| Ringtheron Academy |

Ace grabbed my bicep pulling me out of my seat and towards the ship's exit. Fear trickled through my soul as the ship's door slid open with a hiss after Ace entered the code quickly.

Zenagon's two suns burned my eyes once we exited the ship.

Exotic plants and parked expensive ships surrounded me. This must be where their ships land, for the academy.

A hovercar waited for us, humming quietly.

"Come on, Kid." Ace said, pulling me towards the hovercar. "Watch your head." Ace grumbled, pulling open the door and pushing me inside.

The door shut loudly making me shudder.

"We'll be there in ten minutes." Ace's cold voice said beside me.

The hovercar was somewhat with leather black seats and champagne bottles on the sides, snacks in the cabinets.

"Don't touch anything." I nodded, but my stomach was having other thoughts. I hadn't eaten in a while, and my hunger was starting to make an appearance.

The hovercar went down a road leading from the landing area.

The hovercars driver separated from us by a thin piece of black glass, that slid open and closed, hiding us from his view.

I watched to the exotic jungle that surrounded the road, anxiousness making it''s way through my soul.

I wonder where my sister is right now. Is she being treated like me? Or worse? Just thinking of her made me slump in sadness. I would never get to see her again probably.

A huge building came into view following other buildings, all painted dark black. The buildings almost looked like my death awaiting me, getting closer, and closer to my doom.

The building got more and more detailed as we got closer. This must be the entry hall where people are registered and meetings are held. The whole perimeter was lined with gates and metal fences, it almost looked like a prison. Guard towers lined up everywhere.

What kind of Academy is this?

The building was surrounded by exotic plants cut and groomed neatly making the building look pristine and elegant, its tall walls making the building almost looking down at me dauntingly.

The door next to me popped open after we stopped, making me jump.

"Move." Ace said his hair hanging over his eyes as he exited the door by him shutting him behind him.

His uniform rippling as he walked over to my door, opening it even more.

"Didn't I say get out? I'm starting to think you have nothing but air in your head, Nate." He growled almost grabbing my shirt collar and pulling me out.

I stumbled on the stone street my handcuffed hands almost making me too unbalanced to stay on my feet.

Ace pushed my back towards the huge dark wooden doors, and not gently I might add.

After walking up the stairs that led to the huge oak doors, Ace grabbed the doors handle opening it quickly motioning me inside.

I stepped in cautiously my shoes making a light tapping noise on the wood floor.

The room was furnished with modern furniture, people my age, and some older bustled around, most of the boys and men, only a few girls my age around. All of them were wearing the same uniform as Ace, except for the very extinct blue stripes on their shoulders indicating that they were trainees.

Ace put his hand on my shoulder leading me to an office-type area, away from the front doors, away from freedom.

His grip on my shoulder tightened as he turned me towards a large door.

A gold plat attached to the door saying, "Head Master". I gulped nervously when Ace came up to the door knocking quite loudly.

"Come in." A voice said, his tone clearly annoyed.

"Come." Ace said opening the door and pulling me in.

The room was stylish with leather couches and oak bookshelves holding books. I gaped at them.

Books were unusually not many people owned books since people used tablets nowadays.

A gruff looking man sat behind a desk the same words on the play on the door now on a plate on his desk.

"Welcome." He said sternly taking me in.

I probably looked ridiculous I was still in my pajamas and my hair was ruffled and matted, not to mention my most likely bruised face.

"Ace." He nodded towards Ace.

"Seargent Drentinger." Ace acquired back. Drentinger was definitely a Lumkonton too, his features like Ace's.

"We got the news he would be coming soon, but I didn't think this soon."

"Well, you thought wrong." Ace said, his cold voice, even more, colder than before. It was very obvious that Ace hated Seargent Drentinger. Sergeant Drentinger looked like he was in his late forty's although mother nature hadn't been kind to him, and you could see his wrinkles fairly defined from all the scowls he's probably made over time through his life, his hair having sprinkles of white in them.

Seargent Drentinger smirked at him, enjoying his anger.

"Your quite right, you delivered him, you're dismissed." Ace's eyes hardened looking at me, his silver eyes blazing.

"Yes, Sergeant Drentinger." He muttered walking towards the door.

"Wait." Sergeant Drentinger's voice said in a soft tone. Ace turned around hotly his jaw clenched. It was apparent that Ace could not disrespect this man, and he was a higher rank than Ace was, although, it was pretty amusing too see Ace about to explode.

"Yes?" Ace said with a tint of attitude.

"The handcuffs?" Sergeant Drentinger said slyly pointing at my hands, I almost forgot about the handcuffs.

"Right." Ace said like he was about to smack himself on his forehead. Ace walked briskly over taking keys out of one of the many pockets on his belt, before turning the lock of my handcuffs with a weirdly shaped key making my handcuffs clink before releasing me.

I instinctively rubbed my bruised wrists.

"Thank you, you can leave now."

Ace gave me one more look before turning around and marching out of the room, the door shuttering slightly from him slamming the door shut making me jump.

"Name?" Sergeant Drentinger's voice called me out of my thoughts making me look at him dumbly. He raised his bushy eyebrows at me. "Name? I don't love to repeat myself."

"Nate." I tried to sound confident but my voice failed me, cracking at the end of my name. Sergeant Drentinger nodded righting on a piece of paper.

"Age?"

"Fifteen, sir," I replied hastily.

"Birthday?"

