Meili's Journal

  Entry #2:

  Dear future self,

  As I write this, I'm ten years old, and I've been in this world for five months. The previous journal entry ended up being a big success, but my social instincts are still woefully undeveloped. I'm pathetic enough that I might have multiple fifth-grader classmates who understand social conventions better than I do, which is why I'm writing this entry.

  To begin with, please get it into your head that the acceptable range of dominance/subservience you can speak with depends on the level of the person you're talking to. Your math teacher is a 3.3, and your history teacher is a 2.2. The levels of respect you're supposed to give them are entirely different - that's why they said their levels on the first day of school.

  I get it; they're both your teachers, so why should you treat them with varying levels of respectfulness? It's counterintuitive to the way things worked in your previous world.

  Well, when I spoke to my math teacher in the same casual way I spoke to my history teacher, I ended up with a two-hour detention for 'disrespectful behavior.' Unless you want to be known as a rude, or inconsiderate, or a 'violater' of the hierarchy you should probably understand the rules of the game. And isn't it the job of my future self to learn from my mistakes?

  1. If someone is a level or more higher than you, you're supposed to treat them with respect and deference automatically.

  The best comparison I can think of is the way you would treat the senior captain of a varsity sports team as a freshman. If they give you an order, you're supposed to follow it, and it's perfectly acceptable for them to speak to you in an impolite or even condescending manner. My analogy falls apart in that if you refuse to obey or simply speak assertively, they're liable to beat you up for 'not knowing your place.' I don't recall any team captains doing that in my past life…

  At this level of power differential, it's not "could you go grab my bag?"

  No, it's "Go grab my bag."

  It's not "Thanks for letting me take a look at your project," but "I'll be keeping this as a reference for a few days."

  A powerful person can go on and on about the battles they've won, the people they've crushed, and compare themselves favorably to the weaklings around them. Sometimes to their face. And again, this kind of behavior is entirely, 100% acceptable. If you see someone acting like that, chances are they're powerful enough to get away with it.

  2. If someone's level is far lower than yours, it's heavily frowned upon to grant them authority over you or even praise them.

  Yeah. This is an unpleasant dynamic I only recently figured out a couple of days ago - when I was trying to befriend a girl in my grade, Alicia. She's kind compared to my classmates, funny, and interesting to talk to despite only being ten years old. Her ability lets her share her vision with someone through physical contact, and she let me experience it.

  Well, I had never been able to see from somebody else's perspective before, and the experience was incredible. The best part is that she can share her vision with people who don't have any vision for themselves, or in other words, let blind people see for the first time in their lives.

  Naturally, I was full of praise for her ability. I thought it was great, and I didn't hesitate to say so. I asked her a bunch of questions about her ability and how it works - she was more than happy to explain. The problem was that, in doing so, I positioned myself as the student and her as the teacher.

  (Alicia's ability level is 1.4.)

  If she's lucky, she'll be able to become a below-average mid-tier as an adult. While I'm a 2.5 right now and well on track to becoming an upper elite-tier.

  The few other kids in my school who are about as strong as me weren't big fans of me associating with 'someone like Alicia.' They found it insulting to their pride that I (someone they view as an equal) praised her and treated her with respect. They approached me, telling me to 'act my rank' and 'respect myself.' They didn't take it very kindly when I kept treating her well.

  Now Alicia has three broken fingers, a sprained wrist, and four broken ribs. I'm writing this entry from her bedside in her hospital room.

  The way I see it, you have three paths forward:

  Get strong enough that nobody wants to mess with you (not likely),

  Treat lower tiers as lesser beings (not happening),

  Only befriend people within a specific range of levels; minimize the amount you talk to lower tiers.

  …

  This is awful. Having superpowers isn't worth all this bullshit.

  ***Beautiful***

  Move, move, move! Move aside!

  From the very beginning, Abbie Amel knew how risky it was. Get out of my way! Please! Her unenhanced strength and tiny body didn't stop her from slamming her far-stronger classmates aside as she escaped down the hallway. They were already searching for her, she knew, and it would take just one of them spotting her to ruin everything. Crap- was that-

  "I think I saw her! She's going that way!"

