The Apollo Academy (11 page)

Lieutenant Colonel Jackson continued to increase the simulated altitude level in the chamber, distantly announcing that they were at thirty thousand feet.

She focused so hard on maintaining the correct pattern with Zane’s hands that she no longer heard anything Lieutenant Colonel Jackson said. Zane’s face also showed the same attentiveness as they clapped back and forth.

Their hands, once joined in a quick and efficient pattern, began to slow down, mostly due to Aurora. She was too busy savoring the feeling of Zane’s warm hands against hers. She hadn’t had any direct contact with him since the night at the dance club. Giddy with the touch of his hands, she found herself laughing.

When she looked into Zane’s eyes, she realized they were clouded in concern, but before she could figure out why, someone yanked her back into her chair. Zane’s worry momentarily forgotten, she focused on the large dominating male that stood in front of her as he tried to put some sort of contraption over her face. Shocked by the situation, she struggled, trying to look over the large shoulder in front of her to see Zane. Her weak struggle did nothing to stop the person in front of her because he still held a mask over her face while struggling with her wild hair.

The pushy male had apparently succeeded in whatever he was trying to do to her because a moment later he sat down directly in front of her. She returned his angry blue-eyed stare, wondering how he still managed to look worried at the same time.

Aurora gasped in breaths of cold air. As she began to calm down, a killer headache made its presence known. Her eyebrows scrunched together when she realized she didn’t know what had happened in the past few minutes. She knew she had been playing patty cake with Zane, but somehow she was back in her oxygen mask. Sky at her knees.

Just as her eyes cleared further and rational thought came back, Sky stood up from his crouched position, and walked over to Dr. Stevenson. Sky must have had to put her mask back on for her because she heard him telling Dr. Stevenson that she was fine and breathing oxygen. She looked back at Zane, who looked way more composed than she felt.

On cue, Aurora’s checks flamed a crimson red. And as she looked around, most of the cadets in the chamber were torn between watching her recovery and the slumped-over Brianna a few seats down from her. She focused on Dr. Stevenson who was bent over Brianna, monitoring her heart rate. She looked unconscious and completely oblivious to the rest of the class.

Aurora’s eyes roamed the room, trying to take everything in.
Holy shit
, she thought. This is why they record it all

.

ZANE

W
hen Sky forced himself in front of Aurora, trying to get her oxygen mask back on, Zane decided that probably meant he needed to get his back on as well. He slowly breathed in and out of his mask, trying to ensure that he supplied his body with enough oxygen to function properly. He had felt just fine but was shocked with the abruptness of Aurora’s hands being taken from his.

Sky struggled to get the oxygen mask on Aurora. She certainly wasn’t making it any easier on him because she was flailing her hands, wildly trying to look over Sky’s shoulder. Her red and gold hair was everywhere, keeping Sky from getting an unobstructed seal over her mouth. Aurora’s eyes began to roll back in her head right before Sky succeeded in getting the mask locked over her little face.

She looked totally out of it, and he fought the urge to help her. He forgot how little she actually was, but with Sky’s big body crouched down before her, Zane was reminded of it again. When she was awake and had her large green eyes focused on something in determination, her size was easy to forget.

After a minute or two of breathing, Aurora’s eyes cleared as she received the oxygen her brain had been so desperate for. Zane still didn’t understand how he had continued functioning normally, but maybe he didn’t remember everything correctly.

He became highly aware of Sky’s large hands as he patted Aurora’s knee when she regained composure. His stomach clenched as he watched another person touch her so delicately. He had no reason to be jealous over Sky’s clinical attention to a girl he shouldn’t like in the first place. Sky had no choice but to help Aurora. Dr. Stevenson appeared to be helping an unconscious Brianna, and the Lieutenant Colonel was similarly occupied.

Zane struggled to keep his face blank.

He focused on Lieutenant Colonel Jackson who moved around the room, ensuring that everyone had their oxygen masks back on. Apparently two close calls were enough for him. The Lieutenant Colonel scanned the group of students under his charge and nodded when he deemed all was back under control. He selected the control unit to return the chamber back to sea level, which was standard atmospheric pressure.

“Okay, everyone, we’re back to standard atmosphere. Once you feel up to it, remove your mask and head to the classroom.”

Zane slowly stood up from his seat and removed his mask, all the while keeping an eye on Aurora. She seemed to be back to normal because she was already whispering with Kaylana and avoiding his gaze.

Not wanting to make her uncomfortable by continuing to stare at her, Zane looked over at Akemi, who was watching them as well.

“You ready?” he asked.

Akemi glanced at Zane then back toward the girls. “Yeah.”

