Austin, Texas 2039

Galen, aged 7, sneaked into the basement with a small group of his fellow orphans.

Ms. Daniels’ had set a strict bedtime, but they were willing to risk extra chores just for a chance to see some cool stuff going down.

You see, legendary figures were visiting.

They had a huge group dinner with Ms. Hayden and Ms. Primrose, sure they were women and technically had been graduates of Ms. Daniels’ home for girls, but that didn’t matter to the boys, who were all about badass, powerful people.

It showed them possibilities for the future.

That they, too, could take control of their lives and gain revenge on those that had caused them to be placed in Ms. Daniels’ strict, but caring arms.

Galen was a bit different on that account.

He couldn’t remember the how and why he had ended up in the orphanage. Honestly, he hadn’t really thought much about it. His earliest memory was being in the home. Vague memories of former graduates coming back with presents and such. One of which was of the Heartfuries running a magic crystal over him.

He still didn’t know what that had been about.

They had done it to all the others and he distinctly remembered Ms. Daniels scowling at the whole thing and getting snippy with Hayden, which was weird cause Ms. Daniels, though stern, never really raised her voice. She got disappointed rather than angry whenever one of them misbehaved.

He had pestered Ms. Daniels and the other caretakers for months about it until the incident had finally lost its grip on his attention.

Galen and the boys had beaten the adults to the basement in the nick of time.

Each found a hiding spot well-away from the thrumming device in the middle of the concrete-lined room. They had been warned about coming down here. Bodily harm and such, but boys being boys, they lacked a certain sense of self-preservation that came with experience.

Galen regretted his hiding spot… for dirty laundry stank.

Alas, it was too late to move.

The creaking door was their only warning that the adults were coming. The basement had been reinforced top to bottom, which meant that they didn’t hear the steps through the ceiling. Normally, a mischief maker could reliably listen for the tell-tale tapping of Ms. Daniels’ cane on the hardwood floors from quite a distance. Though, strangely, sometimes Ms. Daniels would catch them by sneaking up as quiet as one of the homes’ guard cats.

Voices filtered down the stairs.

Some kind of argument.

He vaguely remembered it from the dinner, though he had been seated a good distance from Ms. Daniels and Hayden.

It seemed that they hadn’t finished it.

“It’s part of the deal,” Ms. Hayden said.

Galen recognized the tone in her voice.

It surprised him to hear the same resigned exasperation that he heard coming out of the older kids whenever one of their caretakers was getting on their case for one thing or another.

It was weird hearing it out of someone that the stories said could char a huge monster to a burned crisp from inside out with a single touch.

One of the things he loved to do was listen to the stories their Golden Eagle guards told.

Ms. Daniels wasn’t a fan of those stories.

She’d always shoo him and the other boys away from the wall when she caught them pestering the guards.

Ms. Daniels didn’t like the guards.

“They’re supposed to protect the children, not get them killed,” Ms. Daniels said in that disappointed tone.

“It’s not what I’d want the kids to do, but once they turn 18 they need to find their own way. Those are your rules, remember?” Ms. Hayden said. “Would you rather they go straight adventurer without any support? The Golden Eagles will treat them right because Elliot keeps his word.”

“Plus you’ll kill them all if they mess with our kids,” Ms. Primrose added, perhaps unhelpfully.

“What I don’t remember is teaching you to be this violent,” Ms. Daniels said.

“This is the world we live in and I’m not having this argument again. Every time,” Ms. Hayden sighed.

“Not every time,” Ms. Primrose said, “at least not the last two times I’ve visited… with you, Hayden. Nope, don’t remember treading these familiar waters.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. Sometimes I still see you as those surly girls.”

A fond sounding tone entered Ms. Daniels’ voice.

“Deaths suck, but unless you’re willing to force them into safer classes then it’s out of our hands. We can’t babysit all of them,” Ms. Hayden said. “You know how I was.”

“Went straight into encounter challenges. I thought I’d never hear from you again. I thought that you’d end up dead in a cave where no one would know or find out to tell me.” Ms. Daniels sniffed. “But you came back. Months passed between them. But you always came back… and I thought each time was going to be the last time.”

“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence,” Ms. Hayden said flatly.

“Well, I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.”

“Ladies, let’s not get all weepy,” Ms. Primrose said. “Batteries need recharging and we’re on a tight schedule. Also, there’s a small boy hiding behind that generator.” She thrust a finger, posing imperiously.

It was… Darren.

Galen breathed a sigh.

He squeaked, ducking behind the silvery cylinder not quite big enough to hide him completely.

It was always stupid Darren.

A glint shined in Ms. Primrose’s eyes as a grin split her face.

“We can see you. Do you know what happens to spies? Remind me, Hayden?”

Ms. Hayden flicked Ms. Primrose’s ear.

“You’re scaring him, Prim.”

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

“Ow, unnecessary. It’s a teachable moment. This stuff is dangerous to play around in.”

Ms. Daniels’ eyes widened.

“Mr. Cruces and you two assured me that the equipment was perfectly safe.”

A familiar scowl formed on her face.

“Yeah, but they don’t need to know that,” Ms. Primrose whispered back.

Ms. Hayden clapped her hands.

The sound caused Galen to jump out from behind the pile of dirty laundry.

The rest of his fellow spies emerged out of their hiding places like cockroaches when the lights were turned on.

Ms. Daniels’ sigh was one of pure disappointment.

It was a familiar thing.

