257
******
As the end of MPE approached, Alden hadn’t shaken off all his stress, but the reactions of other students to his Winston fight were surprising him in a a good way.
The faculty had avoided pairing him and the speedster for the duels that took place right after Thanksgiving, even though they should have been randomly assigned to fight each other more than once before now. Of course the others had noticed that. But because Alden had been away or studying so often during periods when he could have been socializing with them, he hadn’t realized how many of them had been waiting to see how the matchup went. And, it turned out, rooting for him to do well.
Even one person who he would have thought might want to see him lose.
“Why won’t you fight with a serious weapon like that?” Reinhard complained while he watched Alden try to put together a new Winsterminator in the practice area. Lexi had ended the first one’s career in an explosion of sand when Writher sliced open the bag. “I wouldn’t have any problem with you if you fought like that.”
You would still have problems with every ti I won, Alden thought.
Reinhard had good qualities. He also had a tendency to bury them under his bad qualities when things weren’t going his way.
“You’re one of the only other people in class I’ve made a custom weapon for. And it worked. Which is proof it was a serious weapon even if it looked a little funny.”
So funny Alden had rewatched that duel more than any of his others.
Reinhard grumbled like Alden was giving him a hard ti, but then he said, “Congratulations. For Winston. I haven’t seen it yet, but everyone’s talking about it. He’s not exactly a brilliant duelist, but he is a rank above you, and he had it in for you. Even if you two had an argunt, he’s being too swaybrained about it. Maybe this will make him shut up.”
“The argunt was him lying about to entertain people on the internet and arriving to make him stop.”
Reinhard twirled one of his arrows. He’d done it three tis since he’d walked up. Alden was wondering if it was so competitive impulse that had developed because he’d seen Alden spinning his own weapon a few tis over the past hour. “Whatever. He’s just getting on my nerves. The other day when your Rabbit friends ca to the dorm, after you all left, so of us were joking around about you in my apartnt, and he was ruining the atmosphere.”
“You were talking about ?”
“It wasn’t like we were saying anything you’d be mad about. You have to know that two of them have over-Apexed their Appeal, and then there was that super cool girl who showed off her skill by making hdi’s watch look a thousand argold better, and the funny one in the skirt asked us where ‘Pigeon Picture Boy’ was. They were so flashy as soon as they walked in. And the blonde girl was cooking for us within ten seconds of showing up. So we were talking about it like, ‘Guess Alden’s not coming back to the hero program. The Rabbit bosses finally sent in the elite team to lure him ho. We’ll never hear from him again.’”
Alden grinned. “They did look like an elite team, and they did take away to see the people who co closest to qualifying as Rabbit bosses.”
“It was normal, corny stuff. But Winston can’t hear your na, or Max’s, and stay normal. He made it so uncomfortable that I was shoveling spaghetti into my mouth so that I could use going downstairs for a second serving as an excuse to get away. And it was my apartnt.” Reinhard shrugged. “Anyway. Congrats.”
“What did Winston say to make it that uncomfortable, though?”
Reinhard looked toward the high ceiling. “It was sothing about you going back to Matadero…I’m not going to repeat it…but you should definitely beat him in duels a few more tis. If it wasn’t just luck.”
Alden imagined Winston butting in with sothing about how Alden deserved to be killed by a demon during one of his visits to Matadero instead of being carried off by a bunch of fun Rabbits.
The speedster had picked himself up after their duel, but he was staying as far from Alden as possible when they were both in the practice area. And he was being uncharacteristically serious in his duels against people he usually won against. Actually fighting without thinking about how he looked fighting.
So I sobered him up for at least one day. Not sure he deserved the favor.
“It wasn’t just luck!” he called after Reinhard as the archer left. “Acknowledge the true power of my contraptions!”
“He said luck?” Ignacio had arrived, sliding fast across a lting ice patch Everly had left behind. “No. Excellent. Good duel. Congratulations! ”
“But you’ll just dodge and put a knife to my throat anyway, Shrike.”
