---

This Saturday morning was chilling, He had only one foot our from underneath the covers and he thought it might be frostbitten if he left it there another half hour. He rolled over in bed countless times trying to fall back to sleep, eyes half open and mind still half asleep. The bed sheets were so tangled from his rolling around that they were no longer comfortable, so naturally he sprung out of bed and looked at his bedroom floor which was usually covered with smelly crumpled up clothes that he would pick through smelling a few until he found one that was clean enough to re-wear, but instead it was totally clean. Being reminded of his bedroom carpet color was a bit of a shock to Orsin but what was even more shocking was that an outfit of clothes had been laid out for him. Clothes he had never seen before with what looked to be college wear, yet he hasn't gone to college yet.

He took a closer look at the insignia. A White lion head on a red background. The outfit was majority black with stylish red and white detailing all around it. The outfit consisted of: A pair of ankle socks sticking out of new black shoes leading to some, form fitting, but not tight sweatpants and fresh underwear. Topped by a red shirt with the insignia over the heart covered by a black pull over hoodie with the white insignia on the right shoulder and the cuff of both sleeves. He looked around for his other clothes but couldn't find anything, nothing in his drawers or his closet or under his bed. Thinking nothing of it and getting quite chilled he started putting the ensemble on. Everything fit perfectly, not only that but it was totally his style. As if he had his own designer and this was his masterpiece. After everything was on and he finally finished inspecting himself in the mirror he walked to his door but before he could turn the handle the insignia on his right cuff light up making something on his desk whir to life.

Orsin stood there looking at his desk in bafflement, hand still attached to the doorknob. This screen on your desk starts to stand up and the screen reads "Greetings". Curiosity overcoming all other emotions at the moment willed Orsin to go check it out, he looked behind the screen to see how it was holding itself up and a stand seemed to protrude from the back. "Huh~" he sighed as he stared at the screen, sitting in his desk chair. "Fuck it" he said with a shrug and hit the 'Get started' button on screen. His heart skipped a beat as he realized he couldn't pull his finger away from the screen. He could feel his finger get pricked then the screen finally let go. He scowled at the screen then looked at his finger. Looking back at the screen he saw a little A.I. interface bubble with a sound wave through the middle. "Hello friend, I am from The University Of Enlightenment." chimed the device. The introduction ensued and he was told he had been a subject on an experiment and that he will now be leaving for the campus grounds. All he had to do was get to the nearest airport, about three miles away, by 2:00pm. He checked the time on his phone and saw that his phone was completely wiped, factory reset, but the time still popped up. 11:27am. Plenty of time, he could use the distance as his morning run, which he always did on weekends. So he got up from his desk, emptied his backpack of all the stuff he would be leaving behind, calculus, advanced chemistry, human anatomy and physiology, ancient texts, and his Italian classes. Then slid just the black tablet into the bag.

Orsin headed downstairs and headed straight for the breakfast table, eager to fill his stomach. Oddly enough the house was empty, which was a surprise, his parents never left without telling him. But what was even weirder was that some restaurant style French toast was sitting on a plate ready to be eaten. He was only a little weirded out but hungry enough to scarf it down. This day was totally throwing him for a loop but he was never a very scheduled human and always just kinda rolled with the punches. He was totally accepting of this new opportunity so that he could hone his new power. After breakfast and a shower he looked around before leaving the house but all he needed was what he woke up to. Lacing up his new shoes, which had a super comfortable fit, he started out the front door and jogged all the way to the airport.

He was used to these long slow runs so even though his heart rate was up a little he wasn't sweating too hard or anything. He walked in and right up to the receptionist at the ticket sales booth. "I think you've got a ticket for Orsin?" He said, kind of uncertainly only now realizing that this could be some sort of elaborate joke from some deep web hacker that found him. "Destination?" She asked sweetly. Orsin took a deep breath and answered how the tablet told him to back at the house. "Enlightenment" he looked at her waiting for her face to contort and give him the 'what the hell are you talking about' look, but it never came. "Yep! Right here, Mr. Tanzini" She said with a big smile, pointing him to what gate they would be loading the plane on. He checked the clock. 1:53pm. He cut it pretty close but now he wouldn't have to sit around and wait very long.

The loud speaker notified him that his plane was boarding and as he walked he noticed that he was the only one walking towards this gate, there was one guard who filtered him through the metal detector taking his backpack and handing it to him on the other side without looking through it. He walked down the ramp and onto the jet all alone. Found a random window seat to sit in but before he got comfortable a flight attendant found him. "Excuse me sir, You've been upgraded" with the same bubbly smile as the lady at the ticket desk. "Follow me please!" She walked him up to first class and sat him down. "If you need anything at all just swipe your logo over the black pad right there and ill be on my way" He tried it and a pin on her shirt lit up. "Thank you very much" He said as she walked away and he leaned back and got comfortable. 'Well shit, I shoulda asked her how long the flight was~' He thought as he pulled out the black tablet and began reading all the informational pieces on the school. Getting lost in the tablet as he felt the plane take off. Leaving his past life totally behind him.

---

Alexander loved Saturdays. It was one of two days in a week where he could sleep in. As it was he was currently snuggled under the covers, fast asleep with his blanket wrapped around his entire body save for his head poking out from the top of the giant burrito. Eventually he drifted awake and untangled himself from his blanket as he shook off the shackles of sleep and reluctantly dragged himself out of bed. Alexander was not a morning person, not by any standard. He opened his wardrobe to try and find something to wear today but to his surprise it had been completely cleaned out save for what looked like a college uniform he couldn’t recall buying.

It turned out that wasn’t the only surprise he’d get today. When he tried on the clothes they had fitted him perfectly. What’s more they appeared to be stab proof as the kitchen knife he’d stabbed into the chest of the shirt before putting it on rattled like he’d just hit a brick wall rather than... whatever the hell this thing was made of. He looked it over in the mirror as he tried it on. They fit his style near perfectly. A pair of black pants that were the slightest bit baggy so as to not restrict movement when aiming a high kick, a matching black shirt and hoodie that despite being thin like the ones he usually wore, felt much warmer than his other hoodies did. Of course the outfit included short socks and fresh underwear as well as a pair of black shoes that despite being incredibly light, felt solid and grippy just how he liked them.

Alexander’s next surprise was when he noticed a tablet sitting on his bedside table that he knew wasn’t his. He never owned a tablet. Nonetheless he picked it up and noticed the word “Greetings” displayed on the now pulsing screen. He pressed the “get started” button and suddenly he felt his finger get pricked which caused him to let out a couple of colourful curses. The screen now showed a little A.I interface bubble with a sound wave cutting through the middle. The voice of the A.I told him that it was from the “university of enlightenment” and that he was the subject of an experiment and that he would be leaving everything behind to head for campus grounds and that he was to head for a nearby airport by 2:00pm. It gave him further instruction on what to do when he arrived at the airport before shutting off. Alexander checked the clock on his wall which told him he had about 2 hours to get there, easy enough.

He headed downstairs where his last surprise at home awaited him: not the fact that his parents were gone but rather the plate of bacon that had been left for him on the dining table. His parents never cared enough to make him breakfast let alone his favourite food. Still, it would be a shame to let it go to waste and he grabbed it on his way out the front door.

