"Oh, yes. This is my first time enrolled, but I've been hanging out, meeting the other heroes, since the age of twelve." They nudge you in the rib. "That's six years the academy has been around, if you're doing the math."
Paragon motions to the campus, beaming with pride as they continue.
"It was built after the Battle of Orawood City, when the Scarlet Angel fought the Black Orb created by Doctor Death. She fought her best but was forced to sacrifice herself due to a lack of proper training. Doctor Death took himself, the Scarlet Angel, and half the city with him. That was like seventy thousand people." Their head hangs at the thought. "I was only a kid, but my father was so sad when he found her body in the aftermath, which is why he originally teamed up with the Wardens to build this place. New heroes need a good foundation to face the horrors of villainy."
Paragon quickly changes topics, clearly not wanting to get misty.
You run out of questions just as…
"And here we are," Paragon says, gesturing to a building. It's two stories tall and adorned with sun and cloud icons in oranges and pinks. Your final tour destination is Dawn Hall, one of four residential buildings on campus. The others are Sunset Hall, Sunrise Hall, and Dusk Hall, of course. "You're in 319, so head on in, and I hope I'll see you at orientation."
You open the door. "Yeah. See you later, Paragon," you say, starting to enter.
But Paragon interrupts you. "Before I let you go…tell me, Prodigy, how do you like Evos Academy so far?"
Paragon waits for you to expound on your thoughts, but you don't add much more. Still, they're excited for this year and believes you are, too. They leave you to get settled in your room, giving you another wink as they depart.
Next
The hallways of Dawn Hall feel like they go on forever, but there aren't many rooms. Doing the math, if there are sixty students and four residential halls, that's only fifteen evos per building. And yet, the square footage is immense. What else could be going on in these buildings?
Before you know it, you've arrived at Room 319. Half the space inside is taken up with someone else's stuff. Beside some swimsuit magazine pages from Maxim on the wall is a Linkin Park poster and three other posters of Nitro, the world's fastest man, in various action and product endorsement poses. The floor is covered in clutter, several candy wrappers, and empty ramen cartons. It's a total mess.
You wonder why you even need a roommate with a building so large. It's no use arguing, though. Evos Academy runs on its own rules, it appears.
How do you feel about the mess?
You scoff at the number of boxes and suitcases filled with your stuff. If your roommate's messy, that gives you license to do the same. There's no one here to enforce cleanliness, so you can do the bare minimum.
Sheets on the bed, your favorite poster of Brilliant battling Madame Blade on the wall, and your mini-fridge beside the bed. You smile at the work you've done so far. "Baby steps," you say to yourself.
You suddenly feel a tap on your shoulder, but when you turn around, there's no one. Maybe you're imagining it. You try to return to your task before you feel another tap. It's pretty annoying.
The rule of three says another tap is coming, so you figure out how to stop it.
You're not a fan of being touched without consent. Whoever this is needs to learn about personal space. You count the seconds until the next tap occurs and figure out how to avoid it. "Let them try, but they'll never touch me." With your telekinesis, you create a barrier over your body about an inch thick. You feel a tap, then another and another, like you've confused whoever is behind this strange prank. While they tap, you turn around.
Now, you're face-to-face with the culprit.
The evo has tanned skin and a black-and-purple uniform. His short, wavy hair is brown with purple tips to match his uniform. He stares you down intensely…
…and bursts into laughter. "Ay Dios! You should have seen your face!" he continues. "I can't believe you got me! So good!" he says with a bit of an accent.
"Are you trying to mess with me?" you ask. "Who are you?"
He raises his hands to calm any ire you might be feeling toward him. "Sorry, sorry, I can't help but pull pranks when I first meet someone." He reaches out and shakes your hand. "I'm Z, your roommate. It's short for Zoom. My mom gave me the nickname when my speedster powers kicked in, but I prefer going by the shorter version nowadays. My tío Mateo says it should be Zed, but I prefer the single letter, you know?"
You lower your defensive stance, while Z continues to talk. Speedsters are known for having large appetites and being loquacious. He rambles more about his family but shifts the topic back to you. "That was a great way to stop me, though. I never saw it coming!"
"Hey, anytime," he says. "It just so happens I had an opening in my schedule today."
He laughs and grabs his matching goggles from beside his bed. "These were actually what I came back for. Getting bugs in your eyes when running is terrible. Even worse in the mouth, but…yeah, off to orientation. Later!"
"Bye-" and then he is gone "-Z."
What an interesting roommate choice, not the least because coed rooming is apparently a thing here. You don't often hang out with someone so cheerful, so maybe it'll do you some good. You smirk to yourself and return to unpacking.
Exit Z
On the wall of your room is a communication box with a big red button. Having random tech in your room without knowing what it does bothers you, so you cozy up to the box and hit the call button. "Who's on the other end of this?"
"It is I, EARL, the Evos Academy Remote Link!" EARL sounds almost excited you called. "How can I be of service, Prodigy?"
Enough people have mentioned orientation, so it must be important to get there sooner rather than later. "When is orientation?"
"In just over an hour. If you leave now, you'll have plenty of time to explore the campus and still find a good seat," EARL responds.
Looking at the time, you hit the button one last time. "Thanks, EARL," you say, booking it to orientation.
Next