“Are you sure you have everything you need?” my mother asked as I pulled on my shoes.

  It had been a long time since she’d been around to see me off to school in the morning. Back at our old place she was almost always pulling double shifts, and gone before I even got up, or sleeping late to recover. Right now she was practically vibrating as she hovered around me, barely restraining herself from double checking all my gear.

  “I’ve got it all,” I promised, a small smile growing on my face. As soon as I finished tying my sneakers I stepped over and pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t help but worry. After that alert on Friday you pretty much spent the entire weekend hiding in your bedroom. I know you said you were fine but…” she paused, studying my face.

  “I am fine. I admit, it spooked me a little, but I really was using that time to read through the school handbook and prepare for today’s classes. If I’d really been that spooked would I have gone with you to meet Abigail and Olivia yesterday?”

  “Yes, yes you would,” my mother replied as she stroked my back. “You always put on a brave face, so I won’t worry about you, no matter how much you’re hurting. I know I’ve always been busy with work, and haven’t been able to give you the support you needed, but I wish you’d open up, just a little.”

  “I have! We’ve been more honest and open with each other over the last week than we have been in years!” I exclaimed, pulling back just enough so I could look her in the face. “I’m fine. Promise.”

  She squinted slightly as she inspected my face, before finally stepping back and sighing. “Fine, I believe you. Are you sure you have everything, really sure?”

  “I double checked,” I chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

  “Good. I’ll be here if you need anything, just call. I have an interview later this afternoon, but I’ll be home until then. Have a good day!”

  I smiled as I pulled open the door. “See you soon.”

  As soon as I stepped out the door I had to stop, to keep from running into Angelica. I could tell she was irritated by the way her colors shifted, her body rippled. I made sure to pull the door closed so my mom didn’t have to hear one half of what was probably going to be a very awkward conversation.

  “Why did you lie to her?” Angelica hissed once the door was closed. “She wants to be supportive, why can’t you just be honest and tell her you were terrified?”

  “Because I didn’t want to worry her!” I whispered back. “I know I can probably be more honest with her, but I’ve spent years hiding my emotions so she wouldn’t worry. It’s not a habit I can break overnight.”

  “You should probably confide in her when you get home later. Even though you managed to work through your anxieties yourself, and no longer consider them a problem, it would be good for your both to be honest with one another,” Tyberius said as he slowly descended the building behind me.

  “Fine… you’re right, she deserves that much. I’ll tell her later,” I muttered.

  “Are you talking to yourself?” a voice asked from my left. I flinched slightly, and turned slowly to find Olivia standing a couple feet away.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “I didn’t see you standing there,” I said.

  “We did say we’d go to school together, didn’t we?” she asked as she wheeled an oversized black bike up between our houses. After gently leaning the bike against her house she tapped her watch against a featureless black box sitting just behind the seat, causing it to pop open, revealing a helmet.

  “Aren’t you going to go get your bike?” she asked.

  “Right, sorry,” I mumbled. “Be right back.”

  After jogging down the narrow lane between our houses I got my first look at my backyard, or lack thereof. The entire space was covered in gravel, instead of grass and most of the space had been taken up by… well it was technically a garage, but it looked more like a garden shed. Simple, uninsulated wooden walls, a roof covered in basic tar shingles, and a set of plain looking double doors held shut by a wooden bar instead of a latch. It didn’t even have a floor, just more gravel.

  For a second I wondered if the neighbourhood had any problems with thievery, there hadn’t been any warnings in the guide, but it was quite obvious the building wasn’t secure. With a shake of my head I pushed the flimsy side door open, and stepped inside.

  It wasn’t the most elegant looking thing, it actually was a hefty industrial model, but looking at it still filled me with a little joy. I stepped over to it, grabbed the handlebars and pulled it back towards the door.

  Or at least I tried to. As soon as pulled the bike away from the wall I found that I couldn’t move it at all. The wheels were completely locked up, and it weighed a ton, so there was no way I’d be able to drag it anywhere.

  I pulled on it experimentally a couple times before leaning it back against the wall.

  “You coming or what?” Olivia called from out front.

  “I can’t get the bike to move, the wheels are all locked up!” I shouted back, frustrated.

  “Didn’t you read the guide? The bikes are id locked to our tracking bracelets. Place your watch on the flat panel at the base of the handle bars!”

  I blinked once, glancing at the band on my wrist, before doing what she said. After a second the band let out a gentle beep.

  “Neat!” came a quiet voice from directly behind me. I jumped, spinning on the spot, only to find Hairy standing there.

  “Why is everyone sneaking up on me this morning?” I hissed.

  “No sneaking, just walking,” the massive shaggy bull replied. “I’ve tried to be sneaky before, but it’s hard when you have hooves like these!”

  “What was that? Did you say something?” Olivia’s voice echoed down the lane.

  “Nothing! Just mumbling to myself,” I replied, grabbing the bike and wheeling it out the door. Hairy followed me out like an obedient puppy.

  Olivia was already seated on her bike, bouncing back and forth when I finally re-emerged out front. Not wanting to leave my friend waiting, I quickly popped the storage box behind the seat, like I’d seen her do a minute earlier, and pulled on my helmet.

  “You know where our first class is?” I asked, as I scooted towards her.

  “There’s an orientation for all new students at the main administration building first, then we’ll be escorted to our home rooms,” Olivia explained.

  “I know that,” I grumbled, “What I meant was, do you know how to get to the admin building from here? I only know the vague direction.”

  “Oh, that’s easy. Watch this!” Olivia exclaimed before tapping the front of her tracking bracelet. “How do I get to orientation?”

  The tracker beeped and displayed an arrow pointing towards the main campus. Once she saw the arrow, Olivia lowered the band down and tapped it on the small section between the handlebars, a second later it lit up, displaying the same arrow.

  “Useful, right?” she smiled.

  I just nodded. Once she was convinced I was ready Olivia pushed off, slowly pedaling into the street and taking the lead.

  I was glad she took the lead, so she didn’t have to watch how awkward I was. I’d ridden a bike a couple times before, but it had been years. When you add in the extra weight, and the electric motor… It wasn't the smoothest start.

  It took me a couple seconds to get a hang of it, but in the end I somehow managed to keep close enough that Olivia didn’t have to stop to look for me.

  Even though the admin building was on the other side of the campus it didn’t take us that long to get there. The paths were smooth, had two lanes so we didn’t have to run into anyone coming the opposite direction, and the electric motors really helped speed up the trip.

  At the end of the path there was a set of extended bike racks, able to handle several dozen bikes. I guessed the admin building didn’t get that much student traffic, since they were mostly empty when we arrived.

  I pulled up to the racks a couple seconds after Olivia, carefully slowing down so I wouldn’t cause an accident due to my inexperience. To my surprise, she was still straddling her bike, completely still, despite her earlier excitement.

  I rolled up next to her and gently poked her in the side. “You okay?”

  “No,” she whispered, glancing over. Her face was completely pale. “I can feel it. Something’s coming.”

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