My Reg Bracelet marked five a.m., and of course, I was already awake. Because why would my mind let me sleep well for once, right?

To top it off, it was commissioning day, the day of that long-anticipated ceremony where Kate would announce who had passed the combat test and could officially become a Narval Officer.

I hadn't spoken to her since my little fury attack during the test, so I had no idea if she planned to suspend me or not. Just in case, I was mentally preparing for the worst.

I went for a run along the wall. Today was quieter than usual, no guards on the towers, no patrols, no early training sessions. With the ceremony, everyone had the day off, and the silence felt so odd, as if humanity had vanished, leaving only the wall behind. I wondered what future civilizations might think of us if all they found was this monstrous stone barricade, standing as our only legacy. I would feel chilly, scared, but most of all, sad. It was a wall of sadness.

Luckily, that day, the sunrise was beautiful, or at least, that's what I thought. The only thing I could see from my side of the wall were faint orange streaks stretching out from The Other Side. They had the sunrise. We had the sunset. How poetic, right? Or maybe just unfair to all of us.

It casually crossed my mind that Heather might be around, doing her usual stroll. Not that I was looking for her, of course. Not at all. But no matter how much I ran, scanning every corner of the wall, she was nowhere to be found.

Until I reached the gates.

Suddenly, a Narval spear landed sharply right at my feet. I stumbled back, startled, and fell to the ground.

"It's quite early, you know? Even for you."

The voice sliced through the silence like a knife.

I looked up and saw Heather sitting on the rooftop of the immigration control station. Her feet dangled over the edge of the roof, swaying in the air, while her arms rested casually behind her. She looked like she couldn't be more at ease.

"What's wrong with you?!" I said, yanking the spear from the ground.

"Sorry, I didn't think it would land so close. Just wanted to give you a surprise." She said as she grabbed the air purifier tube stitched along the side of the roof and slid swiftly to the ground.

"A surprise? You mean a heart attack."

She raised an eyebrow, looking thoughtful. "Isn't it pretty much the same?"

"No. It's not. What kind of 'surprises' have you had, exactly?"

Heather stepped closer with a grin on her face that confessed she knew I was right, but she was clearly having a blast teasing me.

Her perfect braid rested over her right shoulder, looking slightly different this time. Instead of a single braid that neatly wrapped every strand in one direction, it started as two braids, weaving separately before merging into one at the end. To me, someone who was more the type to just throw my hair back and call it a day, it looked like a work of art.

She leaned forward, reaching for the spear, but I tightened my grip.

"It's mine now."

"Give it back, Grace."

"Or what?"

Heather locked her eyes on mine, and then, without warning, she lunged at me, trying to pin me in some kind of judo hold.

"Stop!" I groaned. But I mean... it was Heather we were talking about. Her arm hooked around my neck, pulling me down, while her leg slid behind mine. How the hell was she so strong? She didn't look that strong. Sure, I'd noticed her toned arms that time we went to the underground pool (like I could forget that), but they were still kind of thin. Nothing about her explained that much raw power.

In seconds, I was on the ground again, of course.

Her free hand reached for the spear.

"Don't you dare!" I tightened my grip, but she twisted my wrist just enough to make me flinch. I let go of the spear and she wasted no time snatching it back.

"You're absolutely infuriating." I said as she stood up, grinning in pure satisfaction.

"And you're predictable." She extended her hand to help me up, too.

"Seriously?" I said, eyeing her hand and that innocent smile on her face.

I dodged it, got to my feet, and started heading back to the Narval House.

Heather walked beside me.

"Don't get mad," she said. "It's just fun."

"Just fun?"

I bit my tongue, swallowing the You're damn crazy I wanted to spit out. "What the hell were you even doing up there?"

"The signal booster's been acting up, so I decided to give it a hand."

"At 6 a.m. on your day off?"

She shrugged. "What about you? It's 6 a.m. and it's your day off, too."

"It's commissioning day. I'll probably get suspended. Needed to clear my head." I said.

"Oh, that." She said it as if that was completely insignificant to her. "I should help Kate get everything ready."

But I could tell that the plan didn't sound appealing to hear.

"Will you be at the ceremony this evening?" I asked.

"Why? Do you want me to be your dance partner?"

I stopped and turned to her. "Everything has to revolve around you, doesn't it?"

A grin spread across her face. "Well, I'm pretty fascinating."

I let out a laugh and shook my head as I resumed my way to the Narval House. She was right, but fascinating wasn't the only word that fit her: infuriating, cold-minded, fearless... But there was no way I was going to let her know she lived rent free in my head like that.

"It'd be a depressing dance, anyway. I'm not going to pass the test."

She reached out and caught my hand. Her fingers wrapped around mine firmly.

"Sounds promising. I'll be there."

Before I could reply, she gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. I blinked, caught off guard. Wild how she could switch gears so fast, from almost killing me with her spear (because she thought that would be a fun surprise) to now, giving me this gentle, tender cheek kiss, like we'd been together forever. Seriously, what was up with her?