Around an hour and a half later he finally arrived at the airport. He went up to the ticket desk as asked and spoke to the receptionist, he couldn’t believe he was about to say this out loud. ”I’ve been told you have a ticket for Alexander Anderson. Destination: Enlightenment?” saying that made him feel like an idiot but sure enough he got his ticket and within minutes he was through all the security sitting in a first class seat. He’d sat up near the back of the plane but was told by the flight attendant that his ticket was for first class. He looked around the plane on his way in but it appeared he was alone for the time being. The plane took off and Anderson looked forward to what was to come, not like he was leaving much behind for it.

---

Katerina was not a morning person. Everyone that knew her, knew that she loathed getting out of bed. Today was no different. She had been awake for several minutes, but the chill in the air around her did not help her motivation towards actually leaving her giant, fluffy duvet behind to get started on her day. She was clutching one of her many pillows to her face, her stomach against the mattress and her covers drawn up so only the top of her head was exposed. She saw no reason to leave her little cave of softness and warmth anytime soon.

She did have to pee, though.

She mentally cursed herself for not having heated floors and turned her head to the side so she could better breathe. The movement caused the covers to fall away from her face and after spending a few short moments with her eyes squeezed shut against the light flittering in through her purple drapes, she cracked one open to start the very slow process of getting out of bed. After blinking a few times to get her eyes adjusted to the light, she turned around so she was on her back, facing the ceiling. She cracked a small smile at herself in the mirror there; her hair was a damn mess, sticking out all over her lavender pillow in a way that reminded her of the iconic images of Albert Einstein.

What was that on her chair? She could only see the edge of her chair in the mirror, so she immediately sat up and turned towards it, completely ignoring the way the cold swept over her bare skin as the covers fell from her torso. There, on the lavish chair that sat under her window, next to her left bedside table, was a … set of clothing? She nearly jumped out of her bed, naked feet making a soft thump against the plum-shaded shag rug. She carefully picked up the fist, neatly folded item from the small pile of clothes; it was a black beret with a small white lions head. Her eyebrows pulled together, creasing her forehead, as she studied the thing. There was no note, no nothing. She tossed the hat to her bed and picked up the next piece; a black blazer with the same white lion head stitched onto the front, this time on a red background. The fabric was soft to her skin and very flexible and despite the appearance of a blazer, it felt more like a cardigan in her hands. She tossed the jacket to the bed as well and did not even notice that it missed the mark and fell to the floor by the foot of the bed instead. She went through the rest of the pile; a lavender tank top, a pair of black, very formfitting – but surprisingly flexible and soft, like the blazer – pants, a pair of lavender ankle socks and a pair of flat, ballerina loafers with some ornate flowers in different shades of purple on them. A flush went to her cheeks when she noticed the small bag behind it all, which contained a lacy set of violet underwear.

This was some sick type of prank. Obviously, whoever had done it knew her well. They knew her size, her style and her color preferences. She glanced at the mess of clothing now sprawled all over her bed and shook her head. She was not putting that on.

After a trip to the bathroom to relive her bladder, she went into her closet to find something to wear after her shower. She regarded the empty shelves and hangers with wide eyes. Everything was gone. Even her underwear. She felt a bit sick to her stomach and left the walk-in closet, almost stumbling as she did so. She cast another glance at the clothes on the bed. Fine. It would have to do.

After hopping in a quick shower, brushing her teeth and blow-drying her hair, she again stood in her bedroom, eying the clothing suspiciously. She had laid it out neatly on her bed now, so she could see what the ensemble wold look like and, quite honestly, it was really cute. She would have liked a bit more color, but something about it actually just... clicked with her.

She eventually gave in and pulled the clothing on.

After regarding herself in the full-length mirror, she decided that, yes, this was definitely her style. She loved it. Even better than most of her own clothes, actually. It was so stylish, sophisticated and so damn comfortable – a far cry from her own slutty sets and yet somehow the same. She felt more like the grown, well-educated woman she actually was and less like the teenage skank she had once been. She especially liked how the blazer hugged at her waist and really accented her figure. It made her feel sexy, despite it all.

Suddenly, the insignia on her beret lit up and as soon as it did, something on her right nightstand did, as well. A small tablet-like screen seemed to rise to a stand on its own and Katerina's uneasy feeling was back by tenfold as she stared, wide-eyed, at the single word that was written on the screen; “Greetings”. There was more; a smaller line beneath it, but she was too far away too see what it said. She cautiously moved closer and, before she could think it through, sat down on the edge of the bed, right in front of the screen. “Getting started”, the second line read. All right, she thought and gingerly touched the slightly pulsating line.

The thing started talking, sounding like it she was wearing her headphones and she just about lost her mind. She listened to the speech and, well, she was in no way less worried than she had been before. She felt like puking. What the hell was going on? Genome remapping through gamma rays? That was just crazy, not to mention downright dangerous. She had never been checked for any tumors, but now she was seriously considering it. If this was some prank, it was certainly very elaborate.

She picked up the thing, turning it around a bit and inspecting it, before shoving it under her arm with a sigh.

Finally, far later than she would normally have, she left her bedroom. Her bedroom lead straight into her living room, which connected to the kitchen. She went to her purse by the front door and shoved the black electronic inside. There. Now she had it with her, just in case. She checked her phone, which was changing on the same piece of furniture that was home of her purse when she was not using it. She was actually not that surprised to find it completely reset to factory settings. Her background was even gone; the picture of her and her friend, Sapphire, replaced with some boring blue-green swirls. She dumped the phone into the purse, too, and glanced at the clock over her door. It was barely noon. She still had a couple of hours to get to the airport and that would not take long. She was crazy for actually doing this, she was sure of it.

She went about her apartment, looking to find anything that she might want to bring with her. She pulled her diplomas – those that proved her Masters degrees in Biology and Physics – off of the wall and stuffed them into her purse. She took a few pictures, one with her and her mother, while the gentle woman was helping her child put on her skates and one with her friends at the club, all of them dressed up for Halloween. Those went in the purse, too.

Eventually, she went into the kitchen area, only to find that a meal had been set out for her. A plate of syrniki, one with grenki and even a sharlotka. It was like a Sunday morning with her grandparents. Without a second thought, she sat herself down and started eating. It tasted just right. She had not had a Russian breakfast like this since she had moved to America, nearly a decade ago. After she had finsihed eating, she was surprised to find that she had eaten nearly everything. Four out of five syrinki was gone, a single piece of grenki, out of an entire loaf of bread, laid untouched and more than half of the sharlotka had been devoured. She felt stuffed to the brim, but grinned at the leftovers anyways, before wrapping them up and shoving them into her purse as the final item. She made herself a nice cup of tea, enjoyed it at her window seat, looking out at the bustling city below her loft and feeling somewhat... peaceful.

The time came for her to leave and as she did, she found that her coat was still in the closet by the elevator. It was the only thing in there, though. With a small, breathy laugh, she slipped it on, took her purse and left her loft, never expecting to be back.

She took a cab, like a true American city-folk, to the airport. There was not that many people for a Saturday afternoon. With a bright smile, she regarded the ticket-lady, “Hi,” she said sweetly, purple eyes glittering joyfully, “I don't suppose you'd have a ticket for a Katerina Talanov, would you?”

The lady seemed to perk up as Katerina arrived and her tone was just as joyful as Katerina's own, “What's your destination, miss?” she asked.

“Uhh,” Katerina began, a bit unsure, “Enlightenment?” it was more of a question than an answer, but it would do. Maybe. Hopefully. The dread was starting to come back.