“Don’t say that. That makes feel pitiful. Muy triste.”
Ignacio explained.
Is the idea that he’ll send a flock of knives into the sandbag to see if he can redirect it? Or attack the preserved paracord handle while I’m flicking it around?
Either would be an interesting experint. But…
“If we get a chance to try it at the end of a class,” Alden said. “Yes.”
Alden felt his face scrunch.
The isters knew Alden rarely presented them with opportunities to try their weapons out against anything he was protecting with his magic. Writher got more attempts than any of the other deadly tools because Writher and Alden lived together, and he was being a good roommate.
“What if I went to Superlatives one day?” Alden suggested. “Or ister club. Not to participate in a way that would annoy anyone but just as a training target for you to use? You’ll fatigue my skill fast finding out what you can do, and I’ll leave.”
Ignacio brightened.
“Ash?”
“Shrike! I’m here! Practice with !” Marsha’s shout made them both look over. She was shifting her weapon into glaive mode.
“Remind her that the practice area isn’t just a bigger dueling block with human-shaped objects in the way.”
“Probably not. I wasn’t around for gossip this weekend.”
“I’m a little surprised,” said Alden, lowering his voice. “I know she’s got a one-track mind, but the one track seems to suit what they’re doing.”
“SHRIKE!”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Poor Marsha, thought Alden. For the first ti ever. Maybe she’s got that S-rank fighting obsession because in her mind it’s like the opposite of her dad being a phony?
A minute later, Ignacio sprinted past, pursued by a girl who definitely preferred to interpret “practice area” as “free dueling space.”
On the other hand, she looks thrilled to be chasing him down. Maybe she just likes it.
A couple more people ca up to Alden to say congrats before class ended. It wasn’t like everyone was a fan of his work. He caught so glares and wary glances, and there was one comnt from a Brute who sotis hung out with Winston about how things would have been different if Winston had a weapon, too.
But finding out so many of them were glad for his success was a boost. I thought it would just be my roommates and Max who appreciated how I did in one duel. This makes proud I put so extra effort in.
He found himself smiling as he packed up.
On his way out of the gym, Finlay sprang in front of him to declare that he was taking him out to celebrate. Alden protested that it was going overboard to celebrate one single person’s duel when they’d all just had several of them. But he didn’t protest it too hard with Haoyu making restaurant suggestions and Astrid diving in to say she expected to be taken out for dinner by the whole class when she beat Tuyet.
“Since Astrid will never earn that dinner, that’s more money I can spend for your al,” Finlay said. “What’s a place you like in Apex? Who should we invite?”
******
Ten of them crowded around two tables at the back of the diner. The checkerboard floor, the glass-fronted fridge full of familiar canned drinks, and the items listed on the plastic-coated nus were nostalgic for Alden. But the Anesidoran touches were great, too. Their waitress was an Object Shaper who wore harem pants and Artonan jewelry with a cut-off Celena North University shirt. Whatever they ordered left the kitchen and traveled to them through the air under her direction, and dishes that they emptied took flight a minute or two later.
Everyone raised sodas, milkshakes, cups of tea, and decaf coffees to Alden’s victory. Then they did the sa for various victories the others wanted to be complinted on. And finally they saluted Winston’s new roommates—whoever they might be.
They chattered about duels, Christmas, and school while they ate the kinds of als you could only put together at a place that served Arican breakfast food and dinner food simultaneously. If their volu and Jeffy popping out of his chair constantly was irritating the other people eating there, Alden didn’t really notice it.
“I just like wintry-looking things,” Everly was saying. She sat beside Kon at one end of the table. They were supposed to be splitting a basket of buffalo chicken wings and an order of eggs Benedict. She didn’t seem to notice Kon was scarfing all the chicken. “It’s the sa as people who have a bunch of accessories in their favorite color, but instead of one color, I have a the.”
“I want a the,” said Astrid, taking a fry from a shared plate in the middle of the table and leaning across Max to dunk it in one of the sauces Alden had gotten to go with his hash browns and plant-based scramble. “Jeffy’s aquatic the will be sharks, and his land-based the will be grilling.”
