5 The Social DJ

A 17-year-old boy with a buzz cut, wearing black over the ear Meow headphones could be seen walking in the distance. The teenager was 6-foot-1 wearing a dark gold colored T-shirt with dark green designs similar to Centra's and dark blue Levi's. He also had on a pair of black and gold, high top sneakers. He was rarely seen without his headphones. Even when he conversed with others.

"Seriously, James? Three new transfers?" DJ asked with a sideways look at his best friend.

"Yeah. Andray told me," Andray was the son of Professor Florence a well-liked teacher for the upper-level control classes and a good friend of James and DJ.

"But, don't most students attend the same academy until they graduate?" DJ asked as he gave James a skeptical look. Usually, the information James gathered and passed on was reliable, but the claim that their Academy was receiving three random transfer students was a little too ridiculous for DJ.

"A bunch of students transferred after Avalon fell," Centra pointed out. These transfers occurred because some students wanted to move closer to their families. For others, it was because attending an academy outside of the city their guardian resided in had become too expensive. Money their families could no longer spend because most refugees would end up working as laborers in overcrowded human cities.

"Yeah, but no cities have fallen since the start of break…" DJ trailed off as he recalled that the most recent fall of a city was two months ago. There was speculation that the city would have survived, had a certain hero not gone missing the month before.

"That's what makes them so interesting! Do you think any of them will be strong?" James loved watching and participating in high-level fights. He also happened to be amongst the strongest students enrolled in the academy.

"Seriously James? Did you hit your head too many times over break? Why would anyone strong transfer here?" To Centra the notion of transfer students being strong was absolutely ridiculous. And the thought of James messing up during practice was a lot more reasonable. After all, James would, on occasion, practice combat without using his ability or aura.

"Uh…" James tried and failed to recall the last time someone had managed to hit his head. "Centra why must you crush my dreams of meeting a strong, hot, female transfer student," said a very dejected and slight concerned James. Sometimes Centra just made to much sense.

"Thank you," replied Centra with a smile.

DJ laughed and leaned over to kiss her. "Tormenting our forgetful friend again?"

"At every opportunity!"

"If you're going torment me can it at least be about the potential of one of the new transfers being hot? And not be about the fact that you two actually have a love life; or my ability to lose my holo-watch," James grumbled with a slight smile. He was happy that his best friends had found a deep love for each other and was hoping to find the same someday. Preferably soon. Watching Centra and DJ was making him feel lonely.

"Okay," Centra said with a devious smile as she decided to mess with James. She wanted to distract him from his melancholy thoughts. "If we want to be realistic about it then your hot, strong transfer student'll be Kyrie."

With a sharp glare at Centra, James said, "Centra. You know not to talk about that freak around me." 'Especially after Avalon…'

Oops. "Right. Sorry. I didn't think about that," said Centra. She hadn't thought about the strange relationship James and Kyrie had. James had rarely mentioned Kyrie before the fall of Avalon and that hadn't changed after it was lost.

James nodded, then sighed. "It's okay. And your right." It was probably too much for him to hope Kyrie had vanished into the land of legends like every other hero. If he was gone then James wouldn't have to feel so conflicted about the events of Avalon, before and after its fall.

James, Centra, and DJ continued walking in silence as they inched their way closer to school.

♢ ♢ ♢

"Obviously the three of us are on a team together. Who do you think the other two are?" DJ asked as he attempted to ease the mournful atmosphere by switching to a topic they had been discussing for many years.

Centra glanced behind them, at Jasper – who she believed was contemplating what experiment to do next. During the walk, Jasper had put on his hollo-watch. "Maybe Jasper? He's pretty good with magic."

"Uh… I know you two have been friends for a long time, but it probably wouldn't work. He's just too… timid. We haven't been able to hold a proper conversation," James said with an apologetic look as he recalled the many times he had attempted to converse with Jasper.

"Ah, yeah… I could try passing thoughts between the two of you?" Centra said with a hopeful look. She didn't want to leave her childhood friend alone, even in a theoretical discussion of who should be on their team. Plus, he was a brilliant magician.

"Isn't that tiring and too slow during a fight?" asked DJ. Thoughts can be fast but even in a fight, they could be dangerously slow. And if Centra was focusing on trying to directly connect people's minds then she wouldn't be focusing on the fight and would be unable to defend herself. And DJ wanted her to be safe.

"I guess," Centra said with a sheepish smile. She was well aware of the downfalls of using her telepathy like that.

"Hmm…" Who should be the last two teammates? "Oh! How about Andray and his twin sister? They're pretty strong," James said.

"They do make a great knight and healer combo," Centra said. With Syra and Andray's twin bond they could share their aura.

"Especially, with Andray's ability to piss things off," DJ said. Andray was a very kind and friendly person, even though many people feel varying levels of irrational anger when they think of him. The reason DJ and Centra didn't feel this way, was because Centra could remove the lingering effect of Andray's ability.

"Heh. Do you remember that time when he accidentally pissed off that toddler?" James said. Andray was having a horrible time controlling his ability that day.

"Oh man, that was hilarious! And the toddler nearly killed him with his water manipulation," DJ said as he recalled their eight-year-old mishaps.

"Yeah, that was pretty funny, and bad. At least the kid's mom could also manipulate water," James said with a grimace. If she couldn't or if Andray's ability had been stronger that day would have ended very differently.

"Yeah, that was pretty close." DJ and James reminisced in silence for a moment more.

"Still, they would make a great choice for the team," James said.

"Ugh. It's too bad the choice isn't ours," DJ grumbled as he hoped the rules would change and that the students would be allowed to select their teammates. If he could pick, then he wouldn't have to worry so much about the girl he loves.

"True. But we have luck on our side," since Headmaster Raven Clof usually puts the strongest students on the same team. Centra smiled as their group arrived at the gates of Kondaira Academy.

The gates were swarmed with students as they caught up with friends they hadn't seen since the beginning of spring break.

It was the start of a new school year. The start of a year of trials, blood, and legends.