TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE: A Heavy Thing on One End

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In a chilly classroom on the first floor of the MPE building, Alden sat in the corner in a plastic chair, taking an exam on Anesidoran power use laws and how not to be an idiot in the gymnasium. He was halfway through, in the middle of a true-or-false section, when a question finally made him stop focusing more on the situation at the siblinghold than on the test.

[22: Unscheduled street racing is legal in F-city as long as none of the participants exceed the speed limits of their street traffic licenses.]

Was this one covered in anything we read or talked about? I don’t remember racing specifically. Seems like a question for Winston and Finlay. Or Jeffy since he thought he could just jog in the middle of the highway without a license. Marsha would challenge someone to a spur of the moment race in traffic. Throw a spear through the back of a bus because she was trying to use it for a speed boost…

Should I have warned Stuart about what I said to Emban?

It wasn’t really a fight. I said something like, “Hey, think of what Stuart’s going through this weekend.” And she said, “You don’t understand anything, and shouldn’t speak about anything, human, because this isn’t your world.” And I said, “You suck, and you’re mean.”

Then I got out of there before she could respond.

Fine.

It was a very brief fight.

Just fighting with Emban-art’h in her own house first thing in the morning like a great, mature guest. In front of those twins who didn’t have much of an impression of me before now.

Stuart’s guest telling off the knight he’s playing votary for…that can’t possibly be viewed as good behavior. I bet I’m the worst guest ever in siblinghold history. What if they’re all scolding him about me now on top of everything else? I should’ve warned him before I left.

He started to text Stuart.

The System immediately reminded him he’d agreed not to use it for communication while he was taking this test.

Right. Test.

I’m being tested here in the world where I do belong. In this classroom where I do definitely belong. With all these people who would totally still think I was one of them if I stood up right now and announced I was a wizard.

They wouldn’t start behaving differently around me at all.

He did think Lute and Haoyu might take it in stride. And Kon could fake handling it well so that Alden would never be sure if he was really ill at ease about it or not.

Would Lexi make me move out of our apartment, or would I just feel guilty when he started packing his own bags and move myself out for him?

Of course, that was assuming the Artonans let human wizards stay on Earth, attending human schools. Then he had to assume that human schools allowed wizard students. He looked at Instructor Klein, who was standing at the front of the room, watching them all with a gaze so stony it made Alden suspect himself of cheating.

How would he treat me if I was someone who could summon him? Would he be scared I was an evil creep who’d retaliate against anyone who beat me in gym?

Why would anyone want to summon other people if those people weren’t willing to be summoned?

It’s wrong.

But if this classroom was being attacked by a supervillain and Klein was drinking a mock piña colada with his feet propped up on the teacher’s desk while Astrid had her arms ripped off, I’m sure I would be demanding that he help us. So I don’t completely reject every possi—

The stony gaze landed on him.

I should have imagined a different teacher ignoring student dismemberment and liking umbrella drinks. Neither suits him.

Alden stared at the test.

I’m losing it. I barely remember my answers on the first twenty-one questions. That’s because they were so easy I could do them without really thinking.

Isn’t it?

I wasn’t just selecting at random…

He went back through the previous questions. They all seemed right.

When he returned to number twenty-two, he decided the word “unscheduled” was a clue, so he marked it false and moved along.

[23: Anesidoran law enforcement officers may ask to know my Avowed talents for any reason, and I am required to answer.]

That’s false.

He made himself finish up quickly after that so that he could go send Stuart a message. But when he stood in the hall, on the verge of issuing the warning, it seemed like a worse idea. If Emban and the twins were already complaining to Stuart about his guest, there was no point, and if they weren’t planning to complain at all, then Alden would be taking Stuart’s mood down a few notches and distracting him right before the call from his father.

Fine. No confessing to this morning’s incident unless he brings it up.

Maybe Emban and the twins understood me, and they’re making things better for Stuart at this very moment.

Seems unlikely.

Even this long after the encounter, there was an energy in his body he didn’t want. It wasn’t clearly anger or hurt anymore, but it was negative. Like the remnants of those two feelings buzzing through him, making him tightly wound.

