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19
CHAPTER VII
The flying simulation test. His last exam. Will entered the room, looking over
at his sneering peers like every other day of that eventful term. Their arrogant
voices merged into one blur of sound, charging Will’s determination to pass.
Once he was inside the ship, Will perched on the edge of his seat, his arms
trembled as he put on his belt, the wires and finally his goggles that now felt as
if they had been injected by the weight of his future. The darkness brought by
them, which typically assisted in his pre-flying simulation freak out, now
carried a sense of peacefulness.
He felt different from previous simulations. On this day, after all his training
at the National Australian Space Station, being bullied by his cadets, his
ignorant teachers and his weekend of training with Lyra all strengthened him
for this exam. Will felt prepared for anything. The determination and hope
exuded from every movement he made; his eyes focused on the brightness of
his simulated screen. The PA system bellowed:
“Begin.”