Reina walked down the hallway. It’d taken a while to convince Leo to let her go, the greedy tiger, but she’d managed it. Of course, Rabbit was with her, perched on top of her hair.

“Let’s see, let’s see. Um, class 1B,” Reina mused to herself as she checked the many doors. “Hm, I totally forgot where class 1B is! Isn’t that hilarious, Rabbit?”

Rabbit squeaked and burrowed further into her head.

Reina giggled before spotting Dawn down the way. “Hey, Dawn! Hiiiiii~” She waved energetically, running towards her.

Dawn turned around and spotted her. “Oh, it’s you!”

Reina halted in front of her. “Why, were you expecting somebody else?”

She glanced away, rubbing the back of her neck. “No, yesterday-never mind, it’s weird. Let’s just get to class, alright?

Reina beamed. “Alright! Do you know the way?”

Dawn stared at her like she was crazy. “Of course I know the way, don’t you? Mrs. Xianthos showed it to us.”

Reina blanched and chuckled nervously. “Oh yeah, I missed that.”

Dawn nodded. “Well, it’s just down this hallway. Here!” They stopped in front of a door with ‘Class 1B’ written on a golden plaque.

Reina opened the door. “After you.”

Dawn cracked a smile. “What a gentlewoman.”

“Haha, as if! Back at the orphanage, they always said I was an handful!” Reina exclaimed.

“Yeah, I can see why,” Dawn replied.

“Are you two simply going to stand there and waste all our time, or take a seat on the mat?” a dull voice asked.

Reina’s eyes widened. Oh no! It was him! The only person here she wasn’t exactly all aboard meeting again. Not turning around, she quickly made up a plan.

“Oh, I need my scarf! Sorry!” Reina made to bolt when the door shut close.

“Yeah, I don’t think so. Sit down.”

Slumping heavily, Reina made her way over next to Felicie and Angel, determined not to make eye contact. Dawn took a seat in between Brandon and the other dude.

“Now since we’re all here, does anybody want to tell me what this class is?”

A girl raised her hand. “Training with weapons?”

“Wrong, Juliet. You are simply not skilled enough. Do you simply believe you would stroll into class and get a sword? Ridiculous.”

Juliet flushed and Reina felt bad for her. She couldn’t count the number of times he did to, to class prior.

“Anyway want to try?”

“Um, to test what level we are at?” a boy (she thought his name was Finnegan) asked.

“Correct, Finnegan.” Finnegan sighed in relief. “Today, we will be taking a practical exam to see what levels you are at. Fail, and you shall be expelled.”

“WHAT!?”

As expected, that caused quite an uproar and everybody began yelling and shrieking.

“ENOUGH!” There was a bang and everybody feel silent. “You are in my class, which means you must follow my rules. Disobey, and there will be consequences.” The venom in his voice made it clear whatever these ‘consequences’ would be, they weren’t going to be pretty.

“Now line it! And make it snappy!”

Everybody hastened to their feet, knocking each other down in the process. By the time everybody was lined up, Reina knew for a fact they were in for an earful.

A pocket watch clicked. “23 seconds. That was how long it took you to get into a line. If you cannot even accomplish this mundane task, how are you expected to fight?”

There was a bit of commotion towards the end and he strolled over, getting nearer to Reina as a result.

“Is there anything funny?” he leered into somebody’s face.

“No sir! I-hahaha!” She dissolved into giggles to everybody's disbelief, and he straightened up, his face a silent mask.

“I see. Step out of line!”

Tears swam down her face. “No, please, sir! I-“

“Do it.” The tone left no space for any complaints.

Leaving her no option, she did as ordered, lowering her face. She stood next to him, scared out of her wits. Reina narrowed her eyes. What was happening here? She didn’t seem the type to be a troublemaker.

“Good. Now, punch him.”

Eh?

Everybody looked at him like he was crazy. Punch him? Punch who? Evidently, the girl thought so too.

“Punch who, sir?”

He sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. “The brat who was tickling you. Punch him.”

