The fire was getting closer, Liam could feel it on his face even as his dad tried to get them away from it. It was almost as if it was chasing them, destroying the house around them in order to keep them inside, to eat them up. He was being carried like a sack of potatoes, which was embarrassing since he was no longer a kid anymore. He couldn’t say that in his fear, though, the fire singing away his dribbling snot and tears as he sobbed loudly.

At least his dad was there. Mom had said he was real but Liam had only believed it when the man actually showed up on his fifth birthday a year ago. Dads were supposed to protect their kids, especially in situations like this. Liam thought they were doing a really good job at that. His dad coughed, falling to a knee and hacking up red spit for a few seconds before shoving a damp cloth into Liam’s face. It was uncomfortable but Liam felt a bit less woozy. “It’s ok, buddy. We’re gonna make it. We’re gonna-”

The roof came for them then.

A lot of things happened, he saw his father throw him to the ground, before raising their arms to carry a large wooden beam, and the debris it held. It looked like a lot… Liam couldn’t really notice much else because his head had started going numb at that point, but after a few seconds of realizing he hadn’t been eaten up by the roof he heard shouting. It was his dad, holding the beam on his back while shaking him awake. They looked distressed, which made sense since they looked pretty banged up.

He didn’t understand why that worry seemed directed at him, though. Liam wasn’t feeling any pain anymore… it was actually sort of nice… “Liam… Shit. Buddy, look. You’re gonna need to get up. Liam, buddy? Get up… Get-”

“Liam! If you don’t get up I’ll make today a living hell!”

He was kicked awake, his brain still not having made its decision on whether it would work correctly or not. After a few agonizingly painful moments of both the kick and the effort of fighting against the sleep, Liam had just enough willpower to drag himself off the couch. He fell to the floor, grossly underestimating his distance from the edge and slapping face first into the the cold ground. Shit… what kind of start was this for such an important day? Why had he even been woken up like that?

Stil half asleep the boy turned groggily to his mother in annoyance, the woman was hurriedly trying to put on a pair of pants while hopping on one leg. He wondered why the hell she looked like she was in a rush before adding two and two together. If she was in a hurry...

That meant he was in a rush as well, right?

He jumped up, his golden eyes bloodshot as he ran for his room. The school uniform was there, and he had to pop that thing on him before heading to his classes. It was a huge rule, apparently, something that had cost him quite a bit of looks when he’d first started going there. It looked sorta like the fancy tuxedoes you saw in movies, with a fancy white shirt underneath and a million other useless things.

Neither his mom or him had assumed the thing would have been used for more than formal affairs, and he’d thought everyone wearing it in the first day of school had just wanted to show it off. At least he knew better now…

He could hear his mother cursing in the other room, and then a loud thunk, followed by more cursing. He snickered, knowing what he’d see when he came out. A quick peak inside the living room and his guess was right. The woman had torn her pants in the rush, the sides ripped to shreds in her hands. They were a super-power durable pair, and she had still been too reckless and torn them apart.

What a klutz.

She looked at him with the eyes of a dragon, but even then he still couldn’t help but smile mockingly. This woman sure knew how to make problems. Her scowl looked violent enough to belong to a jaguar, and in a flash a knife he hadn’t even seen hit the wooden frame of the door right next to him.. The blade had sunk the entire way in, the hilt leaving cracks on the wood. “Shut the hell up and get me a new pair.” the smile went off his face as goosebumps went down his back. The woman was a kultz but she was also a demon.

“…Yes.”

He shouldn’t have smirked.

A silent car ride later, and he was now at the school. Though he was forced to sit at the back this time.

At first, Liam had been furious about the rule keeping him from driving because he’d been too young. Even when he was supposedly old enough, he couldn’t be on the road without a license. It had been the most aggravating part of coming here before he’d learned how many goddamn rules this city had towards driving. It was ridiculous, as long as he didn’t hit anyone, why should they care?

…District 1 barely had a handle on the super-powered freaks but had rules on cars as if the hunks of metal could take over the world if left unchecked. His mother had gone insane trying to learn the ins and outs of the road for her driving exam, so Liam was more than happy to not be allowed that luxury..

At least it meant he didn’t have to stress too hard on the way here.

He breathed in the fresh air.

Once again, Liam couldn’t help but squint at the bright colors of the world around him. He could see the sky in its full beauty, the entire patches of empty land that grass and flowers and trees took up… Even the parts of the city paved in stone were clean and uniform, hardly a crack on the surface. He’d come to be used to seeing the vibrant city by this point, but today was quite a bit different.

