Hera was following Helena to the elevator. It was an area where only Guild members were allowed to go. Classes took place on the third floor. Yet, just by moving towards an area of the Guild that she had never seen before, was enough to give Hera butterflies. Despite the surrounding not being anything special. It was just a corridor like any other. Walls in a pastel blue with some green lines, door frames in white, and the usual lights that existed pretty much everywhere.

  One day.

  One day was all it took for life to change completely. Just yesterday, her life was stuck in an awful loop. She woke up feeling depressed, spent most of the day working like a dog in a bookstore for minimum wage, and would cry herself to sleep almost daily. Now, she was worried she would seem like a fool who smiled all the time. All this because of the woman who was waiting for the elevator with her.

  Hera couldn't help but stare. There was no reason why Helena was helping her so much. Sure, maybe the clerk felt responsible for her somehow. Even if she shouldn't have.

  But at the same time, Helena seemed so put together. As if she had already figured out her whole life. And helping Hera was just a whim. Yet, he was doing it wholeheartedly.

  "Hera dear, you are staring again," Helena said, giving Hera a smile and a side glance.

  Hera looked down, embarrassed about being caught a second time. Seeing her like that, the attendant couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

  "You seem to have something on your mind. You know you can ask me anything, right? We are family now. All explorers are," Helena said a motto used by the Guild. One in a long list of attempts that never really stuck.

  Blushing a bit, Hera thought about what she should ask but felt like all questions would be stupid or troublesome to Helena.

  "No, I.. I don't have anything to ask."

  "Hera, sweetie. You are an explorer now. You need to be more assertive. If you are not, then I'm gonna have to tell you my full life story, and that will be dreadfully boring."

  That made Hera laugh. To her, that seemed impossible. There was no way that someone as confident and amazing as Helena would have a boring story. While she was thinking about this, the elevator arrived.

  "Finally, I have no clue why it's taking so long," Helena walked in first, but then saw a piece of paper that was in the notice board inside, "Oh right, they are doing maintenance. Honestly, why can't we have a magic lift like most of the other guilds have," with a sigh, she waited for Hera to enter the elevator.

  It took a while as the girl was still very much like a deer in the headlights. But eventually, the fresh level 2 woman walked inside. Figuring out it was better to go for a different approach, Helena spoke, "Just ask me something to break the ice, anything. What I had for dinner last night or whatever."

  Hera looked around and then said in a soft voice.

  "What did you have for dinner last night?"

  Helena stopped and stared at her for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. A reaction that only served to make Hera blush and look down yet again.

  "I wasn't expecting you to be so literal," Helena wiped a tear that was forming in her eye, "I had a salad, some pasta and a piece of apple pie for dessert. I had a huge craving for the last few days."

  The doors started to close slowly. At the same time, Hera decided to continue that line of questioning to get used to the idea.

  "Did you make the pie?"

  Helena just shook her head, "Nope, I can't cook to save my life. I got it all at a restaurant near my home. Try a more personal question. It's okay. I won't mind."

  That information made Hera feel a bit more comfortable now. After all, she was a good cook. Being better than Helena at something was reassuring in a strange way. While trying to think if there were any other things she wanted to know, she realized all the questions in her mind had been about the same subject.

  "What... what is your level?"

  Helena gave a big smile to Hera.

  "Now we are talking! We explorers only have one thing in our minds. I'm level 18. And I'm a mage."

  Hera's eyes widen. A level 18 mage? She never imagined that a high-level explorer would be working as a clerk. She just assumed they would be in the MAZE exploring and leveling up.

  "And why..." Hera stopped talking before the question came out of her mouth. It was probably a personal reason, and she didn't want to intrude.

  Helena, already used to that reaction, answered it anyway.

  "Why am I working as a clerk? I got homesick. After spending a few years in the MAZE, I wanted to come home to my family and friends."

  Hera blurted out the next question. "How many years were you there? And how old are you?" Realizing that it was rude to ask that, she quickly added, "Never mind, you don't have to answer it."

  The elevator opened, arriving on the third floor. Both of them walked out just after the question.

  "I'm minding if you don't let me answer. I was there for five years. I got way too distracted with research, the city I was in, and everything else, so I never went too far deep into the MAZE, or focused that much on leveling up. And I'm 32, by the way."

  "And you don't know how to cook?" Hera gasped in surprise. She quickly become pale, realizing she could be offending Helena.