A guy’s face paled and he started shaking. The girl’s eyes widened before an expression of determination settled in.

Reina didn’t know what was going on in that guy’s head. Maybe he thought she would hit weakly. Maybe he thought he would get into far more trouble if he ran, which was true.

The girl’s fist raised and punched him right in the balls, as hard as she could. The sound of it made every single male except for the teacher cross their legs. Reina blinked.

‘Wow,’ she mouthed. That was impressive. The boy collapsed to the floor in agony, a weird whimpering sound escaping his lips.

He looked slightly shocked, which was no easy feat. He gazed down at the girl, who was panting hard with her first still outstretched. “Huh. Looks like you got some spark in you, kid. Take your spot.”

She nodded rapidly before falling back into position. He glared down at the pitiful prick.

“You too. Stand up, back straight, shoulders out.”

“What?” the boy gasped out.

“Now.”

Gritting his teeth, he wobbled to his feet, still clutching his flaming groins.

“Hands off, that’s disgusting.”

Tears slid down his face as he let go, his entries body quivering.

The whole time, everybody was silent as they tried to get used to this new teacher. Even Reina was shocked, never having witnessed his brutality firsthand.

“This is not a space for fun or messing around. You either work or get worked. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

He nodded. “Good. Now, stand in front of the punching bag, single file.”

Everybody tottered to the punching bag in question, which looked like a normal one minus the monitor next to it. There were currently two 0’s on them, and Reina wondered what was happening now.

“Activate your gears and fire off your best shot at this. If you hold back, you get expelled.”

Well, that was a motivation for doing it weakly if Reina ever heard one. Still, she wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about this. How would she stack up to the rest? She had either had raw power or control, not both of them simultaneously.

The first one went up, a screen flashing his name as Hugo. Hugo got into a stance, and with a yell, water shot out of his palm.

It smacked the punching bag, not moving it in the slightest. The number on the screen showed 37, and Hugo appeared distressed. That is until the teacher spoke.

“Not bad, you got 37. You pass, move to the sideline.”

Everybody all exchanged looks. Was it that easy? Reina wasn’t so sure.

It was proven when the next person, a guy named Seamus, went and got a 45. He puffed his chest out before the teacher clicked his tongue.

“Not that good. You fail this one, fail 2 more and you’ll face some punishment.”

All their mouths fell open at that. He got a 45! That was more than 37!

He noticed their confused looks and scoffed. “Don’t tell me none of you younglings heard of it? The ratio of different Arts is different. For water, the range for your age is 35 to 50. For air, it’s 50-55.”

Seriously? That was a thing?!

“Oh, and before you go around babbling certain Arts are stronger than others, that’s not the case at all. So do us all a favor and shut your mouth before you spill incorrect information.”

Reina spotted several people closing their mouths and sniggered lightly.

“Next!”

This went on and on. Reina decided to take this time for learning everybody's name.

There was Juliet, Hugo, Seamus, Brandon, Lucifer, Dawn, Felicie, Angel, Monica, Finnegan, Daphne, April, Logan, Jacob, Matthew, Owen, Lincoln, May, and her.

Logan was a fellow fire user, and he passed at a 21. That meant Reina should at least get 21, hopefully, higher.

You can do this, you can do this, you can do this! She cheered herself on.

“Next!”

Felicie shot her a thumbs up before Reina took the stage. She got ready, forming fire around her fist. Reina spared a moment to gaze at his face, and wasn't surprised to find him staring back, his eyes gleaming sharply.

“AH!” Reina fired the best fireball she could manage, hitting the punching ball with an explosive force. Smoke streamed out, making everybody cough, and Reina barely restrained herself from jumping up and down. She made it!

He glanced down at the monster with a raised eyebrow, and heart plummeting, Reina followed his gaze.

15.

She got 15.

“Looks like it’s still all show and no bark,” he said coldly before moving on. “Next!”

Reina dumbly stood next to Felicie. She’d failed. Worse, everybody was sending her looks ranging from pity to mocking. She delved deeper into her oversized hood.

