Awakening: Prodigy

08: Expectations

POV Seth

"You're not bothered by losing your sponsors," the therapist said. There was an underlying threat in that statement. Seth bristled. He knew she must provide reports to her superiors as a matter of course. On some level, he suspected his sponsors must receive her reports as well, though he wasn't certain of who they were. Was it possible she knew?

A central pool managed sponsorship applications. Sponsors select candidates from the pool based on their preferred criterion. For example, it wasn't uncommon for a community to sponsor one of their own with the understanding that the student would return to the sponsored community upon completion of their tour.

Some students had multiple offers to choose from. More offers meant more room for negotiations. Seth only had the one offer, and at no point did they discuss what he'd have to do for them in return. A slight oversight, but given his desperation, he did what he had to.

'... and still managed to not murder anyone,' he added to himself.

Without his sponsor, he'd likely be enduring his father's wrath.

He doubted his sponsor would drop him, but despite his confidence, the possibility existed. If Doctor Margaret Yan got her way, he could not afford his final year at the Council's Academy. He would not ask, let alone beg his father for the funds, any more than he'd beg for his exemption.

"My sponsors are demanding," Seth replied with a non-answer.

"So demanding that one of their requirements was to join the games in your first year."

A squad investing in a first-year student was not unheard of, but terribly unlikely. The bulk of the student population were first-year students whose parents could afford at least one year of education at the Academy. Every year saw a systemic increase in tuition fees in all three branches of education. The vast majority of the first-years were not returning for their second year.

The Academy's notoriety was such, that any time spent studying there was a boon to the students. The longer they spent at the Academy, the better the returns. It didn't matter that most graduating students were from the wealthier families. Sponsorship had a habit of failing to keep-up with tuition, or the students themselves found the strain of constant excellence too much. Though Seth had asked about his sponsor's ability to cover his tuition for the duration of his student career, he knew the answer didn't matter. He'd take what they offered, having no other reasonable option.

"Joining was a requirement," Seth acknowledged with indifference. 'Technically...'

He had been approached through correspondence, a tricky endeavor because his father monitored every scrap of paper that so much as crossed Seth's line of vision. Secondary accounts under pseudonyms weren't a possibility unless he could gain a whole new identity. Every conversation in public, every piece of digital garbage he produced, every article he read, it all tied back to his personal ID. Until he turned eighteen, that ID was completely accessible by his father.

In his application, he had mentioned that his father did not approve of the sponsor program. He had even clarified that his father did not approve of the school, nor would he pay for the education. It wasn't exactly an uncommon problem. Some parents took issue with the Council and their academy. His father was a well-known Regime supporter. Seth suspected that had some bearing over his application.

When Seth failed to respond to the correspondence that his father had deleted, his personal coordinator made a house call, much to his own personal risk. Mallik Wright was not one to be taken lightly, especially in regards to Seth's predetermined future.