“This is a reminder that tomorrow is the graduation of our 75th class," The speakers boomed, interrupting Elle’s admiration of the stars. She lay on the grass among her two best friends, irritation evident in her expression. “Please remember to arrive on time. Graduates are to arrive one hour before the start of the ceremony. If you do not appear at the ceremony, you will not receive your diploma. Thank you, and have a good night.”

“You were starting to fall asleep,” Alegra smiled, smoothing out Elle’s hair as she sat up. Pale fingers weaved through dark curls as she combed through. “Thanks for coming over, you guys. I really needed to relax my nerves. And the help on the after-party banner was greatly appreciated.” She spoke softly, but her tone was laced with sarcasm. Elle sat up after her and winced, feeling her hair matting in the back. 

Silas mimicked the action from his place next to Alegra. He held his hands up, playfully showing off his marker-stained fingers. “My artistic skills really shined tonight.” 

“I had to fix almost everything you did,” Alegra rolled her eyes as she stood up, pulling Elle to her feet first, then Silas.

“I tried my best,” Silas pouted. “So, let’s place our bets. Who’s going to be the number one graduate for Bellum’s 75th graduating class?” He asked.

Elle shifted uncomfortably as she hugged herself, hands rubbing her shoulders to warm up. She had been waiting anxiously yet patiently for the announcement of the Top 10 graduates. Shoving aside her worries, she chose to entertain Silas and answered his question. “Morgana.” She said, knowing that it was no contest. Morgana Faye excelled at every physical test, written examination, and skill evaluation since she first entered the academy.

“Oh definitely,” Alegra nodded in agreement, picking up the banner and sighing. A look of worry flashed across her face as she continued, “I really hope that I get into the Top 10.”

“You’ll be fine,” Silas said, shaking his head and ruffling her hair. “I can’t imagine you being any lower than 9.”

She frowned, blonde locks now covering her face. She moved them out of her face as she spoke, "My physical evaluations aren't the best.” 

“But you’ve also had the best scores for the written examinations for the past 6 years,” Silas argued, determined to make Alegra feel the sense of confidence that he felt she deserved. “You have nothing to worry about, Aly.” 

Alegra opened her mouth, probably to make another argument against herself, when her mother interrupted. “Alegra, can you-” She stopped, looking around her backyard and seeing Elle and Silas. “What are you two still doing here? It’s already past 11. Your parents must be worried sick.” She frowned, opening the door wider. “Shoo, shoo,” she scolded, “If you two are late tomorrow, my husband and I won’t be able to cheer for you.”

Elle smiled and walked towards the door as Silas trailed behind her. “See you tomorrow, Alegra. And thank you, Mrs. DeLane,” she gave her a short hug before heading out the door.

The two of them walked in silence towards their homes. Elle bit her lip, her mind reeling with possibilities when Silas spoke, “I’m more worried about you.”

“Why?” Elle scoffed, trying to play off as ignorant. She fared pretty well when it came to physical examinations. She would definitely make it into the Top 10, but what she was really reaching for was the Top 3.

The Top 10 was the perfect place to be if one was looking for lifelong safety. They were guaranteed a house custom built for them in the safest part of town, and a job of their choosing. If someone were looking for adventure, however, the Top 3 was the place to be. Only the Outer Commanders were able to form teams to go outside, and the only people who qualified to be an Outer Commander were members of the Top 3. 

After the disappearance of Commander Grayson’s team nearly a decade before, hardly anyone ever took that offer anymore, and instead settled for the role of an Inner Commander, where they made decisions regarding Bellum’s internal affairs. It had been almost five years since anyone went outside. Morgana Faye was at the top and it was highly likely that the son of Commander Grayson, Kai, was second. Silas and Elle were constantly battling for third.

“Will we be okay after tomorrow?” Silas asked as they approached his house.

“I’ll be okay,” Elle lied. Truthfully, there was nothing that she wanted more than to go outside. If it was Silas and not her, she didn’t know what she would do. “Will you?”

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“I will,” Silas nodded, ruffling her hair before turning towards his house. “See you tomorrow, Kennicot,” he greeted, using her last name.

Elle continued walking, eyes set on her house that sat at the end of the street. Silas was a true friend to her and Alegra. He knew their differences and always knew the right things to say to get them to relax. Alegra, who was gentle and kind, needed comfort and occasional coddling. She wanted a sense of warmth when she was panicking, hence her affectionate name, Aly. Elle, on the other hand, was resilient and strong. When she wanted encouragement, she needed someone to help her toughen up. Silas had settled on using her last name, as it reminded Elle of the days that she would easily breeze through training.

