The Stars Said Hello [1]

C H A P T E R - 1 1

The whole school had physical education together every Tuesday and Thursday morning—the only session that wasn't one-on-one. Sophie was so nervous she couldn't even think about breakfast. She'd always been a disaster at anything physical. Her goal was to hide in the back and hope her Mentor didn't notice her.

The locker rooms were outside, sandwiched between a huge field of purple grass and the amphitheater that looked like a domed Colosseum. As soon as she set foot through the door, hundreds of girls stopped talking to stare at her.

Sophie kept her head down and rushed to what she assumed was her PE locker. Instead, the door led to a personal changing area, complete with shower and vanity. Her uniform hung from a hook near the door: blue tunic, black leggings, black sneakers—finally something without a cape. She changed fast, swept her hair into a loose ponytail, and emerged into the main room just as Stina and her minions stalked by like they owned the place.

Stina laughed when she spotted her. "I give the new girl six months before they ship her off to Exillium," she said, loudly enough for everyone to hear.

The word "Exillium" felt like a slap. Sophie couldn't think of a reply.

Marella's voice cut across the room. "That's about how long your dad lasted, wasn't it?" She stalked over and got in Stina's face. "Actually, I doubt he even made it that far."

"You want to compare parents, Redek?" Stina hissed.

Marella was so tiny Stina looked like she could squish her—but she didn't flinch. "My family may not be nobility, but at least we're not trying to fool anyone—unlike some people in this room."

"Take that back," Stina demanded.

"I will when it stops being true." Marella dragged Sophie outside and into the amphitheater as Stina shouted idle threats.

All the prodigies were grouped by level, and Marella led her to the crowd of Level Twos.

"I'm sorry you had to get in the middle of that," Sophie mumbled.

"I didn't have to. I wanted to. She tromps around here like she's so special 'cause her mom's an Empath for the nobility. Meanwhile, her dad never manifested and she only has a fifty-fifty chance of manifesting herself. I can't wait to watch you put her in her place."

"Wait—I'm going to put her in her place? Me?"

"Of course you. You're the new girl with the mysterious past who probably has all these weird powers. I mean, just look at your eyes."

Sophie shuffled her feet. "I'm not special, Marella. Trust me."

"Whatever. My point is, none of us has been able to take Stina down, not even Princess Prettypants Biana. You're the new variable—something no one expected—so you get to end Stina's reign of terror. Everyone's waiting for it."

"What do you mean 'everyone'?" She was stunned to notice several prodigies watching her. They didn't really think she'd change anything, did they?

"Are you ready for this?" Dex interrupted, jumping up and down—and getting some impressive height. He grabbed Sophie's shoulders, like he wanted to jolt enthusiasm into her.

Before she could answer, twelve Mentors strode into the room in dark gray capes. Each of the six grade levels had two Mentors to supervise, one for the boys and one for the girls. Lady Alexine, the Mentor who gave Dex and Stina detention the day before, and Sir Caton, who had the muscles of a Titan god, informed the Level Twos that they'd be working on channeling.

"It's about focusing your concentration," Dex explained. "Mind over matter. Don't worry. It's supereasy."

It wasn't.