Hey, this is Dave the Miracle Maker. It’s a bright sunny day up here in the high desert of Southern California. I hope everyone is having a glorious day. If you are trying to manifest a better life, certain disempowering emotions prevent you from getting what you want. If you are trying to create a miracle in your life, and it doesn’t matter if it’s for wealth and abundance or to find the love of your life, you have to get rid of these emotions. These emotions are things like fear, anger, jealousy the feeling of lack or unworthiness. These things prevent you from manifesting what you want. You may ask yourself, “Why is this happening for them and not me?” Or you might feel uncertain and depressed. It all comes down to the choices you make. Chose to be happy. Concentrate on the positive things in your life and feel grateful for them. Tell yourself that you are worthy to live a life of abundance. When you feel a negative emotion such as anger, or jealousy that is holding you back, distance yourself from it. Build your self-image to the point where you believe that you are worthy to live a life of abundance. Tell yourself that you are beautiful, handsome, happy, wealthy, and deserve to live your best life. Be grateful for what you have. Take a notepad and write down everything you are grateful for in your life. If you are trying to manifest something new in your life such as more money, a new car, or the love of your life, you need to feel as if you already have and be grateful for it now. Visualize what you want in your mind and what you would do if you had it now. I believe that everyone deserves to live their best life and to live a life of abundance. So leave a comment and let me know what you think. Until next time, live your best life and be the best you that you can be because you deserve to live a life of abundance.

Now for your reading pleasuere, here’s chapter 2 of my science fiction novel, The Battle for Europa.

Chapter 2

Fireworks lit up the night sky over the harbor in San Diego California. Loud music emanated from a floating barge a quarter-mile offshore. The class of 2358 of Woodrow Wilson high school celebrated their graduation on the barge. Smoke drifted across the water. A neo-pop band had their guitars and other musical instruments cranked up high doing a rendition of an old hip-hop song. Neo-pop was the latest craze in music. It was a mixture of older styles. It combed rock and roll, new wave, and hip-hop. It also mixed in a bit of rap, and country with modern computer-generated sounds.

David Gallagher looked out at the large naval vessels looming in the darkness. They lay at anchor on the other side of the harbor. He zipped up his coat. Fireworks lit up the night; David glanced up and smiled. He thought he would remember this night forever: June 15th, 2358. His mind drifted to his brother Shawn and wondered how he was doing. He hadn’t seen Shawn in eight years. He’d only had a few video transmissions and text messages on the VID-net. He had not been in his brother’s presence since Shawn graduated high school.

After high school, Shawn, like most young men with low GI ratings, received his draft notice. He entered the Federal Defense Forces. Shawn served on a Planetary Patrol Force vessel. He spent a few years chasing smugglers, gunrunners, and pirates. When they weren’t involved in either one of those endeavors, the PPF patrolled the solar system. They responded to any emergency that might arise. The PPF was a fast reaction force. It had smaller and faster vessels than the Federal Defense Force’s main battle fleet.

David felt a soft hand run down his back. He caught a whiff of perfume and felt the soft caress of a female breast against his arm.

“I bet you thought this day would never come?” Annie Dupree said, having to yell over the loud music. David breathed in the smell of the sea. He looked over at the beautiful young woman standing next to him. He couldn’t figure out how he had managed to land the best-looking girl in high school. One time he asked her why she hung out with him, but Annie laughed and said, “It beats the hell out of me.”

He glanced at her red dress, made from a rubber-like material that form-fitted to her body. It accented her curves. David felt a stirring sensation in his loins when he noticed the amount of cleavage the dress revealed. The hem of the dress stopped three inches below her crotch. It revealed her long tanned shapely legs. Her long red hair hung down below her ass. He finally managed to get it together and looked into her emerald green eyes.

“It seems like I’ve been at that place forever. I can still remember when my mom and dad dropped me off at the gate. I stood there on the sidewalk with my bags shaking like a leaf and watched them drive away.”

“That’s when I showed up.”

“Yep. Good old Annie Dupree to the rescue. You took me under your wing, showed me the way to the administration building, and helped me get settled.”

Alonzo Garcia stepped up and grabbed David’s other arm. “Hey bro! Have another beer!” Alonzo yelled, handing them each a bottle. “Annie. How did you do on your GI test? Did you get into AI school?”

