The Cohen Loop
Rejects, Part 2

Tough love had never really worked that well on Mason; with his father involved, there was usually too much tough and his mom brought too much love.  Being forced to step outside of his privileged life, however, brought an entirely new perspective to the teen, and one that allowed him to prosper.  The Academy was not exactly what he expected and, as such, it was exactly what he needed.

Mason got in trouble three times during his first week; he was late to class (nobody bothered waking him up when he forgot to set his alarm); he got cited for entering an area that was restricted to his class level; and he talked back to a Phin instructor.  Back in any of his numerous high-cost schools such breaches of conduct were run-of-the-mill and hardly anything spectacular, but at the Academy he just as well could have been accused of murder in the way they handled him.

For being late to class, Mason was made to sit outside for the remainder of the session, and, fifteen minutes before class ended, he was called back in to give a report on the spot about what it was they'd covered... and he had to take questions from the class!  He was so embarrassed that he had nightmares about it the following night and awoke before his alarm even went off the following morning.  It was the first and last time he was late.

Entering the prohibited section of the Academy wasn't on purpose; he just wasn't paying attention, but the security team actually drew their weapons on him and escorted him to a holding cell until his Phin partner was available to pick him up... which was an entire class period later.  Gamer, as it turned out, had a sense of humor and thought the whole situation was laughable but, then again, the Phin hadn't had a pair of rifles aimed at him.

If the whole security issue hadn't been bad enough, what really drove home the difference between the Academy and his prior institutions was when he spoke out of turn during his Introduction to Racial Relations class.  Even a day later Mason had trouble remembering what was so important that he had to interrupt their instructor and make fun of something he'd said, but the end result was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. 

The instructor, a long-nosed, gray skilled Phin who went by Learned Professor got up from his position at the front of the room and walked out.  Although Mason didn't realize the significance at the time he should have had at least some idea when the rest of the students inched away from him.  The next five minutes passed in complete silence with not a soul so much as clearing their throat.  At the end of the time, Learned Professor reentered, returned to the front of the class, and continued as if nothing had interrupted him-- only he continued as if he'd been speaking the entire time.

At the end of the class he explained that they would have a test the following day on the entirety of the lecture, and that the class would be graded on a bell-curve.  Mason later learned, thanks to Gamer, that Learned Professor had continued the lecture from the hallway in Phin... except only the Phin students were able to hear him due to him communicating in their language, which passed through the otherwise soundproof door. 

Unfortunately, the rest of the Human students also found out from their Phin partners.  Mason also learned that day that plenty of the Human students had anger-management issues and were prone to violence.  He spent the following day recovering in the sick bay; incidentally, he missed the test and scored a zero.  Although Mason reported the event, as far as he knew none of the students who had beat him up were ever punished.

It didn't get much easier after that.  The first six months were an exercise in insanity for Mason.  He was used to life working a certain way-- he was used to predictable methods for everything; whether it be a code of conduct or methods for breaking the rules there was way things were done.  The Academy turned his understanding of life upside down and then beat in an entirely new way into him and the introduction was not an easy one.  Still, after the trial by fire, and the Academy's refusal to find a reason to expel him, things actually stopped getting worse... and they started getting better.

It was a gradual improvement as Mason finally found his stride and stopped acting out.  The decision wasn't actually a conscious one for him-- not that he could identify anyway, but he started to understand that things got a lot easier if he took more responsibility and stopped making things harder for himself-- he'd been mistaken all along in thinking that his acting out made it harder on others, but the Academy's unorthodox methods proved it otherwise.

The defining moment was when, at the end of his six months, all students were called in for their individual reviews.  Phin and Human partners lined up outside the deans' offices and, one by one, the teams entered into the combined waiting area.  From there, one of the pair was called in to talk to the deans while the other waited.  When the first was done they would exchange places and then the second of the pair would receive their review.  What bothered Mason the most wasn't the wait-- it was the mixed expressions that each pair came out with on their face after their reviews.

When he and Gamer were positioned as the next pair to go into the waiting area he turned to his partner and asked "So... can you tell what's going on?  What're they saying?"

Gamer shook his head. "They aren't talking in Phin, and these walls are too thick anyway... but I think it's different for each partnership."