Jeffy lifted half a cheeseburger into the air proudly.
“Lexi’s the should be that black feather makeup he wore to class the other day. Max’s the could be—”
“My the will be asking you why you don’t order your own spicy mustard dip if you like it that much.” Max was trying to wipe a drop of it off his sleeve.
“Next ti I will. This ti Alden had an ordering advantage. He’s eaten here before and knows what’s good.”
“Kon,” Max said, “if it’s not a problem—”
“A stain!” Kon gasped. “My favorite!”
He’d gotten burger grease off of Jeffy’s jacket a few minutes ago.
“Kon’s the kind of hero people actually want around. I keep waiting for soone to shout, ‘We can’t do this without a Dura Brute!’ in an everyday setting, but it never happens.” Haoyu was sitting across the table from Alden. “What were you saying about Ignacio?”
“He wants to try to hit him with the weapon a few tis,” said Alden. “I asked him if I could do it at Superlatives instead of in class.”
“The Rabbit has taken out an A-rank Speed Brute, and now he wants to fight the entire S-rank club,” Kon said, checking out the stain on Max’s shirt. “I look forward to it.”
Lexi, Everly, and Max were all giving Alden raised eyebrows.
“Did you think they’d actually let you go?” Lexi asked.
“I did offer to do ister club, too. Ignacio picked Superlatives.”
“ister club’s going to have a reduced number of gym etings next term,” Lexi said.
“I don’t think it would be a problem.” Lucille, sitting at the end of the table with a Cobb salad, had been the quietest mber of their group tonight. But she’d still been more talkative than normal. Alden was glad he’d invited her. “People can be overprotective of their floor ti, but if it’s just for a few minutes and Ignacio gets it pre-approved, nobody should be mad about it.”
“Superlatives is full of normal students like any other club,” said Finlay. “Marsha’s the one who’ll whinge about Alden being there. And to quiet Marsha down all Shrike has to do is promise to fight her next. You might have to wait for your chance, though, Alden. With all the people volunteering to train us lately it’s been crowded.”
“Finlay…” Everly said hesitantly. “Are you staying? Have you decided?”
Everyone knew she ant the Elites program.
Finlay winced.
“You don’t have to answer.”
“I was excited about being invited. And I thought I’d go. But what if it’s like being with a bunch of S-rank Winstons who I won’t have a break from even on the weekends?”
“Why would they be S-rank Winstons?” Alden asked.
“The worst thing about living with him is having soone who insists on competing every second whether I feel like it or not,” said Finlay. “‘How many followers did you gain last night? How fast did you drink that cup of juice?’”
“How fast can you shower?”
“Don’t remind . It’s been shite like that constantly. I know Elites wouldn’t be those little things. But it’s supposed to be more competition than here. All day. Every day. With them tossing us out if we don’t keep up. And if it’s like that, won’t I go mad? I want to be the best, but I can’t be the best if I go mad. So maybe not. I’ve got until Friday to tell them.”
“Vandy’s grandfather didn’t like the idea of it,” said Everly. “So she’s not going. I thought Tuyet definitely wouldn’t go, no matter what, but she seed to be thinking about it until she heard Vandy was saying no. Maricel’s only around for about ten minutes at a ti, but Tuyet says she talked to Fragnt, and Fragnt’s advising her to stay at CNH. So she probably will?”
“You must’ve worried you were going to lose all three roommates,” said Haoyu.
“I wondered if I would. It looks like we’ll be together again.” She reached for the basket that had held the buffalo wings and saw that it now held nothing but gnawed bones. “Kon!”
They ordered more wings for Everly and slices of pie for dessert. They all took pens and styluses out of their bags and tried spinning them. Alden and the other globies ended up answering questions about ho.
“You should tell your aunt to order special wedding supplies here on Anesidora.” Astrid was moving the salt and pepper shakers so that a bowl of extra whipped cream could land. “And then you can take it all with you when you go. It’s one of the perks of having an Avowed relative.”