“Of course, Miss Talanov,” the lady responded, her cheer less evident now, “Here you go. Enjoy your trip.”

Katerina stared blankly at the ticket she had actually been handed. If this was a prank, it sure was a crazy one. It would definitely involve TV-crews. Maybe a prize of some sort.

With a shake of her head and a small sigh, Katerina went to her gate. She had not been on a plane since the day she had left her homeland behind for a brighter future. Was that what she was doing again? Had she gone so bored with her everyday life that she was actually leaving it all behind once more? She supposed she had, since she was there, ticket in hand and hoping for the best. Hoping she was not being taken for human trafficking or something.

Once seated in the plane, she glanced at her purse. Maybe she should take a look at the tablet thingy. It would certainly have some information for her. She barely even noticed when the plane took off, too absorbed in the information on what her new life would be like.

---

The alarm blared to wake the young male on the bed up. He immediately woke up after the first 'beep' and he reached under his pillow and turned the alarm off. He slowly sat up and then yawned while stretching. When his blanket slipped off, he finally felt just how cold the morning was. Grabbing it again, he hugged the cloth close to him and then yawned again. Wow, it might be good to sleep in today. It was still early in the morning to be honest, so maybe he could give himself some leeway.

However, that might not be a good idea. He tended to wake up earlier than his family so that he could slip away and get to his free running group without being stopped by his parents and being lectured because 'he wasn't focusing on his studies or his future'. His mother used to badger on and on about it and he always felt like his ears would fall off. So, after his first lesson, he always made a note to escape without being seen.

But something was wrong. When he looked around his room, it seemed cleaner than usual. Don't mistake him, he's a very organized person. Can't have him tripping himself up because of some trash lying on the floor. But that didn't mean he left out some clothing here and there - especially his jacket that he had left on his desk along with his various free running gear. Now, there was nothing there. That was when he turned his head ever so slightly to the left and saw that there was something else.

Clothing. Unfamiliar clothing.

Was this Mailyn's doing? Well, she never did enter his room without his explicit permission. She was a pretty good little sister, despite her only being a year younger than him. Shaking his head, he decided to check it out. It was most definitely something he would wear. A black hoodie jacket was the first thing he saw, and a lion insignia was there with a red background on the left upper sleeve. He inspected the clothing used - and it felt comfortable. High quality too. The others were as well. Along with the jacket was a navy blue shirt but had no insignia on it. There was black sweatpants too, but no insignia as well. A long-sleeved red shirt with the same insignia on the left chest area. Unlike the jacket, however, it was folded up, suggesting that it was not for use yet. On top of that were wristbands like his original ones, but these had the same lion insignia, and then a hat. For some reason, Leo was actually enjoying all the lion insignias the clothing had. There was underwear too, but this time it didn't have the insignia - it would have been funny if it did, but a little embarrassing too. Pfft, now there was an idea. Figuring that this may actually be his little sister's doing, he went to shower and then donned the jacket, shirt and sweatpants. He began testing it out and it was really flexible, but seemed durable as well. Amazing. He slipped on the wristbands.

"Amazing job Lyn..." He muttered, praising the girl who was a room over and was probably still asleep. However, another thing was out of place. A black, sleek tablet was on his desk. How he had not noticed that earlier, he wasn't sure. It looked like something his older brother would use, and definitely something his family could afford. Maybe. Leo really wasn't sure until he actually checked what it was. Strolling over, he picked it up and it only had a few lines.

Perhaps against his better judgement, he pressed the 'Get started' and he felt something prick his finger. He retracted his finger as soon as he could, silently cursing as he did. He looked back at his finger but saw that it had already healed. Must have been a really shallow cut, and he was just surprised. He looked back at the tablet and it began talking. Not just displaying text. It was talking. He wasn't sure how far technology has advanced and what the latest trends were, but he was pretty damn sure he would have been alerted if something like this had appeared on the line. Its voice seemed to be directly injected in his mind instead of out of the speakers, and that creeped the hell out of him.

It started talking about an experiment. Something about being shot with gamma rays or something. He wasn't really that good at academics, only barring average, but he was sure that this was all illegal. He should have at least been given some wavers for it. And it sounded really dangerous. This was pretty much impossible, right? However, when he checked his things, there was nothing there unless you count his wallet and phone - both of which were neatly lined on his desk next to the tablet. He tried to contact someone - anyone - on his phone, but it wouldn't work. Great. The phone itself was reformatted, after all. Ugh, great.

Maybe this wasn't a joke. Stuffing the clothing he thought he received into his backpack, which was thankfully still there, he ventured outside his room. He knocked on Mailyn's room. No answer. He opened it. No one inside. He knocked on his older brother's room. No one inside. His older sister. No one inside. His youngest brother. No one inside. His parents. Nope. His family maid and butler? Nada.

There was no one inside the house aside from him. His family might not like him all that much, but he was pretty damn sure that his parents wouldn't leave him behind. But then again, the tablet did state that he was going to leave behind his old life. What they did for his family to leave him behind, he wasn't sure. Especially with Mailyn and the maid and butler. They at least cared about him. He shook his head. This was really weird, but he was also excited. He headed towards the kitchen to grab a toast or two.

Instead, he was met with your typical American dinner with a side of extra protein for him. He began wolfing it all down and was pretty much satisfied after that. He still had four hours before he needed to go to the airport - which was just one taxi ride away - he decided to rest up a bit and wrap his mind around everything. It was relatively simple to understand. Since he was part of the experiment, he would be sent to a place where they would explain it. Hopefully. It did make him wonder. What exactly did he gain from this experiment? Maybe... Do you think?

He took a knife and then twisted it around. If he were to think about how many bruises he got over the past few days and then the earlier cut, they quickly disappeared. It was weird but he brushed it off. Did it have anything to do with the experiment? He didn't pay much attention to it, but now that there was some form of explanation, could it be? He sliced the palm of his hand and bit down a yelp. Damn, that actually does hurt. He looked at his bleeding hand and then watched as one streak of blood dripped down, but nothing else. It closed up and the bleeding stopped. A few seconds later, the cut wasn't even visible anymore.

"Ohoho, shit. That's... damn..." He muttered in an impressed voice. Now he was looking forward more and more to heading over to this institution - 'University of Enlightenment'. What else did they have? He imagined there would be others. If so, what did they get? After waiting for another hour, he began making his way to the airport. He tied up his hair and then wore his cap before hailing a cab, as per normal.

Upon reaching the airport, he headed over to the counter and waved at the lady behind it. "Uh hi. Do you have a ticket for Enlightenment here? Name's Leonardo Joseph Mclain." He asked, his easygoing tone making it clear that he wasn't even sure if this was actually real.

The lady seemed to perk up and nodded. "I have it right here, Mister McLain." She then smiled at him as she handed it over. "Enjoy."

Leo gave her a smile back. "Thanks."

He headed inside the plane and sat down. Really, there wasn't much to think about. One of the stewards told him how to contact him if he needed anything. Leo really didn't usually head inside a plane, nor business class. Or at least, nothing like this. It seemed much more advanced. But he didn't care. Leaning back and making himself comfortable, he began playing with the tablet to pass the time. However long it might be. Leo would often look around to see if he could spot anyone else with the same lion insignia he had - which he imagined was the university's logo. Maybe. Who knows.