The questions were endless, going from my how tall I was too what I did the day before I was taken and my parents were killed. In my opinion, it was a waste of time.

I just stood there for maybe an hour answering totally pointless questions.

"Okay, Nate." Sergeant Drentinger sighed an evil gleam in his eyes, putting the papers he was writing all my information on away and into a file.

"Do you know why you're here?" He asked suddenly, taking me by surprise.

"No, sir," I answered.

"You're here because for some reason Ringther decided you might come to use with us. Don't know how don't know why. Maybe it was pity, maybe it was guilt for killing your parents. Well, probably not guilt he's killed more innocents then he can count without losing a blink of sleep." He sighed putting his face in his hands looking at me curiously.

"What I'm trying to say is, we don't know either, just that you're going to have to be changed immediately and put into our prestigious system." At the word change, my skin felt goosebumps.

"What do you mean by changed?" I said fear gripping my insides and turning my guts into soup.

"Changed into a Lumpkonton of course." He said looking at me like I was incapable of comprehension.

"What?" He smiled at my confused expression. I heard rumors that the Lumpkonton could change humans and aliens to their forms but I never thought it was true! I always thought it was just a story passed around at school on our old planet.

"You didn't think you would be able to attend this academy in your human form, did you?" He slid off his chair walking around his desk towards me. I hadn't thought he would be this tall, he was almost towering over me.

"Your weak, my pupils would accidentally squish you in combat." True, Lumpkonton's were stronger faster than humans, but I didn't think they were that strong. I gulped as he stepped closer too me inches away from my face.

Why was he so close? I could smell what could have been his lunch on his breath.

"Now, you'll be changed in a day or so, but first let me have one of the captains show you around." Right after he said that a knock came at the door. How did they know we were done?

Oh, right they could contact each other through their minds, stupid mind powers.

"Come in." Sergeant Drentinger's voice was almost chilling.

A boy came strolling in, wearing a uniform like the rest. His blond hair was curly and short on the sides, his eyes twinkling with amusement and mischievous.

"Seargent Drentinger." He said nodding at the man who was so very much close to my face.

"Julian, I told you about the new trainee, here he is, I would like him settled in by tonight. Your group." With that Sergeant, Drentinger waved his hand dismissively. Julian looked at me before grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the room.

"Wow. You look terrible. What happened to you?" Julian said looking down at me with skeptical eyes. I glanced at the door to Sergeant Drentinger's office.

"Long story." I murmured.

"Well, it must be for you to be one of the first humans to be changed and put here at Ringtheron Academy," Julian said guiding me away from the office door and towards the back area of the building leading towards the back doors that probably lead to the training grounds.

The warm air hit my face as we exited the building, smaller cabins surrounding us, and a big building toward the back of the compound.

"So, as you can see, this is the area where living quarters are, cabins you know? And farther in the compound, you'll find the classrooms, where we get taught about our planet's history and how to use toxins like drugs and poisons to kill or make your victim incapable of doing normal life things, or to mind control them. Oh! And the cafeteria is in there."

I nodded walking with him through the camp.

"By the classrooms, you can find the Training Grounds, you go there every day at eight o'clock every day, I'm not sure if you're supposed to go tomorrow because you won't be changed yet, but you might be forced too or punished for not going, I would go in your case."

Boy's my age walked by us as we talked looking at me curiously, some younger by me by about two years.

"The cafeteria food, let me just tell you. Or let me just spell it to you, T. E, R, R, I, B, L, E," He said exaggerating with his hands, "terrible-"

"Why is it like a prison here? Why are there fences and guard towers?" I interrupted him, he looked at me opening his mouth, before closing it again.

"I'm not totally sure, but they say that it's for our protection from enemy attacks. I think the main reason is some of the guys chickening out and trying to escape." He shrugged continuing to walk on the dirt road toward a cabin.

"Hey, Julian!" A voice said behind us. Julian didn't acknowledge the voice, only walking faster.

"Hey!" One second Julian was beside me and the next second he on the ground.

"Don't ignore me pipsqueak." The boy who threw Julian to the ground growled.

A buff guy pulled Julian to his feat putting his fist in Julian's face, boys now surrounding us, either with smirks or sneers on their faces.

"Whose newbie?" one of them sneered inclosing me in the circle putting his finger on my chest as I swatted his finger away.

"Who does he think he is? Coming in the last year of school, not having to do the four years we had to do." Another one sneered this time from behind me. I scowled at them.

"And he's human!" Another said outraged.

"Leave him alone, Kayden," Julain said pushing Kayden off him.

"What are you going to do about it? Huh?" Kayden said pushing him into the ring of boys, Julian being pushed back towards Kayden again.

"I said leave him alone," Julian said shakily, stepping away from Kayden.

"Kayden." One of the boys said.

"What?" He snapped at the other boy.

"A captains coming. We better go." The boy murmured to Kayden. Kayden huffed.

"Were not finished," He sneered pushing Julian again making him fall on his but while the boys laugh, walking away.

"You okay?" I said rushing forward to him and helping him up.

"Yeah, their just a bunch of jerks, and bullies." He spitted out venom dripping from his words, while I looked at the captain that walked down the trail oblivious that they had helped us.

"Come one, let me show you our cabin." With that, we started walking down the trail again towards the cabin where my sleeping quarters would be.

Two things were clear in my mind, I have to escape before my changing, and I'll escape tomorrow night.