The Cloak removes her hood, breaking her illusory appearance and revealing her slicked-back black hair, much like your own. Her mysterious grayish skin reverts to a similar tanned tone to your own, though, and her brown eyes match yours, as well. Even when not actively using her powers, the Cloak casts no shadow. But when not assuming the role of the ghostly heroine, the world knows her as Diana ., billionaire CEO of . Corp. And your mother. "I wanted to check in earlier, but the first day of school involves many meetings. How are you settling in, Spencer Raymund?"
"It's Prodigy now, Mom," you say, "No normie names on campus grounds, remember? But yeah, it's been a hell of a day."
The Cloak's expression remains the same, though she's always been stone-faced. She looks up at the moon, deep in thought. "I'll miss Scout, but I understand the need for change. Evos Academy is great for that." Your mother gives you time to respond, but when you do not, she moves the conversation forward to avoid a familiar awkward silence. "You did well in the White Room Trial, and I heard about your fight with another student. It reminds me of my early days."
The Cloak sighs. "I get it. I was young once, too. I'm here if you ever decide you do indeed need me." With that, she raises her hood, returning her skin to gray hues and her eyes to white. The shadows swirl around her, drained from the alleyway to fuel her powers. "I hope you understand, I cannot show favoritism. You must make it here on your own…as Prodigy, apparently."
"I know, Mom," you respond, walking away. When you look back, she's gone. She does that a lot.
Next
The bright lights of the amphitheater are within sight when a sparkling silver portal opens up next to you. Conjurer walks out, keeping pace with you and starting a conversation like a spectacular feat of magic wasn't performed right before your eyes. "Hey."
"Hey," you respond.
"I wanted to catch you again. Oh, you look…perturbed," Conjurer says, noticing your face.
"Just had a heart-to-heart with my mom." The sarcasm drips from every word.
Conjurer's eyes soften. "Gotcha. Well, it's been a rough first day for everyone. I'm on your side, though," Conjurer says. His words sound sincere enough.
"For real?"
He nods. "Yes. We need to stick together. No one can survive this place alone."
You stop in your footsteps, urged to address your relationship.
"You'd be fine with or without me," you respond. "You've got lots of pull and, you know, literal magic on your side."
Conjurer squinches his face. "Come on. We're a team, whether you like it or not. Six months, and I still can't get you to open up," he says, frustrated.
Being surrounded by Evos Academy puts a lot of things into perspective. "We don't even know if we'll have classes together," you respond. "Perhaps we take it one day at a time, yeah?"
"Okay." The mystic waves his hand, and another portal opens. "Look for me at orientation. I'll save you a seat."
The arena isn't far now, so you move quickly to avoid being late.
Next
You arrive at the auditorium. There are more than enough seats for an audience of two hundred at the amphitheater. In this case, there are sixty students, and some of the janitorial and support staff are sitting in the back. Regardless of the extra room, it appears most of the students have been asked to sit close, so the cliques are forced to mingle. You'll need to decide where to sit, but alone isn't an option.
On one side, stage right, and somewhere in the middle, Z is hanging out with Flashfire, the evo you saw earlier on the Green. Didn't he place a few bets himself? You wonder if Z was there, too, but just too fast to see. They're having fun and look friendly enough. Then again, your connection to them is only a brief encounter with your new roommate.
In the center, close to the front, Conjurer and Paragon are sitting together. They've known each other for years and get along almost too well. They are the two people you know best so far, but you're not too sure you want to be a third wheel while they're catching up.
On the edge of the assembly, stage left, and as far back as you can get, Red Claw and Germ are sitting by themselves. It's possible you got off on the wrong foot, and maybe sitting with them could smooth things over. It could also get ugly if Red Claw isn't over his one-sided grudge, though.
You decide to sit with Z and get to know your roommate better. He's hanging with his friend Flashfire, an evo of Middle Eastern descent with flame-based powers, a red-and-white uniform, and a pair of rose-tinted goggles around his neck. Upon further inspection, they match Z's goggles in shape and size, though Z's has a purple hue to better match his uniform. Others also sit with Flashfire and Z, but they appear to be the closest.
They have plenty of water bottles for everyone, but they're also passing around a flask. Flashfire takes a swig. "Man, my trial was a mess. I wiped out last year, and this year was even harder. My usual MO is to set fire to stuff around my opponent to intimidate them, but this year, it was an emotionless robot in an empty room. I got a lucky punch in, but…man, I'm just happy to be here with y'all."
The group huddles together, and Z celebrates Flashfire, wrapping his arm around his friend with a huge grin. "I knew you'd do it this year, bro," he says. "Last year was for sure a fluke. You and me are gonna rock this place. Los Nebulos Forever!" He passes the flask to Flashfire, who also drinks.
"Either that or we'll Thelma and Louise this bitch," Flashfire says. He and Z give each other a dap. "For Julio, right?"
That name clearly hits Z hard. After composing himself, he smiles back at his friend. "Yeah…for Julio."
Next
They notice you and cheer, motioning you to sit with them. If you weren't planning to sit with them already, it would be awkward to say no at this point. "Hey, everybody, this is my roommate, Prodigy! Prodigy, this is everybody!"
A cacophony of introductions is thrown at you, too many to remember. Z has lots of friends.
Flashfire moves over, making room for you to sit between him and Z. "Don't be shy. A bunch of us grew up in the same neighborhood in Nebula City, but the more, the merrier."
"Where are you from?" Z throws out.
"Morgana City," you say. "Nowhere near as nice as Nebula City, with all its high-tech buildings. Reminds me a little of Evos Academy."
Z laughs. "It should. Gearhead is Nebula City's protector, so he upgrades the place from time to time. Doesn't do much to keep the crime down, but everything looks more futuristic."
The rest of the group concurs. Of course, certain sectors of Nebula City are known for their near-zero crime rate, with other less-patrolled areas on the outskirts often terrorized by high-tech villains. Gearhead is a great hero but is also known to be slow to act when his interests or inventions aren't directly affected.
"But tell us more about you. You're a mystery," Z says. "And if we're gonna be roomies, we should know more than just each other's names, right?"
Z seems easily impressionable, so a story about your days as Scout could get him on your good side. Then again, your secrets are yours, and you don't know everyone listening. Maybe a joke would be good enough.
You shrug. "There's not much to tell, to be honest. New powers, so I'm here to learn how best to use them from the experts. Standing on the shoulders of giants, you know?" Leaning closer to Z, you continue, "I'm much more interested in knowing more about you, Z."
Z doesn't hold your evasiveness against you. "No problem, Morgana City breeds mistrust. I get it. It's cool. We're a lot more open in Nebula City, so I'm cool with sharing more about me instead. Ask me anything."
You have the perfect question. "I overheard Flashfire's story, but how did you do in your White Room Trial, Z?"
"Oh, piece of cake!" He slaps Flashfire's knee and adds, "No offense," before continuing. "I'm not anywhere near as fast as Nitro is, cause, hell, nobody is. He's the fastest man on Earth for a reason. But that automaton couldn't keep up with me. Not even a little."
The crowd laughs, but there's a bit of hesitation on Z's face. During the White Room Trial, it's just you. Other students don't know how it went until you tell them whether you passed or failed. There's more to the story, but Z interrupts your thoughts. "Anything else?"
Next