Damn, he was pretty excited. No doubt about that.

---

Azule opens her green eyes to the sound of her alarm clock. She reaches over and shuts it off, letting off a massive yawn which makes her eyes water. She rubs at them while sitting up then places her glasses on her nose, her sight gradually coming back into focus as they adjust to the gloom. Her curtains were drawn tightly and the shutters tight, letting next to no light in. Azule frowns. Her mom always opened them before leaving for work. She found that strange but didn’t think much of it. She wiggles away from her covers with just her underwear from the night before. Her eyes scan the room with a slight frown. Something felt different… Then it hit her. Her clothes, which had normally been piled into a corner, not having a laundry basket, were gone. She lets out a sigh of relief. Her mom must have taken them and cleaned them. She smiles to herself, grateful her mother had gone through the trouble.

Azule yawns once more and rises from her soft bed, leaving the covers a mess. She would clean it later. Wiping her eyes around her glasses, she moves to the door and opens it, expecting for her dog to come running. She frowns when he doesn’t. ”Bray? Here, boy!” She calls, ears straining for any noise down the short hallway. It alarmed her when nothing happened. She walks warily down the hallway, searching through the living room without finding him. His leash was gone and then she relaxes. It was Saturday… Her mom must have just taken him for a walk. She moves into the kitchen, thinking of having a bowl of cereal. It surprised her when a plate of pancakes sits on the table, seemingly fresh. Her eyes scan the room nervously, thinking it must surely be a joke. Her mom hadn’t made pancakes in years and it wasn’t like her to just leave them without a flourish. Wearily, she sits at the table, a knot of tension sitting in her stomach. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

After a moment, Azule picks up the fork beside the plate and takes a few bites. They were perfect, even completed with the chocolate chips in the batter like she used to love as a child. She can only manage a few bites before pushing herself away from the table and standing. The tension wouldn’t leave her and she didn’t have much of an appetite. Moving back to her room, she decides to take a shower, but, upon opening the closet door, she finds… Nothing. At least nothing familiar.

Sitting inside is a rather nice outfit of expensive looking clothing. Sitting on top is a rather simple black beanie with a white insignia of a lion’s head, standing out among the black. Underneath that is a black jacket, made of a soft and flexible material she hadn’t seen or heard of before. It was quite nice. The jacket has the insignia planted on the shoulder. Under that is a simple white long sleeved shirt with the same insignia, only planted on a red background. Matching this is a black skirt, made of the same material, which would reach slightly past her knees. Along with that are a pair of white socks, longer than average as she liked. Lastly, were a pair of black sneakers.

Azule stands back, her brow contorted as she tries to think of some sort of an explanation. It must be some kind of prank… It would seem like something her dad would do, however, he was on one of his big secret business trips… ‘More like affair’... Azule thinks bitterly to herself. She pushes the thought out of her head. She sighs and decides to think it over in the cold of a shower.

Azule undresses herself as she walks into the bathroom down the hall. Turning the water to cold, she climbs in. The knot in her stomach only seemed to increase with each passing moment and with a shuddering sigh, she turns off the water. She steps onto a towel and dries herself. She didn’t bother with makeup unless it was a formal occasion. She felt it made her look fake, and honestly, it just made her uncomfortable. Wandering back to her room due to the lack of clothes, she sighs. There was no sign of her mom but she still didn’t want to wander around her house naked. Reluctantly, she pulls on the outfit. Moving back to the bathroom, she glances at herself in the mirror and it surprised her. She actually looked quite cute, with her hair wet and just brushing her outfit. She offers a small smile to herself before heading back to her room.

Azule is still smiling as she walks back into her room, closing the door behind her. She flinches as the insignia on her jacket lights up. She lets out a startled squeak, stumbling back into the door as though to get away from it. She frowns as she notices the tablet which she swore hadn’t been on her desk moments before lights up. It seemed to stand on it’s own, but with closer inspection, she can see the stand holding it up. She backs up to her overhead light switch and flicks it on, squinting at the sudden light in her gloomy room. She walks hesitantly to the tablet. ”Greetings.” Azule frowns at the simple line, then the pulsing line underneath. ”Get started.” Azule picks up the tablet, examining it from every side. Nothing… NOTHING… ‘How does that even work…?’ She mutters to herself. Seeing no other option, she hits the ‘get started’ button. She squeaks as the machine pokes her, drawing blood. Azule glares down at it. That didn’t even make sense… Suddenly a voice started in her ears. Azule stumbles away from it, dropping it in the process as it explains. With a sudden understanding, Azule glances at her alarm clock… She had 3 hours to arrive at the airport. The airport was a long way and she didn’t exactly have transportation. With a small sigh to herself at the inconvenience, she grabs a water bottle from the kitchen, fastens it to her pants, tucks the tablet under an arm and begins the trek to the airport.

Along the way, Azule reflects on everything that had happened. It all made a strange sort of sense… At least in why she was different. She sips on the water bottle as she walks, fiddling with the sleeves of her jacket the whole way, switching which arm carries the tablet.

After about 2 ½ hours, Azule arrives at the airport. She approaches the receptionist wearily, painfully looking out of place. She offers a small smile. “H-hi… I’m Azule Williams.. I think I have a ticket to… Enlightenment?” Azule replies uncertainly. Within minutes, she has her ticket and is on the plane in first class. She was terrified. She had never rode in an airplane before, but she did read a lot about how they work and how safe they were. She glances around nervously as the plane starts, the cabin seemingly empty which terrified her. The knot that had been in her stomach all morning had been growing and just reached it’s worse as the airplane takes off. She gazes out at the window to pass time, though her eyes dart wearily around the cabin anxiously. She keeps the tablet on the seat beside her but refuses to touch it.

Gavlan was a heavy sleeper. Long nights of heavy drinking had become a nightly routine for the short and stocky fellow, a habit he blamed on his appearance and his need to emulate the proud and industrious dwarves of his childhood fantasy novels. Like them he was a hard working, free talking, harsh drinking little keg of a man. Though a keg didn't have the kind of upper body strength that he certainly did.
Even dead asleep, Gavlan gave his arms a triumphant flex as he snored away.

A shrill whistle, louder than anything he had ever heard, blared from somewhere in his room waking him up with a scream as he stood up swinging. With nothing there to hit he was quick to scan his suddenly beer-can fortress free room, noting the loss keenly. Nervous but unafraid he threw off the covers and strode bare bottomed to the source of the noise, unashamed of his nudity.
It was his own room, damnit!

Without hesitation he placed his finger on the get started button, giving a little yelp as it pricked his finger which hastily found its way to his mouth. Tuthbe told he had no idea what Enlightenment was as thr machine spoke but curiosity was ever at the front of his mind. Instructions for a plane ride at 2pm and a change of clothes were mentioned before the transmission cut out.
With a shrug, Gavlan geared up in the uniform sporting a white lion emblazoned on the back of his sweatshirt.

At first he assumed that like all uniforms he had the displeasure of wearing they would not account for his compressed stature, to his honest surprise it fit snug. Perfect even..

"By ye gods of drink 'n joy, what ls this about?" He mumbled in what he assumed was a Dwarvish accent, something similar to a scottish dialect.