And what a day it was…

He sighed, rubbing his eyes in weariness from the vibrant air around him. Everyone around him was buzzing, and he could even see some people holding those little luck talismans you could buy at the school entrance. The path to school was almost a dozen times louder as well, giving him a headache that didn’t seem to wanna go away. Even in the busy days before the holidays, students were usually never this rowdy. Well, it made sense.

He smiled, despite the circumstances.

The first year awakenings in Noon high.

Someone put an arm on his shoulder, ruining the moment. It was Elliot, fortunately. They had been one of the few people in this school who talked to him. “Hey, Liam! Are you hyped? I sure am… I wonder what I’m gonna get… What do you think?” Liam grinned, wondering what the idiot next to him was hoping for. “You? Idk. Probably nothing.” The kid pouted, punching Liam in the side with little effect. “That’s not gonna happen! Didn’t you listen in class?” Liam just laughed, putting his hand on their head and pulling them in.

Their hair was soft, so Liam did this quite a bit. With blonde, curly hair and blue eyes, along with their short height, it made them look like a kid, more than even the rest of these people did. That mixed along with the fact that they were almost unfairly adorable, and Liam couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

Maybe he wouldn’t get treated like an outcast in this school if he had that face.

He shook their head a bit, earning a disgruntled groan. “Maybe you’ll grow a horn or something? Or a third eye?” That made the kid freeze up, and Liam no doubt was sure now that they’d been up all night looking up on Egos, or more specifcally, Ego deaths. It wasn’t something people in this district should look at, especially the worst-case scenarios. Their head hung low, actually seeming pretty serious about it. “Don’t say that… I wanna get taller but I don’t really want it if it could turn me into one of them…” Liam forced a smile, wondering how that scared innocence still remained in the people of this district.

An Ego, let alone an Ego death, popping up was basically an impossible scenario in this cozy little part of the world.

He leaned down with a sympathetic look, wondering if he’d be that scared if he hadn’t already been so familiar with the stuff. Maybe he could say something about it.

“Don’t worry, the urge has to be insane. You literally have to be crazy or on skimmer to turn into one.”

“Y-yeah… skimmer? What’s that?”

He froze up, reminding himself of where he was.

“Uh, never mind. So what were you hoping for?”

The kid smiled, reattaining the chipmunk vibe that had worn Liam down enough to make them his friend. He remembered their stubbornness in the beginning, asking him things that would get a normal district one member’s head stomped on… But Liam couldn’t find it in himself to do it. He thought that maybe it had been the innocence of the questions, or the way their eyes didn’t seem to widen in fear when they saw him… And then a couple weeks into the school year it hit him.

Elliot had been the only one to talk to him in this place without treating him like a rabid animal.

They were the only one on this school who wanted to be his friend, to just be his friend. They were like an angel from the sky sent to help him through this hell, hiding in a school uniform. ”Maybe wings? It’d be neat to see you fly.” Liam accidentally said out loud. Elliot gave him a weird look. “Like… angel wings? Why would I want wings to fly? That’s an ego power. Gaining a flight power’s way better, anyway.” Liam froze, before turning away, fighting an embarrassed look from appearing on his face.

“Uh, yeah. That’s what I meant.”

Elliot just brushed it off, more amused at his friend than weirded out. At least that was one thing Liam didn’t bungle up. They walked to class, talking about the day and what they would do if they somehow got an overpowered ability. Elliot really wanted super strength, which Liam couldn’t help but think was too much for the fun sized idiot. He wouldn’t tell them that, though. They split off when he walked Elliot to his class, and then began his trek back into his own class.

Man, he hated school.

Not because of grades, or because he thought there was no meaning behind it. Coming to this school, he had actually worked hard as hell to learn up on all the years he’d missed. It had been a nerve wracking experience of study and training hell until he actually came to the area. No one really knew much about the first district, except for the fact that most Superheroes in the country came from this place. It had given this city the image of an undaunting force, something you shouldn’t mess with, or even gain attention from…

It made what he experienced in this school all the more saddening.

He turned a corner, his face no longer quite as amused as when he had been with Elliot. As he walked, people kept a distance around him in the crowded halls, never once trying to look his eyes. Once again, as if by magic, the disappearance of the chipmunk meant he was automatically a killer to these people. It at least meant he could get to his class earlier, though that also wasn’t quite all sunshine and rainbows either.

