The day started out just like any other. Half an hour before six bells, Issa awoke and immediately set to getting ready. Her morning routine was hardly what most of her classmates would consider strenuous, but it was important that she put care into her appearance. She had realized at a young age that though on the surface the Academy preached equality and wisdom above all, in practice, preference was given to those who took care of themselves.

  Idiots. As if the shininess of one’s hair determines their ability. It was a moronic way to operate, but it was how things were. Had she had it her way, there was no way Issa would have been awake this early simply to ensure that everything about her appearance passed muster, but Rayne put a lot of effort into ensuring that she could go to the Academy, and so it was her duty to eke out every advantage she could. If a pointless morning routine was what it took to take first in the class instead of second, then that was what she had to do. To meet expectations. And to repay her brother who had sacrificed so much.

  Stepping out of the bathroom with her hair radiant and her skin a bright pink from all the scrubbing she had to do in order to replicate the noble’s skin creams, she headed for the kitchen. Rayne was not yet up, his inability to wake up in the mornings one of her brother’s few weak points.

  Without much in the pantry, it did not take more than a minute to heat up some oatmeal, the watery oat gruel a filling albeit tasteless manner to start the day. Fortunately, the flame crystals in their stove were one of the few elements in the apartment that worked properly, and it did not take long to bring the pot up to a simmer, congealing the contents within into a mass of nutritious beige.

  Taking the still steaming pot from the stove, she carried it to the table, where she set it down beside her books, still open from last night’s study session.

  As she got to eating, balancing the spoon in one hand as she used the other to turn the page of the nearest book, Issa found her mind wandering, something uncharacteristic of her.

  Rayne had been acting differently these last few weeks. Although she could not quite put her finger on why, she was no idiot, and she had noticed him acting strange. He was dirtier, often coming to pick her up with his clothes bearing fresh dirt stains, or even weirder, grass stains.

  Despite that, he himself was cleaner than ever, as if he was showering immediately after work. The clerk’s office where he’d worked for the last two years was badly ventilated, and she was used to her brother being caked in sweat when he arrived, particularly in the late spring through mid-summer period when the sun beat down over Torid and transformed the entire city into an oven. But these days, he was fresh as a daisy. Apart from the clothes, that was.

  On top of all that, and most concerningly, her brother was getting injured. He hid it well, but she had caught him nursing wounds a few times when he thought she wasn’t looking. How was he getting hurt? And why was he hiding it from her? The thoughts swirled in her head, preventing her from focusing on the Treatise of Ivernensin that she was supposed to be studying.

  “Morning, Issa,” her brother rumbled from the doorway, causing her to jump and displace the pot in the process.

  Letting out a startled squeak, she lunged forward, barely managing to catch the falling vessel with both hands, which elicited a high-pitched yelp as the hot metal met tender flesh. Throwing it back on the table, she immediately began to wring them out as her brother rushed over to assist.

  “Under the water,” Rayne instructed tersely.

  He had moved to the sink, and turned the water on which now flowed sluggishly from the tap. It was not cold, but it was cool, the morning sun having not yet had time to boil the water within the city pipes, and Issa let out a blissful moan as the water ran over her scalded hands. After a minute of this, she gave a nod and withdrew her hands, letting Rayne turn off the water as he stared at her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked at last, clearly controlling the urge to ask just what had overcome her.

  With a slight grimace, Issa nodded. “I’m fine,” she said, holding up her hands so that he could see the damage.

  The flesh on her palms was a bright pink, the top layer having been seared off by the hot metal, but the rest was intact. This, of course, did not stop her brother from taking one hand in his own and observing it with a critical eye. Only when he was satisfied that she truly was fine did he let it fall.

  “As long as you’re okay.” Looking towards the table, Rayne gave her a small smile. “Getting some studying in before class?”

  This was not unusual for her, but she could tell that her brother was actively seeking for something to talk about that was not her injury, so she humored him and nodded. “There’s a midterm today, and I’ve been having a little trouble grasping the specifics of the treaties between Vanoth and Arstov throughout the twin regencies. So I thought I would get some early morning studying in to refamiliarize myself with it all.”

  Making a face, her brother headed for the pantry where he grabbed himself some oats to begin making a pot of his own. “Ugh, treaties were always the worst. I never understood why we needed to remember every signatory and clause they added. It’s pointless memorization.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “We have to write an essay discussing the fallout of the treaty, and how it led to increased militarization between both kingdoms,” Issa told him, watching as he moved around the kitchen. With only an undershirt on, her brother seemed bigger all of a sudden, more muscular. Shaking her head, she glanced back at her book. “Either way, remembering the names and clauses isn’t a problem. But I do need to make sure that I get every major event that transpired as a result of this ill-sighted treaty.”