“Aw, it’s okay, Reina,” Felicie tried her best to cheer her up. Reina pouted.

“That’s easy for you to say! You didn't even have to do anything!”

That was true. Thanks to the unique ways her power functioned, there wasn’t a way she could demonstrate it by hitting the punching bag. The teacher only took a good look at her and let her move on.

Felicie giggled. “Whoopsie. But on a better note, what are those ears! They’re so adorable!”

“What ears?” Reina asked, suddenly self-conscious. Was she making fun of her? Had she misjudged?

“The cat ears!” Felicie tugged on the ones on top of her sweater hood. “They’re great!”

“Oh, those,” Reina let out a sigh, glad she hadn’t been teasing her. “Yeah, I got them when I got my jacket.” It was true, she’d specially asked Xia for them. What can she say, she’s a sucker for cats.

Her eyes glittered. “Cattttssssss~” she drooled.

Felicie played around with them some more before noting a certain bump underneath the hood. “Hey, Reina?”

Reina wasn’t paying attention at the moment. How could she? She was far too busy wrapped up in her dream about Cat Island and all the cats and-

“Reina!” Felicie hissed.

Reina jolted. “Huh? Yeah?”

“What’s that?” Felicie pointed towards the bump.

“Oh, that’s just Rabbit,” Reina replied nonchalantly. Rabbit moved at the sound of his name.

“Woah, it moved!” Felicie exclaimed.

Reina nodded. “Well, yeah. It’s a rabbit. Thought, I guess he can be lazy all the time because he uses my head as transportation/bed.”

Felicie blinked. “Say what now?”

Reina giggled at the expression her best friend was making. “You want to see?” When Felicie nodded, she lowered her hood to reveal Rabbit.

Immediately, Felicie’s eyes grew. “Oh my god, it’s so precious!”

Rabbit was. He is a cute little thing, shaped kind of like a round bun. His legs, if he had any, were completely concealed within his fur, and his ears tended to be on his back. This made him look like a rounded ball of white fluff with an adorable pink nose and brown eyes.

“Where did you get him?!” Felicie wondered while Rabbit squeaked from all the attention.

“Uh, I don’t remember. I just woke up one day to find this adorable bundle of joy next to me! Ever since then, we’ve been best friends!” Rabbit quivered as if he agreed.

“Hurry up, line up over there!”

Everybody quickly hurried over to a long patch of sand. “We’ll be testing your leg strength right now. Everybody, jump.”

“Jump? Dang it, I suck at jumping,” Felicie sighed.

Reina giggled. “How hard can it be? You just jump! You know, press your legs down, and off you go!”

Felicie pouted. “It’s not that! I don’t have enough strength in my legs! Look at them! They’re noodles!”

Reina bent down and poked one of them. She chuckled. “Noodley.”

“Come on, help me out here!” Felicie begged.

“How is she supposed to help you? Besides, you should get used to doing things by your lonesome. If you become too reliant on somebody, you will get soft, and useless without them.” They both turned around to find Angel staring stoically at Felicie.

“Angel! I missed you!” Reina tried to hug her but she dodged to the side. She did the same with Felicie’s attempted grab. “Meanie!”

“Yeah, meanie!” Felicie affirmed.

Angel shook her head, sighing. “How you two even got in here is beyond me.”

“Okay, Angel is next. Come on up,” he stated.

“Good luck!” Reina beamed. Felicie nodded enthusiastically.

Angel finally cracked a small smile. It was tiny, minute, but it was there. “Thanks.”

The instant she left, Reina and Felicie jumped up and down. “She smiled! She smiled! She smiled!”

“You’re awfully peppy for a bunch of kids who just woke up,” a new voice said.

Reina found Brandon, Lucifer, and Dawn making their way over. Reina latched onto Dawn before she could move away and grinned. “Hugs are the best!”

“Woah woah woah, back away,” Lucifer swatted at her. Reina detached herself and cocked her head.