Mason had figured the same; many of their classmates seemed to emerge from their reviews with confused expressions while others displayed bitter-sweet smiles.  "Well... whatever's going on, I'm sure you'll do fine... you're one of the top students here."

Gamer wagged his beak in a rough approximation of a Human nod. "Right.  I'm not scared.  I know I'll do fine."

The young man waited to see if his partner would offer him any kind of words of encouragement... but none came.  Clearing his throat, Mason shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot.  "Whadda you think they're gonna say about me?"

The Phin let out a click-trill, which Mason had learned in his time with Gamer was the rough equivalent of a vocal version of shrug.  "If you asked me a few months ago I would have said they were probably planning on pushing you out an airlock--"

"Hey!"

Gamer glanced his way, the Phin's fluke playfully slapping the Human's shin. "But that was a few months ago, Mason... you're actually half-way worthwhile now."

Mason hrumphed as he folded his arms across his chest, scowling as he leaned against the wall "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

The Phin looked back toward him "You cannot blame me for being honest."

"Yeah?  Just watch me."

The silence that followed lasted scarcely ten seconds when the door to the waiting room opened and only one student emerged; Mason recognized her as one of the students with whom he'd arrived at the Academy-- it was the only student younger than he was.  Her face was red, and so were her  eyes; she was crying as she passed.  Gamer's comment was entirely unneeded. "That didn't look like it went well."

Mason was more interested in another point.  "Where's her partner?  Bummer?  Gummer?  Something like that?

Gamer walked right in through the opened door "Drummer."

The Human followed after him. "Yeah.  Right.  Where do you think he went?"

The Phin offered another click-trill.  "No idea... to be honest, if Mia's reaction is any hint I hope I don't find out."

Mason nodded in thought. "Yeah... I guess they did kinda become friends, didn't they?"

Gamer responded with yet another click-trill before noting "I suppose."

Smirking at his partner, the Human added "But I bet they never managed to two-man The Frozen Reliquary."

The Phin was not quite so gung-ho.  "If only that was part of our performance review then we would have no reason to worry."

Although classes took up the vast majority of time at The Academy, Mason and Gamer had managed to scrape enough hours out of the week to get some high quality gaming in too; Dragon World Apocalypse had always been an enjoyable pastime for Mason, but having a room mate who wasn't just 'okay' at it blew away all of his expectations and had provided him some high quality enjoyment.  Thinking back to the expression on Mia's face when she left the deans' offices alone gave him a moment's pause.  Gamer's statement also didn't help, and silence again reigned supreme... for all of a few seconds.

The door to the offices beyond the waiting area opened up and Accredited Supervisor emerged.  "Gamer, this way please."

For a reason he couldn't figure out, Mason's heart began to race as Gamer stood.  Holding out a closed hand to his partner he offered "Good luck."

Gamer nodded in response and bumped his fist against it. "Right.  You too."

Mason ended up sitting and waiting for nearly ten minutes before the door opened and, when it did, Gamer was nowhere to be seen; Dean Alcivar stood there alone "This way if you please, Mason."

The young man followed the dean without saying a word, walking into the office behind the administrator.  Dean Alcivar went to the far side of the room where he took a seat behind a large desk; Dean Accredited Supervisor was already there and they each picked up a data pad in unison.  Glancing around, Mason saw that Gamer was nowhere to be seen and, considering there was only one other door in the room, he was fairly sure where his partner would have gone.  Only once he joined the two administrators at the desk did he ask "So... Gamer...?"

Accredited Supervisor provided a non-answer. "We have finished his review already.  But we are not here to discuss his review at the moment; we are here to discuss yours."

It wasn't the first quarterly review Mason had been through and he wasn't really looking forward to it.  Slumping in his chair, he folded his arms.  "Okay... well... let's get this over with then."

Dean Alcivar pressed a few buttons on his data pad.  "At the beginning of the term you ranked in the bottom decile of your group."

Accredited Supervisor spoke right up before Mason could defend himself. "You received three citations within the first week of classes; four total in the first month."

Mason never much cared for having anyone list off his faults. "True, but I--"

The Human dean spoke right over him. "Since the first month you have not had any disciplinary actions needed."

