"Um... Nope. Too expensive," Ratcatcher said, looking longingly at the ice cream.

"What's too expensive?" Nadya looked at her sharply.

The two girls met shortly after school and stopped at a newly opened shop that sold sweets and various baked goods. The wonderful smell of freshly baked cakes made Ratcatcher's stomach growl. Not that she had not eaten at the Academy, but one can hardly feast on soup and potato mash with cutlets. And everything else cost extra, to teach the young trainees the value of money, so the girl had to wait until she got home before she could enjoy something really good.

"Nothing!" Ratcatcher pulled the hood over her face, noticing the shopkeeper looking at her through the glass.

"What do you do with your credits, Ratcatcher?" Nadya frowned. "Wait, does your mother even give you any? I've never seen Miss Joanna give you anything other than lunch... If you want, I can buy you some ice cream."

"That's okay, really! I..." Ratcatcher panicked, struggling to come up with a lie. "I'm on a diet!"

"Uh-huh," Nadya stretched the words, circling around Ratcatcher to look into her eyes. "You want it, don't you?"

"No, I don't want it!" She stomped on the ground and turned away. The other girl just weaved around again, looking under the hood. "Go buy something, and let's hurry, or Moms will scold us again!"

She breathed a sigh of relief when Nadya entered the shop, taking off her gloves and warm hat. Ratcatcher herself leaned against the wall of the shop, half-hidden behind a lamp post from the eyes of passersby, and stuck out her tongue, catching snowflakes for fun.

Morningstar was beautiful in winter. Well, it was beautiful in any season, but winter was something else. Heaters built into the streets and sidewalks melted the falling snow, but a thick and fluffy blanket still adorned the roofs and most of the park, along with the trees. Cars hummed back and forth across the main street, and a few workers were preparing decorations for New Year's Eve. Mass-produced fir trees were placed on almost every corner, and charity events had started early, giving out things to less fortunate people.

Ice had captured two large pools in the park, causing hundreds of people to go skating. Ratcatcher visited the place a few times with Dad. Dad was magnificent, skating elegantly across the ice, gracefully dodging children and other adults, and even doing a few jumps, getting the hang of balancing on the ice. Ratcatcher envied his sense of balance; she broke her nose herself soon after, trying to make a long run and accidentally bumping into another child. She kind of liked it, even though it was no swimming or tunnel crawling. Unfortunately, now Dad never let her out of his sight when the girl stepped onto the ice.

Looking up, she saw the air tremble slightly, somewhere far above the city. As Mom had explained to her, all of Iterna was protected by an invisible shield. Clouds, rain, the air itself, and snow are actually products of the Atmospheric Conditioning System at work in Iterna. They maintain the proper temperature levels for each season, and are the primary reason why the forests and greenery of the Old World thrive in peace.

Iternians build wide rather than tall, so most of their buildings were about six stories high. This made Morningstar a rather spacious place, connected by dozens of different subway stations. Only a few skyscrapers - the Academy and the Planet's Cathedral among them - stuck out like thumbs above the city. The Academy and the cathedral were now draped in bright red and blue decorations, celebrating the passing of another year.

The last two years have been good for her. Iterna's government kept its word and found a way to accommodate everyone, including the people from Scrapyard. Her family got a nice apartment; Mom had gotten better; her brother had already learned how to run around on all fours; and Dad had found a job at a factory. Dad also took classes to get a better-paying job, and often came home tired, but always smiling as he hugged his children.

Ratcatcher once caught him and tried to apologize for ruining their home. Dad only laughed and sat her down next to him.

"Ratty." He wrapped a hand over her shoulders. "Look around, please." She obeyed, witnessing families walking and kids playing. "Do you see any spiders? Any dangers?" Searcher tapped her nose lightly. "All our lives, Mom and I wanted to give you and your brother a decent life. And here it is. Safety. Certainty. Tranquility. Yes, times are a little confusing right now, but we will get through them as we always have. No one's blaming you, silly. We're happy! Now get up or you'll miss the bus!"

Their family adopted the name Vong, and Dad and Mom even changed their tribal names to more mundane ones. They still used their old names among themselves, much to the girl's delight, but it annoyed her when Mom used her new name on the street. What's wrong with Bloodsworn? And why would Ratcatcher call herself Eliza? Why can't she be Ratcatcher Vong?

The Others, who found the name given to them by the rat people, as they called the people of the village, amusing, decided to keep it and continued to live around the former Scrapyard, now turned into an excavation site. They worked as silent guards and guides, allowing scientists to reach long lost pieces of valuable equipment or find some archaeological records.

