— So, why this place? —

At that point, they where just wandering through the edge of the seawal, while America acted out a tightrope walker on the sidewalk curb, and Oliver watched her.

— My mom and I used to come here before she left —

And as she spoke, Oliver was able to see her with her guard low, easy to read, even without touching her. In spite of her smile, he was able to feel sorrow in her voice.

— My dad also left, thou I don’t have that many good memories with him —

At least, not any that came to his mind right there. America raised an eyebrown to him.

— I get it, it’s a complicated moment, always, and it gets worst as you grow up —

— You think so? —

— I’m just talking, but as it is right now, it seems like it —

Oliver thought for a second, watching one of the Academy’s buildings picking out the forest in the distance.

— How do you do it? —

— Do what? —

— Live between two worlds, to know that all of this crazy shit exists out there… and still, be traveling, worrying about family and hanging out with weird dudes, like me —

America shake her head, like reproaching him.

— That’s too specific, don’t you think? —

— Well, you do it somehow, I want to know how —

— I don’t know —

She answered quickly

— I mean, it eventually becomes like everything else —

— How so? —

— Well, you have a life, and friends, and both a job and a family, but no one really knows what you know about it, or how it really is, nor how you handle it —

Oliver stood quiet for a second.

— And they don’t even really care, that’s the real trick, you’re the only one who cares —

— … —

— What? —

She looked at him worried, worried that she may have gave him the wrong answer.

— That sounds… oddly wise, even mature —

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— You think so? —

She fell then, supporting her wight on his shoulder. Invading his personal space, Oliver sweat.

— I… yeah, I do —

— Thanks, I’ll write it somewhere —

Then she gaped, grabed her phone out and took a picture of them two.

— W-wait, what’s that for? —

— I had an idea, I’ll show you another day —

She looked happy, that was enough for Oliver.

On their way home, they took a detour right into Hollow Creek’s Mcdonald’s auto-service, bought a couple of ice creams, and headed back to Creekshaw Groove in a comfortable, mesmerizing silence. When they exited the truck, Oliver took the courage to ask the question.

— So… you think I should do it? —

America didn’t understand at first.

— I mean, the Academy, learning Sympathy, and all that stuff —

America shrunk her shoulders

— It’s not mandatory, not every Sympathist goes there, if so, the rule is not to go —

Oliver thought about all of the Archive users, and the little he had actually gone through inside their files. There was an incredible amount of knowledge gathered there, he just needed to search for it, make his own experiments like Arwan, and draw his own picture. It would take him years, but he would make it eventually.

— But… maybe precisely because of that, you should —

Oliver saw into her green, shady eyes. She was serious about it.

— There are only a few places with so many experienced people to teach you about all of this… and they seem to be interested in you —

Oliver thought about the little he knew of the Academy, people like Specter, Park, Kiki, and America, even those he had watched fighting during his brief visit as a severed head. Making memory of it filled him with fear. It was all unknown, dangerous, and too complicated to understand from where he was at that moment.

— You think so? —

— It doesn’t look like it's too much of a coincidence that you can see the place from your freaking windows? —

— I guess you have a point —

— I think some things are meant to happen, or at least, very likely —

Oliver gave her a friendly look.

— That I have born in this place, for example —

She shrunk her shoulders again while opening the door of the building.

— Thanks —

— Your welcome —

The lift took them quickly to their floor

— Ultimately I’ll say, it must be your own, personal and sovereign decision —

Oliver searched his hair with a hasty hand.

— I really hate this type of stuff —

— We all do, but that’s part of growing up —

— Fuck —

— Not today, but thanks —

She winked at him as a goodbye.

— See you later tiger —

— Thanks for the food —

As she closed her door, he said.

The next morning, Oliver woke up to find her mother holding a package from the mail. It was a flattened box, wrapped in thick paper and tied with a cord. The image of a raven, along a shield of arms with the motto “Scribere tua Fabula” was stamped in its surface. Along with it, a letter was attached, in the mailing information the following was written: C. Ardeen III, 116 Shire St, Creekshaw MN XXXX. The letter had already been opened, Carrie was astonished.

— I… haven’t had time to give anyone our direction —

Oliver knew it instantly

— Maybe they got it from the Police —

Oliver took the letter and went through it very quickly. It wasn’t exactly what he had expected.

— Oli, I must tell you, a man came to see me the night of the… —

— I know —

Shut her Oliver, with his eyes fixed on the paper.

— Oliver, you don’t understand… —

— What? —

— I think this is real, he told me it was a family interview —

Oliver sat for a moment, and let the letter over the table. In bold Times New Roman, the title said: Ardeen’s Academy for the Extraordinary Scholarship Program. And it followed this way:

“Dear Mr. Strange, we’re sorry to inform you that your application for our Schooling Program has arrived out of time, and hence been excluded from the selection process.

Yet in evidence of your achievements and good references, our Reviewing Committee has supedited your request to our Internship Programm, that we believe would make a better fit for your qualifications.

This, among the opportunity to participate in our Schooling Program regular activities, would make you available for a Scholarship, if meet the requirements.

To participate in this opportunity, all candidates for the Internship Program are summoned to our Campus on September fifteen (15) of the current year, where they will be part of a Test in which their general knowledge and practical skills will be reviewed, measured and evaluated, to meet the admission bar of the program.

In all regards

Ardeen’s Academy for the Extraordinary

Admissions Department

Signed

C. Ardeen III”

— Why didn’t you tell me? —

Carrie asked, Oliver looked at her eyes and was unable to answer.

— This man… mister Specter, told me you had taken a test during summer school —

— I… —

Oliver doubted anything he would say after that, it’ll be a lie. He didn’t want to lie Carrie more than he had to.

— I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go —

— Are you now? —

It wasn’t an easy question. Oliver, Corin, and Carrie didn’t have it easy the last couple of years. Moving constantly, and struggling to meet the end of the month, studying had started to look dull, even a waste of time, for what they needed the most. Words like Scholarship, Internship, or Boarding School had a taste of that, money, money so big that even if he wanted to they wouldn’t ever be able to pay for it. That was one of the questions he didn’t dare to ask America.

— I don’t know —

Oliver answered, looking at the package over the stained tablecloth.

— Do it —

Said Carrie, suddenly. When Oliver looked at her, her eyes were wide open, as if she had seen a vision.

— I mean… —

She rectified.

— Do whatever you want, but… don’t be afraid —

Oliver’s face shrunk, clueless.

— Don’t be afraid to do something new, something of your own, even if it seems impossible… —

Her freckles, orange over her pale white skin, remembered him to America.

— Wonders can happen, but you must chase them hard enough —

There, at that moment, Oliver thought about his little Sympathy experiment in the basement. He remembered when the Hex shone for the first time, he remembered the pain, and he remembered the feeling after he woke up. It was impossible, yet he made it. Somehow, without noticing, he had become a Sympathist.