Elle opened the door, the familiar sound of the bell alerting her father that she had finally come home for the night. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” Her father greeted her at the door just as she was taking her shoes off. His eyes were glimmering with pride and excitement. “My daughter is going to be following her parents’ footsteps, landing in the Top 3 of her graduating class. Your mother would have been so proud of you.” He bellowed happily, giving her one of his famous bear hugs.

“Thanks dad,” Elle forced a smile as he pulled away. She never told him of her doubts. After all, how could she? “I’m pretty tired. I think I’m just going to go to bed, if that’s okay,” she said, feeling her chest tightening once more.

“Of course,” he nodded, his smile unwavering. “Sleep well, okay? You don’t want dark under-eye circles in your graduation pictures.”  

Elle kept a fake smile plastered on her face until she shut the door behind her. Taking a deep breath and leaning against the door, she looked around her room. It was filled with nothing but items from the academy. There were books for her to study, diagrams for her to look over, and CDs with fighting demonstrations for her to practice. Everything in her life so far led up to the results that would come tomorrow.

She picked up a framed photo that sat on her desk and traced the edges, memorizing her late mother’s face. Her mother, like her, was constantly brimming with curiosity about the outside world. She had gone on the outside expedition with Commander Grayson.

Elle was always weighing the pros and cons of being in the Top 3. If she made it, then she could become an Outer Commander. She could see the outside and experience life beyond her town. But it was likely that she would hurt her father if she did. If she didn’t make it, she would have failed to meet her father’s expectations and she would have to stay in Bellum, likely for the rest of her life.

Just then, her window vibrated from a light tap. Normally it would have startled her, but Elle had grown used to these nightly visits. She climbed onto her bed and opened the window, seeing Kai standing in front of it.

He leaned on the window frame, looking at her through a curtain of brown hair. “Hey,” he greeted quietly. 

“Still sneaking in here late at night just to have a chat?” Elle feigned irritation, though her grin made it clear that she enjoyed his company. “You realize that you live next door where we can have conversations in the daylight like normal people, right?”

Kai shrugged. “It’s the last late-night visit of our academic career. Plus, where’s the fun in having conversations like normal people?”

She chuckled lightly, “I guess you’re right. Are you ready to claim your rightful spot as 2nd in our class?” She asked.

“And start training as an Inner Commander?” Kai grinned, his smile wider than any smile Elle had ever seen before. “Hell yeah. Once I get there, the first thing I’m going to do is work to ban any outer expeditions.” His smile wavered as he took in Elle’s disappointed expression. “You can’t be serious, Elle. How can you still want to go outside? You know that there are freaks out there, right?” 

She sighed, tired of having this argument with him. He was the only one that she had confided in regarding her desire to go outside, but unfortunately he didn't share the same sentiment. Elle stared behind him, looking at the towering wall that surrounded their city. Bellum was a sanctuary city, built with the purpose of keeping the citizens inside, and the cold bodies outside. She'd never even seen the badlands. “I’ve told you this before.” 

“Then tell me again, because I still don’t understand,” Kai retorted, struggling to stay quiet enough to not alert Elle’s father. More than anything right now, he wanted to yell at her. As if maybe after the thousandth time, he’d actually be able to knock some sense into her.

“I want to experience more than what we have here," Elle looked him straight in the eyes, determined to make him see her point. “I’ve seen everything I can see here. I know everyone here. I’m pretty sure that I’ve stepped on every square foot of this city. I want more. I want to see those animals that we read about in books that were published hundreds of years ago. I need more than this,” she sighed, pleading for him to understand.

Unfortunately, the only thing they had in common on the matter was their inflexibility. “I’m sorry, Elle. I can’t support you in that decision.” He shook his head, “After your mom disappeared, I hoped that you'd let go of this ridiculous wish of yours.”

“It’s not like I want to leave,” Elle defended, hurt from Kai’s mention of her mother. “I just want to be able to go. Isn’t it nice to at least have the option?”

Kai had had enough. He took his arms off of her window ledge, not even bothering to respond to her final question before he left. “I hope Silas gets the third spot.”

Fuming, Elle slammed her window shut. She turned off her light and climbed into bed, finding comfort in the warmth of her covers.