It had been well over a week since the incident at Cosmos. Both Medley girls had kept their mouths shut and Calista healed her bruises as fast as she possibly could, applying all kinds of treatments at the Thinning Spa to avoid scarring.
Catalina had stayed home since then, visibly tense. Poor thing probably felt anxious without a job. Calista couldn’t get over the fact. What could’ve happened if she weren’t there? What happened over the past year?
She herself had a lot of questions since the incident. She didn’t realize she’d retained so much from her self-defense and combat training. After four years, she expected to have forgotten completely. She fought a gang of possible criminals, in a bar, on the spot, and escaped with not a scratch to her face. What did she do wrong in the past, then? Why wasn’t she accepted?
It didn’t matter. Applications had closed last week and the new class was announced to the country. It was all she’d heard on the way to the Spa the other day. 330 lucky students who had a 9% chance of getting on the team.
Calista answered the SociaLights group call. The three girls appeared around her in live holograms. Danica was sitting in a comfy chair, projecting filters on her face. The other two stood.
“What are you doing?” Calista asked the clique leader.
“Testing the new filters,” Danica replied. “It enhances my smooth skin and makes my lips look more luscious.”
Calista tried not to roll her eyes. Danica was very pretty by herself. It seemed like every day that she had a new filter to try on. No wonder Catalina called them all masky.
“We have some news,” Rebecca said. “That fighting school expelled someone.”
Calista nearly choked on her own spit. “What?”
“Yeah, some kid from the Versus class. Turns out he was a Dnilian and he turned into a Martian so he could spy on Fistborn, something like that. We thought we could do a broadcast about it. How the planets are spying on each other and eventually will end up killing each other in those games.”
“It’s a time bomb,” Danica commented, still experimenting with the filters. “Eventually, they’re all gonna get tired of keeping their fights in that competition, and they’re gonna get so bugged off that they’ll start a war. Peacekeeping.” She scoffed.
“Well… it has been a couple of centuries,” Calista shyly pointed out. “They’re used to keeping the fights inside the competition.”
“Right now. It’s like a fire pocket on Mercury. It builds up slowly. Eventually, it bursts. Grudges, cheaters, criminals. They’re not going to last much longer.”
Calista remained silent, not only to conceal her disagreement, but also because… she agreed, in some part. What they said made sense. But the Versus had become such a tradition already. It would be difficult to violate the peace treaty. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as they thought.
“So… if they expelled someone, does that mean…?” Elizabeth didn’t finish.
“Yeah, they’re gonna open apps again.” Rebecca chuckled, picking her nails. “Oh-my-God, people are gonna literally kill each other for that spot. Proves our point.”
An open spot? Calista’s stomach twinged, but she kept a deadpan on her face.
“Anyways, I’ve got good news for all of us!” Danica closed her filters and jumped up from her seat excitedly. “Guess what I found out!”
“Sociapalooza? Yeah, we know about that,” said Rebecca.
“No. NYWS is giving out a full scholarship!”
“What?!” the other three, including Calista, exclaimed.
“Yes!” Danica squealed. “A million digits for each student! If we get this, we can start the next semester! We just have to fill out the app and make a broadcast about why we should get it.”
A scholarship to the New York Women’s School of Social Arts? It was the best Socializer school in the country. Not even Calista’s mother got into that school. There were a plethora of famous Socializers and beauty queens there.
“We can ask our fans for help!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Maybe we can do a music video, or show off our-”
“Liz, we have over 10,000 fans.”
“I know, but maybe we could do, like, a sign-up so some of our fans can join us on broadcasts and tell the school what makes us good Socializers! Maybe they could even apply with us-”
“And lower our chances of getting in? No thanks,” Danica scoffed. “Elizabeth, all we have to do is show off our channel and tell them why we should be in the school.”
“That’s what I mean. Like, Calista, you’re good at dancing and fashion design. Look what I’m wearing!” She fingered her outfit, which Calista had designed a couple years back. “You could show that off.”
“I’m not good at dancing. I just do it as a hobby,” Calista said.
“Liz, we’re going for a Pageant career, not a music career,” said Rebecca. “That school can get us to Miss Milky Way.” She paused. “Actually, Cali, I’m surprised your mom hasn’t said anything about it.”
“My mom didn’t go there, she went to Washington.”
“Still, she would’ve heard about it.”
