“So, what do you think?”

Maya spun on the balls of her feet, before stopping and posing in front of Sabrina. She was wearing a two-piece swimsuit, though it wasn’t really a bikini. It was an athletic suit, so the top was basically a sports bra, while the bottom was just a pair of short shorts. It still showed off her body, but it was way more practical than a traditional bikini, and she was fairly certain Clo would appreciate that more than most people. Although they were personalized a bit, since she couldn’t stand the bland colors, they normally had.

Sabrina let out a loud exaggerated sigh, turning away from her tablet to give Maya a very annoyed look. One of her eyebrows was raised questioningly and she frowned slightly.

“Ok, I give up, what’s the difference from the one you had yesterday?”

Maya gave her friend a sheepish grin.

“Yesterday’s was pink with black accents, whereas this is black with pink accents.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes.

“Seriously?”

Maya shook her head, laughing a little at her friend's annoyed tone.

“Nah, I’m just messing with you. It’s the same one I showed you yesterday.”

Sabrina’s loud groan only made Maya laugh harder.

“Why are you bothering me with this? You’re the one that picks out clothes for me since I got the fashion sense of a colorblind chimpanzee.”

Sabrina turned back to her tablet. Maya walked over peaking at the screen while she responded.

“Because you’re my friend. But seriously what do you think?”

Sabrina was on the student forums and browsing one of the many popular threads this week. It was about the top rankers across the academies. Today was the last day of the simulated trials, so the final results came out a few hours ago. She had seen them already and couldn’t stop smiling at the ranks. Even across all of the academies, Clo had earned the highest score. Considering that some students had better stats and gifts than he did, there was a lot of discussion going on.

“You look great, good enough for literally any guy. I would be more worried about the other people there. You really should’ve gone to a private pool.”

Maya was quick to reject that idea.

“No. It wouldn’t feel like a date if it was at some training facility.”

“So, this is a date. And both of you are aware of that?”

The way Sabrina said that brought some color to Maya’s cheeks. Her friend knew full well that Clo saw this as nothing more than a training session. He was serious about teaching her how to swim. The idea sent a shiver down her spine. However, her fear of the endless dark depths of the water was outweighed by her desire to go on e date with Clo. Even if he didn’t know it yet.

“Well, I hope so.”

Sabrina let out another sigh, though she didn’t sound annoyed this time. It was a sigh of condolence as if she had expected Maya’s response.

“Just ask him out. For all that he is our fearless, and quite frankly frightening, leader, I don’t think he is the type to ask someone out. From the way Clo described his own history, I doubt he ever gave relationships any serious thought.”

Maya couldn’t really argue with that. Clo had been surprisingly open in regard to his past, as though he didn’t really care about it anymore. He would answer just about any question they asked, even if he didn’t typically start the conversation himself. She didn’t know what she would’ve done in his position, but she didn’t think she would have the confidence to even answer questions about it. Especially not with how popular he had become.

“You know what? I think I will do that. I mean, what’s the worst thing that could happen? So, yeah, I will ask him out.”

Maya had to sike herself up and tried to sound more confident than she felt. In the beginning, she had only liked Clo because he was ridiculously good-looking, but it wasn’t just that anymore. There was just something irresistible about a man who gave their all in everything they did. Then there was the honesty. She didn’t think any boy had ever been as honest with her before. She had been burned by lies before, but she didn’t need to worry about that with Clo. Even Sabrina had noticed it.

“Wait, you, what? Just like that? Are you sure?”

Sabrina struggled to form a coherent question as she fumbled to stand. The tablet she had been using slid from her grip and bounced off the ground as she sprang up and gripped Maya’s shoulders. Maya saw the genuine concern in her best friend’s gaze. Sabrina knew everything about her, and Maya understood what the look was about.

“Yes, I think so. I mean it's not like he’s anything like…”

Maya let her voice trail, unable or unwilling to say the name of her ex. Just the thought of the guy made her feel gross now. Pushing aside any thoughts of old relationships, she somewhat forced Sabrina to move on too.

“What were you looking at anyway?”

