Kella ran down the street and barely managed to catch the last transport to the academy. She ran down the aisle and flopped down in a seat, panting. Her stomach rumbled forlornly.

Why, oh, why can't school start at a decent hour? Oddly enough, Kella was normally an early riser, but she was also a night owl. She always wanted to make the most of the hours in a day; unfortunately, staying up half the night practicing the piano made for an unpleasant morning rush. If she didn't start getting up earlier, her health would probably suffer in protest of the schedule she'd been keeping...and the breakfasts of coffee and candy bars she had to grab at the snack bar next to the transport station. Kella didn't even like coffee—it was mostly to help her wake up. If only they added, say, five more hours to every day. Of course, it didn't much help that one of the reasons she'd been up so late was because she couldn't sleep for worrying about Tempest. There really didn't seem to be much of a reason to worry; she just had an odd feeling about her friend. What was more important, she decided, was that Kella start taking better care of herself and stop jumping at shadows.

She took advantage of the fifteen minutes it took to get to the academy by dozing a little. It wasn't enough, of course; what she really needed was several hours of real rest. Still, it might keep her awake through her morning classes.

She was still blinking drowsily when she stepped out of the transport. It glided away as she meandered up the front walkway of the academy, almost half awake. Suddenly she bumped into someone.

"Kella, didn't you hear me calling you? Watch where you're going!" Tempest sighed, shaking her head. "You really have got to stop these all night practice sessions. Doesn't your family mind?"

Kella yawned. "No, I've told you before that they can't hear the piano. It's in the basement, and all the bedrooms are on the top floor. They don't mind, since they aren't bothered by it, though my mother keeps worrying about my health."

Tempest frowned. "I would too, if I were her. Look at you! You're half asleep. And you're supposed to be a healer?" She shook her head again, grinning. "You'd better watch it, or I'll have to get you signed up for combat training! That would teach you to pay attention to your physical health."

Kella smiled back as they entered the building. "They work you that hard, do they?"

"You know they do."

"Well, at least you know you'd be ready if someone attacked you."

Tempest was suddenly silent. Kella looked at her askance. Several seconds passed as she eyed her friend. "Tempest, is something wrong?" she asked finally.

"Oh, nothing," she replied nonchalantly. "I was just thinking about what you said, that's all."

Kella waited, knowing this wasn't all. Sure enough, Tempest spoke again moments later. "Can you think of any reason...I mean, other than, well, you know...that someone I don't know would be looking for me?"

There was definitely something wrong if Kella's friend would mention that in public, even in the low voice she was using. If anyone overheard, someone could very well be looking for her soon, if they weren't already. "Why?" she asked apprehensively.

Tempest seemed to regret having said anything. "Oh, I guess I'm just paranoid." She gave Kella a rueful grin, shrugging her shoulders in a way that effectively dismissed the matter.

Kella truly disliked the entire situation, and she really did not want to just let the subject drop. However, she trusted Tempest's judgment and respected her privacy, so she didn't press the matter.

Kella and Tempest usually ate lunch together outside, but today Tempest excused herself, saying she had some business to take care of; she didn't specify what sort of business. Before Kella could ask for an explanation, Tempest was gone.

"What's up, Kella?" Kevram Zerellen greeted her with a his usual charming smile as she sat down next to him. He was rather tall and slim, with a young, somewhat serious face that belied his light-hearted (though quiet) nature. His blond hair was slightly mussed, as usual, and his bright green eyes were friendly.

Kella sighed. "Oh, Tempest's acting weird. I thought I'd join you rather than eat by myself."

"Good idea. I like company, now and then."

Kevram, whom everyone called Kev, was a friend of Tempest's and Kella's and was about their age. In training to be an engineer, he was extremely intelligent and showed considerable promise. He was normally very solitary, though not really a loner. He was very friendly and was always willing to go out with a group or sit down and talk; it was just that he liked to set aside plenty of time to do things by himself. He simply enjoyed solitude; he'd never been able to explain exactly why.

"So, Kev, what's your latest project?"

"Oh, I've been working with gliders—you know, experimenting, making some changes. What I really want to get a hold of, though, is the jet-powered craft." His eyes twinkled in that familiar way Kella knew all too well. "I just know we could be doing so much more with the technology we've got! Our aircraft could be so advanced if we only exerted the effort and funded the research. Why, we could even break the sound barrier!" Kella eyed him skeptically. "No, it's true!" he insisted. "I've been reading up on this sort of thing, and I got a hold of some reports that were kept quiet. The government's been experimenting with these sorts of ideas, and though I'll admit I don't know that anyone's actually done it, I just bet we could build planes that could fly faster than sound!"

Kella smiled to herself; Kev was getting carried away again, as usual.

"And if we could build planes that fast, can you imagine what we could do?" he continued. "Why, we might even be able to escape the planet's gravity!"

The look Kella gave him now was more than just skeptical. "You're not serious."

"Sure am." Kev grinned. "Look, Kella, you like to stargaze. Have you ever wondered what's up there? Come on, you must have. Just what would we find up there in space? Who knows what worlds lie beyond ours, or what adventures we could find there?" Kev gazed wistfully at the cloudless azure sky.

Suddenly Kella felt very uncomfortable. She had a sudden feeling, like a bad omen, that something was about to happen. Against all reason, she suddenly had a strong conviction that soon her life would change forever. Quickly she shoved it aside, unable to find a logical basis for the idea, but it lingered before fading, as if to remind her that it still existed.

Kev turned those visionary eyes on Kella. "What do you think we'd find up there, Kella?"

She was silent for a moment, looking at the sky. "I don't know," she admitted finally, "but the power to get there should not be taken lightly. Whatever we did find would be...crucial."

They continued to stare at that endless expanse of blue for several minutes before returning to their lunch in silence. Kella, however, found that she was no longer hungry.