Benny arrived at my apartment forty-three minutes after threatening to come to my apartment.
I knew the exact number because I'd been timing him.
Not because I was worried.
Mostly.
Three heavy knocks rattled the door.
I remained on the couch.
Another three came immediately afterward.
Then five.
Then something that sounded suspiciously like the beginning of a song.
I stared at the ceiling.
Maybe if I didn't answer, he'd leave.
"KAI!"
Apparently not.
I grabbed a pillow and placed it over my face.
"KAI, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
My neighbors probably did too now.
"YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON!"
That wasn't proof.
"I CAN HEAR YOUR TV!"
Better proof.
"ALSO, YOUR GOVERNMENT SECURITY GUY IS DOWNSTAIRS!"
Traitor.
I threw the pillow aside and stood.
My ribs had improved enough that getting off the couch no longer felt like being stabbed, which was encouraging. My right shoulder still hated sudden movement, and two fingers on my left hand remained slightly numb, but doctors had assured me the nerve damage was recovering.
Slowly.
I opened the door.
Benny stood there wearing a green jacket, black pants and the expression of someone who had just successfully completed an international manhunt.
He raised both arms.
"Found you."
I stared at him.
"How?"
"Hello to you too."
"How do you know where I live?"
Benny walked past me.
I caught his shoulder.
"No."
He looked down at my hand.
Then at me.
"You're C-rank."
I let go.
"Don't abuse your authority."
He stepped inside.
I closed the door before the neighbors could get a better look at him.
Benny immediately began inspecting the apartment.
It wasn't much. One bedroom, small kitchen, living room, bathroom and a narrow balcony overlooking the city. The government had arranged it after my identity as Kai became useful enough that sleeping in random hotels was considered a security problem.
I'd barely decorated.
Benny noticed.
"You live like you're hiding from the police."
"I basically am."
He opened my refrigerator.
"Why do you have six bottles of water, eggs and mustard?"
"Close that."
"No food?"
"I have food."
"Where?"
I pointed toward the cabinet.
Benny opened it.
Cereal.
He slowly turned toward me.
"This is depressing."
"Why are you here?"
He closed the cabinet.
"Prime Academy."
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"Yes, I do."
"Come to Prime."
"No."
"See? That's annoying."
I walked back toward the couch.
Benny followed.
Of course he did.
He dropped into the chair across from me.
"Seriously."
"I'm serious."
"Why Highsmith?"
"Because I'm C-rank."
"So?"
"So Highsmith trains D and C candidates."
"And some B."
"Exactly. I'll have people to fight when I get promoted."
Benny narrowed his eyes.
"You have an X ceiling."
"Twelve percent confidence."
"Still X."
"Still C."
"You're doing that thing again."
"What thing?"
"Using the ranking system as a weapon."
I smiled.
He pointed accusingly at me.
"That."
I leaned back carefully.
Benny watched me for a moment.
His expression changed.
"How bad are the injuries?"
There was no joke in his voice this time.
"Better."
"That's not what I asked."
I looked at my left hand.
Benny followed my eyes.
"Two fingers are still weird. Shoulder isn't completely healed. Ribs are mostly fine."
"Mostly?"
"I can laugh without wanting to die."
"Useful with me around."
"Debatable."
He smiled, but it didn't last.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
This was the problem.
Jokes were easy.
Silence wasn't.
Silence gave me time to remember sitting beside him at Emory. Trading food during lunch. Getting yelled at for talking during lessons. Listening to him make stupid plans that somehow always ended with both of us in trouble.
Some things about him had changed.
Others hadn't.
I could feel myself getting comfortable.
That meant it was time for him to leave.
"Well."
I stood.
Benny stared at me.
"What?"
"Good seeing you."
"Are you kicking me out?"
"Yes."
"I've been here eight minutes."
"Productive eight minutes."
He remained seated.
I pointed toward the door.
He crossed his arms.
"B-rank."
I lowered my hand.
"I hate you."
"Rank difference."
"That's not how ranks work."
"Sounds like something a C would say."
I considered attacking him.
The annoying part was that he'd probably win.
Not necessarily because his technique was better, but because there was enough metal inside this apartment for him to turn my kitchen into a war crime.
I sat back down.
Benny smiled.
"Good decision."
"Why aren't you preparing for Prime?"
"Orientation isn't for another week."
"Twelve days."
"Our orientation is earlier."
That made sense.
Prime probably had additional assessments, international arrivals and enough bureaucracy to bury a small country.
Benny leaned forward.
"You really don't want to come?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Already told you."
"That's the official answer."
I looked at him.
He wasn't joking anymore.
"What do you mean?"
"You picked Highsmith before they even finished explaining Prime."
Damn.
Benny continued.
"You didn't ask about teachers. Didn't ask about facilities. Didn't ask where it was. The second they said we're going to Prime, you picked the other one."
He was smarter than people gave him credit for.
That had always been dangerous.
I shrugged.
"Maybe I don't like you."
"Impossible."
"Your confidence is inspiring."
"You text me back."
"Sometimes."
"You laugh at my jokes."
"Rarely."
"You let me into your apartment."
"You invaded."
Benny leaned back.
"Still counts."
I looked toward the television.
A news program was replaying footage from the recalibrations. Bladeon's SS result appeared briefly before the broadcast moved to Samira Vale.
Anything was more interesting than this conversation.
Benny didn't let it go.
"Did we do something?"
That pulled my attention back.
He wasn't asking for himself.
Not entirely.
