ONE HUNDRED TEN: The Chainer, II

ONE HUNDRED TEN: The Chainer, II

110

Hazels your aunt? said Alden, selecting a few of his favorite things out of a bag of trail mix.

It was only the two of them in the apartment since Lexi was spending the night with his family and Haoyu was still hanging out with his mom. Theyd had the driver drop them off at a grocery store near campus, and theyd bought snacks. Alden was just picking at his. He was too full of wevvi to really enjoy it.

Yeah, said Lute, prying the foil lid off a second cup of flan. Genetically, shes Aulias daughter. Which means shes sort of Hughs aunt, too, even though Hugh is the guy she calls her dad. And she calls Corin her grandpa, but hes technically her brother.

Immortal families are sodifferent.

I do know its weird to people from families that arent into deliberately breeding wonderkids, but it doesnt actually feel like a huge deal when you grow up with it. Aulia calls Hazel her granddaughter, and thats just how it is. I dont even think about it much until I have to start explaining it to someone else. And Hazels really proud of who her genetic parents areoh, but her mom, Cady? She freaks out if anyone brings it up.

He licked the back of his spoon. I think maybe she wanted Hazels real parentage to be a secret? She wanted to be the mother of a super super child, so she asked to do it this way. But she also wanted everyone to think shed made an S-rank without assistance like Hughs first wife did with Orpheus. If that is what she hoped for, I dont know who decided to make it common knowledgeprobably Hugh trying to prove something to someone else in the family.

Alden smiled and nodded politely.

Hed done that a lot during Lutes explanation because what else was there to do?

Anyway, people being appalled about the members of the family with unusual origins wouldnt bother me, except for the things they say about my mom. They act like shes not a person herself, just some kind of punishment Aulia got for pushing it too far. Youll note the Grandwitch didnt try for the Artonan look again after Jessica. Hazels so human-averaged that I wonder if they didnt ask her designers to remove any features that might remind people of Aulias whiff.

And that was yet another subject Alden had no idea how to comment on.

I thought your mom looked kind of pretty in an older, semi-alien way, was so not the right thing.

Aulias gene people undershot the height, though, didnt they? was even worse.

Artonans tended to be petite by human standards, but a significant part of that was due to the fact that they were less sexually dimorphic than humans when it came to body size. When theyd last met, Stuart was around 51? An inch taller? It wasnt like Alden had pulled out a measuring stick and asked the Primarys son to hold still.

Alden didnt know if Stuart was still growing or not, but he was a pretty normal height for an adult on the Triplanets whether they were male or female. Jessica couldve been the same height and fit in well with both Artonans and humans, assuming that was what Aulias goal had been.

Maybe they couldnt select for height that specifically so they erred on the side of extra short so that shed match up with the Artonans for sure?

Stillwhy?

It seemed unnecessary no matter how Alden looked at it. The only thing that made even a little bit of sense was the possibility that Aulia had expected her daughter to be so in-demand as an Avowed that she would end up living on the Triplanets more than Earth.

Which would mean shed had Jessicas entire future job, home planet, and lifestyle planned out before she was born. Somehow that seemed even worse, when Alden really thought about it, than Aulia picking such uncommon physical features for her.

Nobody got to select their own natural starting appearance anyway. Everyone just made do with what they got, loving it or modifying as best they could.

But were supposed to get to choose the other stuff for ourselves, as much as the world will let us.

Avowed were already dealing with a lot of limitations. Having your mother plan your entire life out for you before you were even born on top of that?

What did Aulia expect you to be? Alden asked Lute. Did they have some other job picked out for you before you found out you were an Avowed?

You mean like how they had all the other children in the family stacked with tutors, and they started taking Hazel to meet her future employers when she was eight?

I just assumed it went for you, too.

It was different, said Lute. With everyone else there was this struggleto impress Grandma, to earn one of the Chainer class assignments, to beat Miyo and Roman.

Miyo and Roman?

There was no point in any of them trying to beat Hazel, so nobody ever bothered. She has a legit psychic something going on, and apparently thats the level of exceptionality Aulia has been aiming to breed into the family for years. And not just Grandwitchother key relatives seem involved with it, too.