Damnit, he’d have taken being roughed up better than this shit. Liam had been worried that coming from the ‘‘badlands’’ of district three would make him a prime cut of meat for the people in the area. He had expected to be put through the wringer, and trained both his mind and body to be the bare minimum of what he thought district one wanted.

The district people called “Utopia”.

A kid was accidentally shoved his way, bumping into him by the shoulder and falling to the ground. People became a bit more quiet, even in the excitement of today. “I-I’m Soorryy!? I didn’t, I…” Their voice was high pitched, probably due to fear. The kid stayed there for a few seconds before trying to stand, but slipped on their sweaty palms, dropping the paperwork he was holding. They were a normal build, actually a bit stronger than the normal kid he’d seen in this school. The glasses and loaded backpack also meant they were studious, so they were probably ranked pretty high in the school system…

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

So why were they acting like that? It was making him look bad.

“Come on, man… Look, let me help.” He knelt on one knee to pick up the papers, unsure if he was messing up their order. The kid didn’t seem to correct him, though, so he just kept tidying up. After a bit of tidying up he stood up, and this time he helped the kid up as well. Man, they really were sweaty. He wiped his hand on a shirt as the kid shakily stood in place. A few seconds of awkward silence later and Liam had had enough.

“A’ight, see ya later.” He brushed past them and went to his class, barely hearing the small ‘thank you’ from the kid. It shocked him, but not enough to stop him. People were already thinning out in the halls, and that meant class would start soon. That sucked.

He started running.

Being late didn’t mean much to him, it was just that if he didn’t get to class while a million kids were rushing in he’d be singled out. It was already bad enough as it was with his appearance, it wouldn’t kill him to at least be a good student.

_______________________________________________________________

Lidia was excited as she talked to her friends who were all gathered around each other. No one in the class seemed up to staying in their seats today, either. It made sense, since today was the day of the awakening! She couldn’t keep an elated look off her face as her friends prattled nonstop about the powers they wanted, trying to get their desires out in the open for the world to see. They’d learned a lot about powers and their awakenings, being taught about the idea since they were born. The idea of exclaiming what powers you wanted was directly tied to what you got, especially if you truly desired it.

She took another sip from her water bottle, the excitement of talking throughout the day getting to her throat. At first, people had apparently needed to train their minds intensely, or been so steeped in desire that they had to be almost obsessive to obtain what they wanted. That had been almost a thousand years ago, in a time when those who obtained powers would be heralded as kings and queens.

Now?

“Lidia! You’re stepping on your bag!”

Ah, crap!

“Nooo!? I just got this!”

She jumped off her leather bag, cursing herself for being dumb enough to put it down. She had only been stepping on the strap but already you could see the footprint of her sneakers on it. She’d gotten this with her mom, so it was a precious present! The girls looked on in horror as the girl looked ready to cry, until one of them seemed to light up with an answer. “Ah! Wait, Lidia! Maybe if you run it in a restroom air drier it’ll go back to normal?” They all looked as if she said something brilliant, including Lidia.

That was right! Didn’t leather have something to do with heat? Like… it stretched or something?

She picked up her bag, and while her friends talked about ancient leatherworking rituals she ran to the classroom door. She didn’t know much about it, but at the very least it wouldn’t hurt to be quicker than not-

Something bumped into her. Well, someone.

The last person anyone in that class wanted to bump into.

And she had just poured water all over him.

She had fallen to the ground in surprise, looking up at the now towering person above her. With pale skin and golden, sharp eyes on a body that almost seemed built for fighting, he seemed like a demon. He was wearing the same uniform as the rest of them, but seemed to almost look at her with disgust that made her shrivel up in fear. It didn’t help that his face was drenched in the water that she had splashed all over him, matting his long hair against his head.

The demon of Noon high was here, and he was angry.

________________________________________________________________

Liam was mad.

He’d just gotten to school and already he’d messed up a poor boy and girl’s day.

He glanced in his victim’s direction, noticing her freeze up and turn back towards the front as his gaze met hers. She seemed to have been staring at him too. He noticed her ruined bag, still wet from the moment he had hit her when he came in. It seemed to have been precious to her considering the fact she had looked about ready to cry when she saw it’s sorry state. All he had gotten out of the situation was slightly wet clothes and hair.

He had even tied his hair back, so even that wasn’t a problem anymore.

He sighed, cursing his rotten luck. All this time trying to play the angel had gone to waste now.

At first, the people in this class had been dead silent when he entered, looking about ready to kick the bucket when he introduced himself.

