Pip was well aware it was stupidly early in Colorado, and she also knew her mom would absolutely pick up if she called. So she called, putting her phone to her ear as it rang. It only rang twice before her mother picked up, and Pip could make out the tired shuffling as Athena moved around.

"Sorry," Athena said after a few moments, speaking normally. "I didn't want to wake your mother."

"It's okay," Pip said softly. From the noise in the main room, Vivainne wasn't asleep, but she still didn't want to bother her.

"What's up?"

"I… Look, I know I should have asked sooner, but do you think there's any way you'd be able to come to our midterms test today?" Pip asked, spitting the words out before she could overthink them. The last time she'd seen her mom in person, it hadn't exactly been the most pleasant, though she had apologized. Still, she felt guilty asking her mom to come and watch her test after the way she'd exploded on her during parents weekend. "I've made some developments with my power that I really want you to see."

Athena, to Pip's relief, didn't hesitate. "Let me shuffle some things around, but I'll be there," she promised. "I can't believe you're already halfway through the program."

"Technically, there's still a year and a half ahead of me," Pip said, but she knew what her mom meant. In just a few months, Pip would be out in the field. Not a full fledged hero yet, but close enough the distinction didn't really matter. Graduation, and year of field work, and she'd officially be a hero able to function on her own. She'd be able to go back to Colorado, work under her mother at the New Denver tower, get her face added to the art wall outside of the gym Let's Get Meta.

"I don't think they'll let me see you before the test, just in case of cheating, or whatever, but I'll be watching. I promise."

"Thank you," Pip said, unable to shape the words into anything other than a smile. "I love you."

"Love you too, Pip."

The call ended, and Pip dropped her phone onto the bed, leaving it there until after midterms. It wasn't like she could bring it into the test anyway, or that there was a point to it.

She finished getting dressed as quickly as she could manage, donning a set of leggings and a tight T-shirt she would normally use for working out. It wasn't exactly the most heroic thing she could wear, but they hadn't let them design their hero uniforms yet. That would likely come after midterms, once they determined where everyone was placed and how many were going to stay in the actual hero side of the program, rather than getting transferred elsewhere.

Stepping out of the bedroom, Pip froze, the scent of cooking food stopping her dead in tracks. Over the past few months in this apartment, she didn't think they'd used the kitchen once. Did they even have food in their fridge?

Vivainne turned away from the stovetop, holding the handle of a skillet with what looked to be a folded up shirt. She scooped whatever she'd cooked into two glass bowls before dropping the skillet into the sink with a clatter.

"I didn't know you could cook," Pip said, making the girl jump.

She spun around, a faint tinge to her cheeks. Probably just from the heat of working over the stove. "Uh, not much," she admitted, glancing down at the two steaming bowls. "But I thought… I wanted to eat something before the test."

"That's what the cafeteria is for," Pip pointed out.

Vivainne shrugged. "It doesn't have what I wanted." She retrieved a spoon from one of the cabinets Pip hadn't explored yet, taking a bite of whatever she'd cooked up. "You can have some."

Pip slid forward curiously, socks skating across the floor. She peered at the steaming bowl, making out the collection of veggies in what she could only describe as porridge. "What is it?"

"Savory oatmeal?" Vivainne shrugged. "I don't know if there's an actual name for it, but it's one of my favorites. There's an egg at the bottom too, but I finished it way before the rest of the stuff and didn't want it to burn."

Pip grabbed the bowl gratefully, taking a bite. She regretted it a moment later, hissing as her tongue burned. "Delicious," she managed through the scalding bite in her mouth and the tears pricking her eyes.

Vivainne rolled her eyes, taking another bite silently. Did the heat not bother her at all?

"You nervous?" Pip asked when she'd recovered enough to talk.

Vivainne paused for a moment before nodding. "Yes. I'm worried my power hasn't developed enough for the role I'm taking on."