  The other students in the hall had likely already caught on, she realized as she ran, with the way their beady little eyes glanced at her form. To them, it was just another instance of a weakling first-year offending the sensibilities of an established clique - and, like always, receiving punishment for it. They were probably thinking to themselves, those ignorant low-tiers sure know how to get themselves into trouble! Or even worse, she only has herself to blame for having the confidence to pull something despite being so weak.

  If rolling your eyes didn't cost energy, she would have.

  They were conceited clowns. They couldn't even think for themselves. There was a difference between 'low-tier' and 'mid-tier with a noncombat ability,' not that a strength-obsessed gorilla would ever understand that. And did they stop to consider, for even half a second, what exactly her pursuers were chasing her for? If getting pulverized was a reasonable 'punishment'?

  "Fucking bitch, stop running!"

  Damn! Someone was already quickly closing in on her, and she hated it. She hated how she had to run away, endlessly panting like a frightened dog. She despised the stupid school and its false advertising - hadn't they promised an academic-first experience? In these first two months, there have been more power games and hierarchy jockeying than in middle school!

  And maybe most of all, she hated everyone who just stood around and watched! If they weren't going to help, why couldn't they at least MOVE OUT OF THE GODDAMN WAY!

  She didn't care to look if the dumbass she pushed fell to the ground or not. Probably not.

  Come on, come on... Window, window! Where the hell are the windows? If this building is worth tens of millions, why doesn't it have a single window? Abbie searched frantically, eyes wildly darting left and right through the hall in search of an escape route. When she turned the corner, the soles of her torn-up sneakers screeching against the polished floor, she spotted a window fifty feet away. If she could just reach it and break the glass, she could use her ability to escape.

  I can make it. I can make it! She thought, squeezing the last dregs of energy out of her burning legs as she rushed toward safety.

  Three steps away. Two steps. One ste-

  "Where are you going?"

  An unyielding, rock-solid hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist, jerking her backward and negating her momentum with a light tug. She decisively spun around, attempting to use the centrifugal force to loosen the grip, but it barely budged.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Instead of the freedom of the window, Jovan's smug, demeaning figure towered over her. "I asked you a question. Isn't it polite to answer questions?"

  Shit.

  "I'm not sure if this is the right time to be talking about politeness." Abbie started stalling for time to figure out an escape plan. "I think the polite thing to do would be to stop grabbing my wrist so tightly. You might break something, you know?"

  Jovan hummed, his grin widening facetiously, and he loosened his grip by a fraction... Not like it would help her escape from elite-tier super strength.

  "You're not in any position to be mouthing off like that. I think I'll keep you here until everyone you've wronged arrives. They can decide how to deal with you."

  She felt nauseous. The promise of pain grew in Abbie's mind, quickly taking over. Jovan was one of the more reasonable ones, but if they got their hands on her...

  "Wronged? Wronged? I haven't wronged anyone. I'm just a weakling, remember? Please, I haven't even done anything to them: I don't have the ability to! Can't you let me go just this once?" she pleaded, locking eyes with him. Maybe there was an amount of uncertainty, or apprehension in there - he still shook his head dismissively.

  "And then what? You're the target of their anger now, even if you didn't do anything. If you 'escape,' they'll just beat you up even harder the next time they see you in the hallway." He snorted. "You should just willingly take the beating now, let them break a bone or two, and get Doc to heal you."

  She trembled in his grip, muscle fibers protesting at the thought of willing submission... and then slumped downward, like she'd resigned herself.

  "Fine. But can you be the one to break something? You're a part of their group, yeah?" She sniffled. "Those three... everyone knows they're the type to make it as painful as possible. You would be better than them, c-can't you do me this favor? We went to the same middle school, didn't we?"

