“I can’t believe they don’t even provide showers. I’m going to stink all the way home,” Olivia moaned.

  “It could be worse,” Amelia chirped, “I heard they used to have self-defence midday, so everyone had to go back to their classes afterwards.”

  “That’s cruel and unusual punishment,” I said as I ran my tracker across the plate at the front of my locker, popping it open. “It probably violated some sort of international law on the fair and humane treatment of prisoners, and they were forced to change it.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me,” Olivia muttered, drawing a snort of amusement out of Amelia.

  “You two heading home?” Amelia asked once she’d retrieved her bag.

  “Of course,” I replied, glancing over at the girl. “School’s over, right? Is there somewhere else we need to go?”

  Amelia shook her head. “Nope, mandatory classes are done for the day, but there are a ton of after-school clubs and activities to participate in. I, for example, take kickboxing lessons three times a week, and visit the boardgame club during my off days.”

  “You’re taking kickboxing lessons?” Olivia asked curiously.

  “Yeah… I’ve always been into sports and stuff, and once I awakened my powers, my dad insisted I learn how to defend myself. I hated it at first, but once I learned to control my power better, I realized it provided a good way to channel my energy,” Amelia explained.

  “Isn’t that dangerous? Going hand to hand with another bunch of empowered people?” I asked.

  “It can be, accidents happen, but it’s safer than you’d think. You’re not allowed to practice with other people unless your power is recognized as ‘safe,’ or the doctors sign off and acknowledge you have full control of your powers. Until then, you’re only allowed to practice forms and hit the punching bags,” Amelia said. She threw her backpack over one shoulder, then smiled, “Want to come watch?”

  I considered for a moment, then shook my head. “Not today. I didn’t plan to stay late, and my mother is probably waiting to hear how my first day went. I’ll think about joining you tomorrow for board games, though.”

  “Same,” Olivia exclaimed. “My mother likes to make big dinners to celebrate major occasions, like the first day of school. She’d be disappointed if I cancelled now.

  Amelia shrugged. “Suit yourselves. I need to run if I want to arrive before lessons start, so I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

  “Yeah, see you,” Olivia called as Amelia jogged towards the exit.

  “I like her,” Hairy exclaimed behind me, making me jump.

  “How long have you been standing there? How did you sneak up on me like that?” I demanded.

  “I didn’t,” the bull said, cocking his head to the side. “I just walked. And I’ve been here for a while now!”

  “He walked around the end of the lockers while we were talking to Amelia,” Olivia agreed. “I thought you saw him, though; you looked his way a couple of times.”

  “Well, I didn’t,” I muttered. “You have your stuff?”

  “Yup!” Olivia chirped. “Let’s go.”

  When we pushed through the outer door and back into the atrium, we found Angelica and Tyberius waiting for us. Angelica waved cheerfully. “Congrats on finishing your first day at the new school!”

  “Thanks. It was… surprisingly normal,” I said. “I was expecting to see a lot more people throwing fire and lightning around.”

  “Your last school must have been a pretty messed-up place if you considered this normal,” Olivia scoffed. “Our teachers barely care about the lessons; we had to self-isolate ourselves at lunch for safety, and on top of that, I can see your invisible friends now.”

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  “Most of that IS normal for me,” I laughed.

  “I know, and that’s a little sad,” she replied, patting me on the shoulder. “At least you had these three to keep you sane. Thank you all!”

  I smiled. “You know no one else can see them, right? People around here are going to think you’re crazy.”

  “Let them think that!” she declared, with a grin. “We both know the truth!”

  As soon as she stopped speaking, her grin fell, replaced with a look of pain. She stumbled, nearly falling into the nearby table, before I caught her.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as I pulled out a chair for her to sit down.

  “Yeah… sort of. I just got caught off guard,” she mumbled. “I just didn’t expect my powers to activate twice in the same day. Guess I should expect it to happen a lot more often now.”

  “Another Rupture? Here?” I hissed, glancing around. Olivia just shook her head.

  “No, this is nowhere near as bad as it was this morning,” Olivia replied quietly. “I’d describe it as mild discomfort instead of intense pain. It’s either not close or weaker than the last one.”

  “The Rupture you witnessed this morning was as weak as they come,” Tyberius rumbled, slowly creeping closer. “Can you tell which direction the sensation is coming from, or how far away it is?”

