"Rrrinnnnggg!!!" rang Borèal's alarm clock.
Sluggish, he stretched his hand towards the clock and switched it off, then, he sat up.
The air infront of him distorted and stretched a little and a screen materialised
It wrote "Game player 057 welcome to Royal—"
"You'll should skip the introductions and just tell me your name" interrupted Brian
"Hello Brian, my name's Kaythleen or Katie for short".
"Okay, what do you have for me?".
"Most people find it creepy seeing a holographic screen first thing in the morning " Katie replied.
"Why find something you're expecting creepy?" Said Brian as he got up.
"You'll have a welcome sports match today against the final years by 4:30 pm
"Is that all?"
"For now"
There was a very brief awkward silence then Borèal spoke up
"Katie, what are game stats?"
The holoscreen began to morph
I.Q: 2
S.Q: 2
E.Q: 2
A.Q: 2
Your game stats are your four Quotients. To ascend the level of each quotient, you must complete various tasks assigned to you.
Aside that, your social Quotient increases with how social you are.
Your Intelligent Quotient increases with the level of intelligence you display.
Emotional Quotient increases with how well you manage your emotions.
Advanced Quotient increases with how well you manage a situation and crisis.
You can only ascend to star 2 when 3 quotient bars have been completed
"Why so?"
"No human is perfect "
" Still, isn't three too much?"
" Who knows?, it's how we're programmed.
Soon, it was evening.
Brian put on a red and black striped basketball Jersey and a pair of black sneakers then exited the room. The entire building was empty, all students had scuttled
out for sports
Brian stepped out of the dorm building, stretching his arms.
"Katie," he called, spreading open his palm.
A mini holoscreen appeared in the air.
"Yes, Boreal," came the familiar voice. The display transformed into a 2D GPS map, guiding him along the path to the ultra-modern sports facility.
The facility was massive and impressive. Two volleyball courts, three basketball courts, two badminton courts, and a squash room were neatly arranged. Everything gleamed with modernity and precision.
"Hey, lad!" someone shouted from the basketball arena. "Come play with us!"
Brian approached the court. A game was already in progress. The opposing team, dressed in black, had formed a complete five-man lineup.
He joined the "Reds," taking the position of Point Guard 2, completing their team.
"I'm Pius," the guy said, extending a hand.
Brian sized him up quickly. Pius had relaxed hair, gray eyes, a smooth, handsome face, and wore the same jersey as Brian—except for bright blue Nike sneakers.
"I'm Brian," he replied.
"The Whites are all final-year students," Pius explained. "We Reds are first years. Forward 1 is Paul."
Paul's height immediately stood out. He had black hair with green highlights and wore the same jersey.
"Forward 2 is Benaiah," Pius continued. "He's flashy—brown hair, brown eyes, the kind of guy you can't ignore on the court. And our centreman is Joseph."
Joseph had bluish-black hair and a focused expression that radiated confidence.
"Get into positions!" shouted the coach, a short, elderly man. The team quickly aligned.
"Begin!" a speaker boomed.
The two centremen stepped to the middle.
JUMPBALL.
…GAME TASK UPLOADING…
Boreal's holoscreen appeared alongside the entire Reds team's displays.
TASK 1: Win the Welcome Match – PTS: 30
Joseph reached the ball first, passing it swiftly to Pius. The forwards sprinted toward the opposite team's basket, while Joseph positioned himself strategically.
Pius dribbled past his defender and delivered a precise bounce pass to Brian. Without hesitation, Brian faced the second Point Guard and dribbled past him with ease, feeling the thrill of the game surge through him.
The game continued in earnest with each team dragging for the ball and who would win. They couldn't seem to have an opportunity to make, they continued passing until a sudden countdown began. The countdown seemed to throw team red into a tantrum as Benaiah lost grip of the ball. The opposing centreman picked up the ball and dashed off at lightning speeds to score.....
"10!, 9! ,8! ,7!"
.... Brian zoomed off alongside Joseph in an attempt to stop him. He twisted left displacing Joseph and attempted to lay up, Boreal stood in his way and blocked off the ball. Joseph picked up the loose ball and flung it in...
"6! ,5! ,4!"
.... Pius caught the ball and threw attempting to score. It hit the board and bounced out all the way to Boreal. He caught the ball outside the three point line and threw...
"3!, 2!, 1!"
A stainless basket. Team Reds have the game
RED – BLACK
15 – 22
The entire team climbed on Brian as chants of
"Brian! Brian! Brian!" filled the air. They uplifted him and carried him all the way to the dining hall. They carried him into the hall,
Just then, Brian took a look at the hall.
It was long and rectangular in shape. It had four doors and adjacent the entrance of the main door on the left was a canteen while to the right, a cafeteria.
The chairs continued until they finally set him down beside a table and immediately the table became crowded.
Boreal turned to face the person beside him, it was Oliver. He offered Boreal a napkin to wipe his sweat then spoke up
"You played amazingly well today"
"How did you know?" questioned Boreal
"It's all over Instagram" he replied
Suddenly, the noisy hall became calm
"What's wrong, Victor?" asked Brian
"They're here" Oliver replied
"Who's here?" Brian questioned further as a group of students dressed in black and white striped basketball
A group of students wearing matching jerseys walked in. At the front was the boy Brian had challenged on the court, spinning a basketball on his left index finger as he approached.
