Elly let her head fall back staring at the arched ceiling and the light spilling in through the skylights. Stained glass windows, depicting crystalline white emblems of Solaris, fit into the apex of each arch, sending pale red rainbows scattering across the white plaster above her. Writing was etched into the ceiling, and though she could not read it from her position, she knew well what it said......

Obeidience is above all the prime directive.

As meant from the beginning of creation, we the Abel, the chosen of God, serve to bring order to the world and honor His memory. Let no one cause stop the Gospel; let no one person defy the Chosen......

To honor is to serve; to serve is to honor. We who bow before Cain serve the purpose of God, and in doing so make ourselves blessed in His eyes.
We are the Chosen......

It went on and on, saying the same over and over again, in different dialects of Solarian that she thought must date back thousands of years, before Etrenank had even risen. And it was noticable...... because, as she had realized only days before, during her test, the mantras did not once say "people of the sky" until a little over four hundred years before her own time.

Kelvena had been the one to mention that omission, before they had left their dorm for the last time. It didn't really mean anything...... but she had a habit of bringing up bits of information that no one ever thought about until they left her mouth. She was the one who had prompted Elly to search for records on Krelian in the first place, if indirectly.

"Glad to see you here, Elly."

She lowered her head, turning about to face the owner of the voice that had spoken to her. She raised her eyebrows, smiling for her friend. "And why wouldn't I be here, Kel?"

Kelvena shrugged, shoving her way past a group of younger students with less than her usual characteristic politeness. "The way you were talking, I wasn't sure you would leave home without a blindfold and a shotgun aimed at your back. I half expected to have to go to you with your scores."

"Oh......" Elly turned back to the line she was standing in -- if it could be called a line. It was really just a large mass of people stretching from the bulletin boards to the door; she was more than halfway through it, but it hadn't moved for at least five minutes. "What could be taking so long up there? It doesn't take that long to find a name......"

All it would take was a look at the red-framed paper at the center -- there were three names on it, and if hers wasn't one of them, she didn't really care what her score was. It was now or never; if she wasn't an Element now, she never would be. She didn't think she would be able to keep herself going much longer. Not if failure was her only reward.

Elly sighed. "Aren't you worried at all? Three names, from three thousand applicants. We're up against three thousand other students who want the same position." The line finally shuffled forward, and she swallowed a snappish remark when the person in front of her stopped suddenly and nearly rammed her. "I can't believe it was opened to everyone......"

"Commander Ramsus knew what he was doing -- not all of the powerful and the intelligent will be in the graduating classes." Kel pulled her headband off, throwing her head forward to slip it on again. The line slowed to a crawl, and stopped again. "He's the reason I was able to enter Jugend in the first place; if he hadn't fought for equal testing rights, it would have been closed to the Second Class." She shrugged, rising again with her hair somehow neatly in place. "It's enough to make me want to serve him."

"You didn't answer my question......"

Her friend sighed. "If I don't make it this time, I'll try again. That's all. There will have to be an opening sometime -- no matter how strong the chosen are, they're not invincible, and they never will be."

"But........" The line shuffled forward again, and they moved another few feet, stopping again a second later. "Aren't you worried about what will happen......?"

"Worried?" Kelvena glanced at her, fixing her with an almost icy stare. "I'm willing to bet I have more to worry about then you do. You're Gazel; I am not. No matter what, I believe that will always make the difference, in the end."

Elly shivered, looking away; the feeling passed in a moment, and she sighed, wondering how close her companion had come to losing control over her power. She has the power...... They won't refuse her. But what about me? I...... have no power. Nothing. She snuck a glance at Kelvena and nearly sighed again when she saw her staring at the ceiling. How does she even control it? How can anyone control it? I'm surprised she's taking the risk of keeping her eyes open today.

"I'm....... I'm not one of them." Elly shook her head. "I never will be. They don't want someone who can't do anything, no matter where they were born."

