“And Regan?” she said, and I jumped at hearing my first name. No one used first names at the Academy. I’d grown up at the Academy, running the halls since I was in diapers, and even then I’d been Cadet Fitz. Always Cadet Fitz.

“Yes?” I said.

“Don’t worry too much about your mom.” With that she hit the button and the metal doors slid open, letting her out into the bustling hallway where all the kids who hadn’t screwed up their simulation that day were gathering their books to leave for their dinners. The doors slid shut again and the noise of the hallway was choked off instantly. Simulation rooms were soundproofed to an almost maddening degree, and now that I was alone, I could hear my own heartbeat like someone was holding a microphone to my chest. It wasn’t a new sensation by any means, but that didn’t make it any less unsettling.

I wanted nothing more than to skip the recap of my one-second failure and join the crowd heading home. My stomach gave an angry snarl to remind me that skipping lunch to study for this recap had been a big fat waste. I should have just eaten. It had been grilled cheese day too. I loved grilled cheese day. Feeling equal parts resentful and resigned, I waited until the screen in front of me showed the big green check mark that let me know my recap had been successfully uploaded before sliding off the table and heading over to the door. Waiting for the upload was part of the simulation training protocol, although it seemed redundant since as far as I knew, one had never failed to upload. Personally, I think they made us wait so we had a few moments to think things over and prepare ourselves for what came next.

The wall hummed as I walked toward it, and a second later the door slid open with an efficient click. The sound echoed up and down the corridor, letting me know the other cadets were being released too. I felt my cheeks burn a little in embarrassment, but I brushed it off. There would be time for that soon enough. I straightened my spine to my full five feet seven inches and strode out without a backward glance. So what if this was my third recap this week? It was all part of the process. We had to learn if we wanted to protect the future.