If his arms hadn't already been crossed Mason would have crossed them. "That kinda happens when more than half your class is waiting for you to screw up so they can beat the hell outta you.  I can't believe you guys don't--"

Once again he wasn't really given a chance to speak; Accredited Supervisor trill-squeaked an interruption followed by talking immediately in English. "You are still managing to complete less than 50% of your course work, out of which less than 10% of your out-of-class assignments are turned it.  Why is that, Mason Weston?"

Mason waited for few seconds to see if he really was being given a chance to speak.  When both Deans remained quiet he took seized the opportunity. "If I'm in class for 8 hours a day then I'm not gonna waste the time I'm NOT in class doing stuff that you should make time for during class.  That's just stupid.  It's all busy work anyway."

Not even missing a beat, Dean Alcivar raised an eyebrow as he asked "So are you saying that you would get all of your work done if we extended your class time to ten hours?"

The young man paused. "I-- wait... what?"

Accredited Supervisor pressed a few buttons on his data pad. "It is unorthodox, but I do have several trainee instructors who could use the applied practice with a student."

Mason fidgeted. "You're kidding... right?  Class is only supposed to be--"

Dean Alcivar leaned forward, a polite smile on his face. "Mason... our job is to provide you ever opportunity to succeed.  If you're saying that the reason you're not getting your course work completed is because you do not want to spend out-of-class time doing it then we can provide you more class time.  Clearing a classroom to make available for study hall is NOT a difficult plan to execute."

Objecting, Mason stood up, stamping his foot. "It's just busy work!  There's no reason to even ASSIGN it!"

Accredited Supervisor pressed another button on his data pad. "According to Learned Professor, you are a difficult student.  He has indicated that you usually ignore lectures and spend most of your time in class going over the material without supervision.  It says here on your student report that he does not like you."

Rolling his eyes, Mason sat back down. "Well the feeling is mutual."

Dean Alcivar took the data pad from the Phin Dean.  "Mason... while you may be used to the way that schools work here on Land Earth, the Academy is not bound to the same curriculum or education standards.  Teachers are not required to deal with students they do not like, which means, if an instructor is not willing to teach you then you won't have a teacher.  If you don't have a teacher then there's no reason for you to be here."

Mason stood again, stamping his foot. "That's bullshit!  It's not like he really does anything anyway-- like you said: I do all my learning on my own!  I don't need him!"

The two Deans glanced to one another and Dean Alcivar returned the data pad to his Phin associate.  Looking back to Mason, he asked "Mason... can you tell me the three Phin ethnicities?"

Scowling and remaining standing, Mason rolled his eyes. "There's four.  The Amplus, Longos, and Album are all part of the Unity Programme, but there's also the Tikk, who don't approve of interacting with Humans."

If he expected to impress the deans he was underwhelmed by their reaction.  Accredited Supervisor, in fact, critiqued him. "Why did you choose to state the Phin breeds backwards, Mason Weston?  Album are always the first on the list."

Mason didn't bother hiding his self-satisfied smirk. "My last name starts with 'W' so I'm used to being at the end of alphabetical role call... let's just say I don't really like lists that have a specific order.

Accredited Supervisor issued a displeased whistle as he pressed a few buttons on his tablet. "You are difficult, willful, and rebellious.  These are not good traits for a student to have in a classroom atmosphere."

Before Mason could add his two cents (and he REALLY wanted to), Dean Alcivar added "Learned Professor is only agreeing to teach you because your test scores are among the top in the class."

The statement actually caught Mason by surprise; he'd never liked homework; the classwork was simple; the lectures were too long; the tests had never really felt like much of a challenge.  Considering everything he'd been through he didn't expect to get any positive feedback, let alone hear that he was actually doing well at something.  "So... what's that mean, exactly?  I've always told everyone I'm not stupid.  Does this mean that you believe me?"

Accredited Supervisor let out a curt chirp-click before stating "There is a big difference between being unintelligent and failing to apply yourself."

Dean Alcivar shot his fellow administrator a sour look before focusing back on Mason.  "You are VERY intelligent, Mason.  You are picking up concepts quickly when you choose to pay attention.  The problem is that you don't seem inclined to be attentive."

