“Some question the methods the Institute uses to prepare graduates. They stop after coming face to face with a Nightmare. There is no measure too extreme when survival is on the line.”

-Headmaster Storm, City leader during the second defense and widely credited with the creation of the Panic Room.

Before I could finish explaining the... let’s say eventful times of my trip outside the City from a few weeks ago Headmaster Polar stepped onto the green and grabbed everyone’s attention. I’ve been taught that how a leader decides to grab attention says a lot about both their views on leadership and the people whose attention they’re trying to grab. Polar just walked to the far end of the area, by where we would have to walk to get further into campus and made a stage.

Now when I say made a stage, that might imply that it was a slow process, or that I actually comprehended how any of it happened. Neither of those things is true. He simply gestured at the ground, and a stage made of what looked like some type of green gemstone rose from the ground. It was frosted over despite the spring heat, and was giving off a slightly too white water vapor. It hurt my head again, especially since the noise around him spiked as it formed, temporarily breaking away from the peaceful meadow sound he’d been projecting since he caught me listening. It was too short for me to get anything beyond what sounded like a bunch of different voices, singing different songs, but it was discordant enough to hurt my ears.

I’d like to say I handled that with aplomb, and that nobody noticed me flinching in obvious pain and my primary manifesting and immediately giving off a bright, shifting rainbow riot of color.

I did not, in fact, do that. Obviously. On the bright side only Emily and the South girl, Amora—I had to remind myself, noticed. Now if that was because Stephen just straight up passed out and several others across the area reacted themselves or my unmatched acting talent can be debated all day. Anyways, the fifth member of our group, who I only now realized I did not remember the name of, caught him in an admirable display of reaction time. I bent down to check his pulse, and it was normal, if a little lower than I’d expect from a baseline human. He’d be fine, probably. Then I just had to figure out what speech justified such an introduction.

“Apologies for the dramatic entrance” the Headmaster coughed, not looking at all contrite, and continued on as if he had just accidentally spilled some tea instead of knocking out and/or stunning a crowd full of people who should not have been that easily affected.

“For a long time now, the Institute has had only two requirements for entry. Being Awakened and passing a test which we feel is necessary to accurately judge your ability to handle the enemy which we fight every day. You will be taking this individually, in order of the combat ratings you were preassigned, starting at the top. Please walk up to the podium when your name is called. Until then, you may continue getting to know your new companions.”

He paused for a moment, as if deciding if he wanted to add anything else them seemingly solved whatever dilemma was troubling him as he added more softly

“And please remember that there is no shame in failure here, only in not giving your best. Those who pass will be guided to their rooms, and those who failed will be escorted off of the grounds. May your dreams redeem you” he said, invoking an old blessing for dreams that I hadn’t heard anyone but my grandparents use.

Then he called the first name: “Emilia East”. Emi smiled at our group, clearly proud of her ranking. Practically skipping towards the stage, she jumped straight up towards the podium, bypassing the stairs on the side and making the almost 5 foot jump look casual. To be fair, it probably was, but that didn’t make it any less of a flex. She landed to Polar’s right, and he put his hand on her shoulder and said something I couldn’t make out. She nodded to him, and then a hatch beneath her opened and she dropped without a sound.

“So all that was dramatic, ey Stephen?” I said, sitting down next to the now barely conscious man. He turned and looked at me unamused.

“Yes, very fun. You get the same overload as me?” he asked, skipping right to the point I was very clearly attempting to avoid, the dick.

“Yeah. Not fun. Too loud for me. You?” I asked right back, at least curious how his Awakening functioned. Something with connections, and the ability to gleam way too much information from them. It was worrisome. I'm a generally honest person, but there was a secret or two I was keeping at the time that I was deeply possessive of.

“Too many strings, couldn’t even process where they started and ended. First time I've seen that many on one person” He replied, probably not as worried about his Awakening functions as I was. Obviously because it was his, but whatever. It let me know that he saw it as strings, which was interesting in itself, because that suggested that they were between people, not internal. I barely avoided giving a sigh of relief.

“Hate to break up the talk boys, but can either of you Scions explain to us poor plebeians what this test he was talking about is? That didn’t get brought up when the representative came ‘round to sell my folks on all this.” our fifth member interrupted my very covert information gathering attempts to ask, voice dripping in sarcasm as she glanced between me and Amora.

Amora began to say something as I debated internally if I should respond with an equal level of sarcasm. It would probably be funny, which is great, but risked me looking like a stuck up asshole. Worth the risk, I decided.

“What Lady South means to say, friend, was that we beautiful and fantastic children of the Great Houses clearly require at least an introduction before giving away such valuable information” I replied, trying to sound as pompous as possible, interrupting whatever the Goldie was saying. I also internally questioned if calling her a Goldie worked with the red hair, but dismissed it before it could distract me too much.

“She already introduced herself to me, ‘sir West’, but I’m sure she wouldn’t dream of forgetting to introduce herself such an august persona as yourself” Amora responded, catching on and extending the bit admirably fast.

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“Oh. Well this is awkward then.” I replied, turning from her back to our fifth. “Jay West, pleasure to meet you ‘plebeian’” I said, adding the air quotes with both hands before offering out my hand to shake.

“Aminci Delgado, your highness” she replied as she shook my hand. I chuckled a little bit, hoping that my attempt at humor had defused whatever tension might have still been around after Stephen passing out.

“You gonna answer my question or not?” she looked at me challengingly as she asked, clearly not super impressed by my put on airs but also not angry so I counted it as a win. I might not have made anybody crack up, but I also didn’t piss anyone off. Totally a win.

