Jack sat down on the cold Rudramite bench. Six pairs of eyes tracked his movements.
Slide. Clatter.
Plates and bowls were already shoved toward his side of the table. The aroma of Riya's Chhole Bhature clashed with the garlic of Nico's tzatziki sauce, Aisha's lentils, and Kenji's soy sauce.
"Make a choice, kid," Nico said, leaning his elbows on the table and pointing a finger at Jack. "Your soul is on the line. Meat and fire. It's the only way."
"Don't listen to him," Isabella insisted, pushing her plate of carbonara closer. "You look pale. You need real culture. You need pasta."
"Pasta is just lazy bread!" Aisha argued, sliding her bowl of Koshari forward. "Try this! It'll actually make you smile!"
Jack swallowed hard. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. The noise of the six older teenagers, the mix of food smells, and the reality of his new life were overwhelming. He didn't reach for any of the plates. Instead, he kept his head bowed and stared down at his hands.
Clink.
"Alright, that's enough," Riya said, setting her spoon down. She didn't raise her voice, but the table silenced instantly. She glared at her friends. "Look at him," she scolded, gesturing toward Jack. "You're suffocating the kid on his first day. Back off with the food. He and Liam already ate."
Nico pulled his gyro back, looking a bit sheepish. Aisha stopped bouncing and gave Jack an apologetic look.
"Thank you, Riya," Liam said, dropping onto the bench beside Jack and resting his arms on the table with a tired sigh. "Every Saturday and Sunday," Liam said, "You spend forty minutes trading insults about each other's culture, and then you have to inhale your food in twenty minutes before the two o'clock bell. It's exhausting just watching you."
"Debate sharpens the mind, Liam," Mei said quietly, not looking up from her bamboo steamer as she lifted a dumpling. "Your mind is dull because you eat boiled potatoes."
Pfft. Nico choked on a laugh, covering his mouth. Even Liam cracked a small smile before turning his head to make sure the table was paying attention.
"Anyway… everyone, this is Jack. He arrived yesterday."
Kenji nodded once. Mei studied Jack for a second before sipping her tea.
"So, where are you from, kid?" Nico asked, wiping his mouth.
Jack kept his eyes on his hands. He opened his mouth to speak, but nervousness was eating him. With the older students focused on him, the words refused to come out.
Seeing the boy's panic, Liam took over, his calm voice grounding the tension. "He's from Canada," Liam answered. "He's fifteen. His power started manifesting recently. It's... unique. Something to do with technology and networks."
Clack.
Mei set her teacup down, her eyes flashing with interest. "Cyberpathy?"
"Something like that," Liam nodded, glancing at Jack before continuing. "He was in a computer class at school. He said he was just browsing the internet, but his mind started interpreting the data differently. Like walking down a hallway and opening doors. He didn't realize what he was doing until he accidentally walked into a classified government mainframe."
Pheew.
Nico let out a low whistle. "A fifteen-year-old bypassing national security by accident. That's brilliant."
"It was dangerous," Riya corrected, eyes locked on Liam. "What happened next?"
"Three days later," Liam continued, his tone turning serious. "Jack was playing ice hockey with his friends at a local rink. A man showed up. Jack didn't get a good look at him, but he did something that made everyone on the rink black out instantly."
Isabella covered her mouth, her eyes wide with worry. "Dio mio... were they hurt?"
"The rest of the kids were safe, but Jack went missing. He was found two days later with no memory of that time. Woke up in a hospital. It was an attempted kidnapping, but an NGO team intervened. Working alongside the local police, they stopped the guy just before he could take Jack out of Canada."
A collective breath of relief swept across the table. The tension dissipated.
"Thank God for the NGO," Aisha said, pressing a hand to her chest. "They saved me from a terrible situation back in Egypt, too."
Tap-tap.
Kenji nodded, picking up his chopsticks. "They're efficient. They coordinate with local authorities to ensure our protection."
"They spoke to Jack's parents at the hospital," Liam added. "Explained what Jack was, and why hunters were targeting him. They told them about the academy. A safe place where he could learn to control his abilities without putting his family in danger."
"And here you are," Riya said, her voice softening. She offered Jack a smile. "You are safe here, Jack. The hunters can't reach this place."
Jack finally lifted his head. The certainty in Riya's voice and the nods from the table made the knot in his chest loosen. He looked at the six teenagers, realizing they all shared a similar story. They had all been hunted. They had all been saved.
"Thanks," Jack whispered. He cleared his throat and sat up a bit straighter. "I just... I don't really understand how this place works yet. Liam said everyone here has powers. But looking around..."
Jack gestured toward the wider cafeteria, where over a hundred and fifty students were eating. "I understand that fighting using powers is prohibited here, but what about the rest? Nobody is using magic, or moving things with their minds. Why?"
"Haha"
Nico laughed and crossed his arms. "Because, kid," Nico grinned, "you can only use your powers in the designated training rooms or inside your own personal room. Try doing it out here in the open, and the security robots will drag you off to the punishment zone and when--"
"To make dung cakes?" Jack interrupted recalling the punishment from Liam's story.
"Exactly!" Nico pointed a finger at him. "But interrupting someo--"
Riiip.
"Says the guy who smelled like a wet barn for a month," Riya said, not looking up as she tore a piece of bhatura.
Nico gasped, clutching his chest. "It was one week! One week, Riya! And why the hell is everyone interrupting me?"
"It was four weeks," Mei corrected deadpan. "And the dung cakes were only a fraction of the problem. You smelled for a month because you refused to shower."
Jack blinked, looking at Nico. "You didn't shower for a month?"
