Falcon (Trinity Academy 1)

I know for a fact Mom being Mr. Reyes’ personal assistant won’t mean shit to the other students and might make me a target which is the last thing I need.

We walk toward the dorms which look like five-star hotels instead of student housing.

“I’m in the Pink Star, which is the building opposite yours. The Oppenheimer Blue is the third building.”

“Why the names?” I repeat my question from earlier.

“They’re ranked according to the most expensive stones. Depending on where your family falls on the wealth ladder, you get assigned to a room in the appropriate building. The Oppenheimer Blue is where you’ll find the millionaires next door or the capitalist class. If you’re from one of the ruling fifteen thousand families in the States or glittering rich like my family, you’re in the Pink Star. Only those on the Forbes 400 list make it past the doors of The Hope Diamond.”

Shaking my head, I let out a sigh, “Ridiculous if you ask me. I’m going to have to research all these things, so I don’t step on any toes.”

“I’ll make you a list of the important stuff,” Kingsley offers.

“That would be great.”

We part ways at the entrance to the Hope Diamond, agreeing to meet in an hour for an early dinner.

Walking into the luxurious building, the marble floors gleam under extravagant chandeliers. My shoulders sag, and I lose a little of the excitement from being able to study here.

My dad is a gypsy at heart, and since the divorce, he’s never stayed in one place for long. I love both my parents, but I take after Dad. Material things have never mattered to me, and now I’m in a college with people who only care about status, power, and money.

Damn, it sucks. I should’ve insisted on attending a regular college, but Mom was so excited I couldn’t let her down.

Sliding the card through the electronic lock, I step into my suite. I glance around the space then look out the window at the perfect view of the hills. I love the Ojai Valley where Trinity Academy is situated. The hills surrounding the campus are gorgeous.

“You can fool everyone for four years,” I mumble, not quite believing the words myself. “Just don’t stand out in any way and no one will notice you.”Chapter 2FalconHaving to attend all the introduction ceremonies on the first day is mind-numbingly boring.

“I miss the waves already,” Lake mumbles, not happy about being back at the academy. “The gap year we took after school was the best. We had no worries back then. Shit, it feels like a lifetime ago.”

“Yeah, waking up whenever we wanted. No nagging parents. None of this shit at the academy,” Mason reminisces. “Only us and the ocean.”

“Those were good times,” I agree, feeling a little nostalgic myself. After graduating, we spent the entire year traveling while searching for the biggest and best waves to surf. Leaving the heavy burden of our family names behind, there was no set schedule to follow.

“Remind me again why we’re here?” Lake grumbles.

Mason lets out a deep chuckle. “My father threatened to freeze our accounts if we didn’t get our asses back to reality.”

“Right. I can’t wait until you take over from him.” Lake wags his eyebrows playfully at Mason.

“Yeah? You think I won’t freeze your ass if you don’t work?” Mason kids with him.

“And you call yourself my friend,” Lake huffs but then adds. “Falcon will take care of me.” He catches up to where I’m walking a step ahead of them and throws his arm around my shoulders. “Right? You’d never let me starve.”

I grin at their bantering and shrug Lake’s arm off. “I’d go bankrupt if I have to feed you. You’re a bottomless-fucking-pit.”

Pretending to look hurt, Lake places a hand over his heart. “Damn. So cold, brother.” He shakes his head at me then glances in the direction of the restaurant we’re headed toward. “Can’t help I have a healthy appetite.”

“There’s nothing healthy about the amount of pizza you can consume,” Mason gives his opinion as we step into the restaurant.

Some students instantly scatter out of our way. Around here, the top one percent is made up of the three founding families, which is Mason, Lake, and myself. I have to admit, in the beginning having this kind of power was both incredible and addictive, but as the years passed, it became tedious, leaving a stale taste in my mouth.

The academy is structured so we’ll build connections and get a taste of what the real business world will be like. Everyone here has an agenda and befriending the three of us is at the top of their lists. With us being in our final year, we each get to pick an assistant. It’s a huge thing being chosen as one of our assistants. It means you’re good enough to be singled out by us, which gives you an automatic rise in status. It’s a known fact that if you have one of us as a connection, you’ll be set for life which makes us practically gods.