It wasn't the exact words he'd heard before, but it was close enough.  Mason figured he'd beat them to the punch.  "So... you're kicking me out then?"

He heard what almost sounded like a chuckle-sound from the Phin dean, but it was Dean Alcivar who answered his question. "No, Mason... but we are pulling you from your class in the hopes that we can find something that will be a better fit for you."

Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, Mason stood up again; it wasn't the usual direction such a discussion went, but he'd still experienced it two times before and he wasn't about to settle for it. "You're putting me in with the retards, aren't you?"

The two deans shared a glance and Accredited Supervisor turned to Dean Alcivar and asked in Phin "What does that mean?"

Without missing a beat, Mason answered in English. "A retard is someone whose brain doesn't work right... like-- 'developmentally disabled' I think-- that's the term they use for it-- you know... to be polite.  You're gonna put me in with the retards."

The deans once again shared a glance and Dean Aclivar asked "Mason... your file said that you didn't understand Phin when you came to the Academy... and you haven't had any classes in linguistics..."

Mason shrugged. "I picked it up from listening, and I asked Gamer questions so he kinda helped me learn it."

Accredited Supervisor spoke once again in Phin. "And you are saying that you learned our language in three months just by listening and asking questions?"

The young man shrugged again. "Well... yeah.  That's how people learned for thousands of years before someone decided that kids had to sit in school for hundreds of hours a year."

The Phin's expression was unreadable as he glanced to Dean Alcivar, who was busy scribbling something down using a stylus on his data pad.  Without any words forthcoming from his peer, Accredited Supervisor looked to Mason again, returning to English. "Mason Weston, you are difficult to teach, but you seem to excel at learning.  What is it YOU want out of your education?"

That single question was a brick wall and the numerous thoughts that had been bouncing around in Mason's head screeched to a halt; nobody had ever asked him what he wanted when it came to anything, let alone his education.  Only one thought really came to mind. "I don't want people treating me like I'm stupid and wasting my time with stupid stuff."

Accredited Supervisor's beak raised slightly. "Stupid stuff?"

Mason sighed. "I'm almost seventeen... I don't like being treated like a kid and I hate people telling me what they think I need to know.  I want--"

Dean Alcivar stood up and walked around the desk, handing his data pad to the teen.  Mason looked down at it and saw that the administrator had written something in Phin.  He looked back up to the human Dean who said only "Do you know what that says?"

It took a few seconds for Mason to translate it. "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."

Smiling, Dean Alcivar took the data pad back. "That was a quote from an American Author... Mark Twain."

Mason couldn't help himself.  "Actually, Samuel Clemens was quoted as saying that in 1907, but he took it from Grant Allen , who published a variant of it in 1894."  When the two Deans glanced in disbelief to one another the teen added "I like Early American Literature."

Dean Alcivar set his data pad down. "We will have another influx of students joining us next week and we will need to move you out of Room 112."

The young man froze. "You're... kicking me out?  I-I'm expelled?"

Acredited Supervisor clarified. "No, Mason Weston.  You are being moved to room 141 to pursue independent learning."

It took Mason's brain several seconds to process what he'd heard.  "You mean-- I get to stay?  Even after everything you said about--"

Dean Alcivar took the data pad from his Phin peer and handed it to Mason. "Mason... if we omit the zeroes you received from failing to turn in your homework and grade only what coursework you've actually done, your grades are among the highest in the entire Academy, let alone your class."

Mason sat there numbly, holding the data pad without even being able to focus his eyes on it.  had he heard the dean correctly?  "You can do that?  I-I mean... I DIDN'T do the work, but you're willing to just--"

Accredited Supervisor trill-whistled him into silence. "We take all course work into account for students in established classes... but independent learning functions differently, and, with administrator approval, you are being transferred."

The teen glanced down at the data pad and saw his transcript; the final entry had the current date on it and indicated that he was pending transfer to independent education.  "So... uh... how does THAT work exactly?"

Dean Alcivar smiled. "With any luck, better than your previous experiences."

* * * * * *

In truth, independent learning functioned far better than any of the classes Mason had ever been forced to attend.  Even within the first two weeks the teen was able to feel the difference; he was left to his own devices and allowed to establish his own curriculum.  There were four other students in class with him: two other Humans and two Phins-- they interacted as much or as little with one another as they wanted, and the same went for their two teachers, tan-skinned Human and a very light gray Album with four uneven splotches on his neck.