He wrinkled his nose. I never wanted to ask for details, but Im sure my mother was an early attempt. She said shed tell me who my maternal grandfather was when I was older, but I stopped caring a while ago. I doubt it was Hazels donor, Sonde. He wouldve been kind of young, and they wouldnt have reused him if hed sired a normal human. But it was probably someone like him. Not just a Rank 1, but one known for unusual mental abilities.

I see, said Alden. Thats interesting.

Youre so polite, man.

I just assume half the kids our age around here were at least a little modified prior to becoming Avowed, Alden admitted. Its really different from what Im used to, but

Its not that many. Plenty of people are still romantic about making children the old-fashioned way. And the ones who do take it as far as my family are usually shyer about admitting to it than Aulia and company are. Lute slurped down another spoonful of flan. Some of them wont even tell their kids. But you were asking about Miyo and Romancousins, obviously. Theyre around our age, and theyre alsoI dont know how to say it. Of good stock?

You probably should say it some other way.

Lute shrugged. Theyre both really smart, super dedicated to chaining, and family-oriented. Aulia adores them. They were the grandchildren for the others to beat, after Hazel. I havent ever been close to either of them, but theyve been on my mind more lately. Roman seriously got screwed. He scored an S, instead of the A that was more likely for him, and Hazel was still waiting

Ohhhh, hes the one who got passed over, said Alden. He experienced an unexpected sympathy pang for the Velra guy hed never met. He spent his entire childhood aiming for A-rank Chainer? Got an S? And got

They actually gave him Rabbit, said Lute. He told them to go fuck themselves unless they got him Healer of Body, which

Alden winced.

Yeahwere the people to see if you want a hard to get class, but Healers? Even if theyre not the rarest, people click yes the millisecond they find out theyve hit that jackpot. They couldnt swing it for him. Not at his rank. And I know they must have been trying like hell because Corins office handles class purchases and hed feed Hazel his own liver if she said she was feeling peckish. He mustve been sweating rivers, thinking Roman might get the big Chainer instead of her.

What the hell is so great about Chainer? Alden asked. No offenseits a cool class. Knowing what little I do, Im thinking you have some amazing perks and job security. But for your Grandma to want Hazel slotted into it so badly

I dont know. I have a lot of suspicions now that Ive actually seen how things work. I doubt this is the whole story, but I think the ultimate goal might be to monopolize Chainer.

I gathered that, said Alden. The whole world has gathered that.

Lute laughed. No, noyou dont get it. When I say monopolize Chainer I dont just mean Aulias trying to make sure nobody else on Anesidora gets it. I mean I think we might really be trying to utterly monopolize Chainer. In the universal sense.

Alden stared at him. You mean including the other resource worlds?

Yeah, said Lute. It might be the only class its even possible to do it with. Chainer is already ultra rare on Earth, but it doesnt even exist on most planets.

He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers at Alden. There are some unique anatomical requirements if you want to be good at the whole job instead of just parts of it.

You have to have Artonan-looking hands, Alden said. Of course. And it would be twisted and weird for them to attach arms to a ewtwee or something.

The ewtwee would not like that much, Lute agreed. Most species without at least eight fingers and something like thumbs dont even bother to try wordchains. They can sometimes make it work, but it would be like us trying to dig a sleeping burrow with our toenails. Not completely impossible, but why would we put ourselves through that?

So of the large population species that leavestmithans and I guess the Fetunaare lortchish hands too long?

They arent, said Lute. Theyre quite good at wordchains. But theyve also got some strong beliefs, protected by their Contract, that make it hard for the Palace to use them in all the ways theyd like. Same with the Fetuna. Their species practices wordchains widely and respectfully. Parethat-uur loves them, and apparently theyve produced some amazing Chainers. But they refuse to be seen by aliens once they reach maturity, which makes them hard to handle. I think Parethat-uur would happily chatter away at them through blindfolds or walls, but most people find that kind of thing inconvenient.

So its the tmithans, Alden said. And us. And some rarer species.

Thats right. Until humans came along, the Avowed of Tmith more or less had Chainer jobs all to themselves. And then the Palace took a peek at Earth and thought, Wow. Look at those aliens. Those are some gorgeous bastards. Lets introduce them to our holy purpose.

Alden laughed.

Lute snorted. Seriously. Im surprised they didnt send wordchain missionaries over to proselytize the whole planet. I bet the Grand Senate told them to chill out and stay away from us until wed had time to settle in. He coughed. UhI have a tmithan coworker. He is so xenophobic against humans.