  "Hey! I can do other stuff, you know. I just never got around to cooking," she pouted.

  Hera couldn't help but giggle at the reaction. She could be an adult, but right now, Helena looked like a teenager. The clerk smiled back, happy that their conversation seemed to relax the woman.

  A few moments later, they left the elevator and arrived at the door leading to the classroom, "Okay, this is where you will be. Let me just introduce you to the teacher."

  She knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, a man opened. Hera recognized him. He was the one she saw in the reception area with suntanned skin and long gray chops. He whore a red V-neck shirt and jeans, together with combat boots.

  "What?" the man asked sharply in a deep, coarse voice.

  "Pipe down, Calvin, I have one last student for your class. We had some issues with her registration. That's why we are late."

  Helena took a step to the side so the man could look at Hera. He gave her a long stare. At first, it wasn't a problem, but he took so long to say anything that made her uncomfortable.

  "Umm... Sorry to be late, Mr. Calvin," Hera said sheepishly.

  He stared at her even harder.

  "Lassie, in my class, ye call me Mr. Greyson. Ye don't have the right to use my first name until ye can beat me in the field."

  It took Hera all that she had not to turn and run away. His presence was intimidating, and the way he spoke only made him scarier. There was something hidden behind his voice, a sensation, a pressure that shook her very bones. However, when she looked at Helena, she realized one thing.

  "Did you beat him?" she asked, looking at the clerk. Helena only answered by putting one finger on her lips and smiling.

  "That's enough, lassie. Get in or go home." Greyson walked out of the door, giving space for Hera to come in. Helena then whispered something in his direction, and afterward, Hera only heard him mumble, "Bloody mages."

  Before Hera sat down in the last empty seat in the middle of the room, she got a text on her cell. It was a message from Helena wishing good luck and saying for her to go to the hall of heroes after the class. There were still a few things they had to do.

  With a smile, Hera put her phone on do not disturb, and looked to the teacher, excited about the training. On the other hand, Mr. Greyson just walked to the front of the class to continue the lecture.

  "Like ah was saying, the MAZE is not what ye think. It is not a place filled with walls with one exit. It is actually divided into many rooms."

  He drew a square on the blackboard.

  "Imagine this' a room. Anything can be inside it. A town, a tower, a field, even an ocean. It's called a MAZE for each room is connected with another by a doorway."

  He then made another four squares around the first and connected them all with a line.

  "The doorway can be in any place inside the room, up or down, hidden or in plain sight. The rooms can also vary in size. They can be a few hundred meters to miles 'n' miles."

  He looked at the board and made a couple more shapes connecting to the other. But this time mixing circles, triangles, lines, and even some weird squiggly lines.

  "The room can also be any shape, and the end is not always clear. Ye can be running through a field and hit an invisible wall."

  Mr. Greyson rambled, talking about all the times he found the edge of the room by accident. Although Hera was interested in the subject, she couldn't help but look around. There were twelve people in the room, not counting her and the teacher. Most of them seemed to be eighteen, but a couple looked a bit older, which made her relax a bit. She still was the oldest, but at least more people started a bit later.

  "The running into a wall thing happened to me once too, and ah broke my nose in two different places. Never got back to the way it was."

  A boy who was sitting in front of Hera approached the girl in front of him and tried to whisper.

  "So, that's why he has such an ugly face."

  He barely finished the sentence when Mr. Greyson grabbed his shoulder with one hand, pushing him down into the chair.

  "Oy laddie, ye better show some respect to yer elders."

  The phrase came out calmly, but one look at the teacher's face, and you would see that he was pissed. Everyone noticed that, and even the air in the room seemed to try to escape. As a matter of fact, Hera noticed how it was getting harder to breathe, just like if she were on a high altitude hike like she used to do. After a few moments with the man staring at the boy, the other students were clearly struggling, and the boy sweating almost like he had a fever.

  Not sure what to do, she could only think about the angry customers that she dealt with in the bookstore. Hera decided to try one of her tricks to distract the teacher.

  "Mr. Greyson?" She said softly.

  The teacher looked towards her without letting the boy go.

  "Aye?"

  Hera swallowed her fear and stammered, "Y-y-you said the wall can be anywhere. How was the first time you saw one?"

  It was a risky trick. She knew that. But usually, if they take the bait, the customers would talk about themselves and cool their heads enough so she could do her job. Hopefully the teacher would do the same.