"I have to go back to the immigration central station. See you later." She said, turning to walk back to the gates. She didn't even pay attention to my reaction.

"Oh." I paused. The words didn't come out for a moment. "Sure. And I should get back to running." Though I didn't move an inch.

"Be careful with the spears!" She yelled over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah," I shouted back. "I will, if you try not to drop any!"

· · ·

"Grace! Here!" Laura waved at me and pointed at a chair next to her. She and Mark had already gotten their sits in front of that big stage Kate and Lea had place for the Commissioning ceremony.

I have to admit, the transformation of the training yard was pretty impressive. Silver-striped flags snapped sharply in the breeze, spotlights bathed the stage in a clean, dazzling glow, and rows upon rows of chairs stretched out waiting for us to occupy them. Soft music played from three oversized speakers, like it was trying to convince us no one was freaking out. Spoiler: everyone was.

"If I don't pass the test, they'll reassign me. And who knows where they'll throw me this time?" Mark said, swiping his right hand in front of his face. His skin was ghostly pale, like someone who hadn't seen sunlight in years. As I told you, total meltdown.

Laura took his trembling hand and pushed it down, as if that alone could hold back his wave of panic. "Relax, Mark. I heard Kate's the kind who gives in second chances."

"Not for me."

"At least you didn't smash her face." I said as I sat down between them.

"Yeah, that's true." Mark let out a relieved breath. "When I think about your case, I feel better."

"How dare you!" I punched his arm, and he grimaced in pain.

"Shut up, you guys, it's about to start." Laura said.

Kate stepped on the stage in a maroon suit and long black boots I'd never seen her wear before. She looked stunning, but without losing her though and brutal air as the lead she was.

Behind her, her other high rank members followed, everyone with elegant clothes and a confident demeanor, how not? Ha. The last one in line was Heather. She had changed her hairstyle for the ceremony. Interesting. Now, her hair was down, flowing freely except for a thin braid that wrapped around her head like a crown. Her clothes were new to me, too. She wore a sleek black suit, with turquoise shirt under it that matched with the piercing hue of her eyes. She always knew how to look stylish, even when wearing the Narval uniform. I wondered what she would be like if she could wear whatever she wanted every day.

They stayed behind in a neat row as Kate approached the microphone to begin her speech.

"Welcome kids. Nervous?"

A unified yes echoed through the yard.

"I see a lot of pale faces around." We looked at each other and laughed. "You know what?" She continued. "I look at you today and I don't see the same people I saw the day you arrived" She paused. "Many of you have grown in extraordinary ways, and... I'm proud of you."

The stage lights illuminated her, and her eyes shone. She was tough and all that, but I could tell she was getting emotional, which I found so adorable.

"Today, you'll become a permanent member of this family. An official Narval Officer."

The yard erupted in applause, except for Mark and me. We just looked at each other with the same panicked expression, as if we were waiting for the earth to open up beneath us into one of those scary holes and swallow us whole.

"Today is a day of celebration, we celebrate the success and continuity of our critical work at the border. So, without further ado. Let this celebration begin."

Kate passed the microphone to Lea, who, with a long list in hand, began to recite the names of all those fortunate enough to have passed the test.

"Laura Robins!"

The whole yard burst into applause. Mark and I got up and threw ourselves to Laura in a clumsy group hug. It wasn't much of a surprise. It was clear she would have passed the test, although she never let herself be entirely sure, kept training until the last day.

"Congratulations, badass!" I said.

"Thank you guys!"

I was so happy for her, she deserved for things to go her way. Her assignment seemed like one of the best matches ever. She was made for it, even if she couldn't quite believe it herself.

Laura stepped onto the stage and greeted Kate and the other leads. Then more names were called, followed by more applause, and more proud and happy Narvals came onto the stage. But neither Mark nor I was among them.

"Lyonel Lowies." Lea said. Another colleague went to the stage, still not quite believing he had passed the test. Then Lea folded the list and kept it in her pocket.

Okay. It was over.

"That's all for today. Thank you so much, everyone. Now, let's give a big round of applause to the new Narval Officers." She said.

The resounding applause swept across the field like an exuberant wave, yet it passed through me without any fanfare. Great. Neither Mark nor I had passed the test. I wondered what would happen to me now. Would I be reassigned to another place, or would they consider me a bug in the system and get rid of me?

Suddenly, I saw Kate step toward Lea, touching her arm to get her attention. They exchanged some words that I couldn't hear, and then Lea sighed heavily,  as if giving in to something Kate had suggested. She returned to the microphone.

"Grace Hayes." She said.

No way. What?! 

Author's Note:

This chapter was a bit long, and I also split it into two parts for easy reading. Hope you like it! :) 

If you finished "Night of Stars (Part 1/2)" now you can continue with part 2/2.