I believe that sophomore year- in anything- is truly life-changing. You're someone's senior, a year older, and a lot of things you thought were normal are flipped around.

Let me tell you about this one, sometime in 2017.

It's almost 8:00 pm by the time the students of CHI, Capital city, New Orleans are settling down to study. A wonderful Thursday night. For this story, let's narrow down our focus to the eighth graders. 

Now each grade has six arms; from A to F. Our focus is on the girl in the third arm; her nose buried in a science textbook she "borrowed from a senior student" with her hair woven into a braid and ears plugged, trying to focus on studying.

Emphasis on 'trying'.

She sighed and flipped to a reference page in her notebook just as the classroom began filling up. She took out one of the buds in her ear to listen for the brisk tapping of Kaycee's flats on the tiled floor. Something she began to look forward to since nobody cared for silence anymore. 

She replaced the plug and the noise once again faded into incessant humming. A certain afro head o' hair was bobbing up and down to her far right. The humming had subsided now and she breathed a sigh of relief. The second door of the classroom swung open and the humming reduced to a hush. A teacher on duty maybe? No. The humming came back just as loud as before

She groaned inwardly then gestured to her seat partner, "What's up?" the boy shrugged nonchalantly in response and pointed to her right. 

Cass. 

Of course, she thought to herself, no reading time passes anyone by without another episode of Interrogator; starring Cassandra Hamas.

However, that was the least of our girl's problems. The aggressive gesturing was a call for concern. She tried her best to ignore the humming of the live talk show going on behind her and focus on the textbook in front of her but the hairs on her neck were raised now. Who the hell was Cass talking to?

She groaned aloud. Her earplugs were not good enough apparently. Maybe should intentionally go deaf.

"Cass!" she called out but was ignored. She tried again to no avail, even almost whisper-yelled and turned a few heads, but still ignored. Her left eye twitched and she raised her now closed textbook to eye level, then let it fall.

The place went silent and for a good reason too.

"Cass, can you not understand that some people are trying to read?" she asked as her left eye twitched again. Heads turned away and lips sealed as all gazes went back to books leaving an almost silence behind. Almost.
Cass was still talking to whoever it was as it seemed she was still ignoring our girl. Against her will, she turned her head in the opposite direction of the cause of the problem. Her eyes went wide as she took in the sight before her.

She had always thought that Cass was a stupidly frustrating excuse for a female but now she had a change of mind; Cassandra was a stupidly frustrating excuse for a female and a student. The afrohead was interrogating Kaycee's escort for the night. She just happened to not know when to stop. This was crossing the line apparently and it didn't look like he- yes, he- was finding being the guest for this very talk show to be an honor.

"–and it's not like you can't just come to my reading corner and try to let us familiarize ourselves. Just give me an answer. I asked a very simple question. Okay, I'll make it easy for you. Once again, my name is Cassandra Hamas-"

"Mmhmm"

"Shh, no interrupting"

"You don't say", he replied in a bored tone which she happily did not take note of.

" -Exactly, now let me finish. I was saying that since you are a prefect-"

"A fact you seem to enjoy mentioning too much"

" -and you are the new escort, please be nice and tell me, who you are, where from, to and if possible, your post in CHI–"

Andrea continued to gape at the scene before her glancing from Interrogator to interrogated, afro head to the mystery. And the mystery he truly was. He didn't even look remotely familiar...

Okay, enough of this pointless conversation.

She stomped towards her and grabbed hold of the back of her neck.
"Cass?" She started in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Will. You. Shut up." She hissed in her ear. Cass froze in her shoes, half the hall turned back to watch a little more drama and one could as well imagine a tumbleweed rolling by.

"If there was so much as a pin-sized thinking facility between your ears, you would know by now that you are to pour in just a little bit of your non-existent common sense and just try to not make this place a hell for anyone twice as sane as you are", she added but because of the silence, it became unnecessary to whisper. It was like Cass took a slap to the face as a series of oohs were whispered and carried by the tension. She recovered quickly.

"So says the girl who is just trying to put up a bold face. Drop the act sweetie, no one cares just how strong you are because of some dumb karate", Cass retorted with a snap of her fingers.

"At least I'm not as empty as someone who let's hoop earrings define her reasoning ability."

Silence.

Cass huffed and sulked in her seat like a spoilt child. The victor, or in this case, the Victoria glowered triumphantly as she turned to apologize to the guest for the night. She knew for a fact that it was a senior boy. She wasn't prepared for the intense blue eyes that met her gaze. She swallowed.