  "The first time? It was a waterfall. Ah fell in a river and was being dragged towards it. Just before the fall, Ah hit the wall. That day, Ah decided to learn how to swim."

  Mr. Greyson walked back to the front of the class to continue the lecture. The boy he had just released looked back to Hera and mouthed a 'Thank you.' She answered with a smile before going back to what the teacher was explaining.

  "In recent years we found a skill that lets ye see the map of the room yer in. If yer good with it, ye can even see where the walls are. That is one of the skills we teach ye in this class."

  One of the older ones in the back then asked.

  "Mr. Greyson, Sir. Does that mean we can learn skills through other people?"

  It was a question that didn't cross Hera's mind. Everyone knew about skills and that you can get them as you level up. But no one talks about how to learn them. She figured that was part of the information the Guild refused to disclose.

  "Aye, we have a rule about not talking about this with people who are level 1. But ye can learn new skills in various ways. That's gonna be tomorrow's class. Now, we go to the gym. Ah want to see what ye can do."

  Before the students could realize what was going on, Mr. Greyson had already opened the door and left the room. A girl in the front seat looked back at the class.

  "Do we follow him?"

  The students stared at each other, trying to figure out what to do when they heard yelling coming from outside.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "What are ye waiting for? Let's go. If ah have to wait for more than ten minutes, ye all are running the drill instead of training."

  "What is the drill?" One of the boys asked.

  The eldest man in the group got up and started walking to the door.

  "I have no idea, but I really don't want to find out."

  As if agreeing with him, all the students got up and rushed through the door. The first student to leave the room saw the teacher looking back and going down the stairs.

  "We need to go down!" he said before following Mr. Greyson.

  Hera got up and followed the group, but she stayed at the back, afraid of stopping and hurting someone. At her side, a girl was running at the same pace.

  "Hey, it was a nice thing you did to help that guy," the girl said. She had her long blue hair set in a ponytail and bangs that resembled a bit how the Hero Undine did her hair, albeit shorter.

  "Oh… Thank you... I... He... The teacher just reminded me of a customer I had. He was yelling and complaining, and making him talk about something else made him cool off."

  Hera avoided eye contact, worried Mr. Greyson would be angry if he knew what she did. The girl started laughing at the same time they went down the stairs.

  "You treated Mr. Greyson as a rude customer? That is amazing."

  Hera's eyes widen, "Please don't tell him."

  The girl shook her head, "Don't worry, that was incredible. I need to think about how my work can help me here, the previous work I mean. What's your name?"

  The group was going down the second flight of stairs. Hera noticed that even though they were almost running, she wasn't feeling tired at all. Yesterday, this light jog would have exhausted her.

  "I'm Hera."

  "Hey Hera, I'm Pamella, but you can call me Blue."

  Hera tilted her head. Nicknames usually are part of the name, right? That was an odd one.

  "Why Blue?"

  Pamella pointed to her hair.

  "Oh, right," Hera felt embarrassed. The reason for the nickname was literally on the girl's face.

  "I'm just kidding. My last name is Blunt, and in my class back in high school there were two other girls called Pamella. In the end, people started calling me Blue since Blunt seemed a bit too formal. Lucky me, since that's my favorite color, and I had an excuse to dye my hair. People went nuts when I showed up like this. Never looked back."

  Hera smiled at her. The girl was chatty, but then again, this wasn't that strange. A lot of people would be more than happy to talk about themselves with coworkers. And while this was a class, they were technically working together.

  Following the group one more flight of stairs, Hera realized that they were going towards the basement since they had just passed the ground floor. She stopped before going down and looked around. Hera took the guild tour so many times that she still remembered the layout. This hallway leads to the training room. Why would they be going down?

  "What's wrong?" Pamella stopped in the middle of the stairway, looking worried at her new classmate.

  "This seems wrong. The gym room is that way. Why would Mr. Greyson take us to the basement?"

  Pamella looked down at the rest of the group, "Maybe he has a different place in mind."

  "I don't know... I think he would take us to where they train. Hang on, I'm going to take a look." Hera started dashing through the hallway towards the cloth while she heard Pamella yelling.

  "If you are late, we are all running the Drill!"

  Hera wasn't sure of what the Drill was, but she was sure there was nothing underground. She had learned the layout of this place before she turned 18. And she was sure the basement was a storage and research area, nothing more. Why would a teacher take his students there on the first day?

