Lauren knew her time was coming, but she was still startled by her name being called. It really started to sink in that she wasn’t just a visitor to this place, but a real part of it.

  She shook off her nerves and stood. This was nothing compared to what she got up to in Callis. Lauren had to scrap before sometimes, when others would try to take what little she and Rachel had. There were no rules in that kind of fighting. Compared to those days, this would hopefully be just a friendly little bout.

  She met her opponent on the mat.

  Reagan was in good shape. Her black hair was bound in a ponytail, except for a single lock over her forehead. She had a sharp face, with shallow cheeks and a defined jawline. Her lips were thin, even more so as she pressed them together. Her brown eyes were fierce and focused. She didn’t look prepared to spar. She looked like she was ready to kill something. Her face set in a snarl.

  Reagan wore a simple black strap across her torso, which held two handled sticks on her back. She reached back and pulled them out. Each stick was a few feet in length and were covered in a series of metal studs. She twirled the sticks in her grasp.

  Lauren had seen her expression before, if not her face; this girl was mean and angry, with something to prove. Just like the hoods that tried to gang up on her and Rachel. The other neglected kids of Callis. The ones who felt the world owed them something. Lauren wondered what this girl felt she was owed.

  Lauren made fists and prepared for what was coming. This wasn’t gonna be a friendly bout.

  “Well? You two just gonna stare at each other?” the coach asked.

  Lauren spared a quick glance over at him. She was expecting this girl to attack her as soon as she let her guard down.

  “I’m Lauren. I don’t exactly know what my powers are.”

  The other girl readied into a practiced fighting stance, one stick in front of her and one over her head. “I’m Reagan. I don’t have any powers.”

  Her statement animated the crowd. If anything, this seemed to make Reagan look even more ready to hit something.

  The coach sighed. “Well, if you two don’t have anything to show off—”

  Reagan launched herself toward Lauren with a growl. One of her sticks came down to collide with Lauren’s head.

  Lauren saw the stick arcing down and dodged to the side. Reagan recoiled as her weapon bounced off the mat.

  Lauren gasped at her own action. Not only could she see the blow coming, but she was fast enough to move out of the way. There was no way she should’ve been able to do that.

  Reagan seemed similarly surprised. She gritted her teeth. Lauren could feel another assault coming.

  Reagan released a primal yell as she charged Lauren with both sticks prepared to strike. She was fast, but if Lauren concentrated, she could follow the movement. It was like time was slowing in her head. She stepped backwards to avoid each wild blow. She arched her spine, the tip of one stick narrowly missing her stomach. She bent backwards to avoid the other colliding with the side of her head. Two sticks came at once in a swing, to which Lauren pivoted at the waist and dodged under. She had no idea where she was getting these moves from. She just let her body work.

  Reagan was holding nothing back. She was raging more with each missed hit. Lauren was focused entirely on not finding out how much those sticks hurt.

  Reagan eventually stepped back, spittle practically frothing at her mouth.

  “C’mon! Are you just trying to embarrass me?! Fight back!” she demanded.

  Lauren huffed. She really didn’t like this girl’s attitude. Powers or not, she was asking for it. Literally. Maybe it was time to find out what she could give.

  Lauren came forward, ready to go on the offensive. She still had to be careful, as Reagan had the benefit of reach.

  She got closer and waited for an opening.

  A jab glanced off her arm, filling it with a dull buzzing pain on contact. She clutched the spot where it hit. Those sticks were definitely charged with something.

  The next poke left Reagan’s side open. Lauren dodged under and jabbed her in the gut.

  Reagan grunted as she reeled back. Lauren could have hit her harder. She could feel the strength inside her, the same as her enhanced reflexes.

  Reagan was panting, her forceful attacks leaving her sweaty. Lauren hardly felt a thing.

  Reagan rushed her again, shaving her sticks downwards towards Lauren’s side. She spun to avoid them. The attack seemed too telegraphed, even for her.

  When she faced forwards again, the heel of Reagan’s foot collided with her jaw.

  Lauren hit the mat hard. Her vision went black for a moment. The lower right side of her face was pure hot pain.

  “Coach, that’s enough!” someone called from the stands. It could have been either Thalia or Lucy.

  Fuck that. Lauren put her hands on the mat and forced herself up. If this bitch wanted a fight, Lauren would give her one.

  She rose on one knee, then stood to her feet. She could already feel her cheek swelling.

  “Finally, a fight with some damn grit!” Coach Dixon said. “Take notes, people. This is getting a little closer to what it’s like.”

  It was Lauren’s turn to charge forward. She didn’t care if she took two taser sticks to the gut, she was gonna steamroll her opponent.

  Reagan seemed to know Lauren was now taking it seriously. She rolled to the side as Lauren tried to wallop her.

  Lauren turned, but one of the sticks connected with her calf. A cry escaped Lauren’s throat as her leg went numb, feeling bruised all over.

