Secret Academy - Deuteronomy

XVI: Midterm Mystery

“Is your boyfriend still sulking?”

Kat sat with them as they studied for the Midterm Exams. They were at the Study Hall of the girls’ dormitory, and Jasper refused to sit next to Barbara. She was glaring at him.

“I’ve been very patient with him too. Unlike his supposedly ‘girlfriend’ back in SilverValley – at least I don’t give up that easily” she gave them all a smug little smile.

“Give him some space! Haven’t you heard of the three-month rule?” Coco had butt in.

Both girls raised their eyebrows, while Gail chuckled nervously.

“The three-month rule: the expected duration after a break-up before a dude can get another legitimate girlfriend! Geez…women” explained Coco.

Barbara threw a textbook at him and all three boys laughed. Jasper’s mood became lighter.

“I’m sorry Barbara…but until I hear anything from Lisa – I’m still taken”

“Well then: consider yourself single for our tournament!” cried Barbara.

Jasper looked confused so Gail had to step in.

“It’s for the International Expo in November. Since the exhibits are mostly from the Technical and Science departments, students from the Weapons and Security section hold a tournament instead – to showcase their skills in self-defense and combat”

“We pick our best members and stage a battle: which usually involves some shooting and martial arts. We try to be creative with it too. War games are a big hit – and so we aim to make the scenes as realistic as possible. That way, we can also assess our usefulness during a real crisis situation…” added Coco.

“Some scenes are too hazardous at times that they actually get severely injured. I remember last year – Greg Fielding was supposed to jump over exploding barrels during their obstacle course, but the bomb exploded way too soon and he got really hurt!” told Kat.

Jasper tried to hide his anticipation. His frequent trainings with Coco and Barbara were paying off, and he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that he liked this idea. He’d seen Coco and Greg using the rifles and machine guns at the shooting range and he was impressed.

“What will we be doing this year?” he turned to ask Coco with expectant eyes.

“Well…the Expo won’t be until the last week of November. So everyone’s given at least three weeks to prepare. Barbara and I were thinking of doing a CIA/spy theme simulation. This way, it’ll be a lot closer to the jobs we’ll be handling once we graduate”

“We become CIA’s?” asked Jasper, a little puzzled.

“God, no! Not everyone, anyway. You can apply to be one, of course. You can work for the Air Force or the Military or the Navy – heck, even the French Legion! Doesn’t matter. We’ve already got an edge – employment isn’t a problem and never was” said Barbara with a superior laugh.

“Besides, it’s the government who assigns our jobs for us. It’s pretty straightforward from then on” added Gail.

Jasper considered this for a while, as the group discussed possible test questions for the Calculus exam. He stared blankly at his notebook, thinking about his father. His Dad had been a corporate lawyer for as long as he can remember, and had forced his mother to attend law school when he was fourteen. It was a lucrative profession, and he had once considered walking down a similar path. But being with Lisa had changed that. She never asked for expensive gifts or costly dates – and this, had opened his mind to the many richness that money could never buy. She was as much a bestfriend as a girlfriend.