Anne beamed, letting out a wild whoop. “You better believe it. I scored an eight on the test. I received a message from the Advanced Artificial Intelligence Research and Development College! I got in! I’m going to New York City! What about you guys? You wanted to go to trade school didn’t you Alonzo? I know David wants into the robotics school in New Chicago. He’ll work on the bodies and I’ll work on the brains.”

“I haven’t heard anything yet. I applied to a holographic tech school in Denver but I only scored a six on the test. I guess you know where I’m headed,” Alonzo said, sounding dejected.

“You never know. They still may let you in. What about you David?” Annie asked.

“I scored a six-point five. Why even make us take that stupid one hundred-question written test? Why does everything hinge on your genetics? Why not take a hair sample and let it go at that? It’s a shame that the council puts such an emphasis on the GI ratings. It shouldn’t keep you from getting into the school that you want to go to!” David said.

“I’m sure the council knows what’s best!” Annie said.

Two young girls stepped up to Annie’s side and one took her arm. “Let’s dance Annie! There are a lot of cute boys here,” one of the girls yelled and let out a giggle. Annie joined her friends. They headed to the center of the barge where a crowd of teen-aged young people danced. David and Alonzo turned watching the girls leave. Their eyes roved the crowd taking in all the good-looking females. Most of them wore rubberized dresses of various colors. Most of the dresses form-fitted to their bodies. Others wore loose-fitting gowns made of a thin fabric that clung to every crack and crevice. One girl wore a silver metallic suit that looked like body armor.

“There sure are some good-looking ladies here tonight. I hope they get liquored up and we get lucky,” Alonzo said.

“Stranger things have happened,” David said. They had been friends from grade school. Alonzo stood five feet six inches tall and weighed two hundred pounds. He had coal-dark eyes, chubby cheeks, and a potbelly, but what David liked most about Alonzo was his sense of humor. David stood two inches taller than his friend and weighed thirty-five pounds less. Turning from the crowd, they strolled out to the edge of the barge looking out into the ocean.

“You know they won’t let us into any good school with low ratings,” Alonzo said.

David brushed a strand of reddish-blond hair out of his eyes. He took a drink from his beer and turned his piercing blue eyes to his friend. “I know. It’s the Federal Defense Forces for us.”

“I hope they put us into the same unit. Where do you think we’ll do boot camp?”

“It depends upon which branch we go into. If we’re with the Fleet Marines, we’ll do boot camp on the moon. If they assign us to the surface Navy, it could be here in San Diego, San Francisco, New Chicago, or somewhere in Europe. If we go into the Army, it could be Texas or Kentucky.”

“At least we’re out of this shit hole. Being in the Federal Defense Forces won’t be so bad,” Alonzo said.

“Yeah, like that recruiting commercial. Join the fleet and see the solar system. It’s not a job, it’s a grand adventure.”

The graduation party wound down and small robotic ferryboats approached from the shore. They docked with the floating barge, rocking with the waves and the spray from the waves hit David in the face. A cold sea breeze caused goosebumps to form up, on his arms and he felt a chill run through his body. The students formed up into a line to board the small ferryboats that would take them back to the mainland. The first three boats filled up with half-drunken graduates. It pulled away from the barge and headed toward the docks. David jumped into the fourth boat, but then turned around and helped Annie down to join him.

“Thank you, kind sir,” Annie said. Alonzo and one of Annie’s girlfriends jumped down behind them and they found seats at the front. David took off his jacket and draped it over Annie’s shoulders. “I was freezing.”

“Don’t mention it. That sea breeze gets a bit chilly at night.”

“Enjoy it while you can. It might be a long time before we see Diego again after tonight,” Alonzo said.

“I know I’m gonna miss San Diego. I love going to the beach,” Annie said.

“I’m gonna miss all the California girls,” Alonzo said. Annie’s girlfriend elbowed him in the side.

“Speaking of California girls,” David said bumping Annie in the arm with his elbow, “I’m going to miss this one. Why don’t you come with me to my room and make my last night at Woodrow Wilson High a memorable one?” A big grin crossed David’s face and Alonzo let out a whoop looking at Annie’s girlfriend sitting next to him.

“Now that’s a plan sweetheart. I got cold beer on the ice at my place,” Alonzo said.

Anne smiled. “I would think that being in my presence would be memorable enough, but who knows? If you’re nice, I might rock your world.”