  Reagan tried to slide back out of her reach, but Lauren wasn’t letting her go that easy. She lunged down and grasped the side of Reagan’s head. She pulled her to her feet.

  Reagan managed to jab her in the side with the tip of her stick. The numbing feeling shuddered through her body, making her muscles contract. But it wasn’t enough to make her let go.

  Lauren pulled back her fist and prepared to send it straight into Reagan’s nose.

  “STOP!”

  A hand grabbed Lauren’s forearm, locking it in place.

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  She looked over to see Coach Dixon right next to her, looking mad. She hadn’t even noticed him move.

  “I said nothing lethal,” he spat.

  Lauren had no idea what he was talking about. She wasn’t gonna punch her head off. She was just gonna give Reagan an end to the serious fight she wanted.

  The coach seemed to want Lauren to notice something.

  She looked down at her hand. In between her middle knuckles, a spike had parted the skin. It looked like it was made of bone. It ended in a wickedly sharp tip.

  Lauren gasped. She hadn’t even noticed it coming out. She hadn’t felt it. She had no idea where it could have even come from.

  The coach released her, and she stepped back away from him and Reagan. She willed the spike to disappear. It retreated back into her hand, the skin closing up seamlessly after it, like it was never there.

  “I’m- I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I have no idea how that happened. I didn’t know I could…”

  “Uh-huh,” Coach Dixon said. “Back to your seats, both of you.”

  Lauren flushed. She rubbed her hand as she walked back to her spot. She could feel Reagan glaring at her in her periphery. And now she had her first school enemy.

  “That was freaky,” Lucy said as Lauren sat back down. “You didn’t know you could do that?”

  Lauren shook her head, still shocked.

  “And the way you were dodging all her moves, it was like you were in a martial arts movie.”

  “It was really cool,” Adam added. “But yeah, if you didn’t mean to stab her in the face you should probably work on that a little.”

  “That’s why we’re here. To learn to control our abilities,” Thalia said. “And our tempers, I guess. She was way too heated. That girl has a chip on her shoulder. I’m not even sure why she was admitted. You totally didn’t escalate that, Lauren.”

  Lauren stayed quiet. She thought about how easily she would’ve killed Reagan without meaning to, if the coach hadn’t stepped in. Just like she struck out at the people at the lab. It was whatever they had put inside of her. It was dangerous, especially if it could influence her without her even knowing. She had to find Dr. Smythe. Not only to rescue Rachel, but to find out what the hell was under her skin, and hopefully to get it taken out.

  There were a few more fights to go. Lauren didn’t pay close attention. Some stretchy girl wrapped herself around a strong girl, who was apparently Thalia’s roommate. Marcellus dueled the girl who was in Lauren’s tour group, Abigail. Adam’s roommate Troy got blasted across the mat by a girl who could shoot bolts of energy, who did an ear-piercing victory screech after. A guy named Luis could summon a suit of armor around himself using some kind of magic sword. He got the blade stuck into the goopy, oily mass that his opponent Brock had turned into.

  The last matchup wasn’t even really a duel. Grace was more interested in manifesting her translucent suit of red, white and blue energy around herself, as well as a pair of tinted glass-like wings. She strutted like she was on a runway. Mara, the other girl, only watched her with arms crossed and an unimpressed expression. She stated that she could communicate with rats, raccoons, and other small critters.

  “Ew, don’t do that around me!” Grace cried.

  “I wasn’t gonna, your highness!” Mara mocked.

  Coach Dixon shooed them away.

  “Well, that was something,” the coach said as he tapped his clipboard. “It was good to get a glimpse of what everyone is bringing to the table, as well as your attitudes going into this. Some of you seem to think this is playtime, while others of you are trying to start a bloodsport. We’re aiming for something in the middle. I want you all to take this seriously. We’ll be meeting two times a week, in alternating groups. I’ll also have regimens and assignments for you to complete in between. I’ll see some of you on Monday, and the others on Tuesday. Come to class with your heads on straight, ready to focus. We’ll begin immediately. You’re dismissed.”

  Everyone around them stood and filed out. Lauren remained seated for a moment.

  Adam groaned as he rose. “Half hour before next class… I need to go lay down.”

  “I’ll get you home,” Thalia offered. “We’ll see you guys later,” she said to Lucy and Lauren.

  “A new Ollyrian… can you believe that?” Adam could be heard saying as they left.

  Lucy put a hand on Lauren’s shoulder. “You good? Your fight got really intense. It was like, an actual fight.”

  “Yeah. I don’t know. I’ll be alright,” Lauren said. She did her best to sound okay.

  Lucy patted her on the back. “Let’s go get changed for our next class.”

  They rose together.