  Reaching the fork in the hallway, Hera looked around, trying to remember how to get to the training room. To her right, there was something in the back that seemed to glow. She started sprinting toward the light, but halfway through it, she saw the solid stone wall changing to a glass one.

  Through the glass wall, Hera saw a big room filled with equipment and a running field. Some people were training there. Hera assumed they were explorers since the training seemed to be almost impossible for an average human. They were jumping too high and moving too quickly for a regular person. Scanning the room, she finally saw an area with a few training dummies and one big, sun-tanned man standing in front of them looking towards her.

  Mr. Greyson smiled at his student. She was the first to get there, but he had seen her in the back of the group. That fresh batch of recruits seemed to be too green even for the standard of a beginner course. He was glad at least one of them seemed to have some brains. He waved at her, but that caused her to run back the way she came.

  That surprised Calvin. Sure, he was harsh, and his personality wasn't very welcoming, but running away after seeing him hurt a bit. He scratched his chin, wondering if the beard was contributing to the bad look.

  If it came to people running from him, maybe he should consider changing his style, even if he was very fond of it.

  Still pondering what he could do to be more friendly towards other people, he saw the girl same girl again. This time she ran towards him.

  The blond girl was halfway through the training room when another girl showed up, the one with the blue hair who seemed to be a bit too into the Heroes. The first girl, the one that arrived late, stopped in front of him at the same time he saw the rest of the class running through the hall.

  "Would ye look at that," Mr. Greyson said.

  The teacher was staring at Hera, who now was catching her breath. The jogging through the stairway was fine. But the sprint towards the training room and back, and to it again, was enough to tire her. Still, she had a wide grin on her face.

  She was fast.

  She was faster than ever before, and she could go at her full speed for more than just a few seconds, and she still had some energy.

  Part of her wanted the class to fail, and run through the Drill, whatever that was. She wanted to test her strength. See what her body could do now.

  Pamella joined her after a few seconds, nowhere near as tired as Hera, but she also was taking deep breaths. The rest of the class soon got behind them. Most were breathing heavily, but a few seemed to be okay with the marathon.

  "Very well, ye all made it in time, so none of ye will run the Drill today." Mr. Greyson walked toward one of the training dummies, "Now, ye all need to show me what ye can do. We made this dummy for this. It can take a beating, and it won't break. Ye will use the wooden ones if you get a higher level you need to swap for a more resistant one like this."

  With a swift movement, he slammed his fist in a silver dummy's head, making a 'clang' noise that startled even the other explorers in the room. Just behind all the mannequins, a screen showed a score of 183 points.

  "Each one of them is linked to a computer. So they can give you an idea of how powerful yer attack was. Even if ye are a mage, ye need some strength to fight, and Ah need to know what ye can do so Ah can teach ye."

  The students mumbled a bit until the man who left the class first stepped forward.

  "Can I go first?" he said confidently.

  Hera couldn't help but be impressed. Being first felt like a lot of pressure.

  "Very good laddie, ah like who take the initiative. Take one of the weapons in the wall and give it a good whack, also what's yer name?"

  The man walked towards the wall and put his hand on a wooden spear, letting out a long sigh before answering, "It's Leonidas."

  Mr. Greyson gave a resounding laugh after hearing the name, "And ye know how to use a spear, my boy? Yer parents never gave ye a chance."

  "No, they didn't."

  Leonidas walked in front of a wooden dummy and took a deep breath. His skin was somewhat tanned, and he had a muscular build. He was a bit taller than Hera and wore a red gym tracksuit. But despite looking a bit like the happy jock, his entire presence shifted from someone confident and joyful to a cold and centered person. It Hera was taken aback. It was the first time she had ever seen someone with a bit of combat experience get ready to attack.

  A few seconds passed before he pulled the spear to the side with one hand while aiming it with the hand in the back. With a thrust, he hit the center of the dummy, making a loud noise as if a shelf had just fallen to the ground. Leonidas took a step back, staring at the spear and then at the dummy with a surprised face, looking at the spear as if it had betrayed him.

  "Ah told ye laddie, that dummy is a tough nut to crack," Mr. Greyson said with a smile before pointing towards the monitor.

  In big blue letters, Leonidas' score appeared.

  23 Points.

  "That is the strength of yer attack. It is the same as if yer strength score was a 23. When ye strike, any skill behind the blow also makes it stronger. That's yer score. Very good for a recruit boy, ye may make yer name justice one day."

  Leonidas smiled and put the spear back in the wall before walking towards the group. The teacher clapped his hands once and asked.