The others.
The Flag-Bearers.
I could've said no immediately.
Instead, I hesitated.
Benny saw it.
"Kai."
"No."
"No, you don't want to answer, or no, we didn't do anything?"
"You didn't do anything."
"Then why do you keep disappearing?"
I exhaled.
Because Threya was my girlfriend.
Because you were my best friend.
Because Frank, Toma, Paul, Kenya, Montiro, Emi and Beth had been part of the life I lost.
Because every conversation with you made pretending easier and harder at the same time.
Because if I stayed around long enough, eventually one of you would notice something I couldn't explain.
I couldn't say any of that.
So I gave him part of the truth.
"I don't like people getting close."
Benny's expression softened slightly.
I hated that.
"Why?"
"That's another question."
"Yes."
"You only get one."
"Who made that rule?"
"Me."
"Terrible government."
I smiled despite myself.
Benny leaned back.
"Fine."
That was easier than expected.
Then he added, "I'll figure it out."
There it was.
"Please don't."
"No promises."
"Benny."
He paused.
Hearing his name leave my mouth felt dangerous.
I didn't use it often.
Usually I called him idiot, green hair, annoying or whatever else came to mind.
For half a second, something crossed his face.
Not recognition.
Nothing dramatic.
Just surprise that I'd said his name seriously.
I corrected immediately.
"Don't make this weird."
He smiled.
"Too late."
Benny stayed for another hour.
Against my wishes.
Mostly.
He ordered food because apparently my kitchen offended him personally. We argued about whether his B-rank technically made him my superior, watched a compilation of Maximus failing one of his recalibration mobility tests, and spent fifteen minutes reading increasingly ridiculous theories about my X ceiling.
One claimed I was an artificial government weapon.
Another claimed Ygros had secretly transferred its powers to me.
Benny liked that one.
"Maybe you're half Apocalypse."
"Maybe you're half idiot."
"Full."
"Respect the honesty."
The strangest theory claimed I was Bladeon's secret son.
We stopped reading after that.
Eventually Benny's phone rang.
Frank.
He answered on speaker.
"Benny."
"Frank."
"Where are you?"
"Classified."
"You missed training."
"I was investigating."
"What?"
Benny looked at me.
I shook my head.
He smiled.
"X-rank matters."
I threw a napkin at him.
Frank sighed through the phone.
"You're with Kai."
"No."
"You're an idiot."
"Those statements aren't related."
"Get back here."
Benny hung up.
I stared at him.
"Go."
"Yeah, yeah."
This time he actually stood.
At the door, he stopped.
"Prime's doing a joint exercise with other academies eventually."
My stomach sank.
"How eventually?"
"No idea."
"Helpful."
"So even if you hide at Highsmith, we'll see you."
"I'm not hiding."
Benny looked around my nearly empty apartment.
"Right."
I opened the door.
He stepped into the hallway.
For once, he didn't fight me.
"Hey, Kai."
"What?"
His expression became serious again.
"Congrats."
I frowned.
"For C?"
"For the whole thing."
He pointed upward, probably meaning X.
"You looked like you didn't know whether you were allowed to be happy about it."
That caught me off guard.
Before I could answer, Benny smiled.
"Still gonna beat your ass if we spar."
There he was.
"Goodbye."
I shut the door.
His laughter carried through it.
I stood there for several seconds.
The apartment felt quieter than it had before he arrived.
Too quiet.
I hated that too.
Ten days later, a government vehicle stopped outside Highsmith Regional Hero Institute.
I stepped out with a bag over one shoulder.
The first thing I noticed was that Highsmith didn't look impressive.
Prime Academy had appeared on television almost every day since the announcement. Massive training complexes, polished towers, international flags and facilities designed for heroes capable of leveling entire neighborhoods.
Highsmith looked like a school.
A large one, sure.
Several brick and concrete buildings surrounded a central courtyard. Training fields stretched behind them, and a reinforced combat structure stood farther back with visible repairs across one side.
Students filled the entrance.
Some looked nervous.
Some excited.
A few demonstrated abilities for their friends despite signs specifically telling them not to.
One kid accidentally set his sleeve on fire.
Nobody screamed.
Good sign.
I adjusted the strap on my bag.
No international press line waited outside.
No Flag-Bearers.
No Bladeon.
No presidents.
Just students.
For the first time in weeks, I felt something close to relief.
Maybe this could work.
I walked through the gates.
A blond girl hurried past me carrying three books, a training bag and a cup of coffee.
She nearly collided with another student, twisted around him at the last second and kept moving without spilling anything.
Light flickered briefly beneath her shoes.
Interesting.
She disappeared into the crowd.
A second later, someone slammed into my shoulder from behind.
My injured shoulder.
Pain shot down my arm.
I turned.
A sandy-brown-haired guy carrying an enormous wrapped object stumbled backward.
"Shit. Sorry."
I rubbed my shoulder.
"You're good."
He looked at the wrapped object, then at me.
"Actually, that's probably my fault. They told me not to bring this through the main entrance."
"What is it?"
He smiled.
"An axe."
Of course it was.
He shifted the weapon onto his other shoulder and held out a hand.
"Timmy."
I looked at it.
Then shook.
"Kai."
His eyes widened.
He looked at my face properly.
Then looked again.
"Oh."
There it was.
I waited.
"You're that C-rank guy."
I stared at him.
Not Ygros.
Not X ceiling.
C-rank guy.
A smile slowly spread across my face.
"I think I'm going to like it here."