"You've been training with Florence on that, haven't you?" For most of the past week, she'd only seen Vivainne in passing, spending what little time they could together in the evenings after their training. Florence had been training with both of them, though their schedules hadn't allowed for all of them to really train together since Pip's latest development. She doubted they'd have much trouble, but Vivainne stepping into the support role would be interesting. For whatever reason, Florence hadn't brought in any new team members after Harper and Raesha split. "I feel like I haven't seen you at all this week."

"Been busy," Vivainne said. "There's been… stuff with Charles, then training, and spywork class…"

"That does explain why you sneak out at night sometimes," Pip quipped.

"And I've signed up for college classes too," Vivainne finished.

"Why?" Pip couldn't fathom going to school when being a hero was an option.

"I need to, if I'm going to do what I want with my life." She sighed. "I'm sorry, I can't really explain more. I'm not supposed to talk about it."

"Ooh, cryptic," Pip teased before taking another bite of the thankfully cooled off porridge. "I don't think I'll ever study anything outside of hero work. School never was my thing."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Vivainne snorted at what was apparently a humorous comment. Before she could say anything more, however, frantic knocking came at the door.

Setting her bowl down, she moved cautiously toward the door, peering through the peephole before swinging the door open. Florence stumbled inside, looking more disheveled than Pip had ever seen him.

"You okay?"

"No, I'm kind of freaking out," Florence said, fanning himself. Pip didn't have to wonder why as the waves of heat coming off him hit her in full force. He really was freaking out.

"Hold on."

Pip walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of ice cold water from inside, popped the lid, and splashed it at him. He froze mid wave, staring at her in utter shock.

"The hell—"

"You're going to break our AC," Pip said, setting the half empty bottle of water on the counter. "You're heating up the whole apartment. What's wrong?"

"Damien like, freaked out and got sick earlier and ran off and now I can't find him and also now I'm soaking wet!" He shouted the last words, with a pointed glare at Pip.

"Hardly soaking wet," Vivainne tacked on. "And pull it together, it's not that serious."

"Gee, thanks."

"Yeah, I'm sure Damien is just getting in some last minute training," Pip added, attempting to be more soothing than Vivainne was being. No matter how silly a problem it was, she needed their team captain focused for the test ahead. "He's probably with his team now. Did you check?"

"I texted him."

"He probably doesn't have his phone," Pip said. "I know I'm leaving mine here."

Florence crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe."

"Focus," Vivainne chided. "You're supposed to lead us to victory."

Florence opened his mouth, then shut it, sucking in a deep breath. "You're right. I'm good. I'm focused."

"Wonderful," Vivainne said. "Because I have every intention of being the best."

*****

A nervous energy filled the main combat room as the teams gathered, grouping together and waiting for the exam to begin. Pip tried her best to keep from shifting in place, standing between Vivainne and Florence. She knew the test wouldn't be happening here and she needed to conserve her energy.

Not that she strictly thought it was necessary. She was ready for the test. More ready than she'd ever been, and Vivainne's info—apparently recovered during one of her spywork classes—would put them over the edge.

Florence, tense beside her, let out an audible sigh as Damien stepped into the room, hurrying across it to join his group of five.

Pip wasn't sure why he looked so relieved. Damien looked positively awful. It could just be testing nerves, some people apparently got so anxious they got sick before tests, but Pip wasn't certain. It wasn't like she knew Damien well at all, only in passing.

A few final stragglers, and Wilson finally clapped his hands together. "Follow me."

He led the way out of the combat room, on a winding path through the underground campus. He directed the group of students into a room, a door at the far end, and screens all along the wall. "Here, you'll be able to observe the teams as they go through the test," he explained, motioning at the currently blank screens. "You'll be scored on your strategy, coordination, and ability to adhere to the confines of the test. Now, who would like to go first?"

Ready for this, Pip already had her hand in the air, practically bouncing in place as Professor Wilson landed his eyes on her.