  "So, who is next?"

  All the students were looking at each other. Leonidas' display was impressive, especially since most of them had no actual combat training. Noticing the impatience of Mr. Greyson, Hera took deep breaths, trying to muster the courage to step forward. However, someone beat her to it.

  "I'm next!"

  Pamella took a few steps forward, staring at the dummy.

  "Very good, lassie, tell us yer name and show what ye can do,"

  Pamella kept looking towards the dummy, and with a frown said, "I'm Pamella, but my friends call me Blue, and, teach, I have a problem. What I know how to do is based on grapples and throws. I don't know if it will work against something that doesn't move."

  Mr. Greyson nodded and pressed something on a tablet near the wall. The dummy in front of Pamella took two steps forward and threw a punch towards her. Then it reset its arm and punched again. On the third punch, it was clear the dummy was making the same motion over and over again.

  Pamella, who was a few steps away from the dummy, gave a cocky smile before looking at the teacher.

  "That will work. Thanks!"

  Mr. Greyson just gave a smile and a nod and watched as she was getting ready to attack. She had one foot to the back and one to the front, holding both of her hands in front of her at different heights. It looked like something out of a kung fu movie, but at the same time, the way she moved her legs reminded Hera of boxers.

  Pamella moved closer to the dummy, gauging the distance between her and her target. She was taking her time, making sure not to make any mistakes. Hera saw her arms tense just before she started to move.

  In a flash, Pamella grabbed the wrist of the dummy with her left hand, turned her body while positioning her shoulder under the attacker's arm, making her back press to its chest. With a loud scream, she pulled the dummy arm, using its weight to throw the target on the ground.

  The dummy hit the floor, making a noise louder than what the spear had just made. The mannequin then got up from the ground and moved back to the position it was before starting to punch the air once again as if nothing had happened.

  "Very good, lassie, 20 points. That's no small feat for a counter,"

  Pamella was panting a bit, Hera wasn't sure if it was the pressure of the moment or the move that she just did, but that seemed to take a lot out of the girl.

  "Thanks, I guess double my strength is pretty good," Pamella said with a smile.

  That remark made Mr. Grayson laugh, "Pretty good? Yer a goddamn monster, lassie, even ah can only increase by a bit over half of my strength without a skill."

  "But she was just kidding, right? Your strength is not 10, is it?" The boy who had made the teacher angry back in the classroom asked.

  "Yes, it is, and I can show it to the teacher to confirm it," Pamella said, staring at the boy.

  "No need, lassie, I read all yer files," Mr. Greyson looked at Hera, "Well, almost all of them."

  Hera felt the rest of the class staring at her. She just realized that the way she showed up made it seem like she was getting special treatment. Which in a way she was, but not like they would think.

  "Now, who of ye will go next?"

  The students hesitated once again. How could they follow these two monsters?

  Hera was still thinking about how she could clear any misunderstandings when she heard Mr. Greyson calling her.

  "Hera, how about ye show us yer moves?"

  She came out of her daze and stared at the teacher. Hera didn't want to go now, but by the look on Mr. Greyson's face, she didn't have a choice. Walking towards the wall, Hera looked at all the weapons there. There was almost any weapon she could think of, swords, shields, whips, gauntlets, sickle, even what looked like a battering ram. She looked at them and approached the teacher.

  "I.. I've never used any weapons before, and I can't do it with my hands,"

  The teacher stared at her and then turned to talk to the class.

  "Miss Hera never used a weapon before. But that hardly means anything. This class will give ye some basics in using many weapons inside the MAZE. Try them all and look for the one that suits ye," He looked back to Hera, "This is the first opportunity to do it, so just pick something ye think ye might like. Ye can take yer time. "

  She nodded and walked towards the wall once again. Spears and lances seemed too big to control, Daggers were too short. She had no idea how to use a bow, and a shield was something to protect, not to attack. Instead, Hera looked at the axes. Big two-handed ones seemed really cool, but she would look ridiculous using them.

  Her eyes moved to the hand axes. It was smaller than the two-handed ones but big enough to have some reach. She grabbed it and made swinging motions a couple of times. It felt right, but she then looked at the wooden blade and realized that there was a high chance she would miss the point where she wanted to hit, so she put the weapon back in the wall. Then she went for the swords. They always looked reliable and straightforward. You just swing and hit with any part of it.