He let his feet strike the floors sharply, slapped his locker door shut a little harder than necessary after he collected his gear, and dropped his duffel bag from more of a height than usual onto a bench in the locker room.

“Alden, how did you do?” Haoyu asked. He was already in the gray unitard and protective cuffs, on his way out to join Lexi and other early exam finishers on the gym floor.

“Ninety-eight,” said Alden. “I was distracted, and I misread one of the questions.”

“Good job. I got a ninety-six.”

“How did you get a lower grade than me? You’ve lived here your whole life.”

“I didn’t study for this one. My others are going to be a lot harder, so I’ve been focusing on them. I feel like I’ve seen loads of people having races on the streets without being punished. Who would have guessed that was illegal?”

“Vandy’s still taking it,” said Alden. “I thought she’d be one of the first done.”

“She goes back over everything several times when she takes tests. She never finishes first. Max, though—he finished so fast that when he stood up I thought he must need to go to the bathroom, not that he’d answered all fifty questions….See you in a minute. By the way, I already looked in the gym. They’re set up for one-on-ones.”

“Yeah? Okay. See you soon.”

Duels.

I was hoping we wouldn’t do duels again until Friday.

Alden stepped into the stall he usually used for getting dressed. There was a space for changing, then the shower. Someone had written, “Elites Can’t Fix You Wormkicker,” on the wall above the towel bar. Alden didn’t know who Wormkicker was, but he took this as evidence that other classes were being stupid about Elites, too.

Just let the people who are going to go, go. Let the people who are going to stay, stay. Keep gym hours fair. Be at peace, you rank-obsessed essholes.

He wondered if this was creating so much drama because too many of the school’s S-ranks had never missed a step on their way to the top.

You want the best rank, and you get the best rank. You want a certain class, and you get a certain class. You want CNH hero program, and CNH welcomes you with open arms.

Then another school invents an even specialer tier of education and doesn’t invite you.

I know it’s more complicated than that. Everyone’s got their goals and reasons. But they’ve been acting like Li Jean insulted their entire way of life instead of rejecting them.

…I wouldn’t mind beating Febri in a duel right now.

That was out of reach. He couldn’t even beat Mehdi yet. Agility Brutes weren’t fun opponents for someone who’d mostly been coming up with different ways to trip people and hurl things at them. Febri could shift position instantaneously, and Mehdi could sense incoming attacks. They were never where Alden needed them to be to land a solid hit. He still didn’t have the best sense of what was normal for new Avowed of every type, but Lexi and Haoyu both thought the two Agis were above average duelists for their age. And having Klein right in front of them all the time wasn’t hurting their understanding of how to use their class.

Febri’s not who I’m supposed to beat anyway.

Unless the instructors were going to be blatantly unfair about the match-ups, they had to put Alden up against Winston in this class. Once Winston showed up. He was still testing.

Did Max really get him to say he’d move out of their apartment if I beat him? That’s nuts.

He’d have to say it in front of other people for it to work. Otherwise he’d just go back on his word. I haven’t heard anything about it lately. Maybe Max changed his mind or didn’t get it done?

[Alden: Hey, Max. I’m supposed to be trying my best to beat Winston today, aren’t I? For our agreement.]

Max must have been mid-duel; it took him a minute to answer.

[Max: Yes.]

[Max: Don’t you want to anyway?]

There were many reasons to want to.

He picked on Lucille for views. He told everyone Esh-erdi was paying attention to me because I begged to be his octagon waxer. He refused to apologize after asking me to watch an apology video.

[Alden: I’ll do what I can. I’ve been practicing.]

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last week

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“Look at us. Two Apexian bros chillexin’ together, stepping into North of North like the famous people do. I wish I was a rich kid. If Tina, Royce, and I had memberships here we wouldn’t have needed that boom room at Apogee!”

“They don’t have iron maidens or tarantulas here,” said Alden, hoping he hadn’t made a mistake when he selected his practice partner for the day. “And I’m positive you aren’t allowed to bring in your own.”