David laughed. “I’ll be a little angel.” The computer running the robotic ferry sensed that all the passenger seats were full. A deep computerized voice reverberated from the speakers at the control station.

“All passengers please remain seated and keep all body parts inside the vessel. Please pick up all your belongings when you leave. Congratulations graduates from the class of 2358.” A cheer rose from the boat as it pulled away from the barge.

“I’m gonna miss the sea,” Alonzo said sticking his hand out of the small boat and running it through the water. “Maybe I’ll join the Navy.”

“No way bro. It’s the Fleet Marines for you and me,” David said.

“You guys. You haven’t even received word from the schools you applied for. Maybe they accepted you into robotics school David?” Annie said.

“Get real darling. Our GI ratings are too low,” Alonzo said.

“I don’t mind. I’m glad to be getting away from this place,” David said. After a ten-minute ride, the graduates piled out of the boat and meandered up the docks to the bus stop. David and Alonzo followed the crowd, along with Annie and her girlfriends. Charter buses set parked next to the curb waiting for the graduates to arrive. David watched the first two buses pull away from the curb. He found seats for their group toward the rear of the third bus. He glanced up at the holographic image of a bus driver. The driver dressed in a gray khaki uniform. He wore a short-brimmed ball cap on his head that appeared on a screen at the front of the bus.

“Congratulations graduates of the class of 2358. Remain in your seats and keep your valuables close at hand. ETA to Woodrow Wilson High School is twenty minutes,” the holographic bus driver said. His voice emanated from speakers mounted on the ceiling.

“Could you imagine what it must have been like to have a real, human driver?” Annie said.

“Or to drive your, own car? With the traffic on the city streets of San Diego nowadays? There would be major collisions every day,” David said. Annie snuggled up next to him and he put his arm around her.

“They drive themselves around on the colonies from what I hear. There are still some cars that have manual controls. The driver-assist programs take over if the driver loses control,” Alonzo said.

“Yeah, but the moon or Mars is not supposed to be as crowded as it is here,” David said.

“With the road sensors and the navigation systems we have now, traveling by car is safe. I read that back in the twentieth Century, car crashes were a common occurrence. I read that they sometimes had major pile-ups on the freeways. The wrecks killed scores of people,” Annie’s girlfriend said.

“You guys can have your automobiles. I’ll take a shuttle any day. You get there a lot faster. You don’t have to put up with the congestion on the streets,” Alonzo said while their bus pulled away from the curb.

“I don’t mind the traffic. I sit back, turn on the VID screen and watch a movie. My mom said that she might get me a car for a graduation present, but I won’t need one in New York City,” Annie said.

The bus took them through downtown San Diego. It passed between towering skyscrapers and traversed the business district. It left the business behind and head into the suburbs. The bus moved through traffic changing lanes when necessary and took the most direct route possible to Woodrow Wilson High. David and his friends sat back and watched the scenery. They enjoyed the loud excited conversations of their fellow graduates. The bus pulled up to the iron gates of the high school twenty-five minutes after leaving the bay.

A thin beam of green laser light shot out from the front of the bus. It made contact with the gate’s electronic eye and the gate opened sliding back on its track. The bus pulled onto the school grounds passing through various brick and stone buildings and followed a curving lane that took them into the heart of the campus. Evergreen trees lined the road. Grassy lawns occupied the space between the buildings. The bus pulled up to the curb in front of the housing center and the side door of the bus opened.

“Please take all your valuables with you. Thank you for choosing Consolidated Transportation,” the bus driver said.

After exiting the bus, they stood on the sidewalk for a few seconds and bid farewell to some of their friends.

David grinned. “Was I nice enough?”

Annie blushed. “You were nice. I’ll stay with you tonight. Who knows? We may not see each other ever again after tomorrow.”

Alonzo looked at Annie’s girlfriend with a big grin on his face; she blushed, nodded her head, and then took his arm. Alonzo let out a whoop. “Yes, there is a God!”

“Don’t let the campus political adviser hear you say that,” Annie said. David led them down the sidewalk and then down a stone pathway between the buildings. They came to the men’s senior dorm. The school administrators frowned on the girls spending the night in the boy’s dormitory. On the last night of school after graduation, they were lax on the rule. They figured that once the young people graduated from high school that they were adults and responsible for their, own actions.

