Olivia’s first weekend at the academy started with a tedious morning of lying in bed studying runes. When she had woken up, she’d seen that Rald and the two Bogoli siblings were gone, and Shani was in the bathroom. Adaida was still breathing slow, deep breaths, even now, hours after dawn. Olivia smiled and kept writing runes over and over onto her notebook pages. She didn’t know what the test would be like on Monday. Do they have such a thing as multiple-choice here? She wanted to prepare for the worst-case scenario - blank sheets of paper and a writing utensil.

She’d finished her second full run-through of all the runes when Adaida finally sat up and stretched, yawning hugely. “Where is everyone?”

“I don’t know where Veena, Hanwol, and Rald are. Your sister said she was going for breakfast and shopping. I wasn’t invited.” Olivia cringed inwardly - why did she have to add that last bit? Even if it was true, she didn’t have to let Adaida know that it bothered her that Shani hadn’t asked her to come along.

“Huh, bitch could’ve woken me up. Is she still punishing you for fraternizing with the enemy?” Adaida sat on the edge of her bed, stretching and fluttering her dragonfly wings. Her thick hair was a tangled mess, and she smiled warmly at Olivia. “Don’t let her bother you. She’s always been way too competitive. She doesn’t trust Sarice, though, and I have to admit, she might be right about her. Just be careful.”

“Thanks. I don’t know why I said that. I’m too old to be petulant. Hey, I’m ready for a break; you wanna go get some food?”

“Now you’re talking! Let me go run a brush through this mess and change my clothes.”

“Sounds good!” Olivia sat up and got herself dressed while Adaida was in the bathroom. She made her bed and marveled at how easy it was to keep things clean when you had containers that could hold everything you own. When Adaida came out, dressed in her uniform gray robes and her shimmering chestnut hair pulled back into a neat plait, Olivia led the way through the hallways to the main concourse and outside the academy building. “Let’s go somewhere off-campus. I’m tired of the cafeteria. I’ll buy! I haven’t spent hardly any of my stipend.”

“I won’t argue with that! I know a place you might like, an Ilyathi place near gate street.”

“Um, please don’t laugh, but what’s an Ilyathi?” Olivia looked at Adaida with a sideways glance, hoping the question wasn’t too ridiculous.

“Oh, don’t worry - there aren’t a lot of them around. They’re another race on Fanwath. Kind of strange people, but they make good food. They’re not much in the way of Energy users, though. I don’t think I’ve seen any in the academy classes, even the second and third-year cohorts. Let’s see - they’re bipedal, but their skin is gray. They have black eyes, and the strangest thing is their arms - they have four, and they’re more like tentacles than arms. You know what I mean?”

Olivia’s face had blanched a little at the description, and she said, “Are they related to Yovashi?”

“Oh, you know about Yovashi? That’s surprising - they’re quite rare these days. Hmm, I don’t know about related, but yes, they come from the same origin world. The Ilyathi are quite peaceful, though, so don’t get worried; they’re nothing like the spooky stories people tell their kids about the Yovashi.”

“Okay, well, that’s a relief.” Olivia decided not to get into her story about the Yovashi she’d met; it just didn’t feel right to bring it up on this sunny day walking to lunch with a new friend. If she were being honest with herself, Olivia thought, she’d admit that she just didn’t want to think about it and explain her scar and everything else that came up with the topic of the Yovashi.

She followed Adaida along the busy sidewalk, marveling at the colorful crowds of various types of people. She admired the different kinds of clothing on display, the animals and carts, and the smells coming from food stands and out of homes and shops; everything seemed brighter and more vivid under the bright sun today. Perhaps it was the fact that it was Saturday and her first day at the academy without any explicit obligations. That was another odd thing she hadn’t really put any thought into—the fact that there were seven days in the week, and the System had integrated her words for them seamlessly with the words the other races apparently used. It was very convenient, but it felt strange to be on an alien world with different races of people talking about weekends and a test coming up on Monday.

Adaida and Olivia sat at a small table outside the shop where a gray-skinned Ilyathi prepared several types of soup. The soup that Adaida talked Olivia into was much like a bowl of pho she’d had while attending a seminar in Seattle. The noodles were a little crunchy, and they had a green tint to them, but they were tasty. The broth was rich and aromatic, and the fresh veggies and seasoned meat settled in her stomach nicely. The Ilyathi woman who served them was a lot different from a Yovashi. Still, she shared the Yovashi’s smooth, expressionless facial features, which made her seem more alien than most of the other races Olivia had met.

