Chapter 43: A Day in Class

Rory Blake adjusted his collar as he and Dana Wright approached the doors to the power control class. The Academy’s pristine hallways stretched behind them, a stark contrast to the intensity they both felt brewing ahead. This class was notoriously tough—designed to push students with unpredictable powers to their limit. Rory’s own training had been challenging lately, and Dana, ever the perfectionist, had been more focused than usual.

As they reached the classroom, the usual hum of pre-class chatter and power exercises greeted them. Students were scattered around, practicing and preparing for the upcoming session. Rory glanced at Dana, who seemed slightly distracted, her gaze darting around the room.

“Everything okay?” Rory asked as they entered.

Dana shrugged, eyes flicking toward a group of students clustered near the front. “Just… a weird vibe today, you know?”

Rory didn’t press further. Everyone had their off days, and today felt no different to him—for the most part. He grabbed a seat toward the back, hoping to get a good view of everyone’s demonstrations without drawing attention to himself. Dana followed suit, settling next to him.

As Rory scanned the room, his eyes stopped on someone already seated near the front—Claire Langley. His breath caught for a moment. Dana noticed too, giving him a nudge with her elbow.

“Look who’s gracing us with her presence today,” Dana whispered, barely able to conceal her own surprise.

Claire Langley, one of the Academy’s fabled Class 4 metahumans, sat calmly at her desk, a book open in front of her. She was impossible to miss. Everyone in the room had taken notice of her, some of the usual noise of pre-class preparation had been muted by her mere presence.

It wasn’t that Claire was a mystery. In fact, she’d been at the Academy long before Rory and Dana had arrived. But despite being known, she was rarely seen. She didn’t socialize like the other students, didn’t join in on the small talk or the casual display of powers that often filled the air before class began. When she did appear, people took notice—because Class 4s like her were on another level.

“First time I’ve seen her in one of these classes in months,” Rory muttered, trying to keep his voice low.

Dana nodded, her gaze fixed on Claire’s calm expression. “Yeah… I’ve seen her around, but she’s always off in restricted areas. Word is her power’s hard to control.”

Rory didn’t need to be reminded. Claire’s ability to manipulate sound was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. Everyone had heard the stories—how she could twist sound into something beautiful or something devastating, depending on how she wielded it. Rory had never seen her in action, but he knew enough to be cautious.

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The instructor entered the room, immediately cutting through the quiet tension. He was a seasoned trainer, strict but fair, and had earned the respect of most students through his no-nonsense approach. The usual routine began—today’s goal was precision control, a task Rory found especially difficult. Even the most straightforward powers needed practice to fine-tune, and today, they were expected to demonstrate their control under new, more challenging conditions.

As the session kicked off, Rory did his best to focus. His turn to demonstrate came sooner than expected, and with Dana’s quiet encouragement, he managed to perform adequately, though he was still frustrated by his lack of progress.

“Not bad, but you can push harder,” Dana said as he sat back down, wiping sweat from his brow.

Before he could respond, the instructor called the next name: “Claire Langley.”

Claire stood from her desk, moving with a sense of calm that none of the other students seemed to possess. Rory felt rather curious. This was the part everyone had been waiting for, whether they admitted it or not. Claire’s demonstrations were rare, and when they happened, they tended to leave an impact.

She walked to the front, facing the instructor, and nodded once—silent as always. Then, with a simple gesture, she raised her hand slightly. The air in the room shifted, a low hum vibrating just beneath the surface. It was subtle at first, almost unnoticeable, but then the sound grew, layering upon itself like the quiet build of a distant symphony.

Rory watched, transfixed. The sound didn’t just fill the room—it moved through it, bending and twisting as though it had a life of its own. It wasn’t loud, and yet, Rory felt it vibrating in his chest, like a pulse of energy that bypassed his ears and went straight to his bones.

Beside him, Dana inhaled sharply, her eyes wide. “Holy crap…”

The hum shifted again, becoming sharper, more focused. For a split second, Rory felt his body tense, as though the sound had taken control of the air around him. And then, just as suddenly, it was gone. Claire lowered her hand, and the room went dead quiet.

No one spoke. The instructor gave a single nod, his approval evident in the brief gesture, and Claire returned to her seat without a word.

“That was…” Rory trailed off, struggling to find the right words. Dana glanced at him, her expression a mixture of awe and unease.

“Yeah,” she whispered, clearly still processing what she had seen.

As class continued, the usual demonstrations felt almost trivial in comparison. The other students tried to focus on their tasks, but Rory could tell that Claire’s display had rattled them. It wasn’t the power itself—it was the control. The ease with which she wielded something so complex, so unique. Rory had always known Class 4s were different, but now he better understood just how wide that gap truly was.

When the session ended, the students filed out slowly, conversations muted. Rory and Dana made their way toward the door, still absorbing everything.

“She didn’t even look like she was trying,” Dana murmured, shaking her head.

Rory nodded. “She didn’t need to. That’s what makes it so… intimidating.”

As they walked back to the dorms, they passed a few groups of students already talking about Claire’s performance. Rory caught bits and pieces of the conversation—admiration, jealousy, even a few students laughing nervously as they discussed how impossible it would be to match that level of control.

Dana looked over at Rory as they entered the quieter hallway leading to their dorm. “You ever wonder what it’s like for her? To be that powerful, but still stuck here with the rest of us?”

Rory thought for a moment before answering. “I don’t know… but I think it’s different for her. Its like she’s not trying to get anywhere anymore. She’s already there.”

Dana nodded slowly, as if considering his words. “Yeah, but there’s gotta be something more, right? No one gets that strong without paying for it.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

“She’s different,” Rory finally said, glancing back over his shoulder as if he could still feel Claire’s presence, even though she was long gone. “And not just because of her power.”

Dana didn’t respond. She didn’t have to. They both knew that Claire Langley was more than just another student. She was a reminder of how much they didn’t know about the Academy—and about what it meant to be someone like her.

As they reached their dorm, Rory felt the weight of everything settle on his shoulders. The Academy was a place of training and growth, but it was also a place of secrets. And Claire was one of those secrets—one that none of them were close to understanding.

For now, all Rory could do was keep his head down and focus. The Academy had its plans, and people like Claire Langley played a part in them. What that part was, Rory couldn’t say. But he had a feeling he wasn’t the only one wondering.