David ran his right wrist over a scanning device mounted on the wall next to the front door of his dormitory. The scanner read the bar code in the biochip embedded underneath the skin of his wrist. The door opened and they stepped through.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Alonzo said, suppressing a grin.

David laughed. “Not if I see you first. Don’t wear yourself out.” At the door to his room, David ran his wrist over the scan pad, mounted next to the door. A tiny red light on the door handle changed from red to green. He grabbed the door handle and opened the door.

“Hello, David,” a seductive female voice coming from the room said. The lights went from dim to bright when they stepped into the room.

“Hello Grace,” David said.

“Oh. I see you’ve brought a guest,” the voice coming from the room’s computer said. “Will she be staying the night?”

“Yes, she will Grace. Don’t be a bitch.”

Annie let out a giggle. “I see you’ve got one of those systems.” For a few seconds, Annie took in the small room. She noticed its dark brown carpeting as well as its small food, and beverage dispenser. It had a small video screen. It wasn’t much different from her room, except for the posters of prominent sports figures on the walls.

“Don’t tell me you don’t have the male counterpart.”

Annie’s face turned red. “I didn’t say that.”

“Grace this is Annie Dupree. Annie this is Grace. Grace, be nice.”

“David you received a transmission on the VID screen from the Council of Academic Studies. They marked it urgent.”

“Thank you Grace,” David said and headed across the room to the widescreen mounted on the far wall. It served as a computer, videophone, and television. It also provided access to the Video-net. He sat down in a black office chair setting behind a small wooden desk in front of the screen. He spoke into the small microphone that was set on the desk in front of the screen.

“Play flash message marked urgent.”

A text message flashed across the screen. APPLICATION TO ROBOTICS TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL IN NEW CHICAGO ILLINOIS DENIED. LOW GI RATING. TOO MANY APPLICANTS TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION. END FLASH MESSAGE.

“Damn. I knew they wouldn’t let me in. Play channel five.” He crossed the room and sat down on a black synthetic leather couch with Annie.

“I’m sorry they didn’t let you into robotics school,” Annie said taking his face in her hands. She kissed him on the lips. The sound coming from the VID screen’s speakers blared violently hurting their ears.

“Knock it off, Grace! Lower volume to a comfortable level!” David yelled to the room’s computer. The sound coming from the VID screen lowered and a heavy sigh came from the room. David stood up and crossed the room to a small refrigerator. He took out a bottle of wine that he was saving for a special occasion and two wine glasses from a cabinet. David sat back down on the couch with Annie. He poured them each a glass of wine and they settled back to watch a movie.

“I love the video net,” Annie said. “I did a paper one time on its predecessor; they called it the internet back in the twentieth century. That was a far cry from what we have now. Could you imagine, having to use a keyboard for a term paper? They had a limited email system. They had apps on what they called cell phones. You could see a person in real-time on their small little screens and talk, but it was nothing like we have now. Now you can talk to anyone in the world or the solar system and look at them face to face on the screen in real-time.”

“It does have its downsides. The government can spy on you at will.”

“Can you imagine what a boring job that would be? I bet they only do random checks or check on people labeled as subversive,” Annie said.

They were watching a movie about the early colonization of the moon. The words: SPECIAL BULLETIN, flashed across the screen. The scene changed from the rocky surface of the moon to the icy planes of Europa. A woman wearing a white EVA suit stood facing a man, also wearing an EVA suit. In the background, people milled about in front of a domed structure at one of the mining facilities. You couldn’t see the faces of the man or the woman because of the protective helmets of their EVA suits. You could hear the men milling about in front of the mining facility yelling. Some of them waved their arms in the air.

“This is Helen Boxer from Solar One News. We’re here on Europa. The miners have announced a system-wide strike. It will affect Consolidated mining operations on the moons of Jupiter, and Saturn. This has never happened before. There has never been a system-wide strike in Consolidated’s history,” the woman said.

“Oh shit. My brother is on Europa,” David said.

“We have with us Shawn Gallagher, the second shift team leader here on Europa. Mr. Gallagher, why are the miners on strike?”

“If there’s trouble, Shawn will be in the middle of it. He was always in trouble with the political advisor in school. He never could go along with the program,” David let out a sigh, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

“The miners here on the moons of Jupiter suffer under harsh working conditions. So do our brothers harvesting Helium-3 from Jupiter’s atmosphere. It’s the same with the miners on Mars, and Saturn’s moons. We work long hours for low pay. All we are asking for is fair wages and better working conditions,” Shawn said. His voice sounded muffled coming from the com-link on his EVA suit.

