Abigail P.O.V

Abigail covered her mouth as she yawned loudly. Her breath smelled strongly of turkey and egg from the two sandwiches she had earlier. She still craved another one and had one safely tucked away in her bag. Most people, her family included, would be horrified at the sight of a slightly warm breakfast sandwich tucked into a purse, but she didn’t really care. It wasn’t like her bag had much else in there. Ever since the movie night on Saturday, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly, and she was tired. She blinked her eyes for what had to be the hundredth time in the last two minutes.

She crossed her arms on the desk and rested her forehead against it. She felt Sarah catch her hair and push it back neatly.

“Thns.”

She grumbled her words without actually lifting her head again. The sweater she was wearing was two sizes bigger than she needed, and the sleeves worked surprisingly well as a pillow. She was about to fall asleep when Sarah tapped her shoulder.

“There are three new students today. They are all sitting together, and one is from the Larian family. I will send you his public records.”

Abigail felt Sarah’s breath against her ear as Sarah whispered the words to her. It was uncomfortable enough to make her respond.

“Sop tat. Nt in the mod. I’ll lok latr.”

Abigail’s reply was muffled by the sweater, but Sarah’s sigh let her know that her friend had understood. Good, now she might actually get some sleep before class starts. She held that delusion for all of a minute before the teacher’s cheerful voice filled the classroom.

“Hello, students! I hope you all had fun over the weekend. After all, this is your first time away from your parents. I trust that most of you acted within reason and didn’t do anything crazy like break into one of the academy’s buildings.”

Abigail raised her head to see the Teacher’s wide smile and pointed look. It almost seemed like that comment was meant for some particular students. She was too tired to follow the teacher’s gaze though, and just let the words wash over her.

“For most of you, I understand that this was your first weekend away from supervision, and you are probably not ready for intensive education today. As I am such an understanding teacher, I will spare you a long lecture or instruction today, and instead, let you prepare for the practical lesson on Thursday.”

The teacher spoke smoothly, his voice carried a pep that she did not feel. He turned and tapped the board behind him. It flashed and turned into a seating map of the classroom. Names and numbers were listed on each of the tables. Abigail glanced it, and then let her head fall back to the desk as the teacher began speaking again.

“This is the layout of your groups for the practical lessons. The name at the top is the team leader, but before you break up to find your groups, let me explain a little about the practical lessons. We have through the power of certain individuals created micro-trials. They won’t be as encompassing or full as the real trials, but they will be challenging and push you to use your diverse skillset. Unlike the ones at the end of the year, these trials will not necessarily give you anything, and failing has no serious penalties. It is merely done for preparation and recognition. Yes, you can earn a recognition, even in the simulated trials.”

Abigail’s head rose halfway through the teacher’s explanation. She scanned the board behind him for her name. Her name was near the front, and a quick scan showed that she wasn’t on the same team as Sarah. She would’ve complained, but the teacher’s explanation drew her attention like an open fire. Recognitions? She knew of the simulated trials, as many of them were streamed to the bigger families, but she didn’t know that people could gain an actual recognition from them. The teacher wasn’t done though, and every student was watching him as if he were a famous actor.

“That got your attention, did it? Well, I have one more surprise for you. The academies have recreated the real trials. They occur once in the middle of every year, and they will serve as your midterms. The midterms will offer all the same benefits and consequences as the real trial. Meaning that failure would cost you your gift. However, it is an optional examination, and you will need to decide if you are ready to challenge it. Just know, that this is an opportunity you will never get after the academy. It is a special advantage that we managed to create with a lot of effort and resources. I would recommend you all take the risk though the final decision is in your hands.”

Abigail was raising her hand; a dozen questions had popped into her mind, and she was not alone. Over a dozen other students were reaching towards the sky with silent questions, but the teacher was not calling on any of them. Last week, he had never left a student with a question hanging for more than a minute, but now he wasn’t calling for any of them. He just continued talking with the same smile on his face. The smile seemed a little smug to her now.

“I’m glad to see that you are all so interested in the class now. Please email me any questions you have on the subject, and I will answer them when I can. Now, let's move onto the main purpose of today’s class. I want you all to find your teams and come up with some plans or schedules to prepare for the upcoming lessons. These teams will not be permanent, but I expect you to work with whom you are assigned to the best of your ability. The trials often leave you in unexpected situations with unknown allies. This is just a small way in which I can prepare you for that.”