As the weeks went on and he didn’t actually do anything, people in the class had slowly started opening up again. They weren’t trying to get close to him, not at all. But they had started sort of… accepting his presence. Like when a flock of birds landed on a crocodile’s open mouth to pick at the scraps, they did their own thing without fear he’d suddenly snap…

Today he had accidentally bit down.

Man, he hoped this didn’t turn into a rumor. He could see it now, people talking about some idiot from the badlands who kicked a poor girl out of nowhere while he was walking to class, probably because he was pissed about whatever horrible shit people thought he did.

He just wanted to sink into his desk and fall asleep, but that would only get him in deeper water. Besides, the awakening would happen as soon as the teacher the door so It wasn’t like he could afford to-

“Ok, class. I know it’s a fun day but settle dow- What?”

His teacher for the year, Mr. Wyland, came in with a tired but content look on his face. That face immediately turned to confusion as he entered a dead silent classroom. Liam couldn’t help but look away guiltily as the man cautiously went inside, unsure of what to think until he saw Liam soaked in water. “A-ah. Well, um… Liam and Lidia. Do you two need to go change or dry off?” He shook his head, not wanting to make the situation worse.

Mr. Wyland had been one of the main reasons this class had become much more lively, so Liam had really grown to respect him.

“I’ll be fine like this, Mr. Wyland. I’m almost dry, either way.” He gave his best attempt at a smile, and that seemed to cut through the tense atmosphere just a bit.

“I’m fine…”

The girl’s melancholic answer brung it back on full blast.

The teacher’s face turned into something that Liam could only describe as pity, which made him want to jump out the window. At the very least it didn’t seem to be aimed at only him. “Is… Is that so? Well, let’s jump right into it, then.” They set a binder on their desk, before reaching under to pull out quite a large case. Considering the loud thunk it made when it hit the table, it must have been quite heavy.

Liam had to remind himself that, despite the teacher’s wiry size, they had quite the strength enhancements on their body. They were a strength super, after all. The chest opened on all sides when the teacher pressed a button on its side, latching onto the desk underneath and growing in power. “This school has finally brung these out… you were all supposed to get a power almost a week ago but things went south in district 2- Gah! My desk!”

While the teacher spoke about something quite serious, the chest sunk multiple hooks onto the wood of the desk, the metallic insides slowly growing in size until it formed something of a room with a seat and helmet inside. The entire time the teacher was shouting safe-for-work obscenities, pulling his papers out of the way as the desk was eventually crushed under the apparatus. “Godda- ...rn it. They… They didn’t tell me it did that. RuneTech really likes overdoing it, huh…”

The class sounded out in awe as the machine grew bigger, taking even more complicated designs as it took in more and more space. The teacher laughed, despite the fact that you could still see the splinters of the desk underneath.

“They did say to give it some space, huh? Guess that’s another thing out of my paycheck? Damn it… Ah! Everyone in the front please move your desks!” The room suddenly became raucous with noise as kids hurried to move their things out of the way, which wasn’t actually needed since the machine seemed to have stopped a few minutes after crushing the desk. What was left had been a five by five foot room that reached nearly towards the ceiling.

At least the tension from before was gone, the whole class chattering excitedly about the whole thing, even as they all pressed the walls as far as they could away from it. Well, it wasn’t like Liam wasn’t also scared. In the noise, he’d been trying to make out what the teacher said, just to see if it was time to run out the door. The results were… mixed. “Damn Techheads always want to make it different every fucking year. Gotta learn up on this before I try it again.”

Whoah, teacher had a potty mouth. Techhead was a slur, wasn’t it?

Well, at least it didn’t seem like they thought this was dangerous.

Mr. Wyland clapped, turning all the attention towards him. He at least seemed happier now that all the class was riled up again. “Alright class, quiet down! I know this is fun but we need to get a nice line so uh… Get in front of me and take a spot, first come first ser- Whoah!” Liam hurried out of the way as the thirty kids in the class rushed to take the first spot for the seat, pushing and shoving with all the zeal in the world.

He patiently waited for the line to sort out, and took last place. It took a moment to see the squirming girl in front of him, and he almost asked what was wrong until his idiot brain reminded him that he was the problem. He took a few tentative feet back to not scare the meek girl who had no doubt been shoved to the back of the line. It wasn’t like anyone was gonna take his place.