"Please, pardon her for, um, all of this. It happens a lot around this hour. Just be sure to come prepared", she said motioning to Kaycee who remained almost oblivious to her surroundings save the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Andrea went about repositioning her earplugs and reclaiming her seat when the universe chose to be nice and permitted her unfortunate ears to pick up his voice, deep, sure, and with every ounce of amusement. There was a kind of accent if you listened closely...

"Could you remind me of that formula for triangle areas? That one that sounds like something out of Shakespeare?"

Silence pervaded the hall, but Andrea heard the whisper and Kaycee's grunt to be left alone. She also heard him sigh and close his book.

"Heron's formula?" Andrea asked with a sigh before she could stop herself.

"I'm not sure what the name is but I think so"

Oh, that formula. Dillan is a smart boy. He should know it.

Only that Dillan was asleep, and no one seemed willing to bridge that gap willingly. Once again, the fear of the status quo reigned supreme and held some by the throat. Unable to resist the urge, Andrea walked over, black pen in hand, and scrawled a shorthand form of the explanation on the open notebook in front of him.

"Where 'S' is a plus b plus c. The sum is divided by two." She said to punctuate her scribbling before raising her head. If she steeled herself for anything, it was certainly not how intense nor how blue his eyes were. He gave a low hum of approval as she stood to her full height and inclined her head before she spun on her heels and returned to her desk.

More like power-walked to her desk, he mused. Only one girl he knew could get away with a walk like that.

Until she tripped on her chair leg. 

She gathered herself quickly, and he noticed too, the faint blush on her cheek was the only sellout that she was remotely embarrassed at the faint snorts and the one person who spritzed his soda all over their study partner in trying not to laugh. She didn't so much as flinch though. He cleared his throat loudly when a bit of chatter was stirring up.

After that was a screaming pause of silence punctuated by more silence. 

"Can't we at least know your name?" Cass whined flailing her arms.

"Just tell her", Andrea grumbled into what was left of the quietness, "she just might have something else to do after that." She chanced a look in the senior boy's direction. Was he smiling? at her??

She couldn't tell but he still had amusement in his eyes that she couldn't even look at.
He mouthed his thanks, his eyes on hers. She let him break contact first and tried unsuccessfully to erase those azure crystals from memory. Her eyes strayed onto the watch he was wearing. The silver eagle that seemed printed on reminded her of a very familiar place... a place almost like home. It looked just like...

Andrea's heart stopped for one long second.

She chose to dismiss what she saw as a thing created by her mind. Eagle crests weren't all that uncommon here but why-

-did she forget her keys?

Ugh.

She walked briskly back to her classroom hoping to breeze in and out before the doors were locked. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that Kaycee's escort was just packing his things. She proceeded to her desk wordlessly and picked up her keys. Meaning to ignore he was standing there; Andrea didn't bother smiling when she turned around to face the exit. Somehow, her feet still carried her at a pace that gave him time to meet her at the door. Nearly cursing herself, she took a deep breath and initiated a conversation.

"Do you happen to be a transfer student in eleventh?" If our senior boy was surprised by the sudden question, he didn't show it.

"Technically, yes. But I'm on duty with Kaycee now. Been assigned to this quarter", he replied with a small nod at the classroom.

"Oh. I see," she said and swung herself through the door, noticing he stopped so she could go through first. She continued ahead on the corridor when, again, out of impulse, she spun around, "I didn't get your name the other time."

His head was cocked slightly to the side as he noticed Kaycee emerging from another classroom. He extended the hand that wasn't holding books to Andrea.
"Hunter".

That eagle cannot be a coincidence. It just can't.

Andrea was at a loss for what to do. Back in her room, she tried contacting the general, his second and third-in-command, his wife even. None picked up. They knew she'd call and wired her calls to U.N.I.C.E. who was kind enough to tell her that there were no instructions yet.

She didn't bother changing out of her evening uniform. There was less than a ten-minute window before the girls would be summoned again by the hostel mistresses to account for their day. Andrea took her roommate's cue and exchanged her shoes for flip-flops then headed down to the common room.
They joined the throng of girls on their way there and took seats on the concrete floor at the far back, Andrea looking for every possible way to eliminate the evidence of her presence. When everywhere was packed, the mistresses took their seats as they got the matron to go over what they had all been talking about every other night since CHI resumed for the term. A boring exercise as the yawns around confirmed it.

Andrea didn't bother masking her disinterest as she leaned on the bigger girl next to her, whom she recognized by her beanie any day and time.

"Hi", she greeted with a small smile. The bigger girl by name of Shelby Coker smiled back in response.

It seemed like forever had come and gone when the first of the mistresses rose to close the meeting for the night. She held up a battered copy of the school's rules and regulations and immediately some people perked up. Once again, a random girl is to read to the crowd of two hundred and something.