"Oh hell......." Kelvena spun to face her, mouth set in a thin line. "Elly, listen to me -- you're not worthless. You've saved my life twice, with your skill. You defended me when I was targeted by the other Gazel my first year in here, you helped me figure out how to control the ether......." She pulled Elly along as the line moved, her grip firm. "Don't tell me you can't do anything! I'm tired of hearing it, and you're only hurting yourself."

Elly blinked for a moment, unsure how to respond. "You must be nervous......" she uttered finally, shaking her arm loose. The tip of her glove was coated in a rime of frost. She would throw ice instead of fire. I should be happy she's more inclined to water, or I'd be a smear on the floor.

"Sorry......" Her friend had the grace to blush, but her expression remained firm. "In any case...... I know I'm not as sympathetic as I should be, but someone has to shut you up before you kill yourself. I don't know what to say to make you feel better......."

Elly shook her head. "You don't have to......"

"Someone has to." Kelvena lowerd her voice, again moving with the line and nearly dragging Elly along with her. "If all else fails...... well, they wouldn't have kept you isolated for so long after the Drive if you hadn't been considered dangerous. Think, Elly. They only consider one thing dangerous enough to lock a person in a containment bubble."

...... Flared up like a wild fire, running through her veins in an agonizing torment, and nearly shattering her bones with white hot, pulsing energy. Her skin should have been red, peeling off with such intense heat.......

Hands grabbed her; another spear of pain lanced through her brain and Elly screamed raggedly, slamming her hands against her temples. "Get AWAY!" It surged again, the fire....... "Don't touch me! Get away!!"

Flames burst to life all around her, unnaturally hot, roaring through the corridor like giants. She could hear running, and screams of terror...... gunshots....... She threw her hands out, clenching her teeth against the rush of prickly, white hot energy that ran through her veins and burned her blood to ash. She connected with a face and the power cracked out in a torrent so loud she had to stagger back and cover her ears.

Heat waves washed over her; the corridor was silent. Elly shivered, pressing harder as if the pressure could keep the fire in, and block out the sickening smell of charred flesh that reached her nostrils. Trickles of sweat ran down her fingers, blazing like arctic ice against skin that must have been nearly as hot as the flames still crackling in the corner of the hallway.

The click of a laser rifle penetrated her little world; the fire receded, though it remained curled up behind her eyes, as if waiting to fly out again at the slightest provocation. Slowly, Elly raised her head, opening her eyes to stare down the barrels of five rifles, and behind them the black and white uniforms of the Elite Guard......

"Was that supposed to help......?" Elly closed her eyes, biting her lip until she thought she might draw blood.

Kelvena grunted, though whether it was affirmative or not was unclear. "No one said that 'help' would make you feel better. But once you stop dwelling on yourself and your mistakes, you might realize that they aren't as bad as you think they are. In fact, there might even be a little good in them."

I wish I could believe that. But she was right...... She couldn't remember much of the time she had been under the influence of the drug, but she remembered very clearly feeling that pulsing lifeline that was ether running through her, and turing into flames...... She remembered thinking, afterward, that it seemed impossible she could have handled that much without burning herself to ash along with her victims. It had been limitless, that power....... she could have destroyed Etrenank, had she thought about it.......

That wasn't really very comforting either.

But if Kelvena had learned to control it....... well, then it could be controlled. Maybe next time she wouldn't make the same mistake. One of her friends had paid the price for her lack of control, and Elly did not want to lose someone else....... did not want to be responsible for it. Not ever again.

"It's about time!"

Elly snapped out of her reverie, looking up to find herself standing directly before the bulletin board. Kelvena was already searching the lists for their names, but Elly's eyes were drawn straight to the red frame. Yet she couldn't bring herself to look at the names. What if she had failed? Where would she go after that? She would die if she got stuck in Gebler's surface forces -- she didn't think she could ever bring herself to take the drugs they would force her to take.