Abigail wanted to say something. To tell the teacher that he couldn’t just leave them with so many questions like that. Then she considered who the teacher was and realized that this whole class was probably designed to go this way.

“I don’t think I like this teacher anymore.”

She groused, sharing her annoyance with Sarah. Sarah rolled her eyes, before responding.

“He is an exceptional teacher, and I believe it is time we find our teams. You are the leader of the group and are paired with the boy from the Larian family. Be careful around him.”

Her warning did not feel like the thing a friend should say. It was the protective warning of a parent or servant, and Abigail shook her head at the words. She knew it was Sarah’s job to be like that, but Abigail thought of Sarah as more of a friend, or even a sister, than anything else.

“Stop that. I’m just meeting some other kids.”

Abigail swatted at Sarah’s shoulder slightly. She rose from her seat and pushed the chair back. It was time to find the rest of her group. Before she could leave, Sarah said one last thing.

“What if he is like Clo?”

Abigail felt goosebumps crawl across her arms at the name. She glared at Sarah, as she stomped behind her chair. That was not fair. Clo was a psychopath. Other students were moving about too, and she nearly bumped into someone as she tried to get around to the front. Her table was labeled with a large number one, and it was the closest one to the front door of the room. She was the last one at the table, and she noticed three people already sitting there. They were, in fact, the three people who hadn’t been here before. The same ones that Sarah had mentioned, and Abigail wished she had checked their information beforehand now.

The Larian boy was instantly recognizable. He wore a modified school uniform, where the outermost coat had been dyed a deep shade of black. It was hideous, and his bright green mohawk made her snort a little. The three people at the table heard her and turned to face her as she took a seat at the only seat.

“I’m Jake, What’s so funny?”

Jake’s question sounded more like a challenge with the way he looked. She tried to come up with something clever and non-offensive to say, but the girl sitting to his left responded first.

“It’s your stupid hair. You look like the biker from Kidz.”

The girl who spoke had a soft voice for how cruel that comment was. A few students at another table heard, and Abigail winced as they laughed. The girl had a self-satisfied expression, with a smile that looked vicious. This girl had elected not to wear the school uniform and instead wore a vomit green hoodie that was probably three sizes too large. The hood was up and hung over her eyes giving her a slightly haunted look. She had noticeable sunken cheeks and deep eyes that made her appear sick too. The weird green glow within her eyes made her look even more like a zombie.

“You know I really liked that character in Kidz, and I’m Abigail by the way.”

Abigail tried to make a joke to ease the group's tension. She regretted it almost immediately as Jake’s chest swelled at the comment. He stared at the girl with such a look of pleasure that Abigail kind of wished she had just made fun of him too.

“I’m Gavin and that’s Maria. Can we move on to something important now?”

The last kid, Gavin was odd. His voice sounded artificially bland. Abigail recognized it though; in that, she knew which group of people used it. Mercenaries were the only ones she knew to change their voice permanently. As she understood it, the change was kind of like an initiation or a badge. Abigail couldn’t help but notice the kid’s nose. It was huge and hook-shaped like a caricature drawing come to life. Other than that, he was normal looking with short loose blond hair and brown eyes. Jake slapped him on the back before anyone could say anything. It sounded like the crack of a whip, and Gavin lurched forward.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“Don’t be so boring. We’re all going to have to work together by the sound of it.”

Abigail saw the death glare that Gavin gave Jake, and she wondered what she had done to deserve this. Did the teacher not like her or something? She tried not to think about that as she addressed the group.

“Uh, we should decide when and how to practice, I guess? Want to do it every weekend?”

Maria shrugged her shoulders noncommittally, while Gavin nodded his head slowly. Only Jake looks dissatisfied with the statement. His shoulders rose as he crossed his arms and protested.

“That’s not gonna be enough. If we want to beat everyone else, then we should meet up during the week too. What about Wednesday? It would be the day before practical lessons too.”

That sounded like a good idea, but the way that Jake said it made her want to refuse. He was too presumptuous. He just expected everyone to agree with what he said. She took a silent breath and decided not to hold that against him. It was a good plan and that should be enough.