Maya shook herself out of Sabrina’s grip and picked up the tablet. As usual, Sabrina was browsing the forums, and Maya’s eyes widened as she saw the 82 number next to the page’s icon at the top. She had been reading a lot it seemed. Maya turned her raised eyebrow to Sabrina, giving her a look that told her to explain.

Sabrina was the kind of person that got obsessed easily. She was a bit too conscious of the world around her, and let her worries get the better of her a lot. Maya took it upon herself to check on her friend and help her get through any ruts. The number of tabs she had seen on the tablet meant that she was definitely worrying about something.

“I was just looking at the universal rankings and how people were reacting to us.”

Sabrina spoke a little bit too quickly, and her voice squeaked as she did so.

“And that’s a problem because?”

Maya didn’t understand what the information had set her friend off, but she knew that Sabrina could fixate on the weirdest things. Her friend touched the tablet screen and cycled through the tabs for a moment before stopping and turning the screen toward Maya. Maya looked at it, and her eyebrows rose as far as they could.

Universal Rankings For Simulated Hedge Maze Trial of the Academies

1. Clo Vilnius

2. Jordan E. Sumter

3. Hirsh B. Muka

…

48. Maya Winters

The list stopped after fifty, but it left Maya completely dumbfounded. Clo hadn’t just gotten the best score in this world but on all of them! And she was in the top 50 too. Maya’s mouth opened and closed a few times, and her breaths came out quickly as she tried to say anything. Sabrina spoke before she could even find a response.

“This is the problem! The results just came out a few minutes ago, but it’s already blowing up! Do you have any idea how crazy this all is? Other than Cain, the three of us are all in the top 500, and you and Clo are in the 50! Even Cain is in the top 1000.”

Maya had to sit down and plopped onto the ground. She crossed her legs and just stared at the screen for a few moments. Maya’s parents had sent her to the academy in hopes that she might do well, and earn her family some status or something. Sabrina was in the same position. These results did that and more, so much more. They had gotten the kinds of ranks that got people marriage proposals. She didn’t doubt that her parents would start forwarding her to some potential candidates soon. That meant that she would need to tell her parents about Clo, and what she wanted, but that could wait till after the date.

Before all of that, Maya needed to calm her friend down. She started by closing all of the tabs, and

“Okay, first things first, you need to relax. Block your parents for at least a week, and I’ll do the same. We don’t need them to bother us right now. The academy will stop any of the companies or families from pestering us too.”

Sabrina only nodded, so Maya used her tablet to block her parents’ emails and numbers. However, she did send them a group message saying that they were going to be busy for the week. Their parents weren’t bad, but both Sabrina and Maya had to deal with their overbearing expectations. She knew it didn’t make sense, but she felt like her parents believed in her too much. And despite what she said, Maya would reach out to her parents after a day or two. The week was mostly for Sabrina.

“But that only delays things. What do we tell our parents after that? What if someone pressures them?”

Sabrina was normally the calm one, but when she panicked, she broke down completely. Her voice carried her worries like the wails of a small child. Maya pulled her friend down to the ground and squeezed her in a tight hug. Sabrina started sobbing a little, the sound muffled by the hug. Maya couldn’t help it, and some tears leaked from her eyes too.

Maya wanted to come up with an answer and say that everything would be okay, but she couldn’t do it. She was worried about her parents too. Maya had never even thought it was possible for them to rank so highly, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Talk about suffering from success.

As she wracked her brain for a solution, an idea popped into her mind. Without letting go of Sabrina, Maya pulled up the time on her contacts. It was too late now for her plan, but she could at least tell Sabrina about it.

“Let’s go talk to Mister A. I’m sure he will have some idea about what we can do.”

Sabrina just murmured something, though Maya didn’t catch it as Sabrina had spoken into her shirt. Maya pried her friend apart so that she could actually hear her. Sarbina's eyes had turned slightly red from the crying, and she was sniffling a lot too. Maya knew she wasn’t looking much better. The two of them cared for their parents.

“And what can he do?”

“C’mon, do you seriously think someone of his ability won’t have a plan? I bet he would protect our families if we asked.”

That seemed to soothe Sabrina a little, and Maya gave her friend a more confident smile than she really felt. She wasn’t certain what her teacher could do. Well, that wasn’t exactly it. He could do a lot, and just his name or presence would be enough to scare off just about anyone.. If she begged, he might be willing to do it.