  Looking at the swords, she didn't feel any of them being the right fit. Too small, or too big, and even too fragile looking. She was about to move towards the more unique weapons when her foot knocked down a sword. She picked it up and could see a layer of dust that had gathered on the wooden blade.

  That weapon seemed worn out and forgotten. She could even see some light dents all over the edges. For some reason, she felt bad about it. For a sword that had seen so much use to be just left there. And no one seemed to care about it. All its hard work so far just... Ignored. She dusted the sword off and went to one of the dummies that weren't moving.

  Thinking about the movies she saw when she was little. The training and studying she did while waiting for her first level up. Memories that were once locked away all came flooding into her head. She put one foot in front of the other, mimicking the stance used in kendo since they also use wooden swords.

  Mr. Greyson waited patiently for Hera to pick her weapon. Since she had never used one, she needed to look at them carefully. It was the same for the rest of the class. But he didn't mind. This was the part of the training he knew. Not the part where they needed to be in a stuffy classroom explaining how the world works to a bunch of greenhorns.

  The girl had chosen an old and beat up sword. The thing looked like it could snap if you pressed too hard. But his student seemed to use it well for someone who never held one before. He watched as she got into her stance. It was honestly a mess. Her weight was on the wrong foot, her arms too stiff, and her breathing was all over the place.

  Yet, her eyes were right. Really right. The room was noisy, and it was easy to get distracted, but her focus shifted to the dummy. She was concentrating on the point where she wants to strike, even with the loud bangs around them. Greyson himself needed some practice before he could focus like that. After a few moments, she took a step forward and hit the dummy in the neck with a slashing motion. The impact made a small thud sound, but at the same time, the entire class heard a loud crack.

  Hera looked at the sword in her hand, starting to panic. The wooden blade had cracked, and it looked about to split. She looked around, and the teacher was walking towards her. Taking a step back, she tried to hide the sword behind the dummy, not letting go of it.

  "It needs work, but ye have potential lassie. 14 points is pretty good for the first try, even if that is yer strength," he stopped in front of her, "And why are ye hiding the sword?"

  Hera didn't want to think about what would happen since she broke a sword. Her bank account was in the single digits, and the gear explorers use is very expensive.

  "My strength is 12, actually. Maybe 11 now? I forgot to check."

  Hera didn't know if there was a way to check her debuff aside from opening the status screen. But doing so while talking to someone is considered rude.

  The teacher tilted its head. It was an odd thing to say. The scores were only affected by buffs or debuffs, but he was sure she didn't use any skills to attack.

  "All right, Ah can check yer file later. Now tell me why ye are trying to hide the sword?"

  Hera looked down and showed the sword to Mr. Greyson. She couldn't look him in the eye. What if they kicked her out for damaging the guild property? With her hand trembling, the teacher picked up a sword and let out a long sigh. But before he could say anything, she blurted out.

  "I.. I broke the sword. But please don't kick me out! I can't pay the guild back yet, but I can work as a clerk or a janitor or whatever just please let me stay here."

  Without realizing her eyes were filling up with tears. The fear of being so close only to be kicked out again overcame her.

  Greyson was a callous man, but even he was taken aback by her reaction. If anyone was at fault, it was whoever had left a crappy sword stay in the training room. He put a hand on Hera's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

  "It is okay, Lassie. The sword was old and not enchanted the way it should. No one is getting kicked out for it," he gave a soft smile, and for one moment, all his students saw his imposing figure change to that of a caring person.

  That didn't last long. Seeing the class change the way they were looking towards him, Mr. Greyson bounced back to his usual posture.

  "Now go back to the group," he guided her with his hand on her back, "and you, go next!" He pointed to the middle of the group, just waiting for any of the students to take the bait.

  "Me?" one of the girls in the middle asked.

  The teacher held back a smile. This trick always worked. Someone always spoke up.

  "Aye ye lassie, c'mon, we don't have all day."

  The girl went to the wall to choose her weapon, but Hera was too distracted to pay attention. Her eyes were still watery, and she was trying to calm herself down. Pamella walked over to her.

  "Hey, are you ok?"

  Her voice was soft, and Hera could see that she was reaching with her hand but stopped midway. That made her feel more comfortable. It was nice being near people who understand that sometimes we need space.

  "Yeah, I just got worried," Hera looked around and saw a water cooler in the back of the room, "I'm just gonna drink some water."

  Hera walked away from the group, not realizing that the whole exchange had been witnessed by a man with a bright pink mohawk.

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