“I knew you weren’t in your beds, but I thought you were sneaking for cookies.”

Wait?

What?

She knew!

“Ohoho!” Ms. Primrose raised a brow. “Ms. Daniels, did your most hated Skill not work properly?”

Ms. Daniels eyed the thrumming machinery in the center of the basement.

It exuded warmth that made the normally cold concrete bearable on their bare feet.

“You did say that there were concealing enchantments on those things.” Ms. Daniels suddenly wheeled on Galen and the boys. “Don’t think you can hide from me in here. I know now.”

Galen nodded.

That was fairly obvious to him.

“Alright, straight to bed, c’mon, shoo, shoo.” Ms. Hayden made sweeping motions toward the stairs.

“Aww, can we watch? Please!” Galen said.

For some reason he really wanted to see what they were about to do.

He felt something strange in the air.

Had first felt it when he had descended into the basement.

But it was a lot stronger now.

Ms. Primrose locked eyes with Ms. Hayden before clearing her throat.

“Ms. Daniels, I’m inclined to allow them to watch. It’ll be a teachable thing.”

“Seriously?” Ms. Hayden said.

Ms. Primrose shrugged.

“I think he’s close to you know what and it’s better we, or I guess me,” she sighed, “will need to do a lesson.”

“He’s seven!” Ms. Daniels said.

Where they talking about him?

Why did Ms. Daniels have that look on her face?

“Things are changing. It’s really rare, but there have been cases of children gaining classes without doing what we used to have to do. Too many random classes might cripple their progression.”

Wait?

He was going to get a class?

Without killing a monster or having to wait till he was an adult?

He couldn’t contain his smile.

“Cool!”

The possibilities flowed through his mind!

Ms. Hayden flicked his ear.

“Knock that off and pay attention.”

A shock caused him to jump.

It was just like when they rubbed their feet on the shaggy carpet in the living room and poked each other with jolting fingers.

“Hayden!” Ms. Daniels snapped.

“What?”

Ms. Daniels shook her head.

“A grown woman, supposedly… I don’t know about this…”

“Well, we don’t want him to just pick up whatever classes pop up. Kids are kinda dumb.” Ms Primrose turned to them. “No offense. I was a kid once and I was dumb. Your boys, so that means you’re even dumber, faster.”

“Primrose!” Ms. Daniels snapped.

“What? It’s true, we’ve got, like, different kinds of intelligence and everyone knows…” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “boys of this age are super dumb.” Her eyes darted back to them. “No offense.”

Galen scowled.

Ms. Primrose instantly wasn’t as cool anymore.

From the grumbling around him, he wasn’t alone in that assessment.

“Okay, fine. They can stay and watch as long as it’s safe,” Ms. Daniels said.

The boys had found a surprising ally where they least expected.

“He’s the only one that needs to stay,” Ms. Primrose said, pointing to him.

“Let them all watch,” Ms. Hayden said.

“Why?”

“Use your head.”

“Oh… okay. Can’t single him out. Got it.” Ms. Primrose nodded, shaking her short blond hair. “Alright, listen up, little dumb boys! You are about to observe two things. First,” she pointed at Ms. Hayden, “she will recharge the science-y batteries.”

“What’s the batteries for?”

Someone piped up behind Galen.

It sounded like stupid Darren.

“Power for your home. You know what electricity is, right?”

Synchronized nods.

“Well, these batteries means that you don’t have to get electricity from the city, which means Ms. Daniels doesn’t have to pay Universal Points to the leeches that—”

Ms. Daniels cleared her throat.

“That is to say that those points can be better spent on things you dumb stinky lot need.”

“What’s that?” Stupid Darren picked his nose and pointed at the silvery machine in the middle of all the cables leading from the batteries and generator thingies.

Galen felt weird about it.

There was like the squiggly lines in his eyes that he sometimes got after just waking up whenever he looked at it or at the batteries on the opposite side of the room from the science-y batteries.

“Now that is magic and science. It will keep you safe from mons— it makes a magic shield around this place.”

“The basement?”

The other boys shushed stupid Darren.

They were balanced on a knife’s edge.

One never knew when the adults’ largesse could end.

They didn’t want to be sent back to bed before getting to see whatever it was that was supposed to happen.

They had no idea, but it had to be cool and they couldn’t wait to lord it over the more law-fearing children that went to bed like the boot-lickers they were.

Ms. Hayden frowned.

“The entire house—”

“And the yar— ow!”

Stupid Darren just didn’t get it.

Sometimes one just had to jab a knuckle in one’s ribs.

“Boys! Stop that! Apologize! I will send you to bed right now!”

Ms. Daniels was on them with the swiftness of a tiger.

Mumbled apologies accompanied Ms. Primrose’s laughter.

“Oh, wow! That takes me back!”

Her smile was radiant in the glow from the magitech machinery.

“Anyways, the magic shield extends all the way to the fence.”

“Let’s get this done,” Ms. Hayden said as she approached the science-y batteries.

Ms. Primrose came to stand next to Galen.

“Um,” he looked up then down again, unable to meet her eyes, “um, am I supposed to watch this?”

She shrugged.

“Sure, why not. It’s kinda cool if you haven’t seen her electrify something before, but what you really need to watch is when I put mana into those.” She pointed at the other batteries. “I want you to really pay attention. Try to, uh, understand and grab the weird feeling or things you’re probably seeing right now. We’ll talk about it after. There might be a test.” She winked.

Crap!

He hated tests.

They were stupid cause they made him feel stupid.