Mr. Patel, the Human instructor was Karnatakan, though he was born back when India was a single country and he still referred to himself as Indian.  He was a quiet man, unassuming, and spent most of the school day reading different scientific and political reports.  Still, whenever a student had a question or went to him for guidance he was readily available to help the student; most of the time he seemed to encourage them to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions rather than just provide them an answer.  His Phin colleague, however, was almost the polar opposite.

Unlike most Phins, the one helping to guide the independent study class did not have a Human name so when addressing him the Human students just referred to him as Mr. Teacher, which he accepted begrudgingly.  He was a no-nonsense Album and whenever someone came to him for help he got straight to the point, providing either an answer, or information as to where the student could find the answer.  He was, plainly put, an encyclopedia of information and, in Mason's opinion, still even less personable than an old paper-back set of books.  Regardless, the young man ended up consulting him almost as often as his Human facilitator.

After a month of the class it was readily apparent to everyone that it was a good fit.  Mason had a chance to learn at his own pace, which was faster than standard classes, and he got to choose his own curriculum.  The end-of-month test was custom designed for him based on the information he'd checked out for study and both of his teachers had skillfully selected the questions to challenge him; he actually did feel challenged but he was still able to complete the quiz within the time allotted.  He scored a 91%, and he actually felt as though he'd earned it.

Time out of class was his alone and, for once, he was engaged enough in class that he actually enjoyed studying.  Still, he made it a point to limit himself to no more than an hour of after-class learning, and filled the rest of his time with other things he enjoyed doing.  Although Mason ended up moving to room 141 alone, he still occasionally ran into his old partner in the halls or the cafeteria, and they still regularly played Dragon World Apocalypse together. 

Gamer had relocated to an advanced comparative sociology class, which was a good thing for the Longos, as, according to the administration, it was the first step for him on getting back into the Unity Centre.  Mason was proud of him, of course and, likewise, Gamer seemed thrilled that Mason was finally interested, engaged, and willing to apply himself.  The two gave one another no end of grief over their respective paths, but it as all in good fun.

Their occasional interactions continued through the end of the year, at which point thing changed yet again after their second set of reviews followed by a new influx of students.  Both Mason and Gamer had gone through the second half of the year without partners but, suddenly, the administration had each selected them to help guide a newcomer.  They were both relocated yet again; they would be next door neighbors on the second floor.  Although they were each basically ambushed with the news, they at least got a brief overview of their pending room mates.

As the only two established students who had been selected as partners for newcomers, they sat together in the hall outside the skiff port, each looking at their respective data pads.  Gamer looked very uncomfortable so Mason gave him a light elbow.  "Everything okay?"

The Longos let out a click-trill. "I'm not sure... I think my partner is a female."

Mason realized what that meant for Gamer.  He could have chided his old partner, but he realized that the significance for a Phin was not the same as it was for a Human. "Oh... worried about dealing with a different sex, huh?"

Gamer's beak waggled as he nodded. "All of my Human partners have been male.  I... don't know how to work with females."

Smirking, Mason offered a shrug.  "Don't look at me... I'm as clueless as you are."

The Phin elbowed him. "But your race deals with females all the time!"

The Human shrugged again. "Doesn't mean I understand em any better than you do."

Gamer let out a long huff through his blow hole. "Some help you are."

Mason looked back to his own data pad.  "Well... my new partner is male at least."

That statement got him a light beak-bump as Gamer poked him in the shoulder roughly.  "Bite me, Human."

It was comforting to have his ex-patner around as he waited.  Mason had very little information about his new partner except the fact that he was a Longos almost a year his senior, and had apparently almost finished his classes at the Unity Centre; he was immediately intimidated. "Wow... this guy's no joke."

Gamer held out a hand and Mason offered him the data pad.  The Longos looked over the file. "Wow... I actually know him.  He was two years ahead of me in classes at the Centre... I wonder why he is coming to the Academy-- I thought he would have graduated."

Mason took the pad back. "Well... I guess I can ask this guy-- Roller, when he arrives."