Spycraft Academy by B. Miles (little readers .txt) 📕

There was a tap on his shoulder. Sam turned around to see Apelles, his arms folded and his eyebrow cocked. The spymaster inclined his head for Sam to follow.

This was the absolute worst time for a chat. Sam was already jittery with nerves. He really just wanted to get the test over with.

But Apelles never sought Sam out unless he needed to.

Sam took a step away from the classroom and followed Apelles around the corner of the inverted entryway. The spymaster leaned against the wall, obscuring his presence in the shadow of the sharp angles of the stone wall.

Apelles scanned Sam and when he spoke, it was almost a whisper. “Don’t be nervous. You'll pass your exam, that I can promise you.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Sam said, pushing his hands into his pockets so that he didn’t fidget. “Did you need something?”

“Yes, actually,” Apelles said. “When I told you that you had potential, I meant the sort of potential that I don't see in any of the other students. I'd like to offer you an…internship of sorts. To learn more advanced tradecraft. My tradecraft. During the summer, of course, that way you won’t have to sacrifice schoolwork for training.”

“Really?!” Sam blurted, his eyes widening. He forgot himself momentarily, but when he realized how overeager he must have seemed, he cleared his throat and straightened his spine. “I mean, that sounds beneficial.”

“Indeed.” Apelles smothered a small smile.

Wait. He’d said the summer months. He and Mattie would have to go back to the city during the long break, while Drina and Rosin stayed with their families hundreds of miles away. He hadn’t been looking forward to the break for that very reason, so maybe this could also be an opportunity to stay with them rather than be parted for months. “I’ll do it…if my crew can come with me.”

Apelles’ stoic expression dropped momentarily, and he stared at Sam as if he’d grown a second head. When Sam crossed his arms, the spymaster rolled his eyes and muttered. “You've got to be kidding me. Do you drag them around everywhere you go?”

Sam nodded. “Just like they drag me around everywhere they go. They're my family. I'm theirs. Where I go, they go.”

Apelles expelled a long breath and didn’t say anything, letting a tense, pregnant pause hang between them. Maybe he hoped Sam would get nervous at the prospect of losing the opportunity and take it back.

Fat chance of that.

“Alright,” Apelles finally said, “under one condition.”

“Name it,” Sam said

“The first time Drina touches me, she gets sent home for the rest of the summer.”

Sam laughed. “Are you scared of her?”

Apelles glowered at him and didn’t answer, which made Sam laugh harder. When his laughter died down, Sam caught his breath and shook his head. “Yeah, fine. Sounds fair.”

“Lovely,” Apelles deadpanned.

Sam thrust his thumb behind him, unable to hide his cheeky grin. He couldn’t wait to tell the girls later on. “I've got to go take my exams now.”

Apelles waved Sam off. “By all means.”

Sam smiled and turned to leave, but he paused and turned back. “Thank you, really. This is an amazing opportunity, one that I never thought I’d ever have. It means a lot to me, so just…thank you, for taking a chance on me.”

“Yes, yes, you’re very welcome. Now leave before you’re barred from the exam.”

Sam’s eyes widened. He didn’t realize they could bar him for being too late, so he scurried around the corner and darted for the exam door.

He grabbed the large knob and paused for a fraction of a moment. The spymaster of the Varin Academy was his mentor. He couldn’t quite believe it, but at the same time, he shouldn’t be surprised by these things anymore.

He wasn’t just a kid from the slums anymore. He was a kid from the slums with the world in the palm of his hand. The question was no longer about how he could possibly do anything with his life, about how he was going to live past tomorrow. The question was: how far could he go in this beautiful, wide world full of endless possibilities?

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About BN Miles

BN lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with his wife, two boys, and his black lab. He spends most of his time listening to his record collection, playing FPSs, and complaining about things on the interweb.

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