What? Why?

In his defense, the only humans hes ever met are my family members. So its probably their fault. And if Im right about the monopolization thing, Aulias on a long-term mission to make herself Queen of the only Chainer clan in the universe He drummed his fingers. Anyway, thats the thing about Chainer, or its my best guess right now. Maybe Hazel is like her proof of concept? Her way of saying humans are better at this than anyone else. Not just humans either. Our family.

You think she wants you to be the exclusive Chainers for all of the Triplanets. Is that even a possibility? They would have to take the class away from other planets, and even if they did, class assignments are supposed to be random here on Earth. You guys will eventually lose some of them to people who dont want to join the family.

Yeah, said Lute. Thats how its supposed to be. But things can change. And the Palace of Unbreaking is a really unique institution. If Aulia could get more Hazels, if she could get the Palace onboard to manage the Artonan end of things and she can manage the Earth halfits long-term, like I said. But it doesnt sound completely impossible considering what a thorough job shes already doing.

So Roman the S-rank whos spent his whole life learning wordchains got Rabbit, Alden concluded. Because Hazel has to get Chainer. Because shes the one with the special ability that proves Velras are naturally suited for it, and Aulia needs her to be at the Palace all the time to keep that fact front and center.

Thats my theory. It makes sense doesnt it?

I see, said Alden with a straight face. Thats interesting.

Lute crumpled the foil lid up and tossed it at him.

Miyo hasnt been selected yet, he said. I really hope she doesnt get S. The Artonans probably arent going to throw another top rank position at Earth anytime soon unless someone dies, so if she doesitll be Roman all over again. Shes just as Chainer-obsessed as he is. If she gets A, the adults have got a slot with her name on it ready and waiting. But if its S, shes going to hate me forever.

After hearing all of this, Alden said, Im kind of surprised they gave you the Chainer S.

You mean because I only knew six wordchains, hadnt been trained, had a fractious relationship with Grandma and the entire rest of my family, wouldve preferred several other classes, and dont speak Artonan? Lute said dryly.

Those would seem to disqualify you if youve got other cousins lined up.

Especially if Hazel wasn't completely out of the running.

Thats because youre missing another piece of it, said Lute. Or you just havent realized how much it matters. Maybe its one of those things Lexi and Haoyu are always teasing you aboutan Anesidora social dynamic. Well get there.

******

******

Narcissus House

Watergarden Road

Apex

January 9, 2034

******

******

Lute Velra was going to third grade. Real third grade. At a school.

His mother had delivered the news a couple of weeks before Christmas. Now it was the first day, and the knowledge of what was about to happen to him was so surreal he felt like he was dressing another persons body in the new uniform.

The summer uniform for primary students at Nilama Paragon Academy. Which was a school. For children. Avowed children. Whole roomfuls of them.

He was scared and excited and more scared than excited but both feelings were definitely present and

Dont forget the pocket square! his mothers voice called from just outside the bedroom door.

She was standing out there because Lute could dress himself, thank you. He was eight. In a couple of weeks, hed be nine.

Being born in January was an advantage for him, according to his mother, because he would be one of the oldest in his grade. He would not have trouble with the lessons, she promised. His tutors up until now would have been sufficient.

What if they all speak Mandarin better than me? Lute had asked in Mandarin while they decorated one of the mansions Christmas trees together.

They wont, Jessica had assured him.

What if they speak German better than me?

They probably will if their parents were born in Germany. Dont worry about it. Your teacher will be speaking English anyway.

What if they speak English better than me?

English is your first language, Lute.

That will make it even worse! hed said shrilly.

Now, he picked up the pocket square from where it sat on top of his duvet and tucked it into place. He walked over to the dressing mirror and examined himself carefully. In summer, primary students wore heather gray waistcoats, collared white shirts with short or long sleeves, clip-on sapphire blue ties, gray shorts or pants, and any closed-toe shoe of their preference. Third graders wore yellow pocket squares.

The square color would change every year. In winter, there were coats or sweaters. In middle school, there were blazers.

Lute was focusing on the clothes because so far they were the only real clue he had about what school would be like.

Are you dressed yet? Jessica called.

Yes, Mom!

The door opened. His mother smiled at the sight of him. Arent you handsome?

What if the teacher wont let me go to the bathroom?

They will.

What if one of the cousins decides to go to school, too?