“Do you want a hug too? Then come here!” She opened her arm and went towards him. He panicked and hid behind Dawn.

“Help, Dawn! Save me from your friend!”

At this, Reina halted and stuck out her lower lip. “Do you not like hugs?”

“Not hugs from strangers!” Lucifer shrieked.

Reina smiled and placed her hands on her hips. “Strangers are just friends you haven’t gotten to know yet! I heard that somewhere but I can’t remember!”

Brandon scoffed. “Or they’re scumbags who won’t think twice of abusing you and leaving you in the dark somewhere.”

Reina gazed at him. “You’re weird, you know that?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve been called that.”

Reina felt a wave of sympathy. Maybe he was only like this because he had a dark tragic past? Like in a comic book, where he was dropped from a skyscraper and miraculously survived?

“It’s all right, I like weird people!”

“Yeah, you better. After all, you’re the weirdest one of the bunch!”

“Thanks!” Reina beamed. “See? Now we’re friends!”

He snorted. “Right, like we’re ever going to be friends. I liked you better before. At least you weren’t as chirpy as you are now.”

Reina growled, which shocked everybody around her. Or, at least everybody who knew her. What did this guy understand? Hm? What did any of them!?

Brandon glared at her. “What are you going to do, go whine about it to Mommy? Then go ahead!”

“Brandon, stop!” Dawn ordered. Brandon glanced at her before twisting his body out of her grasp.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“You five back there! Hurry up and one of you come do this first!”

Brandon gazed at her. “Watch and learn.”

He strolled over confidently to the mark and crouched. Reina wished he would fall over and immediately felt bad for thinking such things.

After a few moments, Brandon leaped and achieved an impressive 2.3 meters, bringing up a dust cloud behind him. Reina stuck out her tongue when he stared at her scornfully.

She could do better! Right? Of course, she could!

Making her way to the marker, Reina bent down. To get at least 2.3 meters in her mind, she leaped. She came down heavily, creating a dust cloud that covered the entire area. Looking down, Reina’s eyes widened as she spotted a miniature crater where she’d landed.

What in the world? What could create such a-oh, right! The weights!

Grumbling to herself, Reina gingerly stepped out of the crater and hurried over to the crowd of people completed, not even bothering to wait until the dust cloud dispersed.

When the crater was revealed, there was a lot of shock and demands to punish her. Reina understood this. After all, they believed she’d used her powers which the teacher explicitly said was not allowed. Still, it hurt when they gazed at her like she was a cheater.

“Talk after class, Romane.” Reina winced at the cold reply. He hadn’t called any other students by their last name, and she couldn’t help taking note of that. The world glitches.

When she sat down, everybody around her backed away. They were too scared of the girl who made such an impossible leap.

There was a blur of blue and Reina scowled.

“Stupid people, stupid Arcturus, stupid Academy. I hate it here,” she grumbled, shoving her hood down. Rabbit squealed as he got pushed down and with a sigh, Reina relented.

“Sorry about that, I don’t mean you or Leo. It’s just, they abandoned me, especially him, and I can’t just stand to be here. Then again, I hate even more to just watch. What do I do?”

Rabbit purred, a sound that sent calming vibrations through her head. “Thanks. You think I should give them a second chance?”

Rabbit squeaked again. “Okay, fine. Only for you. Though, we really need to have a serious conversation about your eating habits. Honestly, you've gotten as fat as a balloon!”

Rabbit may have emanated an adorable protesting noise but Reina couldn’t tell for sure before a pair of legs entered her peripheral vision. Lazily, she looked up to find Felicie.

“Oh hey, it’s you,” she said as coldly as possible, hoping she would get the message to leave her alone.

“Reina! What was that?! You never told me you had Herculean strength!”

Reina arched an eyebrow. “It never came up in conversation.”

“Good point! Any more cool powers you want to tell me about!?”

Reina eyed her. “At this point, no.”

After several more minutes of her asking questions and Reina giving short replies, she finally seemed to get the message and quieted down.

“Hey, what was with that power?!?”

Reina groaned.