  “That Ike guy is kinda cute, huh? I got butterflies in my tummy when he spun me around. He has strong hands…”

  Lauren and Lucy returned to their place. Lauren rinsed off in her private shower. She spent a moment under the water sheathing and unsheathing the bone spike from her hand. It felt completely natural. She had no idea where it was stored inside her. Afterwards, she changed into jeans, a long sleeve shirt, a pair of boots, and her new jacket. She grabbed her mostly-empty bookbag and met Lucy back in the living room.

  “What do you have next?” Lucy asked.

  “Spanish.” Lauren’s schedule was folded in one of her pockets.

  “Nice! Buena suerte. I’m off to history.”

  “You have Spanish too?” Grace asked, walking out from her room. She had changed into a casual outfit as well. “I got put into it because every other elective sounded boring or hard. I don’t get why we need to learn Spanish, anyways.”

  “To better communicate with people? In emergency situations? Because we’re training to be heroes? In California?” Lucy listed.

  Grace shrugged, rolling her eyes a bit. “Yeah, but like… we’re in America.”

  Lucy huffed, but turned and smiled at Lauren.

  “You two have fun together. We’ll catch up this afternoon.”

  The three of them headed out, and split into different directions on campus. Lauren led Grace, who was texting on her phone, to the door nearest C2. She had a good idea of where C Hall was from the tour. Although she was pretty sure she could walk off the nearest cliff and Grace would follow without noticing.

  “Pretty cool seeing everyone’s powers, huh?” Grace asked without looking up. It took Lauren a moment to realize she was talking to her.

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “I can’t believe they let some random girl with no powers in. What’s up with that? Do you think it’s like, a diversity thing?”

  Lauren sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “I mean, those sticks are basically crutches for her to fight. Take those away and what is she? Just another civvie who should stand back and watch us real girlbosses handle things. You would have kicked her butt without those.”

  Grace was complimenting her and putting down her perceived rival. It dawned on Lauren as she opened the door to inside that this must be some kind of attempt at friendship. It left a sour taste in her mouth.

  Grace walked around her holding the door open. “Thank you~! You’re so helpful. I can already tell I’m totally gonna rely on you for things.”

  Lauren just shook her head as she looked around for C2.

  The classroom door was open. Inside, five students were already sitting at desks. The walls were covered in language charts, alphabets, maps, and decorative flags. At the front of the room sat a portly man in a blue button-up shirt. He smiled as Lauren and Grace entered. His hair was dark and slicked back, slightly balding, and he had faint facial hair around his easy smile. He looked maybe in his mid-forties.

  “Welcome! ?Bienvenidos!” the man said. “Please, take a seat.”

  Lauren and Grace sat down. She recognized everyone in class by their faces and powers, just not yet their names for some of them.

  After another minute, the teacher stood and closed the door. He turned to the class, looking excited.

  “Hello, everyone! Welcome to Spanish 101!” He had a faint Mexican accent, which was familiar to Lauren from Callis. “My name is Armando Little, but you should get in the habit of calling me Se?or Little. Or!”

  He held up a finger, before pulling out a wad of sparkly fabric from his back pocket. He opened it and stretched what turned out to be a purple luchador mask over his face.

  “—You can call me El Conjugador!”

  He struck a fighting pose. No one in the class reacted much.

  “C’mon!” he said. “I’m teaching at a superhero school! I have to get in on the fun!”

  He took the mask off, his hair now messed. “Anyways, let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves.”

  The class went around and gave their names and pronouns. Reuben was first, then Terry, the guy with light powers he dueled in gym. Next was Danielle, the swole girl with dirty blonde hair shaved short on both sides of her head. She was one of Thalia’s roommates, Lauren remembered. Then Nathan, the scarecrow-looking kid who hadn’t done much during gym. Last was Cleo, the tall, tanned, and toned girl who threw rocks and got tied up by Mary. She looked dressed for a photoshoot at the beach. Lauren and Grace introduced themselves, then Se?or Little welcomed everyone again and began handing out the syllabus.

  By the time the bell rang an hour and a half later, Lauren had a few things jotted down in her notebook and a few new Spanish phrases in her head. Most of the lesson for the day had just been going over the basics of the alphabet.

  Grace and Cleo seemed to magnetically attach as soon as class was over.

  “Yeah, I like, just took this class because I basically already know Spanish,” Cleo said to Grace as they walked out together. “You have to know some phrases when you grow up in the Valley. Especially when you have people working in your house…”

  Lauren felt relief that Grace had already forgotten about her as a friend. She’d be seeing plenty of her around the dorm.

  As she was zipping up her bag, Reuben came over. He looked like a hiker in his cargo shorts, sturdy laced shoes and pocketed tee. He wore a green cap with the head of a fierce bird on it. It was probably a sports thing.

  Lauren could tell she was already developing a soft spot for Reuben. It was unusual for her, but his dimpled little cherub face made her want to pinch his cheeks and buy him an ice cream. Even though he probably wasn’t any younger than her.

  “Hey, Lauren!” he said. “You heading to the cafeteria?”

  “Yeah. You wanna walk together?”

  “Sure.”