Not bothering to question the immaculateness of his new digs, Gavlan laced up his shoes and placed his hand made metal helmet atop his head. They got rid of everything else butbwere smart enough to leave his prized posession where it had been, untouched.
Ignoring the breakfast laid out for him but taking a 6pack of beer he had never heard of from the fridge he was out the door and into a cab waiting right outside. The whole ride was quiet. From home to airport and onto the plane, less than a dozen words had been spoken total.

Most of them being Gavlan. What surprised him most was nobody stopped him from carrying the beer with him. Up the ramp he went until he was on board a luxury aircraft he assumed was built for royalty.

Noticing a few other figures there, Gavlan decided the quiet had to end.

With a raucous cheer he thrust both arms into the air, his sleeves mysteriously torn off to reveal the toned muscle below, and bellowed. "ARE YOU FOLKS READY'TA LEARN!"

---

After a long and uneventful flight which consisted of reading the information given by the tablet and a quality nap after all the eyes strain the Pilot finally announced they were getting close. At which time the same flight attendant asked him to follow her, so he did grabbing his backpack and tailing her through the first class and into the flight attendant quarters. She then turned to him and handed him another backpack, one with the lion on the back, looking much sleeker than his, as if its supposed to be aerodynamic or something. "What now!? You're taking my backpack now too? I cant keep anything?" She just looked at him and laughed.

"Its a parachute! Don't worry, your tablet will help you figure it out even if you've never parachuted before."

Orsin stared at her in astonishment. "Awe hell nah, I just got abducted and now you're telling me to jump out of the plane in the middle of no where. FUCK that. Not happening.

"Don't worry Mr. Tanzini, Our co-pilot and I will also be jumping with you. Surely you didn't really believe I was a flight attendant did you? I work for the school! I have a pretty face and I'm nice to look at so they make me one of the greeters. Trust me, I have plenty of papers I could be grading right now." She said with a smile so big it made her eyes squint, and a little giggle to top it off.

Just then the co-pilot stepped out of the cabin. "Why isn't he ready? We gotta drop in, like, NOW!" he scrambled helping Orsin put his backpack on the front of him and strapping his body and legs into the parachutes now full looking apparatus. "What. The. Fuck. I'm going to die." The door to the open air burst open, almost sucking him out. He held onto a metal bar for dear life, Watching the co-pilot then the flight- well not flight attendant jump he got to the opening himself. He was super psyched out, he couldn't move. A hand landed on his shoulder making him jump and turn around, the pilot. He smiled then gave Orsin a shove out the door.

>Fall towards this.

That voice was back in his head again, Was it really his tablet? literally in his vision a red, upside-down triangle appeared. He couldn't believe his eyes but he was too scared to do anything else, he dove straight for the intended target. He could see a huge complex, lots of sidewalks connecting great buildings that all looks either super modern and stylish or vintage and castle like. He couldn't really think right now, he was just focusing on the target, a big open field with what looked like a ton of people.

>Good. Now deploy the parachute.

Okay, how do you open the parachute? Wait- actually~

>You know now.

Did the tablet just teach him how to deploy the parachute?

>Open. Now.

Orsin pulled the clip and the parachute ejected. He was heading for the field but he was too high, he was going to over shoot it..

>Pinch these clips.

A pair of clips turned green in Orsin's vision. They were attached to the strings holding him to the parachute. He really didn't care, he wanted this nightmare to end. He pinched the clips hard and the parachute detached. He looked back at the field that was approaching way too fast, suddenly a bunch of students rushed under his impact zone with a large rectangle between them, one of them stepped on what was apparently the deploy mechanism and the rectangle exploded into an enormous cushioned landing zone. He hit it and sunk in about four feet, slowly rising back out. All the other people were beckoning him towards the opening, "Hurry up, pal. A lot of freshmen are going to need this, you're just the first one, Welcome by the way!" He stumbled out and fell to the ground. He saw his co-pilot and flight atten- whatever she was unclipping their parachutes after landing safely without the landing zone. Orsin then fell flat, flat on his back. Staring straight up where he had just come from, seeing another plane overhead. He was in a daze, couldn't hear a thing, couldn't feel a thing. Just laid there. No one made him move so he took his time. Scanning his environment. He saw some metal stands like at an outdoor sports stadium over to the side with banners with the print "Welcome Freshman" all over it. He Figured that was where he should go sit until he recovered. Which is what he did. Staggering to the bleachers and sitting in the first row, head in hands, trembling, terrified. Waiting for- Something. He didn't know what.

Sitting as quietly as he could, which was to say not terribly quiet, Gavlan paced himself through the 6 pack of alcohol he had been allowed to take with him on the flight. Other passengers had noted the can sporting a lion similar to the one emblazoned on his sleeveless hoodie amd figured he made his own.
Politely declining his involvement he had put the first can back in record time, enjoying the taste of honey strangely enough.
The only problem was he didnt feel the rush to his brain that alcohol usually provided. The second and third can yielded no different a result, the taste of alcohol was there but perhaps the brew was weakm

A check of the label said otherwise. Nearly 40% alcohol content per can and nothing? If not for the taste he might have forsaken the beverage altogether.

When nearly 4 hours of travel time had elapsed, the 6pack was nothing but empty cans at his feet. An even dozen of the things, woth the stewardess bringing him what felt like an endless supply.

Lucky him!

The lull in things to do ended as a final can came with the stewardess, ushering him to the attendant quarters. A backpack sporting the lion was waiting there for him, on inspection revealing it to be a parachute. According to the little voice in his head it was time to get off the plane.
While in motion.
Thousands of feet above ground.
With his stomach full of beer.

Truth be told it still felt like anfaorly average day in terms of absurdity. The only thing making it different was not paying a cent amd beimg sober for the whole thing, despite his best efforts.

"Miss? You sure this be safe?" Not to sound ungrateful but his enthusiasm was taking a nosedive before he did.

"Perfectly." Flashing a genuine smile.

"Come this far, then. Wish me luck!"

The attendant continued to smile politely and struck a double thumbs up as a door swung open. With a whooping cheer he took a running leap into freefall.
Everything swam before his eyes as the short statured fellow struggled to right himself from a spinning fall to a proper guided one, his stomach threatening to purge. A few moments later and he was falling like a rock.
To his delight there were other parachutes coming down, aiming for a massive pad down below.

The school had even timed the arrivals by plane to prevent total gridlock as each person struck homeplate and walked off before another touched down. With hair flying wildly atop his head and face, Gavlan took in a deep breathe.

"ARE YOU READY. TO. LEAAAAAAAAAARN!"

Voice like an airhorn he whooped and laughed like a madman the entire flight down, snapping the cord to launch his parachute to arrest his momemtum. Gliding in the air he waited for the perfect moment and... now!
Clicking two clips at either side of the parachute harness he fell the last few dozen feet like a comet, hand holding his metal helmet securely in place as he hit the bag.
Just like a stone, he sank nearly 5 feet into it before his momentum was completely absorbed.

Other students were laughing at the peculiar fellow as he extricated himself from the bag and put feet on solid ground, falling to his hands and knees as the adrenaline kicked the strength from his legs leaving him half gasping half laughing upon the pavement.

"What a damn ride!"

---

The ride wasn't eventful, to be honest. Leo had fallen asleep ten minutes into the ride with headphones blocking the sound around him. His dream was rather pleasant, but when he was woken up from it, he couldn't remember what it was. The steward from earlier was smiling at him and was accompanied by another one - one that he recognized as the woman from earlier who had greeted him inside the plane. Taking off his headphones, he asked, "What's up?"