The outsiders settled in with their own people; the former hatred and mistrust receded, and both groups made amends. The Ericksons apologized to both her and her parents for their behavior, and while Mom still wasn't cool with the older Ericksons, she allowed Ratcatcher to make friends with young Nadya. Dad was much more welcoming, often visiting Mr. Erickson for a drink or two.

Mom, for some reason, couldn't stand Elaisa Erickson and blamed the woman for Pol's shooting. Ratcatcher herself shared no such views, and Pol clumsily apologized to her for what he had done, offering to hit him if she was still angry. Of course, she took him up on the offer and sent the Mister to the realm of dreams. Dad later scolded the girl for fighting, as if she could know that the man couldn't take a punch, while the laughing Mr. Pol tried to say that everything was fine.

Mr. Pol ended up being a pretty nice guy, often driving the two girls home when he finished work early. The man ended up being a natural worker; after graduating from the government program, he was hired by a small family business as a furniture assembler. His wife, Elaisa, welcomed the friendship between the two girls and always made the sweetest meat rolls when they came to the Erickson home. She even welcomed Ratcatcher's calls and was always willing to help the girl with her homework.

Old Mak ended up being invited to work in a hospital, and Vengy decided to go to a regular school. Ratcatcher, well…

She made good on her decision and sent her full pay to Mom and Dad. Oh, they tried to refuse, of course; they even went to the bank to block the transfer, but really, what was a young teenager supposed to do with the money? Buy food? She got it at home and here. Sweets? The Academy provided basic sustenance, and sweets always waited for you at home. So all in all, after a long talk, Dad gave up and accepted her aid.

After the standard studies, the Academy officials first used Ratcatcher and a few other youngsters for public relations purposes, to build unity and to make Iternians more comfortable with non-human-looking abnormals. The list of their duties was long and somewhat simple. From singing on stage to rescuing kittens from trees. While some of her songs were on the net, Ratcatcher had no illusions about her singing career. Her voice often broke, the songs were all written by other people, and the lyrics were... less than stellar. She enjoyed assisting in the kindergarten or the martial arts classes much more.

She often asked Nadya about her school and compared the two places. The most obvious difference was that you needed a badge to get into the Academy. The other difference was the sheer number of different courses that were required of the students. From self-defense to sports training to the basics of machine assembly, the vast halls of the Academy had it all. Her personal favorite, of course, was swimming, although other students often made fun of her appearance.

That was one of the reasons why Ratcatcher asked Mom to help her prepare special clothes. She still wore the Academy's uniform: blue pants, a blue shirt, a blue jacket with the golden Iterna emblem, and special boots. At the Academy and at home, she also wore a special medical device to correct the asymmetry of her shoulder blades and fix her posture. A simple operation could have corrected her posture, but Ratcatcher declined the offer out of fear.

Outside, Ratcatcher wore an oversized black jacket with a long hood that completely covered her animal features, leaving two slits for her eyes. Her tail was wrapped around her waist and hidden beneath the clothing, making the girl look as normal as possible.

While waiting for Nadya, Ratcatcher took several long breaths, concentrating only on them and nothing else. Before, it had helped her calm her nerves and quell her fear of the open spaces. Now it served as a good meditation to satisfy her hunger.

"What took you so long?" Ratcatcher asked when she heard the doorbell ring.

Nadya greeted her with two popsicles, almost shoving one into the girl's hand.

“Nadya, I asked you not to…”

“Oh, beat it.” The redhead rolled her eyes. "I wanted to buy two, but the good man behind the counter asked me why the rat girl wouldn't come in. I explained that you didn't have the credits..."

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"Nadya..." Ratcatcher growled desperately. What would Mom think?! She wasn't poor!

“What? It’s true. Show me the creds if you think me wrong,” Nadya replied unabashedly. "So he gave me another one for free and asked me to wish you a Happy New Year. If you don't want it, I can throw it in the trash."

“N-no! You don’t waste food like that!” She responded nervously and tore through the wrapper while Nadya laughed, eating her own ice cream.

Sweets! Mom always called Ratcatcher a sweet tooth, but who in their right mind would refuse an ice cream? Its outer part was covered by milk chocolate, which was so gentle despite being frozen and it melted eagerly on her tongue. And a delicious white center! Forgetting the cold, she bit into the wood and ate it hungrily, along with the popsicle.

Good. The stomach finally stopped its incessant groaning, allowing her at least a modicum of dignity. Why couldn't she be more like Nadya? The other girl could go through her day without eating anything, scurrying from school to a music lesson before rushing out to play with Ratcatcher and then turning into a running comet as she hurried to a cinema. And her stomach never rumbled, not once!

“What’cha doing tonight?” Nadya asked as they went along the road leading to their homes.