Youll be the only member of the family there. I promise.

What if?

She swooped down on him and lifted him in a hug.

Mom! Youll wrinkle me!

She kissed him on the forehead. Come on. Grandma has presents for you before you leave. Lets go see her.

Lute was surprised. He hadnt even seen much of Aulia during Christmastime, since shed been busy on Artona I. With Hazel again. And hed already been told that she wouldnt be available for his birthday this year.

It didnt sting anymore. Much. He and his mother were a team.

But he wished they were the only team in the household sometimes. Grandma Aulia and his mom were also a team. When Aulia wasnt on the Triplanets, Jessica was with her more often than not. Or running errands for her. Or trying to make the other relatives do whatever Lutes grandmother wanted them to do.

A lot of family members were loafers. Lute had heard Aulia tell Jessica and Aunt Hikari so during a very rare girls night in. Shed said that she despaired of the loafers ever becoming anything useful to anyone.

Jessica was not a loafer. She was Aulias Principal Assistant. It was an important job, which was why Jessica had the second best suites in every house they lived in. And also why Lute would be getting a cabin of his own on Libra when he turned ten, even though they were in such short supply and other family members coveted them.

He thought it was Orpheus who was going to be kicked out. For being the loafiest loafer and for falling down the stairs a couple of months ago and landing on top of Chef Kabir.

Grandmas in the White Parlor, Jessica told Lute, sending him out the door with a pat. Go get your presents.

Lute Velra was no stranger to presents.

Hed once heard an uncle mutter, God, Jessica spoils him rotten, doesnt she?

And Orpheus, drinking something that smelled like mouthwash out of a crystal punch glass, had laughed and said, Do you think you can actually spoil a squirt like him with things? On this island? In this family?

Lute had thought about the two comments so much that he felt like he almost understood them.

He walked down the curving stairs into the White Parlor, a small hand trailing along the glossy railing, and he found his grandmother there alone. She was dressed in a tight black short-sleeved sweater and black cropped jeans. Her feet, in black ballet flats, were propped up on one of the downy white pillows. Her dark blonde hair was side parted, and her face, younger than Lutes mothers, wore that familiar, lovely smile.

Lute, my dove! said Aulia Velra, setting down the croissant shed been having with her first coffee of the morning and standing to greet him. Dont you look like a fine young man, today? Off to school! Come here and let me give you a hug.

Lute smiled back. He ran to hug her eagerly. Aulia gave wonderful hugs. Like Jessicas, but taller.

Grandma, Im going to be in third

Nope! said Aulia, letting the word pop off her lips as she took a step back. First, you have to impress me. I wore this outfit just for you! Its time for our little fashion game.

Oh! Lute loved this. They hadnt done this in a while, but it was special. He was the only one who got to play this game with Grandma Aulia. He knew some of the others had their own personal games with his grandmother, but he thought his was the best.

He squinted at her clothes, thinking hard. It was such a simple outfit, compared to some hed seen. Tight. Black on black. A big belt accentuating the pinch of her waist. He knew he had seen the style before because if she was wearing one for the first time for their game, she would explain it instead of asking him to guess. But the name

A hint! said Aulia, reaching over the back of a low chair and grabbing a black beret from the seat. She set it at a playful angle on top of her head. Then she stood leaning against the chair with her ankles crossed, waiting.

Beatnik! shouted Lute, finally capturing the word. Youre a Beatnik!

He had absolutely no idea what one was, but this was what one looked like.

Hooray! cried Aulia, throwing the hat into the air. Perfect! Ill have to try something harder next time.

It wont be like that. It wont.

Dont worry about it, said Declan Gao, leaning over to take one of the bonbons from the box on Lutes desk. Hed bought them with his NesiCard. Hed been buying snacks to share with everyone more often lately. Some people are acting like theyre going to get chosen tomorrow. Vandy might not even be an S-rank. She might not get to go to school in Apex. Anything can happen.

Declan said not to worry about it, but he was getting really sensitive about rank, too. His mom was an A. And his Dad was a D. That made it very hard to guess what he might be.

Their class was starting to cluster up. High. Low. A couple like Declan who didnt know where they belonged.

As the year ended and Lute cleaned out his desk to head home for the winter break, he was afraid he was on the verge of losing something.

