Three teenage boys walked out of the class building, the afternoon light catching the dust kicked up by a hundred departing feet.
Kai, Aaron, and Jude had just finished their combat class. It had been one week since resumption.
"I'm heading to my next class." Kai dapped them up, already half-turned toward his divergence point. "See you guys next time we have combat."
"I have classes as well." Jude's sigh carried the particular weight of someone who had accepted his fate but was not required to enjoy it.
"You get to attend only one class." Kai groaned. "If I'd known, I would have just stayed in combat class."
"Fool." Aaron feinted a smack at Kai's head. "Do you think I just go to my dormitory?"
Kai ducked—dramatically, with the full-body commitment of someone who had been dodging this exact smack for years.
"See you later, guys." Aaron waved as he walked away. "I'm going to rest for an hour before I head to the training grounds."