“She doesn’t really do that stuff anymore. She works at HARP HQ. She was a Visual Art student.”
“Hmm.” Danica pursed her lips, the red highlighted against her brown skin. She then shrugged, twirling her wavy brown hair around her finger. “I guess it makes sense. She’s let herself go.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know. She doesn’t look the way she did 20 years ago, if you know what I mean.” She and Rebecca smirked.
Calista raised her brows, hoping she’d simply misunderstood them. “Excuse me?”
“Anyways, just fill out the app and make sure you include the scholarship. We’ll plan our broadcast. See you tomorrow, ladies!” They all made their hand signs, Elizabeth somewhat dejectedly. They waited for Calista to do hers.
Sighing, Calista put her fist on her chest. “SociaLights out!” they all said, and the holograms disappeared.
Who the glitch did Danica think she was? What was she trying to say about Calista’s mother? She was as beautiful as any beauty queen could be, even after three natural pregnancies.
Was that why they said that? Calista knew the girls always looked down on her and her siblings for being born naturally in their mother’s womb. Most humans had their babies grow in pods.
But her parents had a reason; there were Hajjian terrorists on their planet at the time, shutting down and destroying the pods. It wasn’t safe. She did that to protect them. Socializers were supposed to be known for doing things without technological aid. If anything, they should’ve admired Calista’s parents instead of mocking them.
She tried to put it out of her mind. She had to tell her mother about the scholarship. Surely, she’d be thrilled. She went to her parents’ room, requesting entry. The wall then changed from a solid to a permeable form, allowing Calista to enter.
“Hi, babycodes,” said Jennifer, who reclined on her sleep capsule. “You need anything?” Henry was sitting at his desk, probably getting some at-home work done.
“I just talked to the girls,” Calista said. “They found a scholarship for NYWS.”
Henry paused, glancing at his wife, who looked equally shocked. “Really? That’s amazing, Cali.” Calista’s mother smiled. “Are you going to apply?”
“Yeah… I just wanted to ask you for help, since… you were a Socializer.”
“Sure, baby.” Jennifer stood and approached. Calista glanced at her figure. Her hips were curved and her waist was thin, even after bearing three children. What were those girls on about? Her mother was beautiful.
“Something wrong?” Jennifer then asked.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“No, nothing. Thanks, Mom. Dad, you want to come, too?”
“I’ll leave that to your mother. She’s the expert.” Henry turned in his seat. “You sure you want to do this? You want to go to that school?”
“I really do.”
“Okay, because… I don’t know if you heard about the fighting school, but they have a spot open. Someone got expelled.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t mention that,” Jennifer added.
“Oh, uh… y-you know I’m not into that anymore. I don’t really care. Besides, one spot? You know how many people will apply?” Calista forced a smile. “I really want to go to New York, Mom. It’s a great opportunity.”
Jennifer looked doubtful. After all, they weren’t exactly the richest people in Indiana, even with her past achievements. No one on Earth cared about Socializers or beauty queens anymore. Many of them had disappeared from the spotlight, only ever emerging when some controversy was discovered about them.
“Please, Mom?”
Her mother’s eyes softened at her pleading and she nodded. “Okay.”
===
Catalina knew she was taking a huge risk. She could get arrested for this. But she didn’t see another way. She thought that Calista would be inspired to apply after last week, even more when the extra spot opened up. But she threw all her digits in one basket, relying on this scholarship to a dying school.
“Are you sure this will work, Sati?” Scaaskal asked. All Catalina’s friends were there, keeping watch for SECURE. They were in a hacking lab in The Nebula, another space station, which was a bit closer to the prisons.
Catalina had resumed her job yesterday, taking a ‘sick week’ off, though her boss didn’t really care about absences. It was an illegal workplace, after all. Now that Calista knew, she had to be a lot more careful.
“Our AIDA is junk. A baby could hack it,” Catalina replied to her friend. She soon accessed her house’s security system, finding her sister in her room. She’d consulted their mother for help two days ago, preparing herself for the application.
“That’s kinda creepy now that you say it.” Carter sat off to the side, wearing an Ilamikoan Mask, given that he was only nine years old. Ilamikoans were the only species with a permanent childlike appearance. “If you make anyone mad at your job, they can just hack into our house.”
“It’s easy for me because it’s our own house and I know its code,” Catalina told her brother. “It’s not as easy for other people. Besides, I’m smart enough to not make anyone mad.”