"We're close to our location. Come on." The steward told him before ushering him to stand up. Leo obliged and followed the two through the first class cabin, then into the flight attendant's quarters. "Put this on." He smiled as he handed Leo a bag that had the lion's crest on it.

Leo's eyes widened in recognition of what it was. "You guys do know that this is a parachute, right?" He pointed out as he took the bag and then put it on. Despite questioning them on why they were giving him a parachute, he didn't seem opposed to actually putting it on.

"Yes, well, you see, we'll be accompanying you. We're heading straight for the school." The stewardess added and then opened the hatch. It flung open and the two people gave him a thumbs up before gesturing for him to go first.

Leo had his reservations about this. But, then again, it had been quite some time since he'd tried parachuting. He still remembered the basics, at the very least. And! And! It was just too exciting to pass up. Giving the two a two-fingered salute and a grin, he jumped off. The wind against his ears rendered him practically deaf, but he was shouting at the top of his lungs with excitement. He left himself fall for quite some time, even putting his hands to the side as he boosted himself forward.

The tablet then alerted him to open it now, or he will face impending doom. Thinking that the tablet was right, he quickly deployed the parachute and he began his slow descent down. He started laughing, hard. He spotted the rectangular landing area and the tablet told him to release himself from the parachute. Doing as the tablet had told, he pressed the clips and he was back to descending quite fast down the landing area. Though, then he realized a little too late that he was going too fast and too far from the center.

"Well. Shit."

He covered his face as he dived headfirst into it. Landing on the edge of the cushioned landing area, it at least proved to help him a bit as it at least didn't shatter him completely as he was spat out and landed on the ground with a sickening crunch. His sight was dotted with black spots as he laid there and took deep breaths. Someone rushed to him and then asked if he was okay. He let out a groan as he felt like his leg started to get itself back together.

But damn, that hurt.

After three minutes of just laying down there, he finally sat up. His senses were finally getting back to him. He remembered the last fall he had gotten that was like that, and it took him a week to get back on his feet. This 'power' sure was helpful. The person who had come earlier was kneeling beside him. "You okay?" She was joined soon by the two attendants from earlier. At least they managed to successfully land.

"Yeah, I think I'm good." Leo reassured the girl before inspecting his leg. He poked and prodded it, but it didn't seem broken. Or at least, it healed now. He managed to stand up with the held of the girl and he placed some pressure on his leg. He winced. It still hurt, but at least it could function. "What a way to start the school year..." He mumbled to himself.

The girl laughed and he saw the two attendants leave. "Well, come on."

Leo accepted her help as he followed her towards the bleacehrs area. He was still limping, but that was mostly because it was still being numbed by the pain. He was rather glad that the girl decided to help him out. He didn't look around as he walked, still quite focused on getting to the seats and on his healing leg.

---

The plane ride was mostly uneventful as Alexander spent most of the time messing around with the tablet trying to figure out what it was actually supposed to do. The time he didn’t spend inspecting the tablet he spent eating food he’d ordered from the flight attendant. After however long he’d been on this boring ass plane ride for the flight attendant approached him and asked him to follow her. Alexander sighed and got up and followed her as he was asked, he realised that he had followed her into the flight attendant’s quarters. Immediately suspicion set in that Alexander acted upon, not taking any risks, he knew he had enemies and he didn’t put it past some of them to try something like this to get him isolated. ”Alright what the hell is going on here? Start talking.” The flight attendant giggled at him ”don’t worry Mr. Anderson we’re just about to disembark.”
”The fuck do you mean disembark? We’re thousands of metres in the sky!”

His question was answered when he the flight attendant strapped a parachute onto him and told him the tablet would tell him what to do from here before opening the side door and gestured for him to jump. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d done this. He’d saved up and gotten a discount on his 18th birthday on a skydiving session. ”Eh, fuck it.” he jumped and did a frontflip on his way out.

The tablet told him in which direction to angle his fall and when he was at the appropriate height he pulled the parachute and let it slow his descent unfortunately he missed the spot he was actually supposed to land on and fell on top of what looked like a dwarf from a lord of the rings movie. He rolls off of the dwarf and Alexander couldn’t help but laugh at him. Alexander heard an impact behind him and turned to see who had freshly landed in this insane situation.

---

At some point, Azule had drifted off into sleep. She awoke with a woman whom she had believed to be the 'flight attendant', she believed they were called, shooke her awake with a warm smile and kind eyes. "Time to wake up, dear. We're nearing our drop site." Without another word, she left the cabin, leaving Azule alone with wide open, terrified eyes. She closes them briefly, taking in a deep, calming breath. Once she opened them, she felt better already. Surely they wouldn't expect her to... 'drop...' without any experience?... Right?

After a few minutes of anxious waiting, the woman comes back with what appeared to be a backpack, but with further inspection, Azule realized it was a parachute. The color drains from her face. "Y-you can't be serious..." Azule murmurs, more to herself than the woman. She smiles in amusement. "You'll do fine. Me and another will be right here with you." The woman then proceeds to help Azule put it on. Azule makes sure to tuck the tablet into her jacket where it, hopefully, wouldn't fall.

A minute later, Azule stands by the door, her hands and legs clearly shaking. She was never a fan of heights, yet here she was, about to jump out of a moving airplane with nothing but a cursed backpack. She takes another steadying breath. "Ready? On three." The woman and another man whom she had persumed to be the co-pilot was with them now. All Azula can give is a hesitant nod in response.

"One. Two. Three!" At one, they open the door and it takes all Azula has to not scream and back away. On three, it still takes her a solid two seconds before gathering the courage to jump. Closing her eyes, and praying to a God she never believed in, she lets herself fall from the plane.

The freefall was not at all what she had been expecting. She feels as though her heart jumps into her throat before she manages to open her eyes, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Just then, she hears a voice speak, the same as was in the tablet. It, along with an upside down triangle appearing in her vision, guide her to a landing spot. Once she opens the parachute, she takes deep breathes, only to be replaces by a half yell as she releases herself from it. Her eyes close and her heart pounds until she hits the coushion, sinking only about 2 feet before coming back up. Hands guide her out along with cheers and smiles all around.

Azule's heart pounds and she quickly stumbles away from the landing spot, taking deep breaths. She sinks into the grass at a seemingly empty spot, her eyes glossy as she tries to regain her usual composure. "I just jumped off of a plane..." She murmurs to herself, in a state of a mix of shock and awe between the two. She can't help but grin, though she continues to sit, not staring at anything nor anyone in particiular.

---

The bleachers filled surprisingly fast, he noticed he was probably the biggest person there, and on the older side of them as well. Which meant they were aiming at younger kids, or the younger kids were more effected by tests. Anyway, the planes were timed just right as students and their guides fell and landed in quick succession with no troubles, Only on two accounts did people miss the targets. One of them landed on another student, a really short one for that matter, and the other seemed to miss the mark by only a little but hitting the ground hard. Orsin thought for sure he saw his leg bend a way that no leg should ever bend, but not too long after the kid was up and walking over to the same bleachers.

