August 24, 2189

Helm leaned against the cold window, hoping something interesting might happen in this new town his parents were sending him to. Well, the reason he was going was because of the boarding school located there, but he didn't really have a choice. It was considered one of the best boarding schools in the country: Arcadia. According to the recent news, in Arcadia's three years of function, it had the best athletic and academic status. The only reason Helm was going was because his parents were sponsors, but the school still interested him.

The thing that made the school the most popular was the program known as "Celestial". It was an elite program that was nearly impossible to get into, but that didn't stop people from trying. The car pulled to a stop in front of a large modern styled building. Helm stepped out, breathing in the sweet smell of pine trees. He ran a hand through his blonde hair then turned to look at the driver, "Thank-you."

The driver bowed, "Anything for my master."

Helm shrugged; you get used to titles like that after awhile. After taking his bags out of the trunk, he walked towards the building. As he walked into the facility, he was suddenly tackled. "You must be Helm Minor," an extremely peppy feminine voice said.

He opened his eyes, finding himself looking into a pair of sapphires. The other body crawled off him and he got a better look at the girl. She had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail with a ribbon and of course, her eyes. She smiled, "I'm the student council president, April Lyons. It's nice to meet you."

"Um..."

"Oh, I'm supposed to give you a tour!" she exclaimed, jumping up.

"Oh, okay," he also stood up.

"So, this is the main hall," she told him gesturing to the place around them.

She motioned for him to follow her, "As you know, Arcadia is the leading school in the country, maybe even the world. It is full of the smartest students and the strongest athletes. In the three years since it start, Arcadia has become a desired place to be. Not only for the academic and athletic programs but also for the luxury the school itself provides. Arcadia's most well-known program however is 'Celestial'. Celestial is also known as the perfect program because each member is hand-selected for intellect and athletic ability. Being in Celestial is a great honor and not to be taken lightly. Now-"

"Prez?" Helm interrupted her.

She spun around, "Yes?"

"Are you in the Celestial program?"

She laughed, "No, I'm not smart enough to be in that."

"Oh."

She smiled, then suddenly waved to someone. Another girl came running up, standing next to April. "This is Delta, she's in the Celestial program."

Delta's curly black bobbed as she smiled, her unusual amber eyes glowing with joy, "Pleased to meet you."

"Oh, I'm Helm Minor."

"The new kid. Let's see, 5'10, muscular, mostly in the legs area, probably played soccer a few years back. Judging by his clothing, he is from a wealthy family. His callused fingers suggest that he plays the guitar."

Helm blinked at her blankly, "How'd you know all of that?"

April laughed, "That's why she's a Celestian, she is quite good at analyzing things."

A small blush appeared on Delta's face, "Compared to people like Serena, I'm nothing."

"Serena?" he had heard that name before.

The two girls looked at him. "Serena Kingston, she's the best Celestian in the school," April told him.

"Apart from her amazing athletic ability and IQ of 380, she is also an accomplished dancer, singer, and a beautiful girl," Delta explained.

"Isn't an IQ that high impossible though?"

"It used to be, but Serena obviously proved that wrong. According to the rumors, when she took her IQ test it took her half a second to read the question and one second to answer it. She's amazing!"

"And here she comes now!" April whispered, pointing to a girl walking down the hall, several pairs of eyes following her.

Helm thought his own eyes were going to fall out of his head. Serena's white-blonde hair fluttered behind her despite the fact there was no wind and violet eyes were focused in front of her as she hugged her book to her chest. Her face was completely emotionless as she moved with impossible grace. Helm noticed that the hall had become almost silent. She barely glanced at Helm, whispering something incoherent, though he felt like whatever the comment was, it was directed to him. When she disappeared from view, April let out a little scream, "I can't believe she looked at you! You are so lucky!"

"S-she said something," he mumbled.

Delta cocked an eyebrow, "Are you sure? It extremely rare for her to talk..."

He nodded, "She said something, I'm sure of it."

"I see..." Delta whispered, shooting April a look that he couldn't read.