******

In fifth grade, they got several new students. Nilama Paragon Academy was expensive; parents who couldnt really afford to send their children there sometimes chose to save up and wait until they were older so that they could take advantage of the middle school. Next year, when they moved out of the primary building, their class would more than double in size.

For now, it was just a few additions.

One of them was perky. He scurried around their new classroom, introducing himself to every single person, like he was on a mission to make sure he fit in as many handshakes as he could before morning announcements and meditation started. Lute saw him coming and had just enough time to hope this went well before they were face to face.

Hi! Im Kon. I live just a few blocks away from here. You can see this school from the roof of my building!

Which building does your family own? Lute asked politely.

Kons eyes widened. No. We dont own a whole building. Just an apartment inside the building. My parents are ballet dancers and my brothers in sixth grade. We moved schools together this year!

Lutes interest was piqued. Ballet dancers?

I dance, too, said Kon. In the youth ballet.

Youth ballet! A youth orchestra plays for you when you do Nutcracker.

Kon blinked.

Its not fair that the dancers can be so young but they wont let you join youth orchestra until youre twelve, Lute said. I wanted to audition.

He was ready for his first audition but there werent a lot of opportunities. Getting to twelve was taking ages. And to make matters worse, The Nutcracker was always in December. Which meant Lute would be nearly thirteen before he could play in a proper orchestra at a proper ballet. He was sure there were other harpists getting ahead of him out there in the bigger world.

Do you play an instrument? Kon asked.

All he can do is play harp, the girl whose grandma was waiting on a baby because of Aulia called from across the room. So he never shuts up about it.

Dont be mean! Tuyet said. Lets not be mean to each other.

A boy snickered a little.

Carlotta and Declan were nearby. Theydidnt say anything.

Kon doesnt know yet, thought Lute. For just a minute longer, he wont know about me.

The matter suddenly felt urgent.

Its really nice to meet you! Lute said quickly, holding out his hand. I hope we can be friends. I brought snacks to share.

Kons bright smile brightened further. Yeah! Lets be friends!

By the end of the day, Konstantin was friends with everyone in the class, but Lute still considered it a success.

On the way to the helipad that afternoon, he ended up standing behind Kon and a taller boy who looked a lot like him while they waited to cross the street. It must have been the older brother. He was wearing one of the middle school blazers.

Lute was about to say hello, when Kon suddenly piped up. Guess what! Theres a boy in my class whos not Avowed!

Youre ten, said the brother. Nobody in your class is Avowed.

Kon groaned. You know what I mean! Hes not going to be Avowed. His parents arent.

Seriously? the brother asked in a surprised voice. Well...it doesnt matter in fifth grade. Im sure his family will send him to another school next year.

Why?

The same reason were going to school here now, Kon. Paragons got so many high ranks in one spot. My classes are really different from last year. S and A kids are everywhere, instead of there being just a few of us in a mix of everyone else. Were starting selection prep lessons earlier than they would in our old school. Its nice for us, but it would make class really weird for him, wouldnt it?

Hell just hang out with the lows, right?

The brother shrugged. Im not sure it works like that. The probable low-ranks in my grade seem kind of different than last year, too. Anyway, if he goes to a big school instead, there are bound to be a few other kids like him.

Lute let them go ahead of him without ever speaking up.

Theres a boy in my class whos not Avowed, he thought. Kon couldve said anything. But he said that.

It wasnt a shock. When Lute compared himself to other people, that was the first thing he always thought, too.

This afternoon it just hurt more than it had in a while. That was all.

There are other things about me. There are so many other things to say.

Fifth grade was the year he went silent.

It was natural, a reflex born of a thousand Velra holidays and parties. There was a family event nearly every week, sometimes more than one, and when Lute was forced to attend them because they were happening in his current residencethey almost always werehe was quiet.

If you were loud, people commented on you. If you protested when the cousins said something mean, then they realized theyd hurt you. They knew what to say next time.

He was getting too old to run and tell his mother or his grandmother. They would put a stop to it, but then he was a tattletale and even the cousins who hadnt been bothering him would get mad. Strangely, over the holidays, hed been accused more than once of thinking he was better than the rest of thembecause he lived with Aulia.

Being quiet, hed learned, would get you through three-quarters of all family events without incident. And being quiet was what he started doing at school, too.

He didnt talk about his music. He didnt talk about his things. He ignored thoughtless comments about what he wasntso many of those.

