4.Elite or Bust

***Thyra's POV***

After lunch, I was on my tablet trying to finish the prerequisite reading list for the Officer's Leadership Academy. I will have to report to the academy a week from Monday, and plan to be in Capitol City in a week to get my living quarters established and scope out the new area. I've never been to Capitol City, the largest city I have been to isn't even a quarter the size of Capitol City. And I will be leaving Mak, Ana, and Kenny behind here at Lyngvi Training Garrison. The academy is usually for year six cadets, but they accept one year four or year five cadet each year.

It is an application process I completed after losing a bet with Kenny. I didn't expect to be chosen, but he claims he knew it would happen the entire time. Usually, year six is the year we focus our training on our specific fields. Ana will apprentice in a clinic at a garrison, and Mak will be out with a scouting unit at a field unit near the border of The Darkness. Or if she is lucky, she will get to a unit further inside Osvald that is responsible for tracking rogues. But they still have a year left at Lyngvi. Kenny and I always planned on heading to training with the Finrir Elite. The Finrir Elite are the top fighters, even the Protector's Guards come from these elite soldiers. If we were not accepted to train with the elite we would move on as regular infantry soldiers, but we have spent the last 4 years doing anything we can to make our chaces at selection happen.

Instead, I will start year 5 at the leadership academy. Usually, you have to know someone or be related to someone important in the government to get a spot there. If I pass, I will be eligible for a commission and become an officer. I like that I will have more control over my life and will not have to rely on nepo-baby officers' orders. But this means I will spend a year away before coming back to, hopefully, join elite training. And I need to be with the elite to be able to have the flexibility to track down and end the rogues that torched my pack.

I hear the beeping from the suite's door lock as someone was opening the door. As soon as it opens, I smell Mak before I hear her call out.

"Hey! Honeys, I'm home!"

"It's just me right now, Ana's on clinic hours." I call back.

"Ra-ra, that was the easiest mission yet. We were sent out with a tech that wanted to do some scans of The Darkn- WHOA nice do!" She was surprised at the hair cut, but looked like she genuinely liked it. Her blue eyes sparkled as she went on, "You know we could shave some really sick designs into the buzzed side and complete the badassary."

"No, just no, this is as far of a phycological break I am going to have this week."

"At least they're not bangs. I did that once. Cut them about two inches too short." She started laughing at herself, and shook her head. "It doesn't look like a mental breakdown, looks good on you."

"Thanks, it's growing on me. Ana hasn't seen it yet, and she is the only one with normal tastes. Let's see what she says when she gets back, should be soon her clinic hours started at 5 this morning."

"What are we doing tonight? Kenny mentioned something about a new club he wanted to check out before I left."

"Yeah, they have been nagging me about going out before I leave for Capitol City. There is some DJ at the club that Kenny wants to check out. He said and I quote, "I would let that male spit in my mouth" before I gagged hard enough to get a good ab workout in." I used air quotes and a fake gag to express my disgust.

Mak flopped down on the couch, landing her head on my lap as she landed. "I am going to miss you Ra-ra. Are you sure you have to leave?" She snuggled in further, while I petted her hair which was currently different shades of blue and green. "The border was the same, the scans were all normal. These techs have some really cool new tools they were testing." She continued on, I knew if I just let her she would talk for the next 30 minutes. And I am going to let her. She is so quiet when we are around anyone outside our foursome. She was talking about the new tech and how they wouldn't let her near the scanners after they heard about the last time she started poking around. She may look like she should be a tech, but the female couldn't keep from breaking it.

About 20 minutes later, the beeping started again. But when the door opened it wasn't Ana's scent, it was Kenny's. "UGH, Mak, have you showered yet, I can smell The Darkness on you."

"Ra-ra hasn't complained about me smelling!" She yelled back. "Your nose is just too sensitive, stop whining." But she started to get up, to go wash the weird musty smell that held a smidge of decay.

Kenny's eyes glazed over, someone was linking him. "Ana's on her way back, she was telling me to come on over to get you buttered up Miss Sunshine."

"Buttered up for what?" Now I am worried.

"For your going away party, of course. We are heading to Club Thunder to hang out and drool over DJ Stars." Kenny smirked, "And she is super excited to check out your butchered scalp." He laughed a little and reached out to tousle my hair. I grabbed his hand, and had him in a thumb lock before he was able to move his hand back a third time across my head. Ana opened the door to this scene, and started taking at us like we were pups fighting over the swing at the playground.

"Kenny, what did you do now?" Ana continued, talking as if to a misbehaving pup.

"ME!? She is the one that had me on my knees, breaking my hand," Kenny was cradling his hand like I really hurt him. If Ana hadn't interrupted, I am sure he would have broken the lock in the next few seconds.

"And Ra! I like the new look, it isn't close to looking butchered," Ana pointedly looked at Kenny. "It will fit in at Club Thunder tonight!"

Crap, I had forgotten about that while Kenny and I were tussling. I am not getting out of this one, all they have to do is turn on the guilt trip about me leaving, and of course, I will do anything for them. Looks like we are going out tonight. "At least you and Kenny don't have the same taste in males," I snarked. "Can I get a couple hours of quiet, so I can get through the rest of this report first?"