Both families had apartments in the freshly built houses at the city’s edge. Only four houses separated the two girls' places of residence, so they walked home together instead of taking the bus like most other kids. They weren't alone in their decision. Unlike Scrapyard and its dangers, Iterna was safe, or as safe as it could be. To Ratcatcher’s knowledge, the worst crimes that happened this year were a few drunken brawls.

Here and there, other Academy students strolled down the street, not recognizing the girl in her heavy jacket. Most of them were busy buying birthday presents, others were doing community service by cleaning the sidewalks. A boy with scaly skin slipped into a storm drain, contorting his limbs and bones to an almost impossible degree. He came back with a frightened puppy in his clawed hands and presented the animal to the overjoyed elderly couple, who immediately began asking his name so they could call the academy and show their gratitude.

"Homework," Ratcatcher groaned, slapping her backpack.

“Where are you learning? In slave school?” Nadya asked sympathetically and beamed. “Listen, I know you have troubles with credits…”

“I do not have any troubles with credits! I am just a responsible person when it comes to money!”

“Uh-huh. Sureeee. Anywaysy, in the wake of New Year’s Eve, all malls are offering free access to Fantasia! Along with Burning Skies, the latest and greatest expansion to date! Yuppie!" Nadya did a crazy dance, stopping at her friend's confused look.

“I have no idea what it is,” Ratcatcher said honestly.

"Why are you such a shut-in?!" The red-haired girl stomped angrily. "It's a VR MMO..." The trainee spread her arms, and the redhead's eyes widened as she looked under the Ratcatcher's hood again. "No. I refuse to believe that you have no idea what it is! It's a game where you can create your own avatar and play with other people! The kicker is, you can feel everything! When my character jumps from a distance of several kilometers…”

"Sounds like an invitation for a painful landing," Ratcatcher observed.

“Hush and listen!” Nadya put one hand in front of her and raised another to the sky. “As I was saying, when I jumped into a volcano, I could feel everything! From the wind blowing, to the smoke billowing past me, to the lava cracking and sending chunks of rock upward! And don't worry about the pain; the VI in charge of the game always prevents any unpleasant sensations from coming in".

"I still don't see how swimming in lava is cool in any way."

"Well, good for you, because you are about to find out! You and I are going to the mall tomorrow, and that is final! I don't know about your academy, but I'm not going to let my friend turn into a shut-in!" Nadya stopped and looked at Ratcatcher. “Do you have the stick with you? Can you show it?”

"Nadya, this is not a toy." Ratcatcher tried to reason with her, but Nadya just made puppy eyes and pressed both palms to her chest.

“Pretty please! Show it, show it, show it!”

She sighed, put on a serious face, and reached into the pocket. The staff, or more accurately, the self-defense staff, was her chosen weapon for close combat training. In its normal form, it was half the length of her hand and rested comfortably in her pocket.

They took a slight detour and found a spot in the nearby park. Pretending to be completely serious, Ratcatcher showed the device to Nadya before pressing a button. With a whooshing sound, the staff expanded to its normal length, matching Ratcatcher's height. She dropped the staff and kicked it back into her hands before swinging it around herself.

Spears. Now these were the weapons. Sadly, the trainees were not allowed to use deadly weapons, but the tips of the staffs contained small electrical discharges, each strong enough to knock down anyone mad enough to attack them. Hearing Nadya's happy laughter and clapping, Ratcatcher slowly got into the mood, turning her weapon into a blur in her arms and knocking down the falling snowflakes. The wind blew from the girl's swing, pushing the thin layer of snow around her legs to the side, and she continued, thrusting, swinging, and spinning the weapon around herself. Occasionally, she would pretend to let the weapon fall from her hands, enjoying Nadya's astonished gasps, before kicking it right back down and continuing the training route. As she got into the swing of things, Ratcatcher picked up the pace even more, now using her tail to swing her staff and strike down invisible enemies that crept up behind her.

Ratcatcher let herself get caught up in the familiar movements, and for a few moments all was right with the world. She was just a young Ratcatcher again, a girl whose parents had no need to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. They still had their small home, and no one forced her to choose a new name, insisting that Ratcatcher sounded too inhuman to an ear. Everything was fine as usual, and no one thought her strange, an animal, or stupid.

Jumping up, she used the staff as a pole to stand at its very tip on one leg. In a single fluid motion, the girl leaped off the staff, wrapping her tail around its tip and sending the weapon into her palms. Nimbly landing on her feet, she sent the staff crashing down, stopping the weapon before it could crash into the pavement.

Yes, dreams were good and all, but would she really be happier in her old life? Everything in life has pros and cons. Dad would leave home with her and return late at night, often yawning but never looking unhappy, and always finding time to play with Liam and her. Liam became obsessed with Iterna, preferring his chosen name to Bloodoath, and the rest of her people slowly scattered around Iterna, leaving only Wedge to stay close.

