Consume (Chapter One)

         Raelon tried her best to inhale through her mouth. The scent of the compost was so strong it made her eyes water and her throat clench. Behind her, she heard Kuuro sneeze loudly. She grinned thinly. At least she wasn't the only one suffering. Raelon dumped another pile of compost onto the exposed dirt. She grimaced when the fetid smell grew stronger.
         This was proving to be one of the more unsavory of her jobs today. Raelon only hoped that the smell wouldn't cling to her body after she was finished. Once the entire garden had been covered in the damp compost she gathered all of the tools she had used and went over to the water hose. She rinsed off the clinging mess from the tools before rinsing the worst of it off of her own body. Once relatively clean she returned the tools to the small shed and beckoned Kuuro over.
         The lazy familiar rose smoothly to his feet and glided towards her. Raelon glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He had shifted to the comfortable size of a smaller horse. At this mass Kuuro would be using the least amount of energy without actually reverting to his full size. His white fur was a bit shaggy, but had a glossy sheen. A black patch of fur streaked down his chest between his legs.
About time you finished. I thought I was going to starve to death.
         Raelon rolled her eyes and rung the water out of her hair.
“You had a snack while I was busy with the job,” Raelon sighed.
But that was an hour ago and it was only leftovers from lunch, Kuuro complained.
         Raelon let out a sigh and reached for the jacket she had shed earlier. Rummaging in one of the larger pockets she pulled out one of the snacks she kept for when he complained about being hungry. She tossed the treat at him, not bothering to see if he caught it or not. She knew he had, only because it was food she had thrown.
         Kuuro could always be motivated with food.
“Satisfied?”
For now.
         Raelon slung her jacket over her shoulder and made her way to the garden's gated entrance. Kuuro loped after her. Once they came into view of the school's dorm houses she saw Kuuro minimize. She pulled another snack from a jacket pocket and tossed it to him. He was always hungry after minimizing.
         Kuuro was about the size of an oversized puppy and just as adorable, the black patch looking like a rift that split his chest. As a child she had thought that the black mark had been a hole in his chest.
         Checking her watch, it wasn't quite four yet. That meant she had time for another job after dinner. Raelon let herself into her room and headed straight for the shower.
         She threw her stained clothes into the laundry basket and practically scrubbed the smell off of her skin.
         By the time she stepped out of the hot spray her skin was both red and steaming. Quickly drying her body Raelon hurried to the kitchen, rubbing her head with another towel. Kuuro uncurled on the bed and yawned at her.
Food ready yet?
         Raelon sighed and rummaged through her clothes.
“Just sleep for a while. I'll be done when you wake up.”
         Kuuro snorted in amusement.
You'll wake me up when it’s done. But that's fine with me.
         With another yawn he rolled to his back and grinned at her.

         Raelon downed her dinner and went over her list of requests. The next to be completed was to help organize the deliveries that the school ordered for the student's convenience. The job didn’t appear to be more than it was, but Raelon suspected that it would take quite a long time to complete this job.
         She knew that Kuuro wouldn't be any help. She'd be lucky if he went to look for his own snack while she was on the job. Raelon finished the rest of her dinner and saw that Kuuro had polished off his own food, even though he had three times the amount she had.
         Grabbing her identification card, given to her after moving into the dorm, Raelon headed towards the convenience store outside of the dorm houses. Kuuro followed with a sleepy yawn. She was met by one of the many workers in the school. Raelon saw that she was all too happy to hand her job over to someone else.
         After being let into the “pantry”, as it was called, she got to work opening the delivered boxes. Most of the boxes consisted of paper, pens, and sweets. The rest of the boxes were small decorative trinkets that were popular outside of the school and other miscellaneous objects.
         It took the better part of four hours to organize all of the delivered goods onto the shelves according to the organization list that had been left with her. Almost like clock work, Kuuro begged for a snack every hour. Once satisfied he disappeared behind a set of shelves and for all she knew slept.