  Jovan looked surprised as he considered it, but this time he didn't find an issue. "I can do that. They'll probably be just as satisfied if I'm the one to do it." His eyes ran up and down her body. "Where do you want me to hit you? Conventional wisdom says that the arm isn't too bad, but they might not accept it..."

  She smiled bitterly.

  "Thank you. Actually, I was thinking you could toss me out to the courtyard." She pointed to the window behind her. "I think it's the type of 'punishment' that those three would appreciate. You're right that I don't want to give them any reason to target me again."

  He nodded, looking slightly conflicted, and obliged her.

  A layer of glass shattered painfully against her back, tiny shards digging painfully into her skin, and the familiar sinking feeling of gravity began to pull her toward the earth.

  The world seemed to stand still momentarily as she fell. All that existed was her body and the surrounding air. Then, as the ground approached, Abbie's eyes shone with a faint silver light, and she swung her legs toward the school building's brick wall in a well-practiced motion. Her feet latched onto its surface with an unnatural force, her perspective shifted ninety degrees, and she was suddenly standing perpendicular to the wall and parallel to the ground.

  In other words, she was walking on the wall.

  There was a tense moment of apprehension as she waited for Jovan to realize the trick she had pulled, but there was no yelling. It seemed like he hadn't bothered to stick around to watch her body reach the ground.

  After a few minutes passed, she allowed herself to smile. The smile became full-blown, self-satisfied laughter.

  "Pfft. 'Can you be the one to break something?'" She palmed her forehead and covered her eyes, stretching the smile enough to feel it. "I can't believe he thought - he thought that I was serious? I guess the rumors were right; everybody who makes it to this school only knows how to think with their fists."

  ...Maybe she should have felt stupid, talking out loud to herself, but she didn't even care.

  "He was in the year above me in middle school, but he never bothered to learn my ability. Looks like being a measly 2.1 has its uses after all."

  Abbie slowly walked up the wall toward the rooftop, examining her back for injuries. The bleeding didn't feel too severe, and she pulled out the pieces of glass reasonably painlessly... she felt like a winner for once in her life. It was a rare thing for someone like her. Still, with the knowledge that they would definitely come after her again, she started regretting provoking them just a little bit.

  Maybe stealing desserts from a whole table of elite-tiers is going a little too far.

  With that thought, Abbie finally relaxed. Her muscles uncoiled and loosened. The view was fantastic as always, amplified by a consistent stream of wind sweeping through her hair, and the sun's rays began warming her to a Goldilocks temperature. Alone and separated from the cesspool in the brick box below her, she thought for a brief moment that the world didn't seem so bad.

  .

  .

  .

  "Hi! You have a pretty cool ability. What is it, wall-walking?"

  It was only a moment.

  Abbie turned around in surprise, teetering dangerously on the edge as she did. There was a girl behind me? But isn't this place always empty? That's, like, most of the reason I spend so much time up here!

  "U-Uh yeah! Hi! If you want to be super technical about it, my ability is this thing called surface-clinging, but I only ever use it to walk up walls." She was more exhausted from the chase than she thought, which made a simple sentence impossible, apparently.

  "Um, what about you?" Great. Real smooth, Abbie.

  The redheaded girl fidgeted with her fingers, probably put off. "Oops. Sorry. I'm being a bit overbearing, maybe, asking about your ability before getting your name. I guess Wellston has a way of rubbing off on people. I'm Meili!"

  Huh. Wait - Meili, something about that name sounds familiar-

  "I'm used to it, don't worry. Oh, and my name's Abbie - can I ask what you're doing up here?" She grimaced at the way the words came out. "I mean, this place is usually pretty secluded. Honestly, I wasn't sure if students were even allowed on the rooftops."

  And it's not like anyone has a reason to be on the roof anyway, excluding social isolationists like me, so this girl is probably...

  "It's nice to meet you," Meili said, and ran a hand through her hair. "And yeah, you're kind of halfway right."

  "Really? Is Vaughn going to call us into his office and chew us out?"

  "No - I mean, the roof is a level-exclusive spot. Even though I really don't want to run it for you, only elite-tiers and higher should be up here."