“See, you don’t need to panic alone. Now, while go and put my heart online, I expect you to go to Cain’s game thing. Get your mind off stuff. I’ll text you too, so you better go. Don’t think I won’t abandon Clo to drag you there. “

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Maya didn’t really want to cancel on Clo, but she would if Sabrina needed her. If Clo couldn’t understand or accept that, then their relationship never would’ve worked in the first place. Sabrina finally let go and pulled herself up to her feet.

“Fine, but only after we shower. We both look like a bit of a mess now.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Cain P.O.V

Despite being the technical host, Cain wasn’t sure what to expect from the night. He, or rather Maya in his place, had invited a bunch of people to meet up at an arcade to play some video games. She was a lot more outgoing than him and had somehow found the time to meet just about everyone. It was supposed to be a kind of celebration.

He was on his way there right now. Although he couldn’t shake the idea that no one would come. The trial had ended a few days ago, and his reputation had been warped. Oh, he had gained fame, though not the kind he had hoped for. Clo and Maya had both earned a reputation for being, well, amazing, while he had earned one for being a sleepyhead. He had earned the nickname of ‘Sleepy’ on the public forums, and there had been several memes involving him and the fictional dwarf that gave him his nickname. He had enjoyed reading some of those, but a lot of them were nasty, claiming that he had been carried and didn’t deserve any credit.

The comments bothered him more than he would like to admit, and he just hoped it wouldn’t affect the night. That had been one of the reasons he had asked Maya to send out the invitations. That gave him some hope that at least a few kids would show up. Maya said that she would show up at some point, although she was training with Clo first.

Cain tried not to let his expectations get too lofty, but he couldn’t stop his excitement when he saw the building. This was one of the few buildings in the city that didn’t look dated. Which was especially ironic considering most of the tech inside would be. The building’s exterior walls were made of clear glass framed only by smooth black metal. Two large sliding doors filled the entranceway. He could easily peer into the building and saw many rows of arcade machines. A few small kids, likely some of the staff’s children, were playing on some of the machines. He wished he could see into the second floor where the party was taking place.

The doors to the building slid open as Cain climbed the small series of steps to the entrance. The beeps and sounds of old—fashioned games filled the air. He was tempted to explore the machines on this floor but decided to just head upstairs first. He was carrying several bags of snacks and drinks and really wanted to drop them off first. He had also planned to order pizza, but that would depend on how many kids actually showed up. As he approached the elevator to the second floor, he tapped his thumb against the screen just to the left of it.

Welcome!

The word flashed across the screen and the door slid open. Shuffling inside, he was relieved to see that the elevator was ready for him. He was actually half an hour early and wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if the elevator hadn’t been ready for him. He pressed the number 2 button and leaned against a smooth metal railing on the inside while he waited. It wasn’t a long wait considering it was just a single floor, but he was pleasantly surprised by the music choice. It was an old game tune, one that he vaguely recognized. He racked his brain trying to remember the song. By the time he had constructed the vague image of some pixelated white guy, the elevator dinged, and the door slid- open.

He sighed slightly, knowing that it would bug him. He wanted to find out what it was but had to prepare for the party first. He stepped out of the elevator and looked over the large room. It was about the size of a small gymnasium and was filled with different game consoles and arcade cabinets. Couches, tables, and other things were shoved to one corner of the room, far away from the technology. He wondered how many of these retro consoles had perished by the messy hands of some kid. He hoped that nobody his age would be that dumb, but maybe he should put up a sign or something. With how resilient modern devices were, people tended to disregard just how frail this stuff was. Some of the games would just stop working if someone spilled some liquid on it.

He pushed aside the anxiety that rose in him as he thought about it. He hoped it wouldn’t happen and had even made sure to get all the drinks in bottles rather than cans or cups. Other than that, he had some candy and chips and would order things if they were needed. As he put the snacks down, he heard music coming from the arcade cabinets.

At first, he thought someone had forgotten to turn off the machine, but that was ruined as a shout filled the air.

“Damn it!”