  Olivia’s face scrunched up for a moment, although I wasn’t sure if it was because she was concentrating or in discomfort, then she pointed at the ‘A’ wing. “That way. Outside the building, but I have no idea how far. I think if it were inside, I’d be doubled over again.”

  Tyberius nodded, then immediately started to skitter away, Hairy at his heels.

  “Wait, where are you going?” I shouted, shooting to my feet.

  “To check it out. It’s better to intercept the small ones before they get a chance to scatter, and if it’s something stronger… well… let’s pray that doesn’t happen,” he replied.

  “Can he do that? Go check out the area?” I asked blankly as he burst through the front doors and disappeared around the side of the building. I turned to Angelica. “Can you do that?”

  “To an extent,” she admitted. “The further we wander from you, the weaker we get.”

  I just stared at her for a moment, letting that information sink in. “You know… after everything else that happened today, I have no idea how I should feel about that. Aren’t you going to follow them?”

  “Of course not! Someone needs to stay behind and watch over you two!” she replied, waving her tentacles in a ‘no-no’ motion.

  “It must be nice to have such loyal friends,” Olivia laughed, scooting forward on her chair. “Help me up.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked, gently taking her hand.

  “Absolutely. Right now, I have the equivalent of a mild headache and indigestion. It’s not that bad; it just caught me off guard. Once we get further from the area, or the Rupture collapses, it should settle down,” she replied, using my hand to haul herself to her feet. As soon as she was vertical, she clamped onto my arm and started leaning on me quite heavily. She must have been in worse shape than she was letting on.

  “Perhaps you should call the doctor, let her know there’s a Rupture froming,” Angelica suggested.

  “That’s a good idea. Anyone see a payphone on the way in?” I asked.

  “Payphone? What is this, the nineteen forties?” Olivia snorted.

  “My mother couldn’t afford to buy me a bike, so there’s no way she’d be able to afford a cellphone, even for emergencies,” I muttered. “You have a better idea?”

  “Yeah, use mine,” she replied. “Code is 3142, the doctor’s on speed dial. I’d do it myself, but I’m a little occupied with trying to stand upright and walk straight.”

  “Fine,” I muttered, gently taking her phone. It had been a while since I’d last used a cellphone, so it took me a minute to navigate through the menus and make the call.

  “Dr. Michaels office, how can I help you today?” a pleasant voice asked.

  “Hello, Genine? This is Tamara Monroe, we spoke this morning,” I said. “My friend Olivia’s powers just activated, and even though we’re too far from the clinic to stop in, we thought we should let someone know.”

  “Just one moment!” the woman replied hurriedly. “The doctor said to put you right through.”

  The line switched to a busy signal for just a moment before being picked up again. “Hello, Olivia?”

  “No, Doctor Michaels, it’s Tamara. Olivia isn’t in a position to talk right now,” I said, glancing at my friend. She didn’t look terrible, but she was still holding her stomach and breathing shallowly. “I’m reporting for her.”

  “Tell me everything you can,” the woman snapped. “Quickly.”

  “Well, Olivia doubled over about a minute and a half ago, claiming the same kind of pain and discomfort as this morning, just less intense. She believes whatever is causing the sensation is further away, outside the building, beyond the ‘A’ wing of the Darmont building,” I reported.

  “Can you be more specific?” the doctor asked.

  “I don’t know… I got completely turned around coming over here. If the main doors are on the North side, I guess it would have to be east?” I replied helplessly.

  “The next closest building would be the Clifford Memorial Center,” the doctor muttered. “I’ll have the team there perform a sweep. Thank you, Tamera.”

  “Oh, I know this is an emergency, and you have to contact the building security, but…” I glanced at Angelica. “Two of my friends ran off in that direction when they found out. I have no idea if they can actually do anything, or if it’s just my imagination, but can you have the team watch for anything unusual?”

  “Of course. I’ll let you know,” Doctor Michaels replied. “You take care of Olivia, and we’ll handle the rest.”

  “Thanks, doc,” I muttered before hanging up.

  “Everything good?” Olivia asked as she handed the phone back to her.

  “Everything’s good,” I confirmed. “Now let's get as far away from here as we can. Don’t want you all doubled over for your victory dinner.”

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