“That sounds good, what do you guys think?”

Abigail turned the question to the others, trying to reassert herself as the leader. She didn’t care that much about the position, but she wasn’t about to let some wannabe biker steal it. Even if he was from a more influential family. Maria’s reply was another shoulder shrug that was almost robotically like the one she gave earlier. Gavin at least said something this time.

“It works for me, though I am busy Sunday nights.”

Abigail nodded and tried to do something more leaderlike.

“Ok, since everyone agrees. Let’s do Wednesday after class, and in the morning on weekends. At like Ten?”

Her schedule got approved with little resistance as both Gavin and Jake gave firm nods. Maria twirled a fist in the air while responding.

“We managed to make a schedule. Go, team…”

“So, we have a plan for the future, but what do you want to do today?”

Jake looked at all of them as he posed the question, and Abigail somehow knew that he would be annoying to work with. Maybe it would be better to just make him the leader, but she felt like that would probably earn her a bad grade or something. Plus, she still didn’t like the feeling of letting him take her position.

“Why don’t we rent out a training ground and do some practice and learn about each other’s gift?”

Abigail was only a little annoyed when both Gavin and Maria looked to Jake for a response.

“Yeah, ok. But we should just use my training area. I’m ranked 3rd, didn’t you check?”

Jake’s statement made Abigail choke on her response. Her eyes widened and she quickly pulled open the information Sarah had sent earlier.

Name: Jake Larian

Home World: Atreus Academy World 3

Grade: E

Rank: 3

Physical Grade: 2.0

  Strength: 2.2

  Dexterity: 1.9

  Speed: 1.9

Mental Grade: 1.7

  Reflexes: 1.8

  Intuition: 1.7

  Fortitude: 1.8

Gift Grade: E

Gift (D): Body of the Berserker

Recognitions: None

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Clo P.O.V

Clo pressed his hand against the door of his private training arena. The door glowed green around his fingers, and a moment later the door slid open. Behind it was the same sandy area he had been in before. it was empty save for a few advanced target dummies and a handful of different weapons. These dummies were designed to move and could simulate simple martial movements. Alone they weren’t all that effective, but he typically fought two or three. Clo turned to the others and waved them in, watching each of them as they walked past.

His team, or rather the team to which he was assigned was disturbingly familiar. It was to the degree that he wondered if the teacher was constantly watching all of them. Maya, Sabrina, and Cain were his teammates, with Maya being assigned as the leader. It was a suspicious enough arrangement, that they had all felt like the teacher was stalking them. He wondered how many of the other students were experiencing the same thing. He followed Sabrina in, letting the door shut behind him. Maya and Sabrina were looking around the place with envious gazes. They had all gone and grabbed some training gear, and he wondered how committed they would be to practice. He called out to them to get their attention as he walked over to a bench.

“First things first, let's share a bit about what we can do.”

The room had five benches lined up to the left of the door, and he pushed one across from the other to sit on. Cain sat beside him, while Maya and Sabrina sat on the other bench. Like everything about her, Maya wore a bright pink tracksuit, whereas Sabrina wore a plain grey one. Cain wore a mismatched set of brown pants and a green shirt. Clo was wearing a black set himself.

“You guys have seen it, but I have two gifts. One lets me make extremely sharp blades that will break against anything defensive. Some weird rules apply to that. I can cut through a rock if it's just sitting there, but if someone lifts the rock as a shield, my sword will shatter like glass. I’m not sure if it’s detecting my intention or the intention of my enemy but I haven’t found a way around it. My other gift is more versatile. It’s a storage space that I can fill with whatever I want. The size is pretty limiting for now, but it's big enough to use.”

Cain snorted at the statement, and Clo noticed Maya struggle not to copy the gesture. Sabrina looked at the other two with furrowed brows. Clo considered his own words for a second and got the joke. Clo wasn’t as emotionless as he pretended and he smirked a little at the stupid innuendo.

“What’s so funny?”

The question came from Sabrina whose expression had changed from confused to frustrated. Clo glanced at Cain, who shook his head slightly. The two men decided to keep quiet, but Maya wasn’t so reserved. She leaned over and whispered something to Sabrina which made her face turn slightly red.

“That’s just stupid.”

Maya shrugged.