"Does the rest of your team agree with you?" he asked.

Pip shot a glance at Florence then Vivainne as they both nodded. Satisfied, Wilson nodded, and ushered them forward.

"Down we go."

As though on cue, a door in the side of the waiting room opened, and Professor Wilson ushered them inside. The door closed behind them, and the floor lurched. Pip caught herself against the wall as the hidden elevator began to descend, feeling her stomach drop with it.

"Put these on," Wilson said, handing out earpieces. "They'll loop you into each other, and Dispatch as well, or our training version of it."

Pip accepted the earpiece, tucking it quickly into place.

"Your hero team was the closest on scene when an anonymous source called in reported suspicious meta activity," Professor Wilson began, repeating what must have been a rehearsed script. "Dispatch has directed you to investigate. Based on all current intelligence, the situation has been given a standard rating."

Before they reached the end of their elevator journey, Vivainne spoke up. "I have information to add to that assessment."

A smile curved across Wilson's usually stoic face. "In the field, you'd report that information back to Dispatch. Please, don't hesitate."

"I believe the… suspicious characters to be a part of the same meta gang I've been tracking for the past several weeks, beginning with the bank heist. Police report stated the contents of several of the bank's lockboxes turned up empty after the heist. One of those lockbox owners is the owner and mind behind a high end meta tech company. I believe that's their target."

"Is that all?" Professor Wilson asked.

"No. The tech genius recently went public about a new line he's developing, a self defense line. I believe that's what the meta gang is after."

Professor Wilson nodded. "Based on your information, Dispatch has escalated the situation to advanced. Your new directive—"

Pip jumped in before he could finish, ready to prove she knew her stuff. "Get civilians clear, stop the criminals preferably before they can break into the shop, and prevent them from escaping with dangerous tech. We are rated to engage in combat."

Wilson nodded. The elevator came to a halt, a light above the door blinking. Before it opened, Wilson looked at Vivainne curiously. "Where did you get all that information? Does Inkwell run full scenarios for you?"

Vivainne shrugged, though her eyes twinkled. "Didn't realize it mattered where the information came from."

Professor Wilson nodded, then hit a button on the elevator, opening the door. They stepped out as though spawning onto a busy city street, which left Pip wondering, how much of all of this was an illusion and what was tech, or did they have someone here with a domain power to create a micro realm for them to work with?

The elevator door shut as though it had never existed, and Pip turned to Viv. "Where did you get that info?"

Vivainne shuffled, color spilling along the edge of her cheeks. "I broke into your aunt's office."

Pip's mouth dropped open. "Really?"

"Let's focus," Florence said, a far cry from the nervous wreck he'd been earlier in the day. He walked ahead of the group, scanning the street with each confident step. He paused, eyes locked on the distance, and motioned the two of them forward. Pip was at his side in an instant. "That the store you were talking about?"

Vivainne followed his gaze before nodding. "I believe so."

"There's too many people nearby," he said, and Pip had to agree. They could just follow the criminals into the building, that would likely contain the fight a bit, but with meta tech in the mix… Well, you couldn't be too careful. "Let's clear the area a bit. Viv, you want to see what they're up to?"

"On it." In a moment, Vivainne disappeared, turning into nothing more than the dozens of other shadows left by the buildings on the side of the street, by the cars on the road and people on the sidewalks. In a blink, Pip had lost track of her, and her stomach lurched. Vivainne might be good at this type of work, but Pip hated it. She was putting herself in danger, and that was Pip's job.

"Are you sure that's smart?"

"Yes," Florence said, casting a glance at her. "Don't worry, you'll still get a chance to show everyone just how awesome you are."

"Somehow, you know exactly what to say," she said, smirking at him. "Come on, I don't want Viv in there all alone."

She broke into a jog, moving steadily toward the crowd near the meta tech shop. The only thing she regretted was not having her hero uniform yet. That would make this so much more satisfying.

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