Managing anxiety is difficult enough, but for Mike not being able to do so could plunge the world into darkness.
Being born at the bottom in a society that divides itself by magic and abilities only makes navigating his struggles all the more imposs...
Thirday began similarly to the Day prior, except now I had a group to sit with.
Breakfast went by quickly, and I was soon off to Professor Indigo's classroom along with Aka, Karter, Troy, and the twins. A few minutes after we had arrived, Aka became excited.
"I'm your partner to-Day!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down.
I was confused. "Oh?"
"Look at the board, mate."
Up front, the professor was writing in all caps, THIS WEEK: PARTNER LEARNING - YOU WILL WORK WITH A FELLOW CLASSMATE AND TEACH ONE ANOTHER ABOUT YOUR ABILITIES. Below that was a list of partners, including Aka and I's names.
"Oh," I mumbled. He really wants us to make friends in this class.
Professor Indigo went to the front and called for our attention. "Students," he began, "As you may have seen on the board, this week will be dedicated to group work. What this means is that each Day, you will be assigned to a partner. Then, you will demonstrate your abilities and teach your partner about them. I expect this to take the full hour of class, so feel free to go into every detail."
Most of the class was excited, but I couldn't help feeling a pang of dread.
"However!" the professor yelled over the restless murmur of the class, "I will be overseeing your activities closely, so no horseplay."
Professor Indigo set us loose. We were allowed to station anywhere in the large room or on the balcony. Aka insisted that we go outside.
The balcony, which overlooked part of the activity center, ran along the length of the classroom, and was very wide. The floor was made of tangled tree branches, and there were a few scattered mushrooms growing through them.
"So, Mike, wanna go first?" Aka asked when we found our spot close to the purple railing.
I shook my head. "Y-You can go first. In all honesty, we both know that I-I-I don't really need to explain my ability."
Aka looked at me with near-sympathy, then started stretching. He laughed nervously and told me, "Okay. Don't freak out, I promise I'm not gettin' naked."
What?!
The tan boy jumped into the air. His skin and clothes began to fade away, replaced by brilliant fire-colored scales that matched his tail. Leathery wings sprouted from his shoulder blades and opened up to propel Aka further above me.
I watched, fascinated, as he grew in size and his legs, arms, torso, and head changed shape. His nose morphed into a snout and his pointed ears became horn-like on the back of his head. His hair changed into large turquoise scales, but remained a similar shape. Matching spikes snaked down his elongated neck, back, and tail. Claws replaced fingernails and soon Aka was a full-fledged dragon.
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