After they ate, they went back to the academy grounds and tracked Veena and Hanwol down in the library. They were sitting at their usual table studying their runes quietly and didn’t look up when Adaida and Olivia sat down. Olivia quietly took out her flashcards and reviewed them while waiting for the others to speak. “Glad you’re allowing your brother to study with you, Veena,” Adaida said, a twisted grin on her lips.

“Oh, I couldn’t stop him. He followed me like a lost puppy when I left the dorm this morning.” Veena spoke archly, staring at her text and not looking at Adaida when she responded.

“Someone has to keep an eye on you while you mope,” Hanwol said, slapping her book closed.

“You little ass!” Veena picked up her book and moved to stand, but Olivia reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Veena, stop this. Let’s study together. Who cares if I’m better at memorizing runes than some of you? I’m going to be shit at other things!”

“Not so far! Practically the star of every class, aren’t you?” Veena glared at Olivia, but then some shame crept into her eyes, and she looked down. “I sound like a little kid, don’t I?”

“Yeah, you do. You should be glad Olivia is doing so well—she’s in our cohort after all!” Adaida thumped Veena on the shoulder with the flat of her hand. Veena blew out an explosive sigh.

“Alright, let’s have a practice test.” And so they did, drilling and practicing for the next several hours. Later in the afternoon, Rald wandered in, wearing his combat practice garb and was covered with grass stains. He said he’d been practicing throws with other cohort members in the commons. Adaida acted upset that he didn’t bring any of their cohort for the practice, but he shrugged, saying everyone had been asleep.

“Well, next time you plan something like that, let us know ahead of time. We need to practice as badly as anyone. Also, you might have benefited from some study with us on runes!” Adaida seemed to notice her scolding tone and looked down, trailing off her last words.

“Oh well. Let’s all agree to do some throws on the commons tomorrow morning, then study runes in the afternoon. I want our cohort to have a good showing on Monday!” Olivia hoped to steer the group into mutual cooperation, and it worked for the most part. Rald sat down, and they studied a bit more, then they made their way to the cafeteria for dinner. No one had seen Shani all day, but Adaida didn’t seem worried about her. They’d finished eating and were lounging around the couches by the bay window in their dorm when she finally made an appearance.

“Where have you been all day?” Adaida asked, jumping up. Everyone else got quiet and watched for her response.

“Shopping and I met Bennis for dinner. What’s it to you?”

“Well, you could let me know!” Adaida seemed a good deal more peeved than she’d let on earlier. Shani looked at Olivia and frowned.

“I told Olivia. Didn’t she tell you?” Olivia sat up straighter and tried to force a smile at the mention of her name. It came out looking more crooked and strange than comfortable.

“Well, she did, but that doesn’t excuse it. You should have talked to me. You know I would have liked to see Bennis.” At the second mention of that name, Rald looked at the others and mouthed the word, a question mark on his face.

“He’s our uncle. He works in a shop on the grounds,” Shani said, looking at the rest of the group.

“Guys, please come sit down. I think we should talk,” Olivia said, pointing to the couches. Shani shrugged and flopped down across from Olivia next to Hanwol, and Adaida sat down next to her. “Listen, we’ve been getting more and more agitated with each other and getting offended by silly, little things. Pressure does that to people, and we need to be aware of it and not let it mess with our group dynamic. We all want to succeed, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” Rald said without hesitating. Most of the others nodded, though Shani had a frown on her face.

“Shani, I know I upset you when I went off to study with Sarice the other day. I’m sorry if that bothered you, but you need to trust that I wouldn’t say or do anything to hurt our cohort. Don’t you think I deserve the benefit of the doubt?”

“Hmm. I suppose. I think I took it out on you because I was mad at Veena for going off without us.”

“Well, I’m not perfect! This whole thing is stressing me out. I not only have to take a test I’m worried about, but I have to compete with everyone.” Veena crossed her arms and sat back, scowling.

“We all feel that way, Veena,” Olivia said. “We all are figuring out how to cope with this pressure, and it’s only going to get worse. Listen, I promise that I will always look out for my cohort no matter how well I do. Can we all agree that we need to help each other and stick together during these classes? I guarantee, one of the unspoken tests they are giving us is how well we deal with pressure.” Olivia held her hand out, palm up. “Put your hands on mine, and let’s make a vow.” The other students looked at each other, perhaps taking the word “vow” more seriously than Olivia had intended it, but then Rald reached into the circle and put his hand atop Olivia’s. Then Hanwol and Adaida joined in. Everyone looked at Shani and Veena, and Veena broke first, adding her hand to the pile. Finally, Shani sighed so heavily you’d think she had the weight of the world on her shoulders and put her hand atop Veena’s. “I swear,” said Olivia, “that I will always leverage my success to help my cohort and never seek personal gain if it comes to the detriment of my cohort.”