“You asked. Anyways, my gift makes me tougher. Well, it’s more like a skintight shield.”

She demonstrated the ability, by raising her hand into a fist and slamming it against the wall. It sounded like stone against stone, and he noticed a faintly purple glow around her hand. The coverage of the skill seemed limited. She probably had to choose where to harden her body. It would be difficult to do it on the fly, but it could theoretically block a lot.

“What’s the coverage?”

Clo asked as he watched the purple light diminish. She moved her hand away quickly, hiding it behind her back. He looked up at her and noticed that she seemed somewhat embarrassed. He had an idea of why but didn’t know what to do about it. Prior to a few months ago, he had lived on a planet of literal garbage. Romance of any kind hadn’t really been something he considered or cared for, and he wasn’t sure if he should care now. There were too many things he needed to do, and the first thing on the list was improving. He shifted his gaze to Sabrina.

“She can cover one of her arms completely, it’s pretty finicky though. My own abilities aren’t much better. I can project my own movements. Like a punch or kick. It does not work with items of any kind, and it only has a range of 10 feet, and its power and speed match my own so it’s not very impressive yet.”

Clo waved that comment off.

“That doesn’t matter, it's pretty easy to improve those at our level.”

Both of them had incredibly useful gifts, and he wished he could gain something like Sabrina. If he could use it to control his blades remotely, that would be a huge improvement. Maya’s ability was also good, and it gave their group a good tank. He was already coming up with a few methods to help them train. With Cain, their group felt like it would be one of the most complete.

“Cain, what exactly can you heal?”

Clo ran a hand through his hair before replying.

“I can probably handle any visible injury to some degree. Cuts, burns, bruises, things like that should be fine, but I haven’t studied enough for anything serious unless you want bones where they don’t belong.”

Cain smiled as he finished explaining his abilities. The joke didn’t earn a smile from any of them. Clo raised an eyebrow at Cain while Sabrina just shook her head regretfully.

“It’s not as funny if you do it intentionally, huh.”

Maya commented as she looked at Cain’s rapidly reddening expression.

“Sorry, that, uh, sounded better in my head.”

There was a moment of awkward silence before Clo drew their attention to another topic.

“Let’s move on, I think we should just meet up after class every day. Even if it's just for an hour or so we can use that time to discuss strategy. I’m always here to train or study, and if any of you want to join just text me.”

Clo wasn’t sure how to approach his team at first, but, after hearing of their abilities, he decided he wanted them. On top of their gifts, they also didn’t have any issues with him or his personality. He had believed that they would be bothered after the movie theater incident, but Maya and Cain had both messaged him after it. Honestly, Clo was rather happy with his team. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he had been paired with Abigail or Arthur.

He didn’t feel like an hour or so every day was a big ask, and just expected them to agree but they looked at him like he was mad. Cain was the first to comment.

“Every day? You can’t be serious.”

Cain’s eyes widened as he stared at Clo. Clo didn’t understand what was so bad about that. it wasn’t that much time. Did he want more time for individual practice? While that was useful, he was fairly certain they would improve more if they used this space. Plus, he would be able to observe one another’s abilities.

“I can’t do Wednesday. That’s when I… I have stuff to do then. And every day is a lot.”

Sabrina interjected before Clo could respond.

“Meeting every day is a little excessive. What if we meet every Monday and decide when to meet that for that week? If we want to meet up for training beyond that, we can coordinate it among ourselves.”

Sabrina seemed to be speaking to Maya directly as she said that. Maya whispered something in Sabrina’s ear, but he couldn’t hear it. Clo turned to Cain.

“Does that work for you? We should plan to meet tomorrow and Wednesday this week though.”

Clo didn’t think that meeting every day should be that difficult, but he decided to concede the point to them. However, this week was a different situation. Their first practical class was this Thursday and he wanted to be as prepared as possible for it. Cain nodded albeit reluctantly, and Clo really hoped that he would not need to pester him. Cain seemed like a reasonable person though, so he decided not to push the matter here.

“Let’s do some simple sparring for now. I can set some of the training dummies later for some team stuff later.”

Clo spoke and realized that he had somewhat assumed a leadership role. The others didn’t really seem bothered so he just continued. He pointed out the weapons and the dummies and explained a bit about how the arena functioned. Thus began their first day of preparation.