The vaguely feminine shout made him jump. Did a kid sneak inside? Cain didn’t think there was another way in, but maybe one of the boys he saw downstairs had found a way. He didn’t really want to kick the kid out, but he couldn’t just leave him here either. Sighing, he resolved to chastise the kid, just like he would his little sister.

He left the snacks on the table and walked into the arcade section of the room. He passed over a dozen cabinets before getting to the back wall. The kid was playing in a corner, probably thought it would hide him. Passing some retro racing game with mock bikes for people to sit on, Cain gazed around the machine to spot the kid.

He paused, when he recognized the person. It was not some random kid, but another student, and one he knew thanks to Clo forcing him to memorize everyone in the top 10. Adelaide Brighton, or Aida as she was listed on the forums, was ranked second, and she had been one of the people Clo had beaten in the trial. Well, maybe kill was a more fitting word here. She was wearing a pretty plain grey sweatshirt, with a large hood that hung halfway down her back. She wore dark blue jeans that clung tightly to her legs, showing off her very muscular thighs.

He shuddered a little remembering just how real that simulation had felt. An image of Jake flashed across his eyes, and he had to push the nausea away. He had seen death before, his first trial had made sure of that, but he hadn’t killed someone like that, and it was bothering him.

This night was supposed to help him forget. To that end, he took a step forward and approached Aida. He had unconsciously been holding his breath, and he choked when he suddenly tried to breathe in again. That sent him into a small series of coughs that alerted Aida like a police siren would. She moved quickly, drawing a knife and lifting the blade up to his neck in an instant. He barely even registered the motion, and his body froze up for an instant.

Then the training he had been going through kicked in, and he started healing himself. There was nothing wrong with him, but his gift worked like an energy source, and he could aim that inward. He filled himself with that healing energy. Even if it cost him some stamina, it would give him a chance. At the same time, he forced his mouth to move and was glad to find his voice didn’t crack.

“Wait! What? I’m.”

He didn’t get or have to say anything else. Aida must have realized that he wasn’t here for a fight, dropping her hand to her side. In a fluid motion, she flicked her wrist, and the knife slid up into the sleeve of her hoodie. Cain took the opportunity to take a step back and take quick a breather. Going from a coughing fit to nearly being killed was doing wonders for his heartrate and breathing. Stumbling a little, he rested a hand on the nearby arcade cabinet and took a set there. The thing had this circular stool in front of it. He glanced toward the machine and noticed that it was some kind of spaceship fighter game. These games were apparently made long before spaceships were even a thing, and battles were nothing like this thing made them out to be.

That slight distraction helped him relax. He had never fully turned his gaze from Aida and doubted that he would anytime soon. However, he wasn’t sure what to do now. Aida met his eyes, and he could see how incredibly frightened she was. Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to be terrified right now? Before he could ask her about what all that was about, Aida dropped to the floor kneeling on the ground and dipping her head forward.

“I’m so sorry!”

She sounded desperate, and the way she was prostrating herself felt wrong. Why was someone who was far stronger and more attractive than him, kneeling on the ground begging for an apology after nearly killing him? This situation was stressing him out, and it felt like his insides were boiling. He took a few seconds to readjust. This person was intense, and he wasn’t ready for her.

He left her kneeling on the ground while he got his thoughts in order. He got nervous easily, but he had never felt the urge to vomit before. The anxiety that was twisting his stomach now was far worse than anything he had experienced during the trial.

“Can you please, stand up? And, um, explain what just happened?”

Aida was just as quick in standing as she was kneeling. Cain leaned back in his seat as she sprung to her feet. Her voice wasn’t as steady or certain as he expected from someone ranked second, and he could hear a hint of desperation in her voice.

“Sorry, you surprised me, and I reacted without thinking. I’ve just been a bit paranoid recently.”

“Paranoid?”

Cain wondered what someone at her rank would be worried about. Sabrina and Maya had told him how the bigger families were pretty strict, so maybe this had something to do with that.

“Yeah, because of the points. I’m sure some students have figured out that you can force other people to give you, their points. I’m kind of surprised that you aren’t worried about it.”

She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but he hadn’t heard about that at all.

“Wait, students have been fighting each other for points?”