“I swear the same,” said Rald.

“No, say the words!” Adaida said, adding, “I swear always to work to help my cohort succeed and never seek personal gain at the expense of my cohort!” Rald nodded and repeated her words, and then the others all echoed the sentiment, some more exactly than others, but all in the right spirit. When their hands dropped, Veena sighed.

“I thought you were going to use a spell to bind us.”

“No,” Olivia said, “friends shouldn’t have to use spells to make promises to each other, right?” Everyone agreed, some nodding and others exclaiming, “Yeah!” They relaxed into their couches, laughing in released tension.

“We’re going to make the best cohort this school has ever seen,” Shani said quietly, looking directly at Olivia and smiling in a way that lit her eyes like Olivia hadn’t ever noticed before.

The rest of the weekend went by very quickly. On Sunday, they did as planned - practicing their simple throws and falls on the grass in the commons and then studying runes all afternoon. Olivia had them down; she knew this, though she didn’t rub it in. She took the opportunity to solidify her knowledge and make sure she could write out all of the runes from memory, defining each one. After Olivia, Veena and Shani scored the highest on their practice tests, with Adaida and Hanwol doing passably well. Rald was going to struggle to get more than half of them, though. Olivia just hoped their overall average would be high enough to keep their cohort competitive.

The morning of the test, Olivia and her cohort left early, ate a hearty breakfast, and avoided the other cohorts on their way to the Enchantment lab. They were surprised to find that Jade cohort had arrived before them and were all sitting outside the door, with noses in their texts. Professor Brince had yet to unlock the door. Olivia and her friends stood off to the side, some casting sideways dirty looks at the other cohort, especially toward Gwinna.

Olivia did her best not to look at the other girl, but it still threw her off a little. She didn’t realize how much Gwinna had gotten under her skin. Was she afraid to make eye contact with her? Olivia bit the inside of her cheek and forced herself to look directly at her, staring with her icy blue and silver eyes. Gwinna’s head jerked up, and she looked at Olivia, her own blue eyes glowing like dimly lit LEDs. They looked like gemstones—no whites or irises, just glowing blue gems. Olivia refused to look away, and Gwinna slowly let a smile spread on her face, and then she looked back to her book. Olivia had the distinct impression she’d just been dismissed, but she was proud of herself for not cowering and avoiding her glare.

The test was very similar to what Olivia had hypothesized as a worst-case scenario. They had to write each rune from memory, name it, and define it. They weren’t writing on paper, though - they wrote their runes on a piece of slate with a delicate chalk stencil. As they finished each one, the slate seemed to absorb it, and then they’d write the next one. However, what Olivia hadn’t anticipated was a brutal time limit; they had only one hour to write all the runes. The time limit was rather harsh because some of the runes were quite complex and took a while to draw perfectly. Olivia was suddenly grateful for the extra studying she’d done with her cohort, even after she’d mastered the runes.

She finished with a few minutes to spare, and Professor Brince came and collected her slate, indicating that she should leave the room. When she stood and looked around the classroom, she could see that there were a few other empty seats. She quietly walked out the door and stood in the sun, waiting for her cohort members. Olivia felt like she’d done very well. She had definitely defined and named all the runes correctly; her only doubt was whether she had been going too fast and drawn an incorrect line or swirl on the more complicated runes. She was going over them in her head when she felt a cool touch on her elbow. “Finished early, hmm?” Olivia started and looked to the familiar voice, seeing Sarice standing next to her.

“Oh, yes. How did you do?”

“Quite well, I’d say. Though the first one out was Gwinna.” She gestured with her chin at a tree not far away, where Gwinna sat reading a book.

“Does speed factor into the score, you figure?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.” Sarice slowly pulled her hand back from Olivia’s arm, and Olivia wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was she flirting with her? Was she just a touchy-feely person? As she struggled to find something to say to keep the conversation flowing, the door crashed open, and a throng of students pushed out, saving Olivia from another socially awkward moment.

“Ancestors!” Rald yelled, walking up to Olivia and Sarice. “That test was roladii shit!”

“You didn’t finish?” Sarice asked, looking up at the big Shadeni.

“Nah, I think I was getting close, though. Only a few of you finished! I guess we’ll see soon enough; Brince said the scores would be posted within an hour before she kicked us out.”