Together they all solemnly filed out of the hypobaric chamber and slowly made their way down the hall. They had to scatter somewhat to get around all of the group two cadets who were heading into the chamber. It was obvious by their expressions that they all witnessed what had transpired because they were laughing and whispering to one another.

Aurora’s shoulders slumped, and she bent her head down in what Zane assumed was an attempt to not draw attention to herself. It was cute that she thought that would help, but it was impossible not to see her, no matter how small she tried to be.

Much to Zane’s dismay, he saw Hailen confidently striding down the hall. There was nothing he could do but watch the destruction play out before him.

“Well, well, well. It looks to me like the name Titon didn’t do you much good in there, now did it?” Hailen flipped her long, blonde hair over her shoulder and laughed. It was a shrill, piercing sound that made Zane cringe. “Sky had to practically shove you back into your oxygen mask. What? Were you too busy making dreamy eyes at Zane?”

Zane involuntarily stepped toward Aurora, and Hailen’s eyes snapped up to meet his. Hailen scooted over to him and threw her arm over his shoulders, which pressed her tightly against him.

He felt every part of her body cozily push against his in an unwanted intimacy. Zane kept disapproval from showing on his face as he stood frozen against her. He carefully removed her arms from around his shoulder and bent to whisper in her ear, “You better get going before you’re late.”

Just like he suspected, Hailen reveled in his attention. “Aw, you are such a sweetie,” she said. “Who would have known?” Hailen winked then sauntered off.

His shoulders sagged. Zane had no clue what game she was playing, but with her exaggerated known question he knew the stakes would be high. Zane continued to watch Hailen walk away, making sure she didn’t return for one last snide comment. By the time he lost sight of her and turned back around, he found himself alone in the hallway with Akemi, and together they walked into the classroom to find their seats.

Lieutenant Colonel Jackson strode to the front of the room and began punching the glass screen with his bulky fingers. A moment later a live image of the hypobaric chamber appeared. Everyone silently watched as group two made their way into the chamber and sat down.

The Lieutenant Colonel moved in front of the display, blocking the view of the video screen, in order to divert everyone’s attention. “I want to quickly go over a few things that happened before we start group two’s testing. I think you all now realize how dire the circumstances are when a flight crewmember develops hypoxia, regardless of the circumstances. Whether it’s a rapid decompression, slow decompression, or whether you are a pilot or non-piloting member, there are serious consequences when dealing with oxygen deprivation.”

Zane refused to give in to the urge to glance at Aurora. Without even having to look, he knew that her cheeks would be stained pink, and he didn’t want to further embarrass her, even though there was no reason for her to be embarrassed. Jean-Pierre couldn’t even come up with more than three zoo animals, and Brianna actually passed out.

“There was nothing wrong with any of your individual reactions. Showing you these reactions was a part of the training’s purpose.” Lieutenant Colonel paused and looked at everyone. “Now I need to get back to the chamber. Please sit here and watch group two’s responses. Don’t laugh. Learn from it.”

Lieutenant Colonel Jackson strode out of the room and quickly appeared on the live image on the front wall. Zane listened as he repeated the same rules and instructions that he had given in their session, and the exercise began again. He closely watched as the group was paired up to do the patty-cake routine. The longer the cadets were without oxygen the more bizarre they became. The groups playing patty cake began missing each other’s hands completely. A few of them laughed hysterically while others got mad at the situation. Zane could see how it would have been funny, if only he hadn’t just experienced the same thing firsthand.

Nobody in group one made a sound as they watched the cadets make fools of themselves. No one in group two passed out, but Zane thought that had more to do with the fact that Sky and Dr. Stevenson were more proactive in helping with the masks. They were not taking as many chances with the second group.

At the time he hadn’t felt any ill effects with the low oxygen but guessed it did help explain some of the things he experienced. He was happily engrossed in playing patty cake with Aurora and remembering the way Aurora had looked when playing. Zane realized that must have been one of their symptoms, euphoria. Her eyes had lit up every time their hands touched and she had even giggled. He had been too happy to notice why.

Zane’s stomach twisted at the thought that the only reason they were so happy was due to their bodies failing them. Pushing away the idea that his body had been operating just fine, he decided the training exercise had been effective. From the looks around him, the entire class had learned a lesson.

Group two’s training in the hypobaric chamber was quickly completed, and as they left, many wore grave expressions. Zane was happy to see their earlier moods replaced with a new sober mood. Only Hailen seemed oblivious to the trainings seriousness as she hung onto every word Sky seemed to be saying to her as they left the chamber together.

