forum Ambition >> Full >> Closed
Started by @Gentleman
tune

people_alt 63 followers

@Gentleman

Oh! If you would want that, that would give a good reason for her to have interactions with the new arrivals. I like all of these ideas you brilliant people come up with. Here I am, a brain-dead fool, while you people are storehouses of great proposals.

@croccin-champagne

you're no braindead fool. you came up with the grand idea, so obviously, you've got something going on in there. bringing multiple people into things just happens to allow the creation of even more ideas

@Gentleman

Well, I suppose I can't argue with that logic. I probably ought to post a starter soon, but that will require some motivation. I have other things I need to attend to as well, so if the starter isn't up today, I'll try my best to have it up soon. I apologize for any waiting anyone does on my behalf.

@Gentleman

(Here I am— nearly two weeks late, but here nonetheless. My starter is rubbish, but… I'm rushing.)

 

Merritt

Congratulations, Merritt Malcolm! You have been accepted into Phoenix Reid Academy.
The letter was slightly crumpled from the time it had spent shoved in Merritt's pocket, but to him it still held every bit of dignity that it had when he'd first received it last week. The awe he felt while staring at the opening line was equally as powerful, even now. Though it went on to say more— explaining to him that he was to use the plane and bus tickets provided in the envelope with the letter and the other information provided in order to arrive at the school within the next seven days— his eyes remained glued to those first words.
Phoenix Reid Academy. He, Merritt Malcolm, the poor nobody from nowhere, had actually been accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Named for its founder, the late scientist James Phoenix Reid, it was known for pumping out some of the smartest kids in the world. There were only a handful of schools that rivaled it. And here Merritt was, the boy who had no hope of finishing his high-school anytime in the near future at even the most laughable school, now sitting on a bus that ran from the airport to the school. And the whole trip hadn't costed him or his family a single penny.
He drew in a long breath, carefully folding the letter and shoving it back into his pocket. He leaned back against the cushioned seat and peered through the crystal clear glass window, out at the massive city beyond. This was nothing like his hometown, with the dingy, rusty old buses and the dilapidated brick buildings and the scrawny stray dogs tearing up trashbags. Here, everything seemed clean and bright and alive.
It was a different world.
He stifled a weak yawn. If he hadn't been so anxious about his arrival, he might've been able to nap on the plane ride earlier— but his incessantly racing heartbeat kept him from dozing off at any point. Besides, it was far too late for sleep now; the bus turned onto the road that led up to the school.
The school was much larger than any picture had ever given it credit for. Merritt gaped at the massive, elegant structure— an entire campus surrounded by a tall, barred fence with a pair of grand gates (which were currently wide open) at the front of it, overlaid with gold. Merritt had no way of knowing whether it was real gold or merely decorative, but either way, it was spectacular.
It took him a moment to collect his things. He hadn't brought much; only two small suitcases with his most important belongings. Keepsakes, really, to remind him of home, and his best clothes. He nearly tripped stepping off of the bus, which had notably higher steps than any of the clunky buses back in his hometown. But the people here didn't seem quite as friendly, for the bus driver never spoke a word, not so much as a "How do ya do?" and began to speed off again before Merritt had hardly stepped off.
No matter. Merritt could not let the bus driver's attitude affect his own.
He stopped a moment to admire the school— his new temporary home. Was that fear or excitement stirring up deep within him? His mouth was dry again, his heart racing as fast as it ever had.
Because this was it.
This was the beginning of the rest of his life.

He approached the school slowly, though even he wasn't sure if his hesitation was out reverence or wariness. He was out of place here, in this foreign land. He didn't belong. But— still. Going back was not an option, and if it were, he still wouldn't.
He neared the door, tugging on an elegant golden handle to pull open the massive wooden door. Inside was a high-rising ceiling, decorated with magnificent artwork. There was a large rug in the middle of the room, with expensive, cushioned chairs positioned in a circle, and a large window overlooking the other buildings on campus. This looked more like a lobby to the world's fanciest hotel, in Merritt's opinion, than the entrance to a school.