April let out a nervous laugh, "Let's get on with the tour, shall we?"

Before he could respond, she was dragging him away. Delta furrowed her brows as she watched them leave.

~~~~~~~017~~~~~~

After the tour was finished, Helm slumped on his bed in his dorm. All of his stuff was already there and his bed made. The room was relatively comfortable, large enough to fit all of his personal possessions, but not too big and he had it all to himself. He sighed, burying his face into his pillows. He was still wondering what that girl-Serena- had said to him and why Delta and April found it so unnerving. He also wondered if he had any classes with her or if the Celestial students had separate classes from the normal students. He turned and found his laptop staring at him. "One way to find out," he mumbled and stood up.

He switched on the computer and hooked up a small device to it. When the light changed from red to green, he got to work. "What am I doing?" he asked himself, leaning back. It had been months since he hacked anything. He almost got caught by the government; it was one of the main reasons he was here.

They didn't know he was here though... A small smirk crossed his face and he opened up began decoding the school's access.

"Dammit," he groaned after a few hours. "They guard their shit really well."

He pressed his forehead against the desk and looked at the jammer that was still green. They hadn't noticed yet? He shook his head, laughing softly. He pressed a few more buttons and suddenly, everything opened up to him.

He typed in Serena's name and her profile immediately popped up. To his surprise, in her picture, she was smiling brightly and her hair was cut into a bob. "Serena Kingston," he read quietly. "Age: 16. Designation? 0001... Is that her student ID or something? Years donated to Project 017: Six. But, Arcadia's only been around for three years. What the hell? Project results: Successful."

"You do realize you're breaking the law, correct?" a voice said behind him.

Helm jumped and reflexively slammed his laptop shut. When he spun around, he saw Serena lying on his bed, her arms behind her head. "How the hell did you get in here?!" he yelled, jumping up.

She glanced at him, a bemused expression dancing on her face. She looked away and stared at the ceiling, "You have a very nice room."

He raised an eyebrow and was about to respond when someone knocked on his door. "Room Inspector," a masculine voice called. "Surprise inspection."

Helm turned looked at the door. A hand suddenly covered his mouth and he was pulled to the ground. "Wh-" he tried.

"Don't make a sound," Serena hissed into his ear.

He glanced at her, confused. "Open this door right now!" the person yelled, pounding against the wood. The pounding eventually paused, but Serena remained tense.

Gunshots suddenly ripped through the air. Serena pushed Helm under the desk and jumped up. "What are you-"

There was the muffled sound of a grunt and something hard striking metal. He cautiously peered around the desk to see Serena restricting the person, a machine gun lying a few feet away. His eyes widened when he noticed that the gun was snapped in half. "Who sent you?" Serena asked the struggling man.

"Why would I tell you that?" he sneered.

Serena bent his arm further behind his back and he cried out in pain. "Who sent you?" she replied, her face impassive.

"The Iramarti!" he cried out. "I swear."

She released him, only to grab his hair and slam his head into the floor. She pressed something in her ear then stood up.

"Good job, Serena," a familiar voice said.

Helm gaped as April rounded the corner. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and restrained the unconscious men. Serena glanced at Helm, making a motion for him to be quiet. "Is Helm here?" April questioned.

"No, he appeared to have left before the terrorist made his move.

Terrorist? April nodded and pulled up the man with surprising strength. "Clean up the damage," the blonde said, sounding impossibly serious.

Serena nodded and watched as April left. "You can come out now," she told Helm.

He stood up, expecting to see Serena picking up stuff. She wasn't, but the room was a wreck with bullet holes in everything. "What the hell just happened?" he questioned.

"Terrorist attack," she said as if it was an everyday occurrence. "Most likely looking to take you hostage."

"Is that why you were in here?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. He watched in quiet awe as a strange looking circle appeared underneath her. Wind rushed through the room while it was filled with blinding light. When the glow dimmed, the room was restored to it's former appearance. "What are you?" he gaped quietly.

Serena looked at him, "I'm Celestian."