Orion sat in class, daydreaming. You might be wondering, why was he daydreaming? For starters, the class he was in didn't interest him and was super boring. He also wasn't just "daydreaming." He was thinking why his parents were taking him out of school early. They had sat him down before school and told him he'd be picked up before lunch. 𝘞𝘩𝘺? They never did that unless it was news, big news at that. If it was bad, he couldn't handle it, not again, not after his sister's untimely death. That was besides the point though, as the bell rang. He was finally getting answers.

"Orion Azar, please come to the principal's office immediately," the comm announced. Kids started murmuring among themselves about what he could've done to go to the office. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong, but it still bothered him nonetheless. 

He rushed down the halls, and when he got to the principal's office, he was sweating through his shirt.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. Orion knew it was a stupid question to ask when he looked at his parents' faces. They were smiling ear to ear! But he 𝘩𝘢𝘥 to be sure. He just had to. 

"We just got news that you were accepted into the academy Rowan went to! Go get your stuff and we can talk more after." Of course, it had to be super vague. He begrudgingly left. 

While he picked up his stuff in the now empty classroom, the teacher whispered to him,"Good luck Orion. Congratulations for getting into Rider Academy! You know how many people would love to be in your place? They only pick five students every three years!" He patted Orion on the back and he was left dumbfounded. Had his history teacher just patted him on the back?

As Orion headed back to the principal's office, there was a noise behind him. It wasn't uncommon for there to be people in the halls during lunch, so he just kept walking. But a shadow fell over him, and he tried to squirm out of the person's grasp. He struggled to glance up and see his captor's face, but they were making it difficult to move even a fraction of an inch. Any chance of freeing himself from their grasp deflated. But one little slip up allowed him to get some blurry features of the person before they caught him moving. At least he knew slightly of their face. In fact, he thought he knew what could get him out of this situation. 

Based off their hand placements and how they had made a mistake earlier, he interpreted that if he screamed, they wouldn't take the risk in trying to silence him by choking him. They would probably end up accidentally killing him. With only a moment and one piece of knowledge -- that they weren't trying to kill him, he made his move.

He screamed as loud as he could, and the noise echoed through the whole building, taking his voice along with it. His hunch must have been right, because his attacker didn't try to silence him. Instead, they dashed out of the building and disappeared, leaving Orion to deal with explaining himself to his parents.

While he picked up his stuff in the now empty classroom, the teacher whispered to him, "Good luck, Orion. Congratulations for getting into Rider Academy! You know how many people would love to be in your place? They only pick five students every three years!" He patted Orion on the back, adding in a lower voice, "Be careful out there. Not everyone will be happy for you." Orion was left dumbfounded. Had his history teacher just patted him on the back?

When he went back to the office, he was badly shaken. 

His parents noticed and asked, "What's wrong?" 

Orion explained everything, from almost being kidnapped to the scream that followed. "By any chance, did you hear my scream?" "Yes..." Orion sighed, feeling relieved that he had told his parents the situation.

 "Well, let's go home and get you packed. Maybe Rider Academy will be a great distraction from the recent events."

Orion breathed in his home for the last time before he left for the academy. The academy Rowan died at, he thought bitterly. He was nervous, fumbling, tripping, and shaking so badly he couldn't even acknowledge how lucky he was. What if they don't like me? What if I don't find a soulmate? What if I mess up and get kicked out? Orion stopped his train of thought. He was being ridiculous. He needed to be brave, like his sister. He decided he was going to make her proud, even if he had to go to the same school that killed her, even if it was on accident.