“Yeah, right. You probably have a secret boyfriend, too.” Carter rolled his eyes, bringing out his KidPet to play a game.
“Why did I bring you again?”
“Because I’d tell Mom and Dad everything if you didn’t.”
“Ugh. Our deal was you stay quiet. That includes when you’re here with me. Don’t talk.” She returned to her hacking. “And put that thing away. SECURE will find it.”
“I’m bored.”
“Could someone take his Pet away?”
Alina casually grabbed the sphere out of the air and put it in her pocket. “Hey!” Carter punched her arm, immediately regretting it when his small knuckles scraped against her rough, rocky brown skin. Mercurians were usually black or red, but being half-Earthian, Alina had a different skin color.
Carter curiously picked up one of Alina’s long black braids. “How does your hair not burn?”
“Carter, stop being rude.”
Alina laughed. “It’s fine, Cat. My body doesn’t get as hot as full Mercurians, so my hair doesn’t burn.”
“Even then, you are quite hot,” Scaaskal’s brother, Temmen, said. He wiggled his blue brows flirtatiously. Alina tried to punch him in response.
“Stop being such an idiot, Temmen,” said Jaylo. He was half-Martian, so he looked mostly human, except his skin was paler than most and his eyes were black marbles like Scaaskal and Temmen’s.
“I’m just saying the truth.”
“Guys, you’re distracting me,” Catalina scolded.
“You’re just watching a screen,” said Carter, who still played with Alina’s tight braids.
“I’m waiting.” She perked up when Calista finally started the application. “Start recording… now.” A red dot started blinking in the corner.
“Welcome to the New York Women’s School of Social Arts application. Please note that this application is for the Spring 2350 semester. The Fall 2349 semester applications have closed.”
Pink glowed all around Calista. Text appeared before her eyes, intermittently changing to different Earth languages.
“What language do you prefer? Please note that if you are unfamiliar with any Earthian language, you must submit a language test to qualify. You must be an Earthian citizen and a US citizen to enter the scholarship.”
“Earthian American English,” Calista’s voice rang.
“Do you speak any other Earth language?”
“Just a bit of French.”
“Please state your full name and ID code.”
“Calista Elise Medley. ID 327CEL2331.”
“I thought your sister fluently spoke other languages?” Temmen inquired.
“Alien languages, not Earth languages. She only took, like, two French classes.”
“Huh. Which languages does she speak, then?”
“Um… some Martian languages— not yours, though. One Mercurian. And one Hajjian.”
Scaaskal nodded. “Impressive.”
“When is your birthday?”
“January 19th, 2332.”
“What is your marital status?”
“Single.”
Catalina scoffed. Calista was quite the flirt, but she had only been in one relationship, which ended on a sour note after he left her for someone ‘better’ than a ‘cheap Socializer’.
“Single, huh?” Temmen grinned.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re an idiot,” said Jaylo, his eyes never leaving his Pet screen.
“Shut up.”
They waited through the rest of Calista’s application: her address, her emergency contacts, her family information. Catalina’s eyes glanced continuously at the blinking light, her heart pounding with anxiety.
“Please provide a personal statement on why you deserve the Appleman Scholarship to the New York Women’s School of Social Arts.”
For a while, Calista was silent. Catalina bit her lip, glancing at the timer. She only had three minutes until her hack would be detected. “Get ready, you guys,” she warned her friends. They got into position to clear their digital fingerprints if they needed to flee.
“Ms. Medley, are you still there?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like me to repeat the question?”
“No, I’m okay. Um… I want this because… because I want to be a role model. I want to show what I can do. I want to work for something great, something amazing, something my planet and country can remember. That everyone can remember. As a Socializer, I will spread positivity to all parts of the Utopia. I will inspire others to show off their talents and use them for great causes. I know humans are underrated, but I want to be living proof that the stereotypes aren’t true. We’re more than this. We can do more than just smile and look pretty. We can change… so many lives in such a positive way, and I want to be that person.”
Catalina gazed at her sister. She hadn’t expected that kind of statement at all. There were some flaws, but with the NYWS’s low enrollment, they probably wouldn’t care. They needed students now more than ever.
“End statement,” Calista said.
“Statement recorded. Your application is complete. Please keep track of your AIDA messages and await the alert for the next stage of the admission process.”