         Raelon stretched the muscles in her back before checking the remaining boxes. There should be only two left and these held notebooks filled with unlined paper. She stacked the books according to size. Raelon had met the worker who organized the deliveries earlier in the day. He was an elderly man named Bennet, Ben for short. His remaining hair was little more than a wispy tuft and he had the faded eyes of a daydreamer. She didn’t feel as bad about doing this job since it meant Ben wasn’t the one having to do it. From the look of him Raelon half expected for him to collapse under the weight of any of the materials in the pantry.
         Raelon dusted her hands off and looked. Everything looked neat and orderly, not to mention freshly stocked. Raelon picked up the empty boxes and placed them near the door of the convenience store to be picked up in the morning. Kuuro emerged from his hiding place and proceeded out the door.
Is that the last of them?
         Raelon checked her watch. It was seven minutes after eight.
“Yes, the dorms will be locked before I have time to finish another job. You know, if you bothered to help I could probably finish these jobs faster,” Raelon said.
         Kuuro made a move that was equivalent to a shrug and yawned at her. Raelon flicked him on the nose. He sneezed indignantly.
“Don’t you remember why I agreed to do all these jobs anyway?”
         Kuuro looked a bit contrite, but not much.
It was at your insistence that I keep a smaller form while we stay here.
         Raelon sighed and roughly rubbed the top of his head.
“Let’s go. I need to make your snacks for tomorrow.”
A run first. All I’ve done is sleep today.
         Raelon refused to rise to the intentional bait. Kuuro grinned at her. Then he shifted into his larger form and waited for her to climb onto his back. She held on with the ease of practice. Her strong legs held her in place. Raelon scratched a spot on his neck that made him arch his spine. She laughed and gave him a heavy pat. He set off towards the road that lead to the small town near the school.
“We have less then an hour before we’re locked out,” she warned him.
         Raelon felt his chest rumble from underneath her as he acknowledged her comment. Then with no more warning then a sudden stiffening of his muscles he took off. Raelon held on tighter and grabbed a handful of fur to steady her upper body. She leaned forward, her body parallel to Kuuro’s. The landscape around Raelon passed by with exhilarating speed. The wind buffeted her ears and Kuuro’s long fur brushed against her. Back home they had always wandered the woods, spending the entire daylight hours roaming the countryside.
         Kuuro was bigger than animal she had ever seen, so the predatory wildlife usually left them alone. Raelon missed the rocky ledge where she and Kuuro had spent their days watching the landscape beneath them. The woods around the school were isolated enough, but it was devoid of the rugged landscape that reminded her of home.
         Kuuro must have circled the school, because then ended up back at the entrance with two minutes to spare. She might have been tempted to point out the close call, but she was too relaxed from the run. She rode him all the way to the dorm room entrance before dismounting. Raelon swung down and held the door open for Kuuro after he had shrunk. Digging in her coat pocket she pulled out a treat and tossed it to him.
         When they made it back to their room Raelon set upon making his snacks for tomorrow. She always made more than she thought she would need. If he didn’t finish a few during the day they would still be good for the next. Lucky for him she was a competent cook. His snacks consisted of high sugar foods. Not exactly the healthiest of snacks, but great for the energy replenishment he needed. And it wasn’t as if he were human either.
         The best thing she could compare her creation with would have been a really hard cake or an edible brick. The treats were about half the size of her palm and were extremely dense. Kuuro didn’t seem to mind, as long as he got something. She’d figured that the easier she could carry his snacks the better for the both of them and even though they were hard they were relatively light.
         After the last tray of snacks were pulled out of the small oven Raelon set them out to cool. She hung up the flour dusted apron and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
         Clean once again Raelon spied Kuuro stretched out in between the two twin beds in his larger size. She eyed the distance between her bed and where she stood. It looked like she would have to either jump for it or climb over Kuuro’s back.
“Why didn’t you stay puppy size?”
It is more comfortable to sleep this way.
         Sighing she leaned over Kuuro and dragged her blanket off of her bed and settled against Kuuro, completely accustomed to the hard floor. Raelon had spent many nights in the woods curled up against Kuuro watching the stars and listening to the nightlife. His body heat immediately warmed her. She snuggled closer to his soft fur feeling hearing his steady pulse.