At the same time, he couldnt ignore the fact, anymore, that a few of his friends were only staying friendly because they liked his houses. In a school full of rich kids, he was the richest, and it was just a little too obvious that when he invited them over, they only wanted to spend time with his stuff, not with him. One of them even admitted that his parents had told him to be nice to Lute because of his family.

And then there was Declan Gao, who alternated between being Lutes best friend on the weekends and being a jerk who didnt want the high ranks to see him hanging out with Lute at school.

It wasnt all terrible, though.

Fifth grade was the most exciting year for students at Paragon. They all looked forward to it for the same reason, and as the year end approached, even Lute had to start making noise, because you couldnt bottle up so much pure eagerness without exploding.

At the end of fifth grade, when they were still young enough that most countries were happy to treat them like non-threats and just old enough that the adults didnt think theyd be completely impossible to manage, the school arranged the trips.

Three weeks. Three whole weeks worth of days spent away from the island, in the rest of the world. They would travel to the TC every morning. And from there they would teleport, many of them for the first time ever, away to a new place on Earth. They would see rivers! Mountains! More than one barren desert which everyone agreed was really boring and unfortunate!

They were repeatedly reminded not to brag about this to any friends they might have in other schools, since this sort of thing was Very Impossible to implement on a nationwide scale.

Lute heard the teachers calling it the annual madness. And in the weeks leading up to it, their travel schedule changed almost daily, sending the class into cries of joy or dismay as they learned what the efforts of their parents, their school, and their government had wrought.

People got strange as the date of the trip approached.

Not Lute, though. He was totally sane about it.

Do not betray me, Vienna, he whispered, bowing his head over his desk each morning and holding his palms skyward in supplication. Ich liebe dich, sterreich.

Hes praying to Austria again.

I think its more like hes trying to cast a spell on it.

Oh, beautiful Zambezi, I have always wanted to see Victoria Falls! I promise not to jump in.

Now Everlys talking to a river.

Maybe we should do it, too?

You think?

Istanbul did cancel our day there because the hero team said they were worried about protests. Haoyus really disappointed.

Hello, Machu Pichu! Some of my ancestors were born in Peru.

******

He got to go to Austria.

The night before he left, hiding under his blankets at his fathers place, Lute stared at pictures on a realtors website on his phone. He picked out an apartment for himself therea little loft with lots of sunshine near the metro.

He knew it probably wasnt going to be for sale when he was finally old enough to emigrate, but it was still fun to imagine it. And to spot it from the street the next day when they were on a walking tour, surrounded by a fleet of guides and protectors impersonating guides.

He hid his passport band under his sleeve and pretended he was a local whod just wandered into the middle of this group of future Avowed by accident. He did it anytime their trips took them to a city.

Here, he wasnt the odd one out. Every person on the street, every soul in every buildingthey were like him.

For me, this is the real world, he decided. Im not alone. Im just waiting to get here.

He would convince his mom to come with him. There was no reason she couldnt.

******

Lute started sixth grade quiet. Safe. Ignorable.

He didnt really have friends anymore. The last of themthe ones who hed annoyed by trying a little too hard to keepoh my god, you guys, Lute Velra is so clingyhad evaporated over the holidays. They were all joining clubs and doing extracurriculars now. Not the kind of clubs Lute could just insert himself into.

Wrightshop apprenticeships. Martial arts for future Meisters. BruteScouts. Heroes of the Future.

It wasnt like he wouldnt be allowed to participate. They couldnt officially discriminate against him, and he was sure the adults would mostly force everyone to behave around him. But there was nothing quite like being the person in the room everyone was forced to be considerate of.

It just made them go from being a little mean to you to really hating you.

This is better, he thought from his spot at the back of the room. I just keep my head down. Be polite to everyone. Ask Mom if I can have a top-of-the-line concert harp for my birthday next week.

I can have it professionally painted. Purple would be fun.

Also, purple didnt belong to anyone else.

Avowed classes didnt officially have associated colors and symbology, but people liked to team up, so it was a thing in some settings. If you went into a Swayborhood, youd see the gray flag with the Artonan symbol for the mind on it here and there. Brutes were red with the symbol for the body. Green for Meisters. Brown or light blue or both done in stripes for Shapersthey couldnt seem to settle the matter.

