Average....and that's it.

When I wake up in the morning, I feel myself smile.

I'm done with that bucket of crap. No more fake smiles, no more worthless assignments--

Oh, you know. High school.

My sister peeks into my room, and I close my eyes, pretending to sleep.

"Nova, are you up?"

"..."

She sighs and closes the door. I roll on my side and sigh contentedly. Nothing to do today--

The door is thrown open, shaking the trophies displayed on shelves as the door bangs into the wall. I jump and glare at the figure in the doorway, holding a stack of envelopes.

"College stuff," Dad says sternly. He tosses them at me and they scatter across my bed, some fluttering to the floor. "Figure it out." He walks out.

My sister peeks in, frowns. "You ARE awake!!"

I throw the covers over my head, but my sister leaps up on the bed and yanks them off. "Nova, you said you'd take me to see that movie today!!"

Great. "Yeah, sure, but I have to look through all this first..." I gesture at the massive amount of recruiting letters as an excuse, but she just shakes her head.

"I'll help! Here you open those--" she waves her arm around the bed, "And I'll get the ones on the floor." Without stepping off the bed, she reaches down and picks up a small pile.

I let my head fall into my hands and groan. "Maggie, get out--"

"You should really wear a shirt when you sleep. You don't even look that great--"

"MAGGIE--"

"Hey, this isn't a college!"

I peek at her through my fingers.

She frowns. "Must be junk."

NO. ANYTHING not college related is lovely. I snatch it from her before she can trash it.

When I open it, the letter is crisp, printed on yellowy paper, and smelling of.....roses? Something floral.

"'Nova Vance,'" I read aloud, "'You have been selected as a candidate as trainer for the New World Institute, located in'--"

"What's that?"

"I think....I think it's that new school for defunt drives." I murmur as I continue to read for myself.

She sighs. "Whatever. You should just trash it."

"I don't think I will....listen. 'Out of all applicants, you passed with the highest scores and are shown as most apt to work with our students'."

"You applied?"

I put down the letter and meet her questioning gaze, shrugging. "No idea. I applied for tons of things months ago."

She jumps off my bed and sits at my creaky desk, opening my laptop and letting it power up. By now, I note the clock's time. Four thirty?! No wonder I'm hungry.

When I glance back at Maggie, she's logged on.

"How do you know my pass?!"

"Found it! 'New World Institute for Disabled Drives'. It's pretty prestigious." She narrows her eyes at the screen. "Why would they want you?" 

"Thanks."

Dad appears in the doorway. "What's going on in here?"

Dad's built huge--broad shoulders, manly beard, narrow eyes that always seem to be disappointed in my lack of sports skills. But I, shirtless, glare right back at him. "I'm looking at a school."

Dad sees the open envelope on my bed and thuds over, picking it up in his meaty hands and quickly scanning it over. His eyes flash up at me.

"New World?"

"Yes, it's for--"

"I don't like this. You should be going to college, not some school for special needs kids."

I clench my fists. "I'm 18, Dad."

Cue raised eyebrow. "So?"

"I think it'd be a great opportunity. It's for defunt drives, and that's a field widely explored and creating more careers by the minute--"

"No. College first."

Maggie turns in her chair. "Dad, come look at the site--"

"Maggie, get out."

Without another word, she stands and leaves, shutting the door behind her.

Dad turns back to me--

And something explodes through the window, crashing into my dad and throwing his massive body back against the wall. I have only a millisecond to look and see the explosive that crashed into him before it explodes, throwing everything into a mass of chaos.