Looking around he saw little that indicated what to do next other than a podium with the insignia on the front. Once the bleachers were all filled up a man much bigger than even Orsin walked up to the stand, not many people were bigger than him, maybe thicker or more bulky which this man was, but not many were taller. This guy was a beast. He had a professional hair cut and a well kept beard. The man started to speak and introduced himself as the schools principle, it sounded as if he were speaking through a tuba. His voice was low but projected and very loud. Yet despite the circumstanced Orsin could here him just perfectly. He talked about the schools history and how it had been around for ages but kept in secret because the world would shun kids like us, they told us that this was no genetic mutation and that no gamma rays were shot into us. He explained that they have set up extensive connections to all hospitals and had been collecting data from children that have "Evolved DNA". Then once the symptoms of the evolution start to display themselves they invite to bring the kids here.

Then what the principle said next made Orsin excited to hurry and end this, "I hope you all have your tablets. They have monitored you your entire life. They are practically a digital version of you, that is tied to our school library, You can ask your tablet anything without saying a word and it will dig through our entire library for the answer, and relay the information back to your brain. Some of you might have even experienced this already. How do you suppose you learned to parachute? Most of you would have never dreamed of parachuting before you jumped out of the plane isn't that right?" Weird, all of what he was saying was believable but so crazy it seemed almost otherworldly. The principle continued, "Furthermore, I want you to ask your tablet without saying anything, ask in your mind, what a pod is, first. Then what number pod you have, and finally how to get there. I'm sure you all will find your way easy. You will be rooming with other freshmen. Fair warning. I suggest you make them your friends because they will be your family for the rest of your time here, and hopefully after." Orsin wanted to ask how long they were supposed to be here, and what they were going to do once they left. But he was sure all his questions would be answered soon enough. Then he directed his thoughts at his tablet. "So? Whats a pod? What number is mine, and how do I get there?" Sure enough the tablet explained everything to him, told him the room number then as if he had lived there his whole life, he knew exactly where to go.

"You all are dismissed."

Since Orsin was in the front, he got up quickly and started towards his new home, the pod, excited to meet the people he would be calling family. He walked at a brisk pace hoping that he wouldn't be last, even though none of the other freshmen had passed him yet. He looked towards the building that he knew his pod was in, it was a giant structure sticking out of a cliff face. Every housing unit was suspended out in the air, stylishly supported by large rock beams that looked as if they were made from solid obsidian or something crazy. Reaching the doors, which mind you are implanted into the rock, he walked into a lobby that looked like a cave system, however lighted by bright foot well lights.

>Take off your shoes. Your house may be in here but others are too, its customary.

Orsin took off his shoes and put them on a tray which receded into the floor and disappeared with them.

>Don't worry, Ill have your shoes out and ready any time you want to go anywhere.

Orsin shrugged, the floor was cool and felt nice anyway, Guess he didn't mind much. He went to the stairs and started skipping up them, no elevators, probably for fitness sake. Judging by all the non-freshmen, fitness was a high priority here. Most of the girls looked even stronger than him, and he wasn't out of shape in the slightest. Finally after rounding the staircase the last time he saw a door labeled, SIX, Floor 6. That's where his pod was, Every year each floor is cleared of its seniors and prepared for the freshmen, there were two floors for each grade. Freshmen were on floors 2 and 6, sophomores 3 and 7, etc. He walked down the long hallway with doors only to his right, He had Pod 7, So he walked passed six doors until he reached his.

>swipe the insignia over the black pad there.

Orsin did and heard the locking mechanism unlock and he pushed the door open, "So if anyone steals my clothes they can get into my room?" he thought to himself.

>No. The clothes are bio-locked. So they only way the insignia works is if you are wearing the clothes.

"Oh, Cool."

Orsin went in and found a seat on the couch, tablet in hand, and waited for his comrades to arrive.

---

Leo listened intently - or as intently as someone who just went through pain that should have made him blac out - and nodded every now and then. Seriously, he was pretty impressed with what he was talking about, even though some of the terms went over his head, he did still get the basic gist of it. The man didn't delve much into how this 'evolved DNA' came about or when it had happened, but Leo was cool with that. He felt pretty great about being rather special. Who knew that he was better than his siblings in some way, and it was ingrained in his DNA. That was pretty damn cool.

Then, the man went on to tell them that the tablet was practically them and that he could just think about what he wants it to do, and then it'll do it for him. Finally, he could search for something on the go without having to pull a phone out. It was pretty dangerous to do that. The man suggested that they ask what a pod was and where he should go. Leo decided to test it out.

"Hey, my bro, what's a pod and where do I go?"

The tablet responded in kind - very brief flashes of what a pod looked like burst into his mind as well as directions to how he would get there. It was like he could get there with his eyes closed; just as he could navigate around his own house that he had lived in for well his entire life.

Then, they were dismissed. He looked over to the girl who had helped him and realized that she hadn't stayed. Aw. She was probably a senior or something, so she didn't need to stay. Oh well, he'll probably see her sooner or later. He stood up and then tested his leg again, putting more and more weight into it and he thought that it felt like... well, it felt like it hadn't broken at all. So, he now knew that he would give his injuries a lot less time to heal.

Good to know.

Leo followed the directions the tablet had given him earlier and found himself seeing a lot of the other students. Some of them stopped to say 'hi' to the freshmen. What nice people. He wasn't sure what to say about the housing in general, but his mind had already overloaded with weirdness so he just shrugged it off and went on in.

Before he could enter, however, the tablet began to talk.

> You should take off your shoes. I'll take it out when you need to go out so don't worry.

A tray appeared on the floor and he took off his shoes and placed them inside. It then disappeared into the floor.

Leo just nodded and then entered. He did usually go around on foot inside his own house so he wasn't at all bothered by this. He continued on inside with his mind on autopilot once more. He began to climb up as he was on Floor six. The others looked really fit, and he was very impressed. Now this was his kind of place. He already loved it to bits.

He then headed for Pod 7, which was his Pod along with some others apparently. He spotted a black pad and the tablet immediately began speaking.

> Swipe the insignia over there.

It was like he had a pointed like in the video games as he immediately turned to the black pad, even though it wasn't really eye-catching for him. Seeing as his wristband had an insignia, he used that for the swipe and the door opened.

The place was impressive, and that was from the eyes of someone coming from the rich family like Leo. He then spotted someone over at the couch and he waved and grinned, "Yo, what's up?" He then sat down on one of the chairs and then looked up - as if still taking in the room.

---

"You all are dismissed."

To Azule, those words carried a lot of meaning to them. It was offically the start of her new life... As... She didn't know how to finish the sentence. Azula's thoughts stray to the tablet and can't help but feel a sharp stab of fear. Her hand moves over the tablet, as though to ensure it was there, though it was digging annoyingly into her chest the entire time, and a chill goes down her spine, despite the rather normal day. 'This.... thing has watched me my entire life?...' The thought spooked her, but she couldn't help but feel a jab of excitement. Followed by the 'tablet' answering her hypothetical question, stating her birthdate. She couldn't help but find that bit of information annoying.

Azule closes her eyes and rubs her forehead as the others began to move away. She could already feel a headache coming on from all of this information and change. With a pang of grief, she realizes she will never see her dog, Bray, again... The thought made her sadder than she would have thought. Reflecting on it, she hadn't given ANY of her family much thought and soon, she begins to miss them. She shakes her head and pushes her feelings away. Now was not the time for this... She begins to wonder about what a 'pod' is, and the tablet immediately chimes up with information about where it was and what exactly it was. She can't see herself getting used to this...

