The megabuilding was slowly coming back to life after the dissipation of the Veilsurge in Rosewood College. When they had emerged from Rosewood, the hallways and shops had been deserted. With news of the Veilsurge’s disappearance, more people were slowly filtering back into public spaces.

  “I’m so popular,” Evantra proclaimed proudly with a smile.

  Noelle stared flatly at her as Evantra led the way with both Lucas and Tai’s hands in her own. Evantra shot her a smug grin as they strode through the shopping floors in the middle quarter.

  “Tai? Lucas? Why are you holding Evantra’s hands?”

  “Because we don’t want her running into another Veilsurge,” Lucas chorused. Tai just narrowed her eyes and glared at her, making Evantra wince.

  “‘Popularity’ huh?”

  Evantra glared at Noelle as she smirked. She turned to Lucas and Tai beside her as they made their way to the grocery store.

  “So? How did you like your school? Veilcreatures aside?"

  Both Tai and Lucas instantly let go of her hands.

  Evantra laughed before gently gathering them back into her own as they walked along. Neither Tai or Lucas had had the benefit of a formal education while they had been in Wisptown. Lucas had just turned the age to begin enrolment, and Amy and Minh had never been able to afford sending Tai to Bastion.

  It was a strange thing. Even after facing the threat of Veilcreatures tearing them limb from limb, there was still a place for the more innocuous and simple anxiety of starting school for the first time.

  “It’s normal to be nervous before you start. Did you make any friends when you were in the bunker and the… restroom?”

  Tai and Lucas stared at her like she was insane.

  “Come here, you two.”

  Noelle strode up to the pair of them, placing reassuring hands on their shoulders.

  “What have I told you to do when Evantra asks you stupid questions?”

  Lucas cleared his throat, adorably fixing her with his large, brown eyes.

  “How did you find school, Evantra?”

  “Uhh… I didn’t go to a school. I was homeschooled.”

  “That… checks out,” Lucas said slowly, glancing uncertainly at Noelle.

  Did Lucas just… roast me?

  Noelle feverishly nodded her head at Lucas, a beaming smile on her face.

  What the hell is Noelle teaching them?

  This isn’t any education I want them to receive.

  Evantra rolled her eyes when Noelle high-fived Lucas for his efforts, eliciting a giggle. Carefully examining the pair of them, it looked like Lucas and Tai were shaken, but far from how they had been after the Wisptown incident.

  “Lucas! Here.”

  Tai excitedly pointed towards a shopfront. She grasped Lucas’ hand and pulled him in the direction of the Mangekyou advertisement displayed prominently in front of the gaming store.

  “This one has been in the works for a while,” Noelle said. She was amused to find Noelle similarly enthused. “Mangekyou are promising that they’ll make full utilisation of the full dive sets to really make you lose sense of your reality. Maybe…”

  Noelle turned to her.

  “When everything settles down a little, when we’ve retrieved the trove seeker and improved our financial situation… we could all give it a shot. It would be nice to do something fun like this together,” Noelle said, before huffing in amusement. “Can you imagine? Carmen and Amy clearing out dungeons? They would be absolutely unstoppable.”

  Evantra shuddered.

  “I already fear for their future enemies.”

  They walked forwards, joining Lucas and Tai.

  “Look! Look! That’s an Izanami Voidtracer. It’s a prototype. My dad told me that Izanami were working on something to unseat the Wraithkiller. Maybe it’ll appear in the game!”

  Tai lightly shook Lucas as the boy scratched his head, with a look of mild confusion. Still, he smiled and listened as Tai continued.

  “What was your dad’s favourite gun?”

  Tai paused for a second, surprised by Lucas’ question. She seemed to sadden before perking up.

  “The Ghoulkiller. He said it was the last of the ‘classics’. When this dumbo came into the store with it, he spent the whole evening talking about it. When he got a new gun from a dealer, he would never stop talking.”

  Evantra and Noelle watched as Tai spoke about her father. How her eyes would light up at the thought of him, and speaking about his likes and dislikes. Minh’s small habits that annoyed her, which she undoubtedly wished to see again.

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  All the while, Lucas listened with a smile.

  “Did you teach him to do that?” Evantra said under her breath.

  “Teach him? He always had it in him.” Noelle replied softly. “Saw me do the same thing when I was trying to get to know him. He liked that I took an interest in his life and hobbies, and probably figured he’d do it to others to make them feel the same way - appreciated. He’s a smart boy.”

  “I don’t think you give yourself enough credit,” Evantra said, looking ahead as Noelle stared at her incredulously. Before Noelle could reply, Evantra stepped forward, laying a hand on the top of their heads.

  “Before we get all caught up in games, we’ve got something much more exciting to discuss. School.”

  Seeing the horror resurface on their face, Noelle smoothly stepped in.

  “Don’t worry, you two,” Noelle proclaimed confidently. “There’s a lot to learn about how to navigate the den of vipers that are your classmates, and I will teach you exactly how to manage them—”

  “Lesson one,” Evantra interrupted, an evil gleam in her eyes. “Stick a tracker on anyone you’d like to be friends with and stalk them. Works like a charm, doesn’t it, Noelle?”

  It was only slightly concerning that Tai and Lucas nodded earnestly at her words, as Noelle turned a shade of red that would make a bloodspawn envious.

  “D-don’t do that. But, in all seriousness…”

  Noelle’s smile fell. The girl instantly seemed to tense up, the mirth and good cheer that had infected them after coming away from the Veilsurge safe seeming to ebb away.

  “Finding good, true friends is harder than it looks. You’ll have to become good judges of character. Scholarships are competitive, and people will undermine you at any chance they have, even if that means befriending you with the sole purpose of pulling the rug out from under you, got it? Don’t play the games that they do, but don’t be afraid to get down and dirty if they do try to sabotage you. If you don’t, they’ll take advantage of your kindness.”