"I was protesting!" Nico argued, throwing his hands up. "The water pressure in the boys' dormitories was a conspiracy!"
"You are a boy," Isabella sighed, rolling her eyes. "Boys believe water and soap are their mortal enemies."
Kenji paused with a piece of sushi halfway to his mouth. He turned to look at Isabella, looking deeply offended. "I bathe twice a day," he stated calmly. "I have a ten-step skincare routine. Do not lump me in with this barbarian."
"And I," Liam added, pinching the bridge of his nose, "took three showers a day that month just to wash his smell off my clothes. So please, Isabella, leave us out of your generalizations."
"Hey!" Nico argued, grinning. "It was an ideological stance against poor plumbing, you fools!"
"Hehe"
Jack couldn't help but laugh. The absurdity of the argument was grounding.
Liam glanced at him, a faint smile forming. Seeing Jack laugh seemed to ease something in him. "See? This is what I have to live with."
Jack shifted on the bench, feeling slightly braver. "So, if we can't use powers out in the open... what do we actually do all day? Is it like a normal school?"
Riya wiped her hands and leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "You'll receive a student prospectus by this evening or tomorrow," Riya explained. "It contains all the rules and schedules. But I can give you the main points now. The academy uses a three-layered education framework."
Jack nodded. "Three layers?"
"First is the Core Curriculum," Riya said, checking it off on her fingers. "Everyone takes it. Advanced Mathematics, Applied Physics, Psychology, Strategic Thinking, and Physical Conditioning. It ensures we have a strong intellectual base so we don't just rely on our powers."
"The second layer," Mei took over, "is the Power-Specific Curriculum. Within the next few days, the assessment team will map your brainwaves and measure your energy output. From that data, they'll build a custom Power Dossier for you."
Mei gestured to herself. "I manipulate space. My classes involve vector physics and dimensional geometry." She pointed her chopsticks at Aisha. "Aisha controls plants. She studies botanical biology." She pointed at Liam. "Liam sees the future. He studies probability theory and timeline modeling. Since your power deals with networks and technology, you'll likely be assigned to advanced computer sciences and cryptography."
Jack nodded.
"Which brings us to the third layer," Riya continued. "The Control and Discipline Module. It's the most vital part of your time here. You spend hours in reinforced training rooms. The goal isn't just to make your power stronger; it's to teach you absolute control. Emotional regulation. Restraint. How to suppress your power when you're stressed or afraid, so you never accidentally hurt anyone."
"That makes sense," Jack said quietly. He remembered the feeling of opening doors in his mind, the rush of data that had overwhelmed him. Learning to control that sounded like exactly what he needed.
"But when does the course end?" Jack asked, frowning. "When do we graduate?"
"Graduation is always at twenty-one years old," Kenji stated, carefully aligning his empty soy sauce dish with the edge of his bento box. "Fixed."
Jack did the math in his head. "Wait. If graduation is strictly at twenty-one... how does that work? I'm fifteen. I have six years left. But if someone gets brought here when they're eighteen, do they just stay until they're twenty-six?"
"No," Kenji explained. "Twenty-one is the biological and mental stabilization point for ability users. It's an absolute limit. If someone awakens after twenty-one, they aren't brought to the academy at all."
"The difference lies in the intensity of the course," Riya added. "The academy divides students into cases based on their entry age. If you enter at six, you get fifteen years. You have plenty of time. Six to twelve is just foundation development."
"You are fifteen," Mei observed. "You'll be placed in an accelerated foundation phase. You have a few years to specialize your power before the final integration phase."
"But if you enter at eighteen," Riya said, "you only have three years. It's a compressed specialization. But the system is designed so that no matter when you start, by the time you reach twenty-one, you're fully trained and in control of your abilities."
"Twenty-one," Jack repeated softly. He looked around the table. "How old are you guys?"
The light banter vanished.
Aisha looked down at her food. "Ya tara… el bakht raih fen…" and started humming softly, as if the question wasn't directed at her.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Nico started drumming his fingers against the table. "He's asking your age, Mei."
Mei stared back at him sharply.
"We turn twenty-one in six months," Liam said quietly, offering Jack a tight smile.
Before Jack could process that, a sharp electronic chime rang out.
BZZZT. BZZZT.
Two o'clock. Lunch was over.
The shift in the cafeteria was immediate. Across the hall, students stood up.
Scrape. Clatter.
Trays were picked up. The murmur of conversation died down, replaced by the shuffling of boots as everyone moved toward the exits.
Tramp. Tramp. Tramp.
Riya stood up, picking up her plate. She looked down at Jack and smiled. "I have Applied Physics now," Riya said. "Don't worry too much, Jack. The first week is always overwhelming, but you'll get used to the routine. We're glad you're here."
Mei wiped her mouth and stood up beside Riya, offering Jack a nod. "I have spatial stress testing in the training rooms. Nice meeting you, Jack."
"I have biology," Nico groaned, grabbing his tray. "I have to learn how a bird's hollow bones work before they force me to jump off a platform again. Pray for me, kid."
Kenji and Isabella stood up silently, grabbing their things. "We'll meet you again Jack".
Aisha offered Jack a smile and a wave before following the flow of students toward the western corridor.
Within seconds, the table was empty, leaving only Liam and Jack.
Liam stood up. The tired, calm mask was firmly back in place on his face, but his eyes were kind. He looked down at Jack, who was still processing everything he had just learned.
"Come on, Jack," Liam said, nodding toward the main central doors where the stream of students was flowing. "It's time for your academy tour. Let's show you the rest of the place."