"Hello."
A woman's voice startled him, and he flinched; his gaze snapped to the left to meet that of a middle-aged woman sitting behind an expensive wooden desk. Mahogany? Or something.
"Hello," he said, unable to hide his general uneasiness.
A beat of uncomfortable silence passed, before the woman continued. "Can I help you?"
"Um— yes. I'm Merritt Malcolm." He dared to approach the woman's desk, pulling the note— along with his own personal ID and a bus ticket receipt— from his pocket and laying them out for her to see. "I won the lottery thing." The lottery thing was likely a bad first impression, but he would have to roll with it.
The woman eyed his belongings and offered a curt nod. "I see." She gestured to the long hallway off to the left. "Down the hall a little ways, it opens up into a large lounge room. They're gathering all of the lottery kids there. Someone will meet with you there with further instruction."
Though she wasn't rude, there was nothing friendly about her tone, either. Still Merritt nodded a bit and put all of his papers back into his pockets before grabbing his bags. "Thank you."

 

(You can make your starter posts as vague or detailed as you like; all of the lottery kids are going to meet here, be given a quick introduction by the school's Principal, and then they'll be given a tour of the place— maybe by Sage's character so that there's interaction right off the bat. Feel free to offer up any of your own ideas or suggestions as well.)

@Althalosian-is-the-father book

She looked at the letter, wrinkled from too much touch but oh so carefully smoothed and flattened. She read it once again, the excitement in the back of her mind tricking her, making her wonder if it was too good to be true. Congratulations, Samantha Ramirez! You have been accepted into Phoenix Reid Academy. She had considered scribbling her name to read Sam, as it should, but she couldn't risk damaging the precious document. She could feel her heartbeat going fast, and the excitement tingled through her body like liquid lightning, making her stomach twist uncomfortably. She was riding a bus. To the school. She breathed a long sigh, a little unsure why. Maybe to calm herself. But Miguel… She nearly wanted to turn back the moment she thought of him. As much as she was nervous to be leaving home, it would be hell for him.
She had taken him on her lap two days after the letter had arrived.
"I'm going away," she had said. He didn't say anything, but Sam knew he was troubled.
"It's- it's for a long time," she said, "but it's going to be worth it, I promise." Miguel had said nothing, but he held her tightly for a long time, something unusual for him. When he finally released her both their eyes held traces of tears.
"I'll be back hermanito," she said, ""you know I will."
Then she had set him aside and started packing.
She had cornered her mother afterwards, her emotion conquering her fear, forcing Maria to swear to look after Miguel. Sam knew she wasn't like she used to be anymore, but it didn't matter. It was the only way she could silence the voices in her head.
Miguel had been waiting outside before she went, and together they had waited. She had gone a full hour before she was told to be there, but she had been too scared the bus would come early. He had known that. As she got on the bus, –it was nearly empty and the driver oddly had said nothing– he had said nothing except a nearly inaudible "Love you" before she was driven away. She had watched from the back window as he stared back at her, not waving, not even moving, until he couldn't see her anymore and turned to go back inside. Sam knew he would be safe, she had also enlisted some friends to watch over him and make sure he ate while she was gone, but she still worried about him. Tonight would be hard for him, she knew.
The soft rumble of the bus and a bounce on the road brought her back to the present. It was stopping again. It had been doing that all morning. Sam wondered if each of them had a patrol area of a few square miles and a map of who to pick up. It seemed natural. She would have considered asking had not the driver seemed so inhuman. One of the other people she supposed. She wondered what would happen if someone was missed and didn't get picked up. The thought made her want to laugh a little, but in a sad way, imagining the poor person sitting there all morning, hoping the bus would arrive. She didn't look up as the new person walked in, and her straining ears couldn't tell whether the footsteps was male or female. The person sat in the same row as her, on the opposite side. Sam stopped slouching, as if she had casually decided to sit up in her seat. A few seconds of glancing casually around told her that the bus was almost full, or at least three quarters. A few rows ahead of her, on the other side she was almost certain she saw a girl with unusually long blonde hair putting a paper in her pocket. Coincidence maybe. But the red seal on the paper looked exactly like the one on her letter. She would have to check him out later. Hardly a friend in higher places, but she couldn't be picky about allies this early in the game.
"Ten minutes until we get there," came the sharp tones of who Sam assumed was the driver. "Be ready for departure. Have all papers ready, especially if you're a lottery kid. I know we have at least one of you here. Sam imitated the rest of the students, casually looking around in search of the kid coming here on a lottery ticket. She would have dearly loved to watch the other girl's reaction, but it seemed rude to put that pressure on her already.
"Well," she muttered to herself, eyeing her mother's faded red suitcase hung above her head, "I'm ready."

