Stealing Icarus - Chapter 1

 Chapter 1: 

Nate’s POV: 

The phone starts to ring, and I immediately dive towards it before my roommates can even blink. I’ve been waiting for this call all day long. 

I clear my throat and answer the phone, trying not to sound like I just ran across the room. 

     ‘Hello?’ 

     ‘Nathaniel! The files are ready for you.’ 

     ‘Oh already?’ I was lying and my roommates, Martha, and Finn knew it. It took way too long to get those files ready. 

     ‘Yes, you can head down to the front desk and collect it from Jasmine.’ Jasmine was our front desk lady, and she was literally the nicest person ever. 

      ‘Thanks!’ I try and fail to keep the excitement from flooding into my voice. Who could blame me? These files would tell me which individuals will be under my guidance as squad leader. 

      I set the phone down and grab a jacket from where it was hanging off my chair. Magellan Academy was cold. Like chilled to the bone cold, but we couldn’t do anything about that other than sign petitions to get proper heaters. 

As I walk through the hallways of the Academy, I take a moment to properly absorb every small insignificant detail, because tomorrow? Tomorrow is when I’ll start the preparations to be in space. In space. All my hard work will finally come alive tomorrow. 

But first, I needed those files. I started to jog down the hall until I finally see the front desk. I skid to a stop, inches before the blue and brown desk. 

Jasmine was sitting on a rolling chair, with a telephone against her ear and she was twirling a piece of her long brown hair between her fingers. She was talking to someone with an exasperated tone, but then she saw me and cut the call. Her expression morphed from exhaustion to excitement in a matter of seconds. She let a little squeal and for the first time today, I let myself relax and laugh. 

‘Wait here, Nate, I gotta get those files!’ 

‘Go! Get them!’ I said, making a shooing motion with my hands. Jasmine was like a motherly figure. Always, there to help. She got up from her chair and went to the back, disappearing from sight. 

I started to tap my foot in nervous energy and started fidgeting. It felt like Jasmine was taking forever when in reality, only a few seconds have gone by. 

Then Jasmine comes out from the back room with a stack of files. She hands them to me and it takes all my willpower, to refrain from tearing them open. 

‘Thanks, Jasmine!’ I say. Then she grabs my sleeve. I make a questioning noise and she says, ‘Be careful.’ I give her a smile and she rolls her eyes. 

‘Bye!’ I say, already running down the hall. 

Once, I reach my dorm room door, I swing it open and walk in on Martha and Finn arguing again. They are the literal version of Tom and Jerry sometimes, but once they see me, they fall silent. 

Then Martha says, ‘Open it!’ 

‘I am! Not my fault you guys got your team files in the morning!’ 

I hurry over to my desk and lay the files in front of me. I count seven files. Which means I have seven teammates. The first one I see is Nithya Grey’s member file. Then, Scarlet Cruz, Rani Rajkumar, Shravya Collins, Jay SkyBorn, Lucia Romano, and Monsieur Jerry. I open the files. It has their names, photos, skills, and strengths, and rank. All of them have been drafted into Alpha Squad, my squad, I would be their team leader. They would find out tomorrow at graduation. 

I take a sip of water, and start to read all about my new squad members.