And if she earned a dishonorable discharge, her father........ he would be furious. And she would never be able to show her face outside of her house again. They would be so disappointed in her....... she couldn't fail her parents....... not after she had worked so hard to get them to let her come here, to enter the military and fight for her country......

But she would never know if she didn't look. She had to look......

She raised her eyes again, forcing them to focus on the red lettering in the frame, and the ranks and scores associated with them.

Element of Air: Tolone Harbre. Score, 4356.

Element of Water: Kelvena Torren. Score, 5579.

Her eyes widened, fixed on the score next to Kelvena's name, and Elly grabbed her friend's shoulder, pulling her away from the lists. "Look at that! And you were worried about failing? How on earth did you get such a high score?" Elly had the satisfaction of seeing her friend's expression lose its neutrality and break into a smile; she grinned back. "I told you there wouldn't be a problem!"

Kelvena nodded, looking almost satified. "When you're right you're right, aren't you Elly? But you were wrong about something."

"What?"

"Why don't you take a look at your score? Then let's hear you tell me you can't do anything......" Kelvena grabbed her shoulders and turned her back to the frame. Her eyes moved reluctantly to the last name on the list.

Element of Fire: Elehayym Van Houten. Score, 4995.

Everything seemed to freeze, for just a moment. I...... made it. I don't believe it. Is this for real? She could have sworn she had failed the combat tests.......

"If you say one word about bothering to verify the scores --"

Elly spun and threw her arms around Kelvena in a tight hug. "Of course not! Do you think I'm going to try to get out of it?" She blushed, recalling her recent train of thought. "We're in it together! You don't know how happy that makes me!"

Her friend laughed softly, returning the embrace for just a moment before pulling away. "Well, we promised we would be, didn't we? I knew you wouldn't break a promise to me, Elly." She smiled again, more subdued, and tilted her head to the side. "We're holding up the line, you know. They must be wondering what fools are keeping everyone else from seeing their scores......"

Elly grinned. striding quickly out of line and drawing Kelvena with her. "Come on -- lets celebrate. Maybe we'll find Tolone along the way!" She started off at a run, knowing her friend would follow her eventually; she hated to lose composure in public, after all. The habit usually bordered on annoying, but now it just made her want to smile more.

It was almost unbelievable -- but she had finally succeeded at something! By some miracle, she wasn't as useless as she had always believed she was; they wanted her....... Out of three thousand applicants, they wanted her. She couldn't wait to tell her parents.

She slowed to a walk, before she could lose Kelvena, and stopped by a cluster of trees in the courtyard outside Jugend Hall. Staring across the intervening space, from a balcony high above the arched exit, stood a tall, slender man, garbed in the golden-yellow coat of Etrenank's lead researcher. His form was obscured by the darkened doorway, but his indigo eyes would have burned trails across the deepest of glaciers. Elly locked eyes with him, feeling almost as if she were in freefall.

"I'll always support you, mistress....... what makes you happy makes me happy. But......."

He trailed off, averting his eyes in the way she had come to know so well. She wanted to reach out and hug him, just gather him into her arms...... but she knew that would do nothing but make things worse for him.

"What is it, Krelian?" She did take his hand, sqeezing it in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. It seemed so limp and cold......

"I just want you to succeed. I......" He smiled, the expression belying the brightness in his eyes that could only be tears. But why would he cry? Surely he knew....... Surely...... "I will always be here with you. No matter where you go, or what happens, I promise you I will always be with you."

She did hug him then, and his returning embrace nearly forced the air out of her lungs, it was so strong. Did he know how happy he had made her, just with that one, sincere statement?

"I promise......."

Elly blinked, and he seemed to disappear, dissolved into the shadows of the open doorway. And with him went the dream, flying away on imaginary wings, until she could not recall anything but his presence.

She stood there another moment before continuing on her way, through the arch and out to the curb to wait for her friend. It felt almost as if she were walking on air.

Finally...... she had finally made something of herself, even after all of her self-doubt and loss........

She had never felt so elated in her life.

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