I’m shaking as the Captain places the list on the podium in front of him, all thoughts leaving my mind as he studies the names. Because as much as I’m desperate to figure out what happened, all I can do is listen and wait.
“The cadet in the number 1 position,” the Captain says, his voice completely without emotion, “is Rafe Sinclair.”
A shout goes up from the gathered candidates as their champion walks forward to shake the Captain’s hand and pass through the doors into the Academy. And even as anxiety still rolls within me, I can’t help the smile that bursts onto my face.
No one is surprised at his taking first - Rafe has stayed at the top of the list this entire time, and as Dominic Sinclair’s son and near-identical replica, he was sort of a shoe-in for the spot. But I’m prouder than a