“Less fighting, more like jumping them in groups. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened to you considering how many points you have.”

Cain thought about her words and realized why Clo had made them use those points yesterday.

“That must be why Clo made us use most of our points the other day.”

Cain had wondered why Clo had been so eager to make them use their points. Clo had said that it would be better to have items, and that could get more points as they needed them. He had even gone so far as to give them some of his points if they needed it to get a special item. Cain had done exactly that, and he unconsciously ran his hand across his new bracelet. Aida followed the motion but didn’t comment on it.

Aida’s face changed a little when Cain mentioned Clo. Cain expected her to be angry or vengeful, but she just had an annoyed look. Cain thought that he should apologize.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by, uh…”

His voice trailed off. He wasn’t sure what to even say. It wasn’t like he needed to apologize for Clo’s behavior, and he hadn’t said anything offensive. Aida spoke up before he could find the right words.

“I’m not annoyed at you or your captain, for that matter. We fought, and I lost. I won’t lose again. The problem is that my family was watching and are now pestering me with clips of me losing. And they keep giving me unsolicited advice, and my younger sister wants me to get his number.”

She must have realized that she had begun rambling because she raised a hand to her mouth and coughed awkwardly before changing the subject.

“Right, either way, I’m not angry. And for the thing with points. I haven’t been attacked or anything, but one of the people in my class was yesterday.”

“Seriously? That’s, uh, maybe this isn’t the best time for this party.”

Cain wondered if he would be safe, and wondered if he should maybe cancel now. He really didn’t want to, he had been looking forward to this night since the trial ended, but he wouldn’t do it if it put people in danger.

“No, don’t cancel. I think we could use some fun right now, and I was hoping to meet other people who liked games as much as I do.”

Aida’s expectant voice pushed Cain’s worries out of his mind like a bulldozer. Cain had somehow expected the girl to be more like Clo, but she was far more outgoing. She was closer to Maya in that regard, although she was weirdly intense. Her words resonated with his thoughts though.

“That’s what I was hoping for too. Want to play something?”

Cain probably should’ve been more cautious, especially with what she had just said. But how often would he have the chance to speak with a beautiful girl who shared his interests? He doubted he would get another chance if he canceled. Swallowing any fear, he pushed forward gesturing to the game he was seated at. Aida nodded.

“Sure.”

She spoke and took the seat behind him. Instantly, her demeanor shifted, and her focus sharpened on the screen. She seemed confident, but Cain knew slouch when it came to video games. That being he said he was more than able to talk while he played, so he tried to get a conversation going as he hit the start button on the machine.

“So, you’re younger sister, huh? How old is she?”

Cain honestly wasn’t that interested, but it was something he could joke about with Clo later. And it would definitely get under Maya’s skin too.

As he spoke the game booted up. It was a simple game. Each of them had control of a pixelated ship on the bottom of the screen and could move it freely in the basic four directions. Enemies would come down from the top, and it would be up to them to destroy them. It was a cooperative game, but he noticed that it kept track of their scores separately. He wasn’t planning on letting her get Adia.

Aida groaned loudly, before replying to his question.

“She’s nine. And please don’t remind me.”

Cain snickered, imagining how Clo would react to learning that there was a nine-year-old fawning over him. Then the implication of what she said hit Cain. Her nine-year-old sister watched the blood bath that was that fight!

“Your sister watched you get beheaded?”

He phrased it like a question, moving his ship to the right so that he could shoot one of the point multipliers that he spotted. Aida moved her ship to block his shot, and the multiplayer veered off the edge of the screen so that neither of them could get it. It seemed like she cared about the score too. She was probably running autopilot, as she answered his question without noticing how her words had affected him.

“Multiple times by way my parents put it. Pretty sure my family has a recording of the scene on 24/7 with how often they mention it.”

Cain sacrificed a second of his focus to watch the girl. She was staring unblinkingly at the screen, and the intensity that he had noticed earlier returned. This game was just as important to her as a possible assassin. Thinking about what she had just admitted to, he could kind of understand how she wound up this way. He would probably be a little crazy if his family let him watch videos of his sister getting beheaded. Sabrina had been right; the big families really are fucked up.