It sucks. Ratcatcher decided, spinning the staff in her arms with enough speed to hide behind a blur. Nadya clapped her hands, cheering her on, and Ratcatcher smiled. Not everything was bad. Mom almost bleeding to death was scary. Going to the dentist was scary. But! She made a new friend and saw countless wonderful things... She can walk under the open sky without fear! And ice cream!

The outside world was beautiful. No deadly spiders or dangers lurked around every corner. A soft and gentle morning breeze announced the coming of a magnificent sunrise over the horizon, illuminating the city like a crystal. No one was crippled or broken; children who never had to kill anyone were running through the busy streets, and everything was normal!

A few pebbles lying nearby were snatched up by her tail. The pebbles flew over her head before turning to dust when she struck them with her staff, covering the gracefully bowing girl in dust. Thunderous applause was her reward.

Wait, what? Ratcatcher snapped out of her daydream at the sound of falling coins and the citizens' applause, only now realizing that she had gathered a small crowd around her. She gasped, opened her mouth, and pulled her hood down, hastily wrapping her tail around her waist.

"It's... it's not a performance!" She squeaked, only to receive another round of applause and shouts of "bravo" and "encore" in return. Turning red, Ratcatcher put down her weapon and grabbed Nadya's arm, almost dragging the laughing girl with her. "You could have told me!"

"And stop you from having fun? Nah, don't think so. We should try it together; can you teach me how..."

"Nadya!" Ratcatcher groaned in despair, earning another burst of laughter.

Of course, Iternians were people of many different shapes. Pale-skinned, white-skinned, heavily tanned, dark-skinned, and even, most curiously, gray-skinned. As Dad explained to her, Iterna had been a kingdom that thrived on tourism before the extinction, and when the cataclysm happened, many of those people stayed here. Iterna had all kinds of people: wide, squat, thin, tall, and short. Aside from being good-natured people who loved to have fun, what united them all was a total lack of lost limbs and mostly an absence of scars.

The government passed a law against the loss of body parts. No one should suffer in Iterna. A person could always grow new limbs or change the shape of his body wildly; there were no laws against it. But four limbs and a set of functioning organs were a must.

As for scars... In Iterna, almost no one died of old age anymore. The rejuvenation system, a process that reversed the aging of cells and returned a person to the prime of their youth, ensured that the loss of life due to old age was largely a thing of the past. It was almost unthinkable to meet an elderly person in Iterna, and it was considered a sign of good fortune. Of course, some people chose to age and die naturally, but Ratcatcher found them weird. Ageless. She could learn anything in the world!

Of course, people still died. Terrorist attacks. A traffic accident or a landslide. The military suffered casualties in some border conflicts. Just because you can theoretically live forever does not mean you are safe from harm.

With age defeated and artificial organs available at a cheap price, Iternians turned to beauty and explored various standards. Very few chose to keep scars, as the majority considered non-human forms and any damage to the skin as something out of the ordinary and therefore not beautiful. From the most common slender build to massive power builders to outright chubby men and women, Iterna did not discriminate. Still, she felt a little embarrassed when all these people clapped at her as if she had done something impressive!

They left the scene, but she made sure to collect the coins with her tail. As Mom said, money earned in a fair way doesn’t smell.

"Bravo! Bravo, oh brave spearmen!" The girl replied through tears of laughter. Her eyes flashed. "That's it! You will be a dragoon in the game!"

“Nadya, I am too old for children’s games…”

“Look at this adult! Ratcatcher, you are only a month older than me; act your age already! Loosen up and have fun!”

Easy for you to say. Ratcatcher bit her tongue. There was a grain of truth in Nadya's words. Vengy, now known as Wedge Wellington, has already made new friends at school and, despite regular counseling, has become a much more social person.

Nadya has tons of friends at her school and ended up playing a leading role in the New Year's celebration. What has Ratcatcher accomplished? Yes, the trainees were thrown around the Academy like beans in a bottle, but other kids had formed friendships and shared hobbies. Meanwhile, here she was, clinging to any task that could earn her a few credits, enjoying herself only during swimming and training. All alone.

This can’t go on. Credits are not everything. She decided. Dad and Mom were right. You only live once. And she was having fun just now. No harm in making others laugh. Do I want to be a shut-in? Not really. Solution? I need to socialize. But how? By trying new things!

"Tell me more about this dragoon..." An explosion ate up the rest of her words, throwing both girls to the pavement.

Instinct kicked in before the shock even had a chance to enter their minds. Ratcatcher grabbed Nadya, shielding her from the fall with her own body. Once on the ground, she looked around.