Chapter Text
To explain John’s reasoning for choosing the ‘Academy for the Prematurely Diagnosed’ we will first have to look at why Academies were initially established.
In a world with soulmates romance is pretty much dead. It isn’t boy meet girl and they flirt and flirt and there are doubts and feels and then they live happily ever after. It’s boy meet girl. They’re mates. They live happily ever after. Romance comes after the initial bonding, when both partners get to know each other more closely.
So the first aim isn’t to meet someone nice and get to know them. The first goal is to find your bondmate. You can have boyfriends or girlfriends before, sure, but they are never as important as your mate. (we’ll see more about this in later chapters)
The problem is, that until they bond no one knows which side of the line they’ll fall on. Sure, there are superstitions and magazine questionnaires that supposedly tell you what you’ll be. But it is never a certainty until you are bonded, or at least diagnosed.
In the past when someone started to feel their bond-urges they went through the surrounding villages, looking for their mate, before the Omega moved in with the Alpha. They could both live with the Alpha’s family and learn the things they in particular needed to know. But with the population growing and cities spreading it became not only time consuming but also dangerous for people to simply go looking for their mate. Alphas coming to blows after weeks on the road searching for the one. Omega raped because their first heat overcame them in the middle of travel.
To address those issues, the first Academies were established. Since well over 90% of bonds form at the age of 18/19 it is that age group that’s targeted. At first the Academies were simple houses where the changed or soon to change could gather and live for a while to meet their peers. The structure was supervised and the Alpha and Omega were separated unless a bond formed, at which time the couple would leave. Over time classes were added to the school to teach the young adults to deal with their new urges and to better adapt to their role.
Most Academies were publicly funded, but some institutions also started establishing Academies reserved for the children for their employees, e.g. universities or the military.
Today these Academies still retain their individual character but are open to the general public. They might have specific requirements to gain admission (scores, entry exams, etc.), but everybody is permitted to apply for a place.
So the first task of the Academy isn’t to educate the pupils. The first task is to provide a safe environment for diagnosis and bonding. It is meant to help the students adjust to their new situation and to strengthen the building bond. Only after that come the classes that are Academy specific.
After the Academy, when you go on to university or into training, you are again free to choose from every institution you so please, though certain Academies will give you an advantage when applying for a specific position (see Greg).
When John is asked to decide about which Academy he will visit, he’s just 17 and has been waiting for his mate for a good many years. He is quite frankly tired of waiting and would like to get to the happily ever after now please. He knows his mate is likely 10 years his junior, but if you are diagnosed it normally means you mate isn’t far behind you. Thus John assumes that the Academy for the Prematurely Diagnosed will give him a better chance since their main focus is on getting the prematurely diagnosed people in contact with each other. Both in class and through special events like open-for-all Halloween parties.
So while his other choices would give him a better outlook for his academic pursuit, he chooses the option that will, in his mind, most benefit him emotionally and socially.
(more about how this works out in the next chapter. More on Academies once Mycroft’s old enough)