The teacher, frazzled but none the worse for wear, looked at his students with tired eyes. “Ok, brats. I almost preferred the silence. Just, uh… first person, come with me.” Mr. Wyland waved the first kid over. They were someone who was short and scrawny but made up for it with their endless endurance. Liam remembered them from the time he had involved himself in practice. They had been one of the only ones in the other group who could take him on.

Er… Well, they were one of the few who had wanted to go up against him in the first place, but that also took guts he supposed. Ezekiel was… his name, Liam was sure. It had been so long since any of them had talked to him that everything sort of blurred together. The kid looked pumped as he made it to the machine, almost charging in before the teacher grabbed him by the collar. “Hey, you don’t even know how this thing works!”

The students laughed and the kid went red, trying to pull the super-powered teacher off with his rather normal-powered hands. Needless to say, that didn’t amount to much. “Hahaha! Don’t worry kid. We’ll give a brief explanation before you start and then…” He pointed to the class, a wide grin on their face.

“Then… we alternate between first and last in the line!!”

Liam froze, and the rest of the kids groaned or cheered at the news, respectfully. There had been a lot more groans than cheers, however, since it seemed most of the people at the end had the same negativity towards the choice as Liam.

Maybe they also hadn’t made up their minds yet.

“Enough moans! Listen up if you don’t want to lose this chance!” Mr. Wyland shouted, though he still had a big smile on his face. It seemed he was really enjoying the discourse he created. Liam couldn’t help but smile as well, even as his panic settled in.

“It’s simple! Just go inside and think about what you want. Not your powers, but what you really want! It can be money or intelligence or strength, but the vaguer the better. Make the goal as big as you can! Any questions” They proudly exclaimed the words, but one of the students raised their hands, a smirk on their face. The teacher seemed weary but pointed in their direction. “Henderson, what’s your question.” The kid tilted his head innocently, the earlier smirk gone.

“What did you think of when you awakened?”

That earned quite a bit of looks. Mr. Wyland chuckled nervously as everybody, including Ezekiel who was still hanging off his shirt, bored holes into the man. Everyone wanted an all-rounder physical enhancement, since it meant almost complete integration into the superhero world. Liam also paid attention, hoping maybe he could just cop out his decision to the teacher.

That was a failure.

“Uh, well. Sorry kids but I was a natural awakened. Got my powers at six.”

If the people in the class had groaned any louder Liam would have had to shut his ears. That was obviously a fake answer. Everyone knew the teacher had been a forced awakened, and that they had been through the same school as them.

Ezekiel, still hanging by his shirt, looked somehow more like a sack of potatoes now. “Not cool, Wyland.”

The teacher scoffed, throwing them towards the machine with little care. “If you want to complain do it after the awakening, Zeke.”

Ah, so Liam had gotten his name correct… Maybe.

The students laughed as Ezekiel made his way into the machine, sitting down on the chair. “So, uh… What now-” The door closed, and for a moment everything went silent as people wondered what the hell was going on. The only one that didn’t seem worried was the teacher, impatiently looking at his clock every so few minutes as time went by. “What the heck is taking that kid so long? I’m pulling him out myself if he keeps it up- Gah.”

The door opened, and smoke appeared from the inside, a shadow of someone inside. A pained voice came from the inside, Ezekiel’s, as they woozily stood up. Everyone gasped at the person inside, some going so far as to hold each other as they saw the shape.

“Took your time. I was about ready to toss you ou- holy moly on a stick… You uh, changed.”

The kid seemed to be the last one to notice, looking down at his body with surprise as he saw his torn clothes, and pants that only went down to just below his knees. “I…what the hell?”

Mr. Wyland went to hit him on the head, though he had to get on his tiptoes to do it.

“No swearing in my class, Ezekiel. Let me just, ah, there we go.” A paper appeared from the side of the machine, spurring out with a myriad of words almost too tiny to be seen. The teacher ripped it off, placing glasses on his face to read. “Let me see here… uh, um… Ah, there we go. Indestructible body. Go ahead and try it out.” They said, passing the kid the paper. The kid still seemed too shocked at what he was looking at, moving his hands and muscles slowly as if he was unsure of what he was looking at.

Then without warning, he slammed a fist into his stomach, causing a sound loud enough to make Liam wince. But… “Holy sh… smokes.” The kid said, catching himself at his teacher’s warning glance. The whole class stayed quiet as he moved. This was dangerously close to an Ego power, and Liam was sure that had been on everyone’s mind. It was silent until the kid grew the widest, stupidest grin on his face. He pumped his arms, flexing the new muscle he’d just acquired.

“Fuck yeah!”

The class went nuts at that.