“Gimme your lunch money, you… uhh. Really weird-looking kid.”After the words, a fist found its way into my gut, knocking all the air from my lungs. This was the third fucking time this week. The punk-ass bullies had given me the same shakedown three goddamn times. This was what my life had become.I was tired of it - waking up every day just to deal with this bullshit. I wanted it all to just disappear.A second fist found its purchase square in the center of my gut, just to remind me where I was.Shaking off the pain, I wheezed, “Can you assholes… possibly fuck off, please?” I followed it up with a shit-eating grin.Not a chance, and I knew it. I closed my eyes and braced for the inevitable fist to find its connection, praying I’d just disappear forever.The seconds ticked away as my anxiety spiked. Maybe this time he’d mess me up badly enough that they’d get expelled.It never did, however. The silence stretched for what felt like forever.A soft breeze took its place, an unfamilia

Liza led me through crowded streets, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic. The size of the buildings and the bright lights shining off them filled me with excitement.“Where are we going, Liza?” I asked, half curious and half wanting to break the silence between us. “You said clothes, so… I would have to guess we’re going shopping.”“That’s partially correct. We are on our way through the Healing District, taking the fastest route to the Shopping District.” She raised her hand and pointed at a nearby building. “That’s the main hospital. We bring the gravely wounded here.”“Ahhh… so it’s like the emergency room back on Earth,” I whispered under my breath, raising my voice back to a normal level. “So the city is divided into districts, then? If that’s right, how many does Grand City have?”“Five, all encompassing one larger district…” She stopped and cocked her head before continuing. “If you count the Guild’s Central District, there are six. Speaking of the guild, we’ll have to get y

“What did you do, Clint?” Liza whispered. “I’ve never seen Cathy so shaken up before, let alone fetching the Master of the Guild. Pretty wild stuff.”“Nothing. I swear! All I did was what she asked me to do, then everything went haywire,” I said, waving my hands in my defense. “This is exactly what I meant. I knew something was going to happen.”I began to talk again but was interrupted by the entrance of a very large man. The rest of the voices in the building died out as well. The man was clearly respected. I was sure he was the one we were waiting for.“Huh… This scrawny kid,” he said, forcing his face in front of mine. “Are you the one causing trouble? Hmmm…”The man pointed toward the mirror and asked that I place my hand on it once more. He also said ‘no funny business,’ which almost got a laugh out of me. I approached, placed my hand on the center, and it lit up in response, showing partial values before fading into the same state it had been in previously.“Hmmmmm,” he grumble

For a while, we walked in comfortable silence.It was strange. Normally, silence around other people felt awkward, like I was supposed to be filling it with something. Here, it just existed.The quiet didn’t feel empty, either. It carried the distant rumble of the city, the splashes of water fountains somewhere beyond the buildings, and the now-familiar rhythm of our footsteps. For once, I didn’t feel any pressure to say something. I was content just being there.As we crossed a narrow bridge over one of the district’s canals, the water below reflected the early morning light in beautiful orange and blue ribbons.Beyond the rooftops, I could still make out the taller buildings of the Central District where we’d spent most of the day yesterday. We weren’t far from it, just far enough that the noise had died out.“You seem happier today,” Liza said, stepping around a cart parked beside the road.The comment caught me off guard.“Happier?” I glanced away from the canal and toward her. “H

They had given me until sunrise the next morning, allowing me to spend the evening with Liza and her parents. We spent part of the time trying to rationalize why I had been called but never quite came to an answer.Dinner was a bit more quiet than the previous nights. The shock kept all of our minds too busy to talk. Morning came far too quickly, bringing my anxiety back along with the quiet sound of the town coming back to life. Kids could be heard playing as I laid in bed, dreading my meeting with the King. Finally I brought myself to get out of bed at the smell of Liza’s Mother cooking, hoping that a good meal could calm my tied up stomach. Ham and Eggs were sat in generous portions on four plates on the dining room table. A sight I had grown accustomed to in my time here in Gaia. “Clint, did you ever come up with a reason the King would ask for you specifically?” Celia asked while pouring me a glass of water. “None that I could think of…” I replied, afraid to talk about the th