“I suppose you are aware that what you are doing is illegal? You risk spending the rest of your life on a penal colony on the dark side of Earth’s moon.”

“It’s time that people quit worrying about what’s legal and concentrate on what is right.”

“There you have it. This is Helen Boxer with Solar One News. Back to you Chris.” The scene changed on the viewscreen revealing the image of a middle-aged man at a news desk.

“It will be interesting to see how this plays out. We now return to our regular programming,” the newsman said. The scene on the VID screen changed back to the movie.

“Change to net news,” David said and the VID screen changed to the news channel.

A young blonde woman wearing a low-cut silver dress sat behind a news desk. She rehashed the story about the striking miners. After finishing her spiel about the miners, she went to another story. “Today President Bonelli announced that the Navy has commissioned a new fleet. They are deep space vessels and they will undergo space trials shortly. Their mission is to explore the Alpha Centauri system. They will also explore a recently discovered star system, known as Star System 237595. This fleet will seek to make the first contact with any, alien race that they may encounter and attempt to establish trade. They will also search for inhabitable worlds to expand Earth’s colonization to the stars. President Bonelli says that this mission may take twenty-five years or more to bear fruit. He says it will be worth the money and time spent if we can expand colonization to the galaxy.”

“This is an exciting time in history, Janis. With the new cold fusion reactors that they’ve built into these new ships, the stars are open for us to explore. Can you imagine it? To be the first people to leave the solar system?” a dark-headed man sitting next to the blonde said.

“I don’t think I’d want to leave my family and friends for the next twenty-five years. I’m sure some would jump at the chance to be on one of those ships,” Janis said.

“We have breaking news, Janis. Federal Defense Force ground troops caught three men in the forbidden zone. The penalty for entering the forbidden zone is death. Let’s go to our eye in the sky,” the dark-headed man said. The view on the VID screen changed revealing a city in rubble. Two soldiers stood over the bodies of three men lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. “I’ll try to contact the officers on duty via com-link. I have one now,” the dark-headed newscaster said. “Sir. Can you tell us what happened here?”

“We caught these individuals trying to steal and reproduce forbidden historical documents. They tried to steal other contraband. We found the documents plus several banned books in their possession. These individuals are a part of a group of terrorists known as the People’s Fist. They would try to take us back to the nationalistic system that caused World War Three. That nearly destroyed the planet. These people had arms and resisted arrest,” the officer in charge said. The scene on the VID screen changed back to the newsroom.

“I don’t know what they were thinking. The ruined city once known as Washington DC is radioactive. Aren’t they afraid of getting cancer?” Janis asked.

“If they were sane, they wouldn’t have anything to do with this so-called People’s Fist,” the newscaster said.

“I don’t know how any sane individual could buy into that crap. Our system isn’t perfect, but it’s far better than going back to those archaic ways of the past. As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t support the system, then you shouldn’t reap any of its benefits. They should take those so-called freedom fighters out to the asteroid belt. They push them out of an airlock without the benefit of an EVA suit,” David said, glancing over at Annie.

“They have to be crazy to believe all that revolutionary crap anyway.”

“Do you want to watch the rest of the movie?” David asked.

Annie downed the rest of her wine. “Why don’t we take a quick shower and go to bed, before I lose my nerve or fall asleep.”

A slight grin crossed David’s face. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day. Grace shut down the VID screen and shut yourself down for the evening.” The VID screen went black; a deep sigh came from the room. David took Annie’s hand and led her into the restroom. Annie touched a tiny button on the neck of her skintight dress and the gown loosened. She kicked off her shoes, slipped the dress over her shoulders, let it slide to the floor, and stood in the nude.

“God you’re beautiful,” David said, letting out a sigh, and took in her hard succulent body. He took off his clothes and they stepped into the shower. David punched in some numbers on the shower’s keypad. He set the water temperature to medium-hot and set the shower to the gentle massage selection. The temperature of the water abruptly changed to ice cold. The selection went to vigorous massage causing Annie to let out a scream.

“Grace put the shower back the way it was and shut yourself down!”