  Dipping a spoon into the pot and taking an experimental sip of his oatmeal, Rayne made a face. He did not complain, however. Despite hating bland food with every fiber of his being, her brother never complained about the fare they subsisted on. Probably because he did not want to make her feel bad about how much the Academy tuition cost their family. If only they didn’t have to worry about paying it every six months…

  With a stern expression, Issa chased the thoughts from her mind. Just two more years. Then she would graduate at the top of her class and earn an administrator job working for the city nobles. One that would pay substantially more than Rayne’s clerk work. Then he’d be able to quit and go back to the Academy so that he too could finish the schooling their parents had desired for both of them.

  Clenching her spoon tightly, she returned her gaze to the books before her. She had to remain at the top of the class. Only the valedictorian was given an automatic job placement. Everyone else would have to earn their own employment the old fashioned way. In order to repay her brother for all he had sacrificed, and honor their parents’ memory, she could not afford to waver.

  Checking the clock, Rayne nearly spat out his gruel. “Good gods, look at the time. You’ve gotta get going, sis.”

  The moment he said it, Issa heard the first bell, tolling out eight times as it signified that the work day had begun. Eyes widening, she shoveled the rest of her oatmeal into her mouth, swept her books off the table and into her bag, and dashed for the door with Rayne in hot pursuit.

  The Academy was an impressive structure that stood at the west end of the Noble Quarter. Its iron gates protected the accumulated knowledge of generations, and it was here that Rayne bid farewell to her. As a commoner who was no longer a student, he was not permitted entry himself, and Issa let him give her a quick hug as they parted ways.

  “Good luck on your midterm.”

  With that he was off, dashing through the crowded street to the… south? The Torid market square where the Registrar’s office was located was east of here, not south. Why was he going south?

  Unable to shake the feeling that something was up, Issa entered the Academy, doing her best to put her troubled thoughts aside as she focused on the impending exam. Rayne’s secrets could come later. For now, she had a test to crush.

  ~

  Lifting her arms high above her head, Issa laced her fingers together and stretched, relieved to finally be finished with the midterm. It had been even more difficult than they’d been warned, and several of her fellow classmates had their heads in their hands, having clearly underachieved on the day.

  A popping sensation in her shoulder informed her that her stretch had worked, and she smiled as she rotated her arm to get the last of the stiffness out. Three and a half hours was a long time to be spent hunched over a desk, but she was confident in her answers, and even more so on the essay portion. As the professor collected their papers, she allowed her mind to wander, focusing on her brother. Just what was he up to that was making him act so weird?

  It was a mystery, and as one who prided herself in her scholastic ability. If there was one thing Issa hated, it was uncertainty. She had spent most of her life honing and being praised for her ability to find answers, and so for her to be stumped left her feeling annoyed and fairly uncharitable towards Rayne.

  Why can’t he just tell me what’s going on? Unless he actually believes me to have no idea what’s happening in my periphery. I may be busy, but I’m no idiot, and he can’t possibly believe that I wouldn’t notice all the suspicious things he’s doing.

  As her thoughts grew more mutinous by the second, Issa was suddenly pulled back to reality by the arrival of the vice-headmaster, Professor Iain. His bald head shining in the sunlight, he entered, a grave expression on his face as he took to the lectern, their usual professor stepping aside in deference as he gazed over the assembled students.

  “Attention.” He did not speak loudly, but he did not need to. The moment he entered, all chatter had ceased. Now holding their undivided attention, he nodded. “Congratulations to all of you for another successful midterm. I expect that everyone has met the expectations they’ve set for themselves, and for those who haven’t, I encourage you to work harder. Now.” He paused, clearing his throat as he moved onto the main topic of his visit.

  “Unfortunately, Professor Hanah is feeling ill today. With no professor who can fill in for her, and owing to the fact that it is midterms right now, we will be canceling the rest of today’s classes with the expectation that you are to self-study. That is all.”

  As Professor Iain walked brusquely from the classroom, chatter began, the students all abuzz as they collected their books and prepared to head out for the day.

  Doing the same, Issa proceeded towards the library, intent upon spending the remaining hours holed away until her brother got off work. But as the thought struck her, her footsteps slowed, coming to a stop just in front of the ornate stained glass doors of the Academy library.

  What was her brother up to? The question that had lurked within her mind all day now burst to the forefront, no longer held back by the importance of the midterm and rigidity of routine. Normally, she headed to the Academy at the same time as Rayne, parting ways with him at the entrance and then meeting him again once the school day ended, about half an hour after the workday did.

  This overlap of schedules meant that she never got to see him during the day. By the time she was finished at the Academy, it was already evening, and Rayne was there again, the dutiful brother who had dropped out in order to give her the chance to succeed. There was no sign of secrets or duplicity. Just an honest man there to ensure that his sister got home safely.

  But that was a facade, or at least it had become one recently. And Issa was tired of wondering, sick of the doubts that plagued her. In front of her, the library doors loomed large, shining with the promise of knowledge and improved test scores.

  The self-study session was an expectation, and for the first time in her life, she chose to defy it. She would visit the registrar’s office, and put this matter to rest once and for all.

  Turning on her heel, she left the library behind. She had a brother to visit.