Alden had just ntioned that he expected to attend Aunt Connie’s wedding soti next year.
“And you should buy your Arican friends—if they’re real—sothing that they can’t get at ho.”
“When did you guys all decide my friends weren’t real?” Alden asked.
“Right before pie,” said Haoyu.
“They’re fake,” said Astrid. “For sure. You were a loner in your old high school, but then you t us…”
“There are a few pictures of them on my Tri from like a year and a half ago. I told you they’re the reason I like this diner.”
“A year and a half ago.” Max shook his head. “Only a few pictures.”
“You’re getting in on this? Hang on. I’ll introduce you all to them. It’s only two hours later there, so they’re probably still up.”
[Alden: Boe, I’m at a diner with a bunch of people from school who want to prove that my Chicago friends are real. That’s you. Want to take a call on your cell if you’re awake?]
[Alden: Jeremy, you up? I’m hanging out with classmates at a diner, and I told them about you. They want proof that you exist.]
They both ca through, answering from their bedrooms at ho and appearing on everyone’s interface.
“Alden’s Arican friends, our diner has twelve kinds of pie,” Astrid said after introductions had been made. Her hair was slowly getting longer and turning yellow blonde.
“Seriously? Ours only has four unless there’s a special,” Jeremy replied. “But the coconut cream is addictive. Right, Boe?”
Jeremy followed several of Alden’s classmates online because they sotis ntioned Alden, or posted things like the gokoratch song video in which he could be spotted. He seed thrilled to be chatting with a bunch of Avowed at eleven o’clock at night. And Boe was being a good sport.
“The coconut cream is human-style magic,” Boe agreed.
“I got coconut cream.” Jeffy was holding up a forkful of it. “Alden beat Winston up.”
“What wonderful news,” said Boe.
“You’re beating people up, Alden?” Jeremy clucked his tongue.
“In MPE,” Alden said. “There was no lasting damage.”
“I wonder if Winston would agree with that.”
“He hit him with a fifty-kilo sandbag, you guys!”
“The fight lasted a few seconds. Alden’s improved since we started school.”
“Winston was so sure he was going to win he bet his room.”
“He offended the mad Rabbit of Matadero, and that was the end for him.”
“Send us more giardiniera. Lute ate it all on ran.”
“Haoyu’s ordering groceries from Arica? Can we?”
“Why would we? We have stores.”
“I want a deep dish pizza from actual Chicago.”
“I’ll show you how fast I can freeze a glass of lemon-li soda if you tell an embarrassing story about Alden.”
Boe’s polite smile suddenly turned genuine. “One ti, Alden climbed onto the roof of a stranger’s house—”
“Don’t tell them this one,” Alden protested.
Jeremy, who had heard this story before, was already grinning in anticipation.
“—because he saw a cat up there he thought was his. And he thought it was having a dical issue. We were like five miles from his own neighborhood, so I don’t know why he was so sure it was his cat.”
“You helped get onto that roof!”
“Of course the animal ran away from the sketchy guy who was trying to bother it. The owner of the house drove up at exactly the sa ti, and for so reason, Alden was just standing around where she could see him when she got out of her car.”
“Because you hid from her and weren’t there to help get down! This story is just as embarrassing for you.”
“He was so nervous that he kept saying, ‘There is a cat here. There is,” instead of using the past tense, so basically he was hanging out on so lady’s roof in broad daylight, swearing he could see a cat that clearly wasn’t there.”
They were all cackling and snorting. They were laughing so hard that they were choking on their pie.
And it didn’t feel bad at all to laugh until his stomach ached, to accept over-the-top praise for a duel, and to be embarrassed in the middle of this group of people he was growing closer to little by little.
Alden looked at Boe making them all laugh. Maybe one day he’ll change his mind and co here.
He looked at Jeremy. We haven’t really drifted that far apart.
It didn’t feel bad to belong, for a while, on Anesidora.
******
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