“What does your family think about your lunar record?” Hailen placed a hand on Sky’s arm. “Are they as proud as we are?”

As Hailen and Sky disappeared around a corner, Zane could see into the chamber once again. Dr. Stevenson stood over a Vid screen, rubbing his chin, as if trying to determine the answer to some unknown question. The doctor, sensing Zane’s gaze, looked up. The doctor cocked his head to the side, watching him with a curious expression.

Dr. Stevenson looked like he wanted to say something, but Zane looked away. Whatever the doctor had just been contemplating, he wanted no part of it.

“So that was informative.” Akemi shuffled to Zane’s side, giving him an excellent excuse to avoid the doctor. “It would have been hilarious if it wasn’t so deadly.”

Zane shrugged. “Yeah, I think if we watch the recording again in a few weeks it’ll be hilarious. Vive la France! Jean-Pierre is a riot.”

“What happened with you and Aurora? You two were playing patty cake forever.”

Zane thought this over. “I don’t know. Obviously we should’ve put our masks on sooner. I thought she was just fine. I didn’t even realize the change in her behavior was something to be concerned about.”

“Yeah, it did look like you were having fun. Even the Lieutenant Colonel seemed to be impressed with the length of your effective performance time.”

“I guess so.” Zane didn’t know what to think of lasting longer than anyone else. He guessed he was just better able to cope with less oxygen for longer or something.

“So what was with the whole whispering to Hailen?” Akemi asked.

Zane shrugged, not wanting to get into his desire to protect Aurora.

“Aurora didn’t look too happy when she saw Hailen all over you.”

Zane remained silent and looked over at the walls that lined the hallway. Several postings for the Lunar Moon Festival Dance lit the beige walls with color, and Zane decided this was the perfect excuse to change topics. He pointed to the flickering advertisement for the dance. “Have you seen the posting about the Moon Festival Dance? What’s that all about?”

Akemi nodded. “Yeah, it’s an end of semester celebration. But really it’s an excuse to raise more funding for the school. Are you going?”

Zane hadn’t really thought about the dance. He was only trying to change the subject. “Probably not. Do you think you’ll go? Maybe you’ll ask Kaylana. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other.”

Akemi actually blushed, but his darker skin helped to hide the evidence. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll ask Kaylana to go when you ask Aurora.” He smirked.

It would have been Zane’s turn to blush, but he didn’t think he’d ever blushed in his life. He was purposefully avoiding Aurora and didn’t think anyone had noticed his interest in her, an interest he was desperate to be rid of. He didn’t need any extra attention.

“Nah, I don’t think so. Aurora is beautiful and all, but I don’t think it’d be a good idea for us to get involved.”

“Why not?” Akemi blinked.

“Well, she’s the daughter of Collin Titon for one thing.”

“So?” Akemi’s eyebrows raised, as if he thought that was a crazy reason not to ask someone out.

Zane struggled to find the right words. He didn’t let himself examine his mixed emotions, let alone put them into sentences. All he did know was that they didn’t make any sense. One moment he was worried about what she thought of him, and the next moment he was trying to stay away from her. It was pathetic really. He never had trouble pushing his feelings away before.

“You don’t understand. We’re two
totally
different people. She’s never had to struggle for anything in her life. Plus I don’t want the attention it would bring to me if I dated her. Haven’t you
seen
how people watch her everywhere she goes?”

He had lived his whole life in the shadows, purposefully avoiding unwanted attention. Couldn’t Akemi see that dating Aurora would thrust him into the spotlight? He wouldn’t be free from of his unknown status until graduation.

Akemi still looked a little confused by his reasons but only shrugged. “I guess so. You know if this has anything to do with that first day—”

They were getting way too close to topics Zane didn’t want to discuss and said a little more strongly than he should have, “I just don’t think she’s someone I want to get involved with. She’s a spoiled, rotten Titon.” No matter how much his heart disagreed.

Akemi just nodded, realizing the topic was closed.

A familiar swirl of red hair, lit with gold streaks, went running past them.

Zane slowly turned around to find Kaylana staring dumbfounded at them.

“Haven’t you ever thought to make sure no one else was around before having a conversation like that?” Kaylana studied him. “For someone who is supposed to be so smart, you sure are dumb.” She threw her hands up in the air.

Zane turned to Akemi for help, but he looked completely ashamed as he quietly apologized.

Unfortunately, Akemi’s apology did not satisfy Kaylana. “You!” She glared at Zane. “Are an idiot! You’d be lucky if Aurora ever wanted to date you. She’s a wonderful person. And from the way you watch her, I thought you knew that too.”