Annie squealed. “Someone is jealous.” David enjoyed lathering up Annie’s wet, luscious, body for the next fifteen minutes. Her breasts were firm. Her nipples stood erect and her long wet hair hung down her back like a red vale covering her firm hard bottom. David’s manhood grew stiff. He pulled Annie to his chest, his hands found her breasts and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Finished in the shower, they headed back to the bedroom. David turned off the lights and they crawled between the covers. Annie climbed on top, guiding him into her moist center. David’s heart rate accelerated and he thrust up with his hips trying to keep up with her rhythm. Inside the dark living room, a flash message marked urgent appeared on the VID screen.

***

David awoke from a dead sleep due to the loud banging sound coming from the front door of his dorm room. It sounded as if someone was out there banging on the door with a sledgehammer. He reached over, touching the left side of the bed, but Annie was gone.

“Grace. Lights on,” he said and light exploded into the room. He saw a digital notepad set on the nightstand next to his bed. He touched the screen and read the following note: David. I had to catch an early bus. I had a wonderful night. Look me up on the VID-net when you get settled. Love you, Annie.

The pounding on the front door continued. David put on a pair of boxer shorts and staggered to the door rubbing sleep from his eyes. He opened the door and looked at a short blond-headed man in his early thirties. The man facing him was dressed in an urban camouflaged military uniform.

“What do you want?” David asked.

“Don’t you monkeys answer your mail? You are to report to San Francisco for induction into the Federal Defense Forces. You have a half-hour to shit, shower, and shave. Bring one set of clothes plus your shaving kit. The school will ship the rest of your things to your parents. The bus will be waiting at the curb in front of this dormitory. Don’t be late,” the military man said and moved down the hallway to the next door.

David jumped into the shower and let the water chase the cobwebs of sleep from his brain. Done with the shower, he hit the air-dry feature, and Jets of hot air hit his body drying him off. He dressed in a loose-fitting comfortable t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and boots. Dressed, he went into the living room and sat down in front of the VID screen.

“Play flash transmission marked urgent.”

The following text message flashed across the screen: DATE 06-16 2358. URGENT MESSAGE. GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NORTH AMERICAN UNION. YOU ARE TO REPORT TO SAN-FRANSICO CALIFORNIA. YOU HAVE BEEN INDUCTED INTO THE FEDERAL DEFENSE FORCES. FEDERAL DEFENSE FORCES WILL PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION. FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENT SINCLAIR PRESIDENT OF THE NORTH AMERICAN UNION. END MESSAGE. David let out a sigh, stood to his feet, and went to the food and beverage station in the kitchen.

“Grace. I’d like a cup of coffee. You know how I like it.” A cup fell into the slot on the coffee machine and the hot liquid filled the cup. When the coffee finished brewing, he took the cup from the machine and took a sip of the hot liquid. The caffeine blast felt good to his tired body and the hot cup warmed his cold hands. He went into the bathroom, packed his shaving gear into a small carrying bag, and headed for the door. David stopped in the doorway.

“Goodbye, Grace.”

“Goodbye David.” She sounds sad. David made his way through a crowd of former students in the hallway and stepped outside. He stood in front of the dormitory, shivering from the cold, and looked about in surprise. More than three-quarters of the graduating seniors waited to board the military buses. About one-third of the inductees were female.

“It ain’t like we didn’t know this was going to happen,” Alonzo said, stepping up next to David.

“Yeah. I know. I’m surprised that so many students got drafted.”

“I heard only twenty percent of the graduating class had high enough GI ratings to avoid the draft.”

“I don’t mind. We’re in for an adventure,” David said.

“Yeah. Let’s make the best of it. I hope we do boot camp at the same place.”

“Let’s get on board,” David said looking at the long line of buses waiting at the curb. They found seats in the back of the fourth bus in line and listened to the buzz of conversation inside the bus. The buses filled with inductees and pulled away from the curb. David and Alonzo leaned back in their seats. The long convoy moved through the campus toward the front gate. Their bus pulled onto the city street, David looked over his shoulder and gave the school one last, look. A cheer rose from the students inside, but David felt an instant of sadness and regret. His stomach felt a little queasy and he felt mixed emotions. He felt excited about the future, yet apprehensive at the same time. I’m going to miss a lot of people at that school.

“To hell with that place. On to bigger and better things,” Alonzo said. The bus increased speed taking them away from Woodrow Wilson high school for the last time.

***