"I'm Jake Brown, captain of the RCAS basketball team," he said, offering Brian a handshake. "Your gameplay today was awesome. I'm looking forward to more games with you."
Brian shook his hand, glancing around to realize all eyes were on him.
Another clique entered, one of them carrying a large boombox blasting music.
"The leader of this group is flashy… and happens to be the most popular boy in college," Oliver whispered.
Brian turned to see him.
"23-year-old Stanley Heshmann," Oliver continued. "Captain of the school's soccer team."
Stanley had curly black hair and black eyes. He wore a black-and-white striped jersey and plain black gloves. He held a soccer boot in his left hand and a soccer ball in his right. As he passed by, the girls around screamed in unison:
"We love you, Heshmann!!"
Brian raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about him?"
Oliver chewed on a piece of chicken. "He's… a ladies' guy, I guess."
Next, a group of girls walked in.
"This clique is led by the most popular girl in college—Miriam Boreal," Oliver said casually.
Brian's head shot up. "Did you say… Boreal?"
"Yeah. Coincidence you share the same surname," Oliver replied.
"Not a coincidence," Brian muttered as he turned toward them.
It was his sister.
Miriam had long black hair tied in a bun, with two strands framing her face. Her large black eyes sparkled, and her slightly upturned nose gave her a mischievous look.
She wore a black designer crop top with 'Sports' written on it, and matching black leggings with pink lettering highlighting her figure. A holo-screen floated in front of her. With a flick of her hand, she cleared it and scanned the crowd as if searching for someone.
Her eyes finally locked onto Brian. For a split second, she stared. Then she screamed at the top of her lungs:
"LIL' B!!!"
Brian froze, caught between shock and embarrassment as all attention turned toward him. As Miriam dashed toward Brian, she swept him into a tight hug, burying his face against her chest.
Brian froze for a moment, probably aware that every pair of eyes in the hall was on him. Then, he relaxed and deepened the hug. They finally pulled back, sitting down at a nearby table.
"Lil' B, I had no idea you'd be coming here," she said, smiling.
"Says the girl who doesn't answer Mom's calls. She could have told you," Brian replied, teasing.
"You just arrived yesterday and you're already all over social media," Miriam said.
"Oh, how about PB?" she asked.
"He's alright," Brian replied casually.
"Welcome to college, Brian," she said, pausing. "Try to make friends," then stood and walked away, leaving him at the table.
His holo-screen flickered to life. Oliver appeared, holding his device in front of Brian.
"You should see this, Boreal," he said, showing Brian his Instagram feed.
The headline blared: "BOREAL'S TOUCHING REUNION."
Brian sighed. "Everyone keeps telling me to make friends."
"That's because people who are social get a lot of opportunities," Oliver replied.
"I know that," Brian muttered. "But they make it seem like I'm shy. I'm not shy—I just don't like meaningless conversations."
At the far end of the hall, a girl sat with her eyes glued to her holo-screen. She glanced up, and Oliver's gaze met hers.
"That's Colleen," he whispered, and she quickly looked away.
"I think she's for you, Oliver," Brian teased.
"Don't change the topic, Brian. Go talk to her," Oliver nudged.
Brian walked over and pulled out a chair beside her.
"Hello," he said, offering his hand.
She looked up. Blonde, long curly hair framed her fair face. Her blue eyes were wide and expressive. She wore a pink T-shirt with matching tracksuit bottoms, a pink sweatshirt tied around her waist.
Hesitating for a moment, she accepted the handshake timidly. Brian noticed her pulse quicken under his grasp.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
"It's nothing," she murmured, cheeks flushing red.
"I'm Brian…"
"Boreal. I already know," she replied in a gentle mezzo-soprano voice, tinged with an Icelandic accent.
"Oh—and yours?"
"Jane Colleen," she replied nervously.
Brian smiled. "You're really shy. I'm not going to harm you. Come on, I'll walk you out."
They walked side by side, the quiet between them surprisingly comfortable.
"So… how's Iceland?" Brian asked.
She stopped and raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"
"Know what?" he teased. "That you're from Iceland?"
"Yes."
"Colleen, Colin, Colan—those are Icelandic names," he replied casually.
A small smile crossed her face.
"So," Brian continued, "can you endure the weather in Iceland?"
She shook her head lightly. "Not at all. Mom hardly lets me leave the house, and my brother is way too protective." She paused. "I kind of wish I had an elder sister like yours."
Brian scoffed. "Trust me, you wouldn't. The kind that makes you do a ton of work and cover for her whenever she disappears?"
She laughed softly. "At least she's not overprotective of you."
Colleen lifted her head, her blue eyes fixed on the starry sky above them.
Brian followed her gaze.
"You like stargazing?" he asked.
"It's one of my literary hobbies," she replied with a yawn.
Brian smiled. "You look tired. Let's get you to your room."
They climbed the stairs together until they reached Room 47.
"See you tomorrow!" she said, pushing the door open. She turned back and waved at him.
"Good night," Brian replied softly as the door shut behind her.
He stood there for a moment, then turned and headed back down the hallway.