@Moriarty

(I've been SUPER mega busy, so I haven't been very active. Really sorry about that guys!! :S)

Greer fiddled with the corner of her letter and watched stoically as the world through the window passed her by. The letter looked like it had been wadded and unwadded half a dozen times, perhaps folded several different ways and shoved unceremoniously into someone's pocket. And if it hadn't already suffered that last part in the past, it certainly did now as she stuffed it into her hoodie. As long as it was still legible, the physical condition of the letter couldn't possibly matter all that much. It was just a piece of paper, after all.
It was the opportunity that the paper offered her that she cared about. A chance to actually get a decent education and learn something. It wasn't about the money or about being rich. Screw that. She just wanted to be able to pursue knowledge at her own freewill without having to scrounge for cash until her dying breath. And at Phoenix Reid, she might actually have that chance. Not might. Would.
Her father was asleep when she left. She had expected him to be. But, still, despite their nearly non-existent relationship at this point and the fact that she'd been left to fend for herself ever since Mom died, she wanted to say goodbye. There was no way of knowing how long it would be before she could visit again, or if his habits would kill him before then.
He was drooling on his pillow, sprawled out in an uncomfortable-looking position on his bed when she found him.
"Dad," she had said, giving his broad shoulder a shake. He merely groaned in response, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Dad, I'm leaving." Even if she had succeeded in waking him up, he would've been far too hung over to actually see her off or carry on one last decent conversation— so she gave up and scrawled out a note for him. She stuck it to the only place she knew he'd see it— to his liquor bottle in the fridge— and hurried out the door with what little she had packed.
Her single bag served as her armrest now, as she sat on the bus. She wasn't really a fan of bus rides, even on clean ones like this. Too many people. Too much noise. Even when no one spoke, it seemed like there was a lot of noise. The rumble of the engine and the tires and the sound of some kid behind her breathing too loud and someone else shuffling their foot incessantly. Or maybe she was just paying too much attention.
At the ten-minute announcement offered by the driver, Greer squinted a little, catching the rather derogatory way the driver had spoke of the lottery kid. Had it been derogatory, or was he just hateful? Probably both, though Greer didn't really care.
"That would be me," she murmured nonchalantly— quiet enough not to draw the attention of anyone or disturb the silence, but loud enough that she could be heard— and pulled her poor abused letter out of her pocket to look over it again. She almost smiled.
Congratulations, Greer Bensen! You have been accepted into Phoenix Reid Academy.

@Moriarty

((Thanks!! :D You too, Dom. That was a really good opening starter and I'm not just saying that because you complimented mine. XD And, yes, crocs, they really do. R.I.P. kiddos and their sucky parents.))

@Moriarty

(^-^ I'm glad my writing at any point seems good to you. XD I'm literally so scatterbrained that I can't keep up with myself, so I'm surprising I have enough sanity left to actually put sentences together.)

@Gentleman

(Hello everyone! I'll try not to make any of you wait too long, but I have a lot of plans this weekend, in addition to starting a new job today or tomorrow, so I may be a tad inactive. I'll still try to post as much as possible; I don't intend to leave you all high and dry.)

@Gentleman

(I haven't been online in over a week, and I'm so sorry about that. I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll be able to post, since it's Saturday and I only have a few things planned. Thank you all for being so kind and patient!)

@Gentleman

(Um…. apologies for my month-long departure. I've been annoyingly busy over these past few weeks and took a very unintentional break. I suppose college and a job will do that to a person, but that doesn't mean I like it. I guess this is on hold for a short bit, but if any of you are still interested, I wouldn't mind trying to continue it. Considering my absence, I won't blame any of you if you're done with this by now, because I understand completely.)

@Gentleman

Wonderful!! :)
I am very sorry to you all. I didn't plan to vanish on everyone like that. It just sort of… happened.