  Maybe her first thought should have been about the discrimination. But it was unsurprising, so her immediate thoughts were: this girl is an elite-tier, but she can't be much older than- Oh. Oh.

  The pieces finally clicked in her head. She'd been talking to Meili, the number-one-ranked female student in her grade! And the fact that she had been violating the rules of the hierarchy while doing so-

  "I'm so sorry," She blurted. I had no idea you were- that I wasn't supposed to be here. I can- I can just leave right now. Um, I'd really appreciate it if you could ignore that I've been here..."

  I'm getting beaten up for this, aren't I?

  Meili visibly cringed, her body moving in some kind of weird shudder. "Don't apologize for something so small. Look, in my opinion, the rule only exists because elite-tiers are generally strong enough to take a three-story fall on the chin. It's more of a safety precaution than anything."

  "I saw what happened before you got up here," she continued with a weak smile. "I'm sure high places are safer for you than almost anyone else."

  ...Am I not?

  "Oh! Yeah. Ok then. So, is it fine for me to chill up here during lunch? I mean, that's what you implied, but I just want to make sure..." Abbiie trailed off weakly, ending in totally uncomfortable silence.

  Meili sighed, then mumbled something unintelligible about hierarchies before moving over to the roof's edge and sitting down. "How about we sit together?" she said, patting the spot next to her with her hand. "I know it must be hard for you to talk to me, but I promise I won't do anything."

  "Uh..." She felt almost grateful, a sense that immediately crashed into suspicion. But there was really only one option.

  "Let me just say I'm perfectly fine with you being up here," Meili said once Abbie sat. "Rei, the current King, is also pretty open-minded about these types of things. But we elites can be very proud, you've noticed, and we absolutely loathe giving up what we view as our inborn privileges.

  "Most of us think of ourselves as deserving of exclusive locations, luxuries, and more. We hardly bother to consider the feelings of others if they're too weak. So if you ever see someone up here, you're better off using your ability to run away. That's why I mentioned the 'elites only' rule in the first place."

  Abbie took a moment to process the information, nodding her head slowly. "That makes sense. Definitely matches my experience at this school so far. It's just - not to be rude or anything - why are you being so nice to me, then? You heard it yourself, I'm just a 2.1."

  Meili grinned.

  "The answer's a little underwhelming - I'm just different from other high-ranking students!" She declared. "It never really sat well with me that I should respect people more or less depending on their level. And I guess Rei might be another exception like me."

  'I'm one of the good ones' sounds almost as weird from an elite-tier as it does from a low-tier suckup, Abbie thought.

  "To really answer your question, though, I want to treat you nicely because I think you're cool! The way you tricked that guy into throwing you out the window and stole a bunch of desserts from that table - I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but I thought you would make a great side-character in a spy movie or something."

  Abbie felt herself flushing. It was maybe the weirdest compliment she'd ever received... But it also felt genuine(?) somehow, in a way that she wasn't at all prepared for.

  "Um. Thanks," She muttered. "I guess you're kinda cool, too, if you're telling the truth. And for taking the time to explain yourself to someone like me."

  Meili laughed to herself. "True. You have no idea if I'm being genuine or not. For all you know, I could be playing with your emotions for entertainment's sake."

  She hummed a soft note at that, seemingly engrossed in her thoughts, before suddenly rising to her feet. When Meili stretched out her limbs and stared toward the horizon, she cut a more grand and striking figure than Alicia had ever seen.

  "Oh well! I have to go, even though it was really great to be able to say all this shit without self-censoring. Don't go around repeating what I said, or you'll ruin my reputation... but maybe I'll see you here on the roof again sometime?"

  Abbie only found the strength of thought to give a stilted half-nod.

  "Perfect. I'll see you around!"

  Meili's pupils glowed a powerful violet, and her hands shifted into large red claws, which she stabbed into the edge of the building. Her fingers stretched and weaved together into a long, ropelike structure, extending downward... and before Abbie knew it, Meili had lowered herself down to the school courtyard.