  Evantra stared at Noelle in surprise.

  I didn’t expect that from her, of all people.

  But considering her background… just what has she been through?

  “If you do manage to find anyone with substance, keep them close to you. If you’re lucky, you’ll make some friends for life. If anyone bullies you—”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Tai said evenly.

  Evantra and Noelle turned to stare at Tai.

  I strongly suspect that Tai’s version of ‘taking care of it’ involves a Liberty assault rifle.

  We might need to have a chat about appropriate conflict resolution.

  Noelle slowly nodded her head.

  “If anyone messes with you, you stand up to them. You may have noticed it during the excursion, but your peers are hungry, and getting on a scholarship track can set someone’s family up for life. But remember, the positions offered by Demeteria are not the only ones out there, ok? They’ll certainly make it seem like it.”

  “Did you go to a school like this one, Noelle?” Lucas said, his brown eyes sparkling with curiosity as he turned to Noelle. She hesitated a moment before nodding. Now that Evantra thought of it, the only people she had informed of her true identity as an heir of Demeteria corporation were her and Carmen.

  “I did.”

  “Did you make a lot of friends?”

  “Just a few of them,” Noelle said softly.

  Noelle halted in her advance.

  Her gaze was far away, lost in the past. When her smile returned, it was painted on rather than one birthed from genuine emotion.

  Noelle spoke in a whisper.

  “If there’s one piece of advice you take away from this… it will be easy to slip into the mindset of your classmates. To be ruthless, competitive, and to lose sight of your own values. But if there's one thing I would ask you to remember... try not to lose yourself. Don’t seek out others just for the sake of connections, try to forge genuine friendships, as rare as they might be."

  Her voice emerged as a whisper but carried the heavy weight of emotion that Evantra only caught the slightest glimpses of in her friend.

  A girl so discerning, wise and cunning in some ways, but so naive in others. A girl who had made a solemn promise before a dear friend's grace, that spoke to a burden that Evantra was blind to.

  "Alright, you two? Don’t want to end up like this dumbo over here,”

  Noelle gestured in Evantra’s vague direction, eliciting a giggle from Tai. Lucas seemed to sense something in her voice and bit off his next question, turning to Evantra with a look of concern.

  Evantra's eyes lingering on the other girl as Noelle regained her casual bearing, before looking down at Lucas with a smile and giving his hand a soft squeeze.

  ***

  “Oh. This definitely isn’t the place.”

  Evantra frowned as Noelle seemed to nod in comprehension.

  It wasn’t long before they completed the errands that Amy and Carmen had set for them. They sent Lucas and Tai back to the apartment so that the kids could help with the dinner preparations.

  After a few minutes puzzling over the digital map of Megabuilding A3, they had finally found their way to a gym in the middle quarters. They peered through large glass windows at the class being conducted. It was full of men in tight singlets and women in yoga pants following an instructor in a perfectly temperature-controlled air-conditioned room.

  “Let’s go.”

  Noelle grabbed Evantra’s arm and pulled her towards the lift.

  ***

  They emerged into the lower quarters.

  Walking past the bustling food court, Evantra and Noelle walked into an enormous open area lit by bright floodlights housed in a dark roof multiple storeys above them.

  The tantalising scents of food were mixed with sweat, and they were greeted with the sounds of boxing gloves hitting punching bags. Noelle jumped at the sound of a barbell being racked as a beast of a man with a torso wider than the pair of them put together heaved a sigh, completing his set.

  People engaging in weight training, cardiovascular training and even a group of elderly Asian ladies positioned a short way away practicing tai chi could be found. Groups of children dressed in Rosewood College’s uniform sat around, no doubt debriefing about the lockdown that had happened the day before.

  A pair of floodlights lit up a boxing ring at the centre of the vast open space. It illuminated a pair of fighters engaged in a deadly dance, precise jabs hissing through the air as the combatants dodged with an alacrity and precision that Evantra could only envy.

  “Is that…”

  Ade certainly doesn’t miss a training day, does he?

  Though I’m not surprised to find him here.

  There’s nothing like a Veilsurge to humble you, to remind you of your powerlessness.

  Ade, the young Nigerian man who seemed poised and ready with a bright laugh from was focused, honed in to his fight. He twisted his body, his leg lashing out in a blisteringly fast kick which landed squarely across his opponent’s thigh, sending the other man into a crouch.

  Ade immediately dropped his stance, offering the other man a hand and pulling him to his feet. Then, he seemed to notice Evantra and Noelle watching the fight. He broke out into a wide grin and jogged over with a wave.

  “You came! I didn’t expect you to be around so soon, though?”

  “Speak for yourself? No rest for the wicked, huh?”

  “You know how it is.”

  “I do,” Evantra said with a nod.

  Ade just smiled, letting out a slow sigh. He briefly shook his head before turning to Noelle.

  “I’m Ade! Nice to meet you. Would you like me to show you guys around?”

  Noelle shook Ade’s hand, staring at him in awe. Evantra caught her staring at the man’s abs and lean physique, and from the way she ran her hand over her own belly afterwards, it seemed like she was lamenting her fitness level.

  Then, Noelle met Evantra’s gaze and gave her a firm nod.

  If there was ever a perfect place to push myself to the limits with [recovery]…

  This would be the one.

  Noelle Laurent, you certainly have your moments of brilliance.

  Although…

  Evantra inched over to Noelle, nudging her in the side.

  “This place is amazing and all… but your secret is a little underwhelming. I don’t get what’s so special about this pl—”

  “Shh. You’ll see.”