Aaron tried hard not to laugh out loud when he saw Luther cringe.

  Hahaha, look at him blushing all the way to his ears. He’s so easy to tease.

  He cleared his throat and asked:

  “So what exactly does a reaper do? I only know they carry out missions from the Flow.”

  “Locate site. Investigate. Resolve issue. Receive reward,” Luther tried to explain.

  “Huh?”

  “What he means,” Acher added, “is that the Flow assigns a mission location. We go there, figure out what’s causing the disturbance, take care of it, and if we solve it, we will be rewarded. This kid couldn’t control his powers before awakening, so no one except his family could even notice he was around. That made him not so great at talking or expressing himself.”

  The raven knew full well that emotional connection, no matter if it came from sympathy or pity, was one of the better natural defense mechanisms.

  “I’m sorry,” Aaron said with a softer tone.

  “It’s fine. Used to it,” Luther replied.

  Aaron glanced at his worn-out hoodie.

  “Hey Luther, can you do me a favor?” he said. “I heard you’re good at school, and honestly, my grades are pretty bad right now. My mom keeps complaining about it so much. Would you mind tutoring me? I can pay you a hundred bucks an hour.”

  A … a hundred dollars an hour??? Luther’s jaw dropped at the number, but he hesitated.

  “I. Not good. Talking.”

  “That’s totally fine. I just need help correcting my work and showing me how to solve things. You could just write out the steps on paper. Plus, tutoring might even help you get better at speaking, too. Two birds with one stone!” Aaron said. “I’m guessing you’re not too comfortable with unfamiliar places, right? I could come to your house after school.”

  Luther sat in thoughtful silence. He did need to start saving up for college, after all. He took a deep breath and replied:

  “Thirty. No. Twenty is enough. One hundred. Too much.”

  “You stupid kid,” Acher muttered. “Who lowers their own price during a negotiation?”

  “Don’t worry,” Aaron said, brushing it off. “My parents have paid way more than that for tutors before. Last year, they shelled out two hundred an hour for some PhD guy from NYU to help me.”

  Acher rolled his eyes.

  What kind of backwards haggling is this? One wants to pay more while the other wants to earn less?

  “Forty. I have. No experience,” Luther said.

  That was already a dream-like amount for him.

  “Alright, deal,” Aaron agreed with a shrug.

  As long as I can get close to him, I’ll have plenty of ways to help later. At forty an hour, my savings and trust fund allowance will be able to support it much longer. That'll buy me more time to figure things out, Aaron thought to himself. He wanted to pay Luther back himself and not rely on his parents.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Acher gave a quiet chuckle.

  This kid’s not bad. Fate really is being kind to Luther.

  “What subjects? So I can. Prepare,” Luther asked.

  “I’m pretty bad at geometry and chemistry, so I’d like to focus on those. Maybe some physics too, if we have time.”

  “Understood.”

  “What classes do you have for the last two periods today?”

  “PE and French.”

  “Ugh, I’ve got physics and math. No overlap today then. Can you give me your phone number so I can call you after school?”

  “No phone,” Luther said, lowering his head a little bit.

  He used to have one three years ago, but it had gone missing. That kind of thing hadn’t felt as useful anymore since his grandpa passed away.

  Aaron tried to keep a straight face. He’d already guessed what the case might be.

  “Alright then, I’ll meet you at the school gate after class.”

  Luther gave a small nod of agreement.

  Back in class, he pulled out his chemistry and geometry books and began reviewing everything.

  Must not let down Mr. Forty-Dollars-An-Hour!

  ...

  After school, at the gate of Lincoln High.

  A tall boy was standing by the roadside next to an old oak tree, his gaze drifting around from time to time before returning to the phone in his hand. He had a sharp-featured face, short hair that puffed slightly in the breeze, and eyes that were brown with a gentle golden tint, like morning light.

  Every now and then, glances from people passing by landed on him, some quick and fleeting, some openly curious, coming from both boys and girls.

  “Bye, Aaron!” a girl waved as she walked past.

  “Aaron, prepare well for the match tomorrow!” a boy shouted.

  Aaron grinned. “No need to prepare for anything at all, you guys just get ready to celebrate.”

  And then two boys approached him, they were Paul and Wilson.

  “What are you doing here?” Wilson asked.

  “Hi, guys. I’m waiting for a friend.”

  “Oooh, a friend, huh? Who is she? Marie Ross? Or maybe Natasha Olson?” Wilson gave a teasing whistle.

  “It’s a boy! Stop guessing nonsense.” Aaron frowned.

  He glanced toward the school gate, then his face lit up with a bright smile, and he waved with great enthusiasm.

  “Luther! Over here!”

  Wilson and Paul turned their heads and saw a black-haired boy strolling toward them at an unhurried pace.

  “Hey guys, this is my new best friend, Luther Ravenswood! He’s from Mr. Bryce’s class, and he’s one of the top students in our school!” Aaron introduced.

  “Nice to meet you!”

  “Hi, Luther!”

  Paul and Wilson greeted.

  Since when did this guy get a new best friend? Wilson caught that exact thought in the sideways glance Paul gave him.

  I have no idea either. Paul gave a slight shrug.

  “Luther, these are Wilson, my buddy, and this is Paul, my cousin,” Aaron continued.

  “H … hi,” Luther greeted, stammering a little.

  Paul asked:

  “Ohhhh, so you were waiting for Luther? What are you guys doing?”

  “He is going to tutor me. My grades have dropped so bad lately that my mom’s been looking at me like she’s ready to bite my head off,” Aaron grumbled.

  Helen would for sure give him a good scolding if she heard that. In truth, she had complained about Aaron’s grades just one time, and ever since he woke up, she’d been much easier on him than before.

  Paul and Wilson exchanged a look, then scanned the two boys in front of them with suspicion they didn’t bother to hide. They knew Aaron far too well. Tutoring sounded like a completely bullshit excuse.

  Damn, these nosy guys, they totally know I’m making stuff up. Better get out of here before they can ask any question, Aaron cursed in his mind.

  “We’ll head off now, it’s getting late,” he said, grabbing Luther by the arm and pulling him away, leaving behind two pairs of curious eyes.

  Seeing Aaron heading off to the right, Luther spoke up:

  “Wrong way. The bus stop. That way.”

  “The bus takes too long. It’ll be faster if you come with me,” Aaron replied.

  He led Luther to a black Bentley already parked nearby, got Luther and himself into the back seat, and said:

  “Hi Uncle Adam, this is my friend Luther. Could you take us to his place so we can study? I already told my dad about it this morning.”

  “Hi, boys. Sure, Mr. Michael mentioned it to me. What’s your address, Luther?” the middle-aged man with hawk-like eyes asked.

  “118 Saint Louis Street.”

  "Good," Adam replied, gripping the steering wheel as he pulled the car out onto the road.

  While they were on their way, Aaron realized something and asked:

  "Wait … does Mr. Raven also have the ability to make himself unseen? I mean, when we were talking to him earlier, nobody around even noticed."

  "If I choose not to show myself, then here on the Origin, not a single soul would be able to see me," Acher said. “Except you two, of course.”

  "Wow, that’s so cool!" Aaron said.

  "Quit buttering me up." Acher gave him a glance.

  …

  When they got into the house, Aaron asked:

  “When do your parents get back from work?”

  He hadn’t seen any car parked out front when they came in.

  “There’s no one else,” Luther replied.

  “Huh?”

  “He’s by himself,” Acher said.

  “WHAT???”