Chapter III

  “Where are we going?” I asked as we stepped out of the house.

  Mom adjusted the small silver locket hanging around her neck before answering.

  “To the yearly Gifted Gathering,” she said. “It’s where apprentices take their final assessment.”

  David and I exchanged a quick glance.

  “The assessment to become a fully trained Gifted,” she added.

  “Oh,” I said, trying to sound calm.

  Inside, though, my stomach was doing flips.

  David walked beside me with his hands in his pockets.

  “What happens after the assessment?” he asked.

  Dad answered as he locked the door behind us.

  “If you pass, you’ll be placed into a squadron.”

  “A squadron?” I repeated.

  “With four other Gifted who pass the test alongside you,” he explained.

  That sounded interesting.

  “That actually sounds kind of fun,” I said.

  David frowned.

  “What if we don’t pass?”

  Dad shrugged slightly.

  “Then you retake the test next year.”

  He said it so casually that it almost made me laugh.

  Almost.

  Getting to the Gifted Gathering wasn’t as simple as hopping into a car or boarding a plane.

  There was a special process.

  Every fully trained Gifted wore a necklace with a locket bearing the symbol of their elemental power. Inside the locket was a teleportation device that allowed them to travel instantly to Gifted headquarters.

  Each necklace could carry one apprentice along with the owner.

  Mom held her locket in her hand.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “Ready.”

  Since my powers came from Mom’s side of the family, I would travel with her.

  David stepped beside Dad.

  For a brief moment, everything was quiet.

  Then the lockets began to glow.

  Light wrapped around us like a swirling ribbon of energy. The ground seemed to vanish beneath my feet, and the world stretched and twisted for a split second.

  Then—

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  We were somewhere else.

  I blinked as my vision cleared.

  The Gifted headquarters rose around us.

  It reminded me of the secret base beneath our house, but this place was enormous. Towering halls stretched in every direction. Walls of smooth metal and glowing panels hummed softly with energy.

  Gifted walked through the corridors in every direction.

  Some wore armor.

  Others carried weapons.

  Some had glowing symbols on their lockets that I didn’t recognize.

  A small knot of worry tightened in my stomach.

  David stood beside me, looking just as overwhelmed.

  “Whoa,” he whispered.

  Mom and Dad, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed.

  They immediately began greeting people as we walked.

  “Kellen!”

  “Livia! It’s been years!”

  Old friends approached them with smiles and handshakes.

  Apparently our parents were pretty well known here.

  After a few minutes, Mom turned back to us.

  “You two can explore a little,” she said.

  “But stay together,” Dad added.

  “And if you get lost,” Mom continued, “ask someone to contact Kellen or Livia.”

  David leaned toward me.

  “That’s weird,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  “Hearing people say our parents’ names.”

  I smirked.

  “Yeah.”

  Still, we followed their rule and stayed close to each other as we wandered through the massive headquarters.

  Before long, we found a group of apprentices gathered near one of the training halls.

  Some of them looked younger than us.

  Others were older and seemed much more confident.

  A few were clearly still in training, practicing small bursts of elemental power.

  One girl was making tiny flames dance across her fingertips.

  A boy nearby shaped water into floating spheres.

  I wondered which of them would be taking the assessment with us.

  And more importantly—

  Which of them might end up in our squadron.

  Eventually, Mom and Dad found us again.

  Mom rested a hand on my shoulder.

  “It’s time.”

  My stomach dropped.

  Suddenly, the excitement I felt earlier was replaced by pure nerves.

  What if I fail?

  I tried to hide my worry, but Mom noticed immediately.

  “Hey,” she said softly. “You’ve trained for months.”

  Dad nodded.

  “You’re ready.”

  I wanted to believe them.

  We followed them into a large hall filled with rows of chairs.

  Twenty-eight other apprentices were already seated.

  I recognized a few of the faces from earlier in the corridor.

  Some looked calm.

  Others looked just as nervous as I felt.

  If I pass, I wondered, who will be in my squadron?

  A tall man stepped forward to the front of the room.

  He wore a dark uniform with a silver emblem shaped like a star.

  “I am the assessment overseer,” he announced.

  The room fell silent.

  “There will be five parts to your assessment,” he continued. “One each day.”

  A quiet murmur passed through the apprentices.

  “Today,” he said, “we begin with tactical training.”

  Relief washed over me.

  Tactical training was my strongest area.

  Still, I knew the rules.

  To qualify, we needed to pass at least three of the five tests.

  No pressure.

  We were led down a hallway and into separate rooms.

  Each room contained a simple desk.

  On it sat a pencil, a blank sheet of paper, and an instruction sheet.

  I sat down and read mine carefully.

  The question read:

  What would you do if ten thousand Ogres invaded the human world?

  Ogres.

  We had studied them during training.

  Disfigured faces.

  Hairy bodies.

  Long fingernails.

  Massive heads.

  Their skin could be any color—gray, green, red, even blue.

  Worst of all, they were extremely aggressive.

  But they weren’t intelligent.

  They attacked wildly and without planning.

  Which meant strategy could defeat them.

  I looked down at the list of resources I was allowed to use.

  You may use yourself and one other Gifted (any power), two hundred trained archers, and ten thousand human volunteers.

  I leaned back slightly, thinking.

  Ten thousand Ogres was a huge force.

  But Ogres relied on brute strength.

  That meant surprise would be the key.

  Archers could be extremely effective if positioned correctly. Humans could build defenses or lure the Ogres into traps.

  And with two Gifted…

  Possibilities opened up.

  Ideas began forming quickly in my mind.

  I grabbed the pencil and began writing.

  Every detail mattered.

  Time was limited—just like it would be in a real battle.

  Eventually the door opened and one of the overseers spoke.

  “Time.”

  I handed in my paper and stepped back into the hallway.

  Soon all the apprentices were gathered again.

  The overseers collected our plans and dismissed us for the evening.

  “You may rest until tomorrow’s assessment.”

  But relaxing was impossible.

  My mind kept replaying every part of my strategy.

  What if I missed something?

  What if my plan wasn’t good enough?

  Later that evening, I found Mom and Dad again and asked them.

  They smiled.

  “Everyone feels nervous before their first assessment,” Mom said.

  Dad nodded.

  “That’s normal.”

  I took a slow breath.

  Maybe they were right.

  Still…

  I hoped my strategy was strong enough to prove that I belonged here.