Azule runs a hand through her hair nervously as she makes her way to the mentioned pods. She hardly said anything or looked to anyone, her gaze downcast and a rather worried frown distorting her features. She avoided the people who seemed like they might have asked questions or wanted to converse. She wasn't much in the mood.

Azule reaches the pod, and she can't help but gaze around in wonder... It was so unique and... Beautiful, in it's own way. She jumps as the pod interrupts her moment, rather politely asking her to remove her shoes. She does so with a frown, already not liking that she wouldn't have them, but the floor was rather cool and felt nice on her feet. She glances around for an elevator, realizing there wasn't one. With almost a sigh to herself, she moves to the stairway and begins climbing.

By the time Azula reached the correct floor, she was panting softly. She had never cared much for physhical shape and never had a reason to change that. As long as it didn't cause her problems or get teased about it, she didnt' mind how she looked. She walks to her door nervously, swiping her insignia over the pad as the tablet requests. She looks startled as the door opens and two... Well, two 'men', really. There wasn't much of a different way to describe them. They were both rather fit and... Older. Already, she felt nervous. It was dumb of her to assume she would be staying with other girls, her own age. She hadn't thought much of the housing arrangements. Stepping inside, she moves away from the door, offering a shy smile to the pair.

"Hello.." Azule murmurs, her nervouseness betrayed in her speech alone. Truth was, she was terrified. She never socalized with people much outside of her family, and she certainly never slept close to them. The day was catching up quickly to her and her headache only seems to worsen with every new detai.

---

”You are all dismissed”

Alexander listened and then tried to find out what a pod was followed by what pod number he had. He got the answers that he was looking for rather quickly and although he wasn’t very comfortable with having been monitored his entire life he was impressed. He spent a few more minutes searching up stuff with the tablet testing to see how much it knew about him. Alexander eventually conceded that the tablet may very well have monitored his entire life. Just to be sure he asked a few more ‘personal’ questions all of which were answered promptly.

Having sated his curiosity for the time being Alexander had the tablet provide him with directions to his pod and followed them to find it. The pods appeared to be hanging from a structure that was built into the cliff face itself. The thought of his new home being suspended from a cliff didn’t exactly make him feel comfortable. even if they had support beams attached to them the idea just seemed downright dangerous and highly unnecessary.

Eventually Alexander stops scrutinising the pods and arrives at the front doors to what was designated to be his and reluctantly removed his shoes when asked before swiping his insignia on the pad and opening the doors to the pod. As he was opening the doors he noticed how cold the floor was. Alexander hated being cold, his favourite season was winter only because it meant he could spend the day under the covers if he wanted to.

The doors opened, Alexander stepped into the room and looked around to see who he was sharing the room with. He saw two men about the same age as him standing near one another, possibly in the middle of a conversation. And closer to Alexander and having most likely arrived very recently, was a girl who looked to be in her mid teens. Whereas the two men looked rather confident the young girl looked shy and was most definitely a wallflower. Anderson walked past them all, not in the mood to socialise at the moment.

Katerina was deep into the information on the tablet, eyes wide and heart pounding in her chest as she read about the research that had led to the experiment that her apparent powers was a result of. It was truly remarkable and she found herself wondering if she would be allowed to partake in the actual research or if she would just be another student at this school.

As she was halfway into finally reading about the school itself – wondering what this training that was continuously referred to meant – one of the flight attendants came to her side with a soft smile on her face.

”Excuse me, miss,” she was soft-spoken, with a light tone to her voice, ”Would you please come with me?”

Katerina quirked one of her perfectly manicured brows at the timid woman, but gave no verbal response as she packed away the tablet into her purse. The flight attendant just stood by, looking a bit unnerved. Although the thought was only in her mind for a few seconds, Katerina had briefly wondered whether the woman really was this nervous, or if it was Katerina's own nerves that were rubbing off on the poor thing. How did her powers work? What could she do? Was she, like, an opposite empath? She gave a light shake of her head; this was not the time for that.

”This way, miss,” the flight attendant said when Katerina rose from her seat, ”Please, follow me.”

And so she did. The woman led her through to the first class section and into the flight attendants quarters and while Katerina looked around a bit – something was off about this – the woman fiddled with something in one of the cabinets.

“Eto plokho, (This is bad)“ Katerina muttered under her breath, feeling that queasy sensation in her stomach again.

The woman let out a small giggle, ”Not at all, miss,” she said, handing her a weird-looking backpack, “We're just ready to disembark.”

A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Katerina realized that she had been handed a parachute. With eyes that size if saucers, Katerina began fervently shaking her head, repeating the word ”net, (No)” over and over again. She had the rational thought that maybe she was having a panic attack, but before it came that far, the co-pilot hurried in and began putting on a parachute of his own, which effectively distracted her enough to rattle her out of her train of thought.

”Relax, miss,” the flight attendant said in a soft tone, ”We'll be jumping with you and the tablet will give you instructions. You'll be fine.”

Although she desperately wanted to wake up from this nightmare now, Katerina allowed the flight attendant and co-pilot to help her into the parachute. She was still breathing a bit too fast and she was a little light-headed from the hyperventilation.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and the sheer force of the wind caused Katerina to grab for the nearest object in order to not fall over. The nearest thing happened to be the co-pilot, who simply chuckled at her.

”I'll jump first!” the flight attendant yelled over the roar of the wind, ”You follow me!” she added, pointing to Katerina. And without further explanation, the woman jumped from the plane. Katerina immediately rushed forwards to see where she was and when she saw the woman diving into the unknown, she took a deep breath and followed.

It felt like the wind had been sucked from her lungs and the wind whipped at her entire body. She felt instant regret and had to try her best to not literally piss herself with both the force of the wind on her entire front and the sheer terror she was feeling.

> You are doing well.

Once the shock passed, Katerina recognized the voice in her mind as the one from her tablet. The flight attendant had told her that the tablet would tell her what to do.

> Aim for this.

Really, this was not the weirdest part of all this, so Katerina just followed the red triangle that somehow appeared in her very vision, as if she was a freaking robot.

> Deploy parachute.

All right, Katerina thought, but how do I do that? Well, now that she really thought about it, she did know how. It was as if she had done it before. Without missing a beat, she did as instructed. The parachute opened up behind her, whipping up with a resounding ”whoosh” and for the brief moment where it was out, but not yet open, Katerina wondered if it even would. The harsh tug on her restraints answered the question and she was soaring gracefully in the sky.

> Now all you have to do is land.

Great. Easy as pie, Katerina thought sarcastically. She managed to, rather ungracefully, tumble onto the ground, rolling around a few times and managing to get herself tangled in one of the lines that attached to the parachute. The flight attendant rushed over and helped her free. She was saying something, but Katerina could not hear. Her ears were ringing so bad. Her entire body felt like it was made from jelly and she really wanted a nap right about now.

The look of the flight attendant's face let Katerina know that the woman was laughing as she pointed towards some metal stands with a banner that read ”Welcome Freshmen”. Katerina nodded her thanks and went there. It looked like something was about to begin.

Her hearing returned just in time to hear the speech. The whole thing just left her with more questions that answers and as she wandered towards where the tablet had told her to go. She was deep in thought when she stood in front of the door and barely even knew the voice of the tablet from her own thoughts when the wall swallowed her shoes. The same was the case when she opened the door, using the insignia on her hat.

As soon as she was in her pod, she looked around for a few moments before realizing that she was not alone.

”Privet, (Hello/Greetings)” she greeted with a tired smile.