“Feel the bird. Be the bird,” Joe murmured as he mimicked a monk in the midst of meditation, hovering five feet over his seat in the Adam Society common room.Rafe, levitating right across from him, snorted. “That’s shit’s so stupid. I’d rather be an eagle.”“Bro, I’d rather be an alkonost than anything.”“No, you’d rather date an alkonost.”Joe shrugged shamelessly. “I mean, they’re usually cute.”“It’s a bird with a woman’s head,” the blond balked at him. “It’s still a bird, through and through.”“Expand your horizons, man,” the noirette responded with a wink, making the Hermes superhuman shake his head in disgust.Andre, sitting in the chair between them and doing homework, giggled at their silly banter. The only one absent was Daeran, who chose to take up sleep early. A smart decision since in the next nine or so hours, they were going to be beating and getting beaten the crap out of and by their opponent in a tourney. However, the omé was on his way to becoming a diligent student
The next day, before the second half of tryouts began, the four first-years, Lindsay, and the other humans gathered for breakfast in the main building cafeteria.“He was a bumbling idiot,” Rafe retold the events of last night as he and Andre shared a couple of twinkies. “I mean, more so than usual.”Lindsay looked up from fiddling with her WardNav and blew out a breath laced with both approval and disappointment. “If he were human, his future would be clear. Potbelly, permanent five o’clock shadow, and beer bottles littering his trailer floor. Honestly, you probably should have left him to drown in his own puke.”“I second that,” Rudy agreed loudly, his mouth full of waffles. “Better yet, you could have sacrificed him to whatever spirits were haunting the place.”Sam glared at her brother next to her, silently scolding him over talking with his mouth full.“That’s what I’ve been saying, but no…” Rafe rolled his eyes as he glanced at Andre, putting all the blame on the omé.The young w
Daeran confused himself.The thought crossed his mind multiple times since he decided to try out for Combat. In fact, he was usually confused. Bewildered and panicked and just scared straight out of his mind. At least, it’s been that way lately. Ironward brought up a lot of dirty laundry in the closet where he thought he had shoved into the deepest, darkest corners. Though, he couldn’t help the relief that settled at the prospect of having something to… beat the crap out of.There was somewhere in his brain that said that he should be feeling shame for that. Fighting and hurting others. Two things he hated he was good at, but since the scuffle with Zoel, he had to put a cap on that.It was time to let his “beasts” out.And right now, he was going to charge headfirst into the-“Here I come, little sheep!” the black, bipedal, and impressively built panther, navy strips running down his shoulders, galloped across the empty, sandy landscape they were transported to.Ah, shit.“Um, okay,”
They never found the elusive barbarian until the next day in World Formation, where he pretty much had to make himself present. Rafe thought he would just skip, but twenty-four hours was apparently enough for the fellow first-year to recuperate.They had badgered him out of concern. The blond superhuman even tried a bit of humor, half-joking when he asked if he wanted to maim a few of his clan members in retaliation, but that only got a hint of a grin from the brooding redhead.“You sure, man?” Joe spoke to him during a group assignment. “You can come by and hang out for a minute or two. We don’t mind.”Daeran agreed, shaking his head and shrugging to show that he didn’t mind.Frodd feigned the umpteenth grin and declined. “Nah, mate. I’m bang on. No need to worry your heads off about me, alright?”“If you say so, bro.”“Just know that the offer stands anytime you need it,” Andre said, that bright, compassionate, and kind smile on his face that softened the hardest of hearts a beacon
Two days later, in the basement of the Adam Society basement fitness center after classes, there was a second area, a wide, empty space for one exercise in particular.“How about this!?” Rafe shouted as he charged at Bogrut, the tenth-year ogre he and the others met before they stumbled upon the back-to-school party.The olive-green giant easily caught the sharp right hook with his left, pudgy hand. The small crowd that ogled on had their jaws dropped to the floor as what sounded like a clap of thunder shook the machinery and the walls. In Bogrut’s right held his bo staff, about to whack the blond upside the head. However, Rafe launched a series of punches, which the ogre smirked through as he parried them with a single arm.With extreme skill, when there was a moment of opportunity, Bogrut maneuvered his staff so it now held between his left elbow and side. He quickly shot out his already-reared back right fist as Rafe did the same. However, before the first-year’s fist could break a
“Who else could be calling us?” Andre asked as he and Rafe stood in the middle of the school’s administration office, which housed Gylarcan, Emais, and their assistants’ rooms.“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Rafe pursed his lips. “If it’s who I’m thinking it is, then…”He didn’t know too many friendlies outside of Beau, Toby, and Andre’s foster family. Which meant that whoever was ringing wasn’t a companion at all.It hit the omé a second later, his face paling the slightest bit. “You mean-”Before he could verbalize his speculations, a three-foot woman with near-translucent skin, leafy, curly hair, and adorned in a white work shirt and a green midi dress floated from her cubicle and over to the two waiting boys. The nameplate that hung on the corner read “Mrs. Fayetta Glana – Secretary, Pixie.”“Mr. Gold and Mr. Watson,” she called from them, her voice unexpectedly deep for her size. “Right this way.”“Do you know who’s calling us, ma’am?” Andre questioned, a nervous tremor in
“I just can’t take it!” Rafe screamed into his phone while lying down on his bed, still reeling from the argument with his father a week and a half ago. “I can’t take knowing… that he knows and… you guys are…”Nearby, Andre, situated in a chair, winced.On the other side of the line, a growl sounded out before the rough baritone of Beau’s voice grouched. “Don’t you dare call us defenseless, imp! Don’t you dare!”“Calm down,” Toby, his lighter tone fainter, cooed. “Don’t freak him out.”“Old man…” Rafe started, but his caretaker cut him off with another angry snarl.“Imp. Cherub. I need you to listen to me closely.” Beside the blond, his omé friend sat up straight, looking as if he’d been caught daydreaming. “We. Will. Be. Fine. God, I know your father has… tidied up his otherwise sloppy skills since then. Of course, he did. He’d be stupid not to. Don’t you think we accounted for a reunion one day?”“Considering where I work, I’d be foolish to think we’d be done with him,” Toby added.
Andre sighed as he set down the two backpacks of canteens. In all honesty, aside from being the water boy, which he was doing well at being, there wasn’t much of a difference from just watching Rafe train in the gym for several hours.Although, the process seemed a bit more rigorous. Coach Hemming, the head instructor, in the span of forty-five minutes, subjected them to one brutal workout after another. Running with weights, pinky pushups, seemingly endless shadow boxing, and many other things that would kill a normal person.All without the use of powers. Gia Hallsworth, eat your heart out.Thankfully, the wolf coach was satisfied with the energy he had stolen from them and called for a five-minute before their last session.“You know, to be honest, this doesn’t seem too different from FTS,” Andre mentioned to Rafe as he refilled the canteens for the others, who looked like they were about to drop dead at any second.Rafe, however, appeared lively and glowing more than ever in his d