After two minutes of searching, someone yelled a name and there was some commotion. A short, chubby girl in ninth grade stepped forward to read.
Andrea sighed long and loud as the girl began with the pledge to the Prefects code of honor. Is it that no one else spoke English or what? This was the fourth time this week that she was rounding up the night from their meetings.

Andrea had been restless for the better part of the night. If she didn't sleep anytime soon, there was no guarantee that classes would be so easy to live through. Right now, she was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. After two showers and playing the most boring history lesson on her laptop, she gave up on everything. This was all his fault!
She sprang up and dialed the general for the third time. No answer. She let out a shrill silent scream that could have cracked her lamp.

"You know I could just call him for you right?" Andrea's roommate, Frances, said after getting her fair share of amusement.

"He won't answer", Andrea replied with a sigh, "11:53 for the love of jelly, you would think U.N.I.C.E hasn't beeped enough-"

"Shh!" 

There were footsteps just in the corridor, headed in their direction. Likely the hall monitor taking records of the girls in bed.

"I'll unlock the door! Hurry and clear this up!" Frances said with urgency as she silently unlocked the door and stood by while Andrea folded everything twice and shoved them into the wall.

Yes, the wall.

She had just pushed her lamp under her bed when the door clicked open and the corridor light shone on a surprised-looking Frances, bent over with a torch in hand as if looking for something.

"Why are you out of bed?" hall monitor one boomed.

"I'm sorry. I had to look for my earring", Frances said quickly gesturing to the single hoop in her ear.

"Hurry up with it", hall monitor two squeaked, "Andrea Woods and Frances Augustus?"

"Yes ma'am", the girls chorused.
The first woman penned something down and with a mumble, they left to the next room, but Frances did not lock the door until their footsteps led to the next corridor and out of earshot.

Two seconds later, the two girls burst out laughing.

Checking to see that Frances was sound asleep, Andrea silently closed the door to room 5E and locked the door. At least Frances had a key under her pillow. She had on a pair of gym slips and her purple hoodie. Wielding a flashlight in her hand, she crept down the steps to the third floor. Being on the fifth herself, she had to get past the hall monitors who were probably on patrol with the security ladies without getting caught and sneak back the same way... if the doors will still be open. In her head, this was fun.

I mean come on, no boarding student can say they haven't outsmarted their hostel masters or mistresses even once, can they?

Crouching at the last flight of stairs she needed to take, she listened for the footsteps coming in her direction. She ducked further into the shadow of the stairwell and remained still. From the flip-flop sound she was hearing and murmurs about world domination, she knew it was Helga sleepwalking again and she chuckled silently as she crept past her but then turned around to steer her in the direction of her room. Poor thing.
She made a run for it at the sound of thick-soled boots.

A frantic knock on her door had Carolyn nearly falling out of her bed.

"Woods!" Andrea yelled in a whisper, "let me in already", Carolyn unlocked the door in a flash and yanked her visitor in.

"Andrea, what the hell?! You could have gotten caught!"

"Could being the operative word and what do you know, I didn't", she said with a grin as if praising herself would wipe away her friend's glare.

"Ugh, are you planning on getting me spanked or something? This better be for something good". Carolyn said crossing her arms over her chest. Andrea rolled her eyes and plopped herself on her bed and tried imagining that the French one of the mistresses bent her over her knees. Yes, one was English and the other French, they believed in proper spanking on the backside. 

"Where's your roomie?" Andrea asked ignoring her question. Carol just sighed in reply, tossing her head towards the bathroom.

"So, what do you want this time", she made it sound like a statement rather than an inquiry before joining her visitor on the bed. A mischievous glint appeared in Andrea's eyes as she leaned into Carol.

"Tell me about Carlos", she said batting her eyelashes and twirling a lock of hair around. An expected grin appeared on Carolyn's face as she shoved Andrea to the side.

"Heck, no way", she replied slightly blushing. Andrea stifled a giggle as she patted the space on the bed next to her, indicating that she come closer. When she did, Andrea laid her head in her lap and earned the most beautiful sound of protest only too good to not be ignored.

"Just remember what I told you", she said moving her fingers to brush aside some stray hairs, "-you can like the guy all you want so long as you're in school",

"-on the condition you don't date", Carolyn finished for her.

"Excellent", Andrea beamed, "now there's the part where I can't sleep so help me out will you?" and that earned her a groan

At that moment, Mira, Carolyn's roommate, came out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel and flashing Andrea a smile.

"Hey, Andy, what's popping?"

"Oh, nothing. I couldn't sleep is all"

"Oh, really now? Well, sugar, you're in the right place. Guess what happened when Cindy told Mark she wanted to break up at lunch", she gushed putting on some lip balm.

Andrea smiled at Carolyn.