Zara collapsed onto the couch when they returned to the dorm after Zack’s tutoring session. “I had no idea you were so far behind on some of the subjects!”

It had been a shocking revelation to Edith and Zack as well. He had known there was a lot he had missed or didn’t understand, just not to the degree reality had forced on him. With what they now knew, saying he was simply behind was disrespectful to the people a year or two behind him.

For the foreseeable future, he would have no social life. He would go to class, come back in the evening to study under Edith, and then at night, he and Zara would go out to work. His days would be packed, and that was more than alright with him. He didn’t know any of the other kids, and they had little in common to form any kind of friendship on.

It was better to be busy, than to spend extra time thinking about what wasn’t there.

“Do you want to eat now, or just grab it and eat after work?” Zack asked as he sprawled out on the couch next to her, his legs trapping her in place.

“Will they let us do that?” She squirmed against his legs, George somehow managing to end up wedged between them.

“Yeah, I asked them this afternoon after classes. They don’t mind if it’s us, especially since we cleaned the dishes they gave us last night.” He yawned and swung his legs off her. “I’m fairly sure that as long as we continue to be respectful and clean what we use, they’ll give us more leeway than the regular students.”

“I’m with just grabbing it for later then. The less time I spend around everyone, the better it will be for us both.”

It was a sentiment that Zack did not necessarily agree with. He wanted her to get out and make friends, to escape and break free of the shell she had surrounded herself with. At the same time, he understood that this academy was not the best place for that to happen. Not yet, at least.

Given enough time, he hoped that would change. For her sake, if not for his.

He couldn’t remember the last time she had just played around with a friend, or other kids her own age. They both had been forced to grow up far quicker than they should have. As the older brother, it pained him to always see her alone, with only her bears for company.

Unfortunately, it was also not something that he could change or fix in the short term.

A little while later, after depositing the food back in their dorm, they were waiting inside the small brick building. Zack was regaling Zara with slightly modified tales of everything that had happened during the day. The person who was supposed to give them the info on the job they would be doing that night was late.

“That teacher sounds like a…” Her voice was suddenly muffled as Zack put one of George’s paws into her mouth. He didn’t like it when she cursed. It just seemed wrong to hear those words come out of her mouth.

He wasn’t sure why that was? Especially when he considered the things she had said during their time as research subjects. There had been nights where she would graphically describe what she would do to the researchers if given the chance. He was no better in that regard. If anything, the things he had wanted to do were far worse.

Her eyes narrowed into thin slits as she carefully pulled the fluffy paw from her mouth.

The door to the building opened before she could say anything. The people they worked with and under tended to change each night as they were used to fill the gaps. Anyone that needed an extra hand, whether it was in cleaning or maintenance, had the chance to employ them for the night.

The siblings were supposed to accept any job offered if it was within reason. They weren’t being forced to work; it was simply a mutual benefit to both sides. Strictly speaking, they were allowed to refuse any job they didn’t want. In the first place, them working each night was for their benefit more than the academies. A way for them to earn some much-needed money.

Up to that point, they had accepted every night. During the last week or so at the academy, they had done everything from cleaning bathrooms to trimming the trees.

When that door opened, Zack had a feeling they would be refusing their first job. The math teacher who had taught his class earlier that day stepped into the room. He glared haughtily down at them, a sneer flickering across his very punch-able face.

“Ah, so the two helpers are you and your sister.” He paused, as though expecting them to say something. He was visibly disappointed when they didn’t. “Humph, well whatever. I have a job for the two of you. It should take a little over three hours-“

“No,” Zack interrupted him. “We only work for two hours a night and don’t accept jobs that take any longer than that. If we did, that would mean leaving a job only half-done which we could then be blamed for.”

It was a lie. All of the jobs they had been taking would be completed by the regular staff in charge of those items. They were there to help the regular staff, not to replace them.

It was a convenient excuse, however, in this instance.

Zack didn’t trust the man, nor did he believe he had good intentions. Without delaying, he pulled his sister to her feet and pushed her towards the door. “Looks like we have tonight off.”

The teacher was still trying to understand what had happened when they pushed past him and left.

“Was that the teacher you mentioned in your story?” Zara asked once they were back safely in their dorm.

“Yup,” He began spreading their dinner out on the table. “I don’t believe for a second that he had good intentions, with whatever job he wanted us to do.” He sat down across from her. “I think we should avoid any jobs from teachers and staff like him.”

She twirled her fork around a noodle. “Are we allowed to do that? Avoiding one or two jobs is probably fine, but what if it’s a lot? Won’t we get in trouble, or lose the opportunity to work altogether?”

“Would you rather we just do whatever they force on us?”

She shrugged, looking down at the plate. “I’m willing to put up with it, as long as they don’t cross the line. No matter what, the job should only be hard labor, not anything else. Besides,” She grinned and slurped a noodle into her mouth. “We know where they sleep and how to get into their residences. It wouldn’t be hard to slip inside and find some way to make their lives miserable. A little itching powder spread over their bed and clothes, some missing notes, or misplaced items. Depending on how mean they are, we could even do worse.”

Zack laughed, “If we did that, it would have to only be once, maybe twice, per person. Any more than that and we would risk getting caught and anything we decided to take couldn’t be hidden in here. We would have to find someplace to store it, that isn’t linked to us.”

The siblings had no problem with stealing from people they didn’t like or that didn’t treat them with basic respect. The life they had lived up to that point never allowed them the chance to develop the more traditional morals. Zara’s protestations to him working for the gang had been a direct result of that. Hurting people they didn’t know and had no issue with was bad. Taking or hurting those they had an existing problem with was perfectly fine.

“We’ll give it till next week, before deciding or making a move,” Zack said as they finished the last of the food. “This could be our home for the next couple of years. Any moves we make of that nature need to be thought out and made carefully.”

Zara agreed and helped him quickly wash the dishes. Afterward, they settled down to talk and relax for the night. They had nothing in the way of entertainment but each other. Homework and playing with the bears would keep them occupied until they were sleepy.