It wasnt something hed ever thought much about, but the colors were all the rage now that they were in sixth grade. If someone wore a red bracelet or a green hairband, all of his classmates had decided it had to mean things. They were getting superstitious about it in ways that even Grandma Aulia would have found ridiculous, and shed recently invited a cab driver to dinner with them because when shed cast her last giant luck wordchain, before Lute was even born, the cabbie had picked her up twice in one night.

She was still checking in on him every year or so to see if she could figure out what the universe was trying to tell her about him.

Mom, thats weird, isnt it? Lute had whispered after she came to check on him and tuck him in that night.

Most people think so, Jessica said with a smile. But Grandma doesnt believe in letting things go once theyve caught her eye.

Anyway, sixth grade had hit Lutes classmates with what he could only describe as System fever, and they were making the cab driver thing seem completely normal.

He looked up from his desk at the sound of a squeal from the opposite corner, and sure enough

Tuyet! Your earrings are green! Does that mean you want to be a Meister now?

Soon all the Meister-hopefuls were welcoming her to the fold, like it was all set in stone, even though people were still changing their minds every day and nothing was guaranteed.

Lute had had to change the case on his cellphone from red to black so that people would stop asking if he wanted to be a Brute. It was just a joke, but none of them seemed to care that he didnt think it was funny.

Dark purple. That would be a cool color for a harp.

And for his party this year

He looked around the room. There were people who would come. Most people would probably come, if he made it an epic Velra bash. They didnt all hate him, they just didnt have anything in common with him now that they were getting older and starting to care about things he couldnt be involved in.

No. Ill do it like I used to. On the yacht, as long as Hazel wasnt there. Her family liked to take it over these days. No kids. Just me, mom, Aimi if shes free, the crew, and a cake.

He wouldnt invite Aulia. It was her boat. Shed be there or she wouldnt.

Lute couldnt even remember the last time theyd played their fashion game.

When he asked his mother about the party, she promised to set it up. If not on the yacht, then at the midtown apartment. Then she added, Youll have to go to Hazels birthday party next month, remember.

I do? Lute asked, not bothering to keep the horror out of his voice. Why?

They were sitting together in the White Parlor, eating burgers from a place they both liked but almost never visited. Lute pretended not to know why, but he did.

It was a crowded fast food restaurant in Apex. Full of high ranks. His mom didnt like to go places like that with Lute, because the presence of the S-rank bodyguards didnt make crowds of high ranks just a little nervous, the way it did down in F. If they werent a little nervous, they made comments sometimes.

Lute thought it would be all right. There was nothing so terrible they could say that he couldnt ignore it. But she didnt like it, so he never complained about reheated burgers and fries not being quite as good.

Hazel wants me at her party?

Hazels birthday parties had often swept him up when he was little. Now that they were older, he was delighted not to be invited. This year she had a set of teenage friend-ish people she had somehow obtained despite the fact that when she wasnt off doing verrrry important things on the Triplanets with whoever it was the Chainer family members worked for, she was virtually always being tutored by their grandmother or someone else.

The wound left in Hazels pride from being forced to apologize to Lute after the whiff jokes had festered rather than healing. And he wasnt really interested in forgiveness either. Avoidance was the only thing that kept peace in the household whenever she was around, and she was around so often that avoiding her meant Lute sometimes went days without showing his face to the people he lived with except at mealtimes.

Its her fourteenth birthday, Lute, said Jessica.

Does that mean something?

Jessica smoothed the front of her skirt over her legs. Shes having her Coming of Age party this year.

Lute narrowed his eyes. Ewwww.

Lute

Its a whole year early! This is just a plot so that she can have a second giant ball when she turns fifteen! Im not wearing a tuxedo and learning a dance for her until shes actually the right age!

Jessica cleared her throat. The theme shes chosen is Royal Ascot. So youll wear a full morning suit and top hat. And there wont be a dance.

Whats Royal Ascot?

Its a horse race. In England.

Lute considered that.

Horsesmight make it okay. He hadnt had many opportunities to interact with horses. Can I feed them?

It will be a series of Brute races. At the big track in F. Racehorses wont last long enough to provide entertainment for the whole length of the party. She paused. You can offer the Brutes snacks if you like.

Mooom!

Jessica grinned. You can hold out carrots and sugar lumps for them

Hazel will probably really do something like that, Lute grumbled.

He was wrong.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

What she did on the day of the party was so much worse.

**