The pink faded as the application closed. Catalina let out a steadying breath.
“Thank you, Ms. Medley. Goodbye.”
She stopped the recording just 20 seconds before the limit was reached. She then unplugged her hacking chip and left her house’s AIDA network. “Now… for the other school.” She went to Fistborn’s holo-site and opened the application. “Scaaskal, make the edits and polish the recording.” She handed him the chip.
“Hacking into your house’s AIDA is one thing.” He plugged the chip into his own computer and started editing Calista’s personal statement. “Fistborn’s network? I doubt we will get far.”
“We have to try.” The screen turned blue. Catalina plugged in another hacking chip, a particularly expensive one that Jaylo had bought off the black market.
“Cat, please… DO NOT glitch this up. That chip is practically my life savings. If it gets fried-”
“I know, I owe you. I’ll pay you back monthly.”
“No, if it gets fried, I’m dead. It has my name on it.”
“Oh, yeah. Jaylo, if this chip is that valuable, then it should work. If not, that means you got ripped off.” She opened Fistborn’s application. “We’ve got five minutes to do this. If we go over, that’s it. You got it, Scaaskal?”
“Got it.” He tossed her the cheaper hacking chip, which held Calista’s voice.
“Okay.” Catalina took a deep breath and plugged it into Jaylo’s chip.
“Welcome to the Fistborn Academy Versus School application. Please note that this application is only available for the Versus School due to the recent expulsion. Other fields of interest are no longer available.”
“So who was the guy that got expelled?” Alina asked as Catalina filled out the Versus application.
“Some Dnilian,” said Temmen. “They have been trying to spy on other planets’ schools so they can cheat and win. Now that he was found out, other planets are doing a search in all the fighting schools.”
“I thought Dnilians could only shapeshift for a few seconds?” Carter wondered.
“He used a technology that maintained his form for 24 Earth hours. I suppose he recharged it every night. Since the technology is illegal, it must have bugged and deactivated in front of others.”
“That’s what he gets,” said Jaylo.
“He was the only spy?” Carter seemed incredulous. “He didn’t have any friends?”
“Apparently not. They checked everyone else.” Alina nudged Carter. “You’re pretty… observant for your age.”
“He’s cranky for his age,” said Catalina.
“How long do we have?” Scaaskal asked.
“A few more minutes. We have time. It’s working great.”
Jaylo smirked. “I only get the best.”
After answering the other questions, Catalina reached the personal statement. “Here we go.” She activated the chip and Calista’s voice played out once again.
“I want this spot because I want to be a role model. I want to show what I can do. I want to work hard for something great, something amazing, something my planet and country can remember. That everyone can remember for centuries. As a Versus fighter, I will spread bravery to all parts of the Utopia. I will inspire others to show off their talents and use them for their planet. I know humans are underrated, but I want to be living proof that the stereotypes aren’t true. We’re more than this. We can do more than punch and kick. We can change… so much in the competition, and I want to be that person.”
“That was the best I could do.” Scaaskal winced.
“It’s great. Her voice didn’t even bug. Good job.” Catalina smiled at her best friend and submitted the statement.
“Statement recorded. Your application is complete. Please keep track of your AIDA messages and await the alert for the next stage of the admission process.”
She took the chip out of the computer seconds before SECURE detected it. The application closed and she breathed out, leaning back in her seat. Her friends clapped for her.
“I am sweating. AIDA, give me some water.” A bottle materialized in her hand and she gulped the ice-cold refreshment down.
“There’s one spot. You think she’ll get it?” Alina asked.
“She fights very well,” said Temmen. “My nuts still hurt.”
Catalina spit out her water in laughter. “Yeah, I didn’t expect her to kick you there.”
“Did Kalley say anything to you?” asked Jaylo.
“No, but he watched the whole fight. I saw him there. He hardly blinked. He even left his drink. I know he must’ve been impressed.”
“I mean, I was, too,” said Alina. “A Socializer fighting like that? Not bad at all.”
“Can I see it?” asked Carter.
“Yeah.” She projected the fight recording on her Pet for him. Carter’s brows raised as he watched his sister defend herself. They were all going easy on her, obviously, but it was still impressive.
“There’s gonna be a lot of people applying, though,” said Scaaskal. “Don’t be surprised if she is overlooked.”
“It’s worth a try,” said Catalina. “I know Benson will remember her. He has to.”