“Yeah, sorry. We’re not really like that, just trying it out for a day. Gotta experiment, you know? Anyways, all I know is that it’s called the ‘panic room’, and that nobody who’s gone in there has ever actually enjoyed it. Beyond that, everybody I’ve asked has been tight lipped. You hear anything else Goldie?” I asked, totally on purpose using a nickname instead of her name, which I totally remembered. I went through a list in my head. Annabeth? No, Amy? Nah. Andrea? Fuck, I had totally forgot her name.

“The members of my house have given me little more than that. It obviously has something to do with The Eternal Enemy, but beyond that I’m almost as clueless as my obviously very bright companion here. I would never dare imply I knew more than he” she said, gesturing to me. This gave me slightly more time to try to cement both their names in my head. Which I definitely remembered now. 100 percent.

“Was that an insult? That felt like an insult.” I quickly responded, with great wit.

“Not at all, clearly you are very knowledgeable, good sir.” in a way that made me feel like she didn’t really mean that.

“Why thank you for the compliment, good lady. It is reassuring to know that tales of my unsurpassed knowledge are spread across the land.” I replied, mentally wiping my head in relief that nobody had caught on to the fact that I had forgotten all of their names already.

“I even have a simple question for you, to demonstrate your great knowledge off to these ones who clearly have not heard such tales” the scion whose name I absolutely remembered told me, with a gleam of what I might call mischief in her eyes. Which I only now noticed were a very pretty emerald color that matched with the rest of her face and ha—wait this is totally a trap isn’t it?

“Oh? I’m always looking for ways to educate the masses. We shall have to see if the question is worthy of enlightenment from one such as myself” I replied nonchalant, utterly evading the trap which had been laid for me.

“What are our names?” she asked, innocently fluttering her lashes like she knew she was giving me an easy question.

“Oh that’s easy, young one” I replied, looking down at Stephen out of the corner of my eye, mentally begging for help. He actually granted my plea, starting to spell out their names in the grass behind the two women whose names I had fully memorized as I delayed so I could read them.

“Are you sure you wish to ask one such as me for the answer to such a simple question, young miss? I have access to knowledge of great wonders” I delayed with great expertise, as Steve(?) was almost done with their names. See? I can remember some names.

“This one merely wishes to show the great knowledge that one such as yourself can demonstrate” she quickly responded, clearly not as caught off guard by my delaying tactics as I’d hoped.

“Very well. Her name is Amity, his is Steven, and yours is Talia” I said, pointing to who I was referencing as I said their names, sounding much more confident than I felt. Those first two felt right, but I think he was fucking with me on the third. That was ok though, two out of three ain’t bad.

Or so I thought until they all started laughing, clearly in cahoots to trick me, I now realized with great terror. How badly had I mangled their names? Oh no. I had to do quick damage control.

“Traitor!” I cried, pointing at the man on the ground, wheezing as he covered up his attempt to communicate their names.

“If it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t the first to betray you.” He responded, clearly not feeling the least bit of guilt about his dishonorable conduct.

“Emi betrayed me, didn’t she?” I queried with a smile on my face. At least it seemed like we’d all get along, which was a mild worry of mine which I could check off.

“Shamelessly and immediately” replied the one I now remembered to be named Aminci. Glad I could remember that now. Super useful, brain.

“That treacherous slanderer” I swore, starting to plan my revenge.

Or at least I was, until a mechanical lift sound came from the stage and I saw a hole open to the left of the Headmaster, who hadn’t moved this whole time. He looked almost frozen, giving off the same mist as his conjured stage. A platform with Emiliana on it raised up, which would normally be a good sign, except she was pale as death, curled up with her arms around her knees, looking into the middle distance like it was the last thing she’d ever see. She was rocking slightly, as one of the professors mingling around walked up to her and bent down to put a hand on her shoulder. I hadn't seen her have look like that since a night we both would have preferred never happened.

I couldn’t hear what was said over the pounding of my heart in my ears, as I realized that someone was holding on to my forearm when I tried to run over.

Very aware that my eyes were likely a deeper crimson than they’d been in a long while, I turned to whatever was holding me back, finding it to be Amora with a surprisingly strong hand around my left forearm. I tried simply tugging away from her and found I couldn’t.

“Let. Go. Of. Me” I very calmly told her, not wanting to get into a fight with a teammate when we had just been getting along so well.

“Growling at me won’t help her. She’ll be fine. You know as well as I do that this isn’t the time or the place. Look” she replied, actually calm, pointing at Emi.

Now, listening wasn’t my strong suit, but my options here weren’t great, but I looked, and saw Emi nodding at the professor, and getting up and walking to the other side of the stage, which I idly noticed was still giving off that frosty mist. It was enough to snap me out of it, thankfully, as I realized that maybe I didn’t have as much control over myself after the Awakening as I’d like. I stopped trying to drag the woman with me towards the platform, not even realizing I hadn’t stopped attempting to do so the entire time. I couldn't decide if it was more impressive that she had barely moved or that there was a noticeable divot in the green from the short distance I had moved her.

Further conversation was cut off by the Headmaster listing the next name, and I got to be offended again when it wasn’t the name I was expecting.

“Amora South” He announced, not looking down or behind him at Emi at any point during the proceeding, despite her obvious suffering.

“Wish me luck friends!” she said, much too happy for the circumstance, and walked towards the stage.

“Damn, that's a fine woman.” Stephen said, looking impressed from his perch on the grass, as she walked away.

“Yeah she is” I said, confident that we weren’t talking about the same woman, but ok with it anyways.