         Raelon's thoughts drifted to her mother. She wondered if she wasn't too preoccupied with worrying over her. She was pretty sure that her new husband would be an adequate distraction. Now that she was finally here, Raelon knew that attending the academy had been the right choice. Her mother deserved to have alone time with Deion. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Raelon turned her attention to Kuuro.
“Classes start tomorrow.”
         Raelon felt Kuuro's chest vibrate with his agreement.
“You’re going to have to stay small for longer periods of time. Not to mention there will be other familiars in class.”
Sleep, tomorrow is going to be busy.
         Raelon settled into a comfortable position and allowed her eyes to close. Tomorrow would indeed be busy.

Raelon, get up.
         Raelon groaned and opened her eyes. Kuuro was looking down at her in his puppy size.
You have fifteen minutes.
         With that comment she shot up out of her blanket and started rummaging for clothes.
“Why did you wake me up so late?” Her question muffled by the shirt she was putting on.
I tried earlier, but you told me to go eat a snack.
         Once her head emerged from her shirt she saw his tongue flick out against his teeth. Rushing she was infinitely glad she had gathered her school supplies into an orderly pack the other day. Pulling on the rest of her school uniform Raelon ran to the bath room. She ran a brush through her long hair before tying it back and quickly brushed her teeth. Hurrying to the kitchen she crammed as many treats as she could into her coat pockets and grabbed her bag before putting her shoes on. Kuuro all the while sedately waited for her to open the front door.
         She checked her watch and was surprised that she had seven minutes before class started. But not wanting to risk being late she opened the door and hurried out of the dormitories. It only took her five minutes to run to class. She was relieved further when others were hastening to their own classes.
         With a tired sigh Raelon sat heavily at an empty desk near the back, just in time for the last bell to ring. Kuuro grinned at her and settled himself amongst her chair legs. Once she had calmed a bit she looked at the other students around her. At each desk there were two chairs. All of the front seats had been filled. The only seat left was the one at her desk to her right. The student in front of her had short brown hair that stuck out every which way. His chameleon familiar sat along his shoulders shifting from green to a startling yellow. Raelon thought it was ogling her, but she couldn’t be sure, its eyes never seemed to settle for more then a few seconds.
         The girl who sat at the same desk also had brown hair. The soft waves fell down to her shoulders. Raelon was a bit surprised to see a rat the size of her hand on the desk in front of the girl. Not the familiar she would have expected from a girl.
         Before Raelon could continue to look at the other students a woman walked into the classroom. Her hair was pulled back into a knot at the back of her head. She wore thick square glasses and a dark purple suit. Lights reflected off of her glasses as she surveyed the room.
“Good morning students. You may address me as Ms. Watts. I am your home room teacher for this year. As many of you know, homeroom will be at the beginning of the school day. During this time attendance will be recorded and school updates will be announced. Homeroom will last thirty minutes, before your first class begins. Are there any questions?”
         Raelon thought her expression and tone expressed that she believed there would be none. The boy in front of her raised his hand and spoke without waiting for Ms. Watts’ acknowledgment.
“What do we do with the remaining time after all of that?” he asked.
“That is for you to decide,” she responded sounding as if she expected that time to be used in a productive manner or in silence.
“Now if there are no more questions let us begin the roll.”

         Raelon felt a sharp pain in her leg. She jolted upright and leaned over her seat to glare at Kuuro. He had nipped the skin on her leg. Suddenly she realized that she had been sleeping. He had only tried to wake her up without drawing too much attention to her. With a muted grumble she sat low in her chair, grateful that her seat was at the very back of the class room. She heard a low chuckle to her right. She turned her head, surprised to see someone sitting next to her.
         He was watching the teacher drone on, but she felt as if he were watching her out of the corner of his eye. Dark hair hung nearly to his shoulder. His profile was rather striking, reminding her of the air brushed faces on the magazines her mother had wanted her to look over. His familiar was resting beside of his chair rather than under it. A black cat, approximately the size of the puppy Kuuro, pointedly ignored her. She thought of a lion, but it was black and had the barest hint of a mane.
         Raelon turned her head back in the direction of the teacher and tired her best to listen to him talk. From his appearance, this teacher was far more interested in his field of study rather than his own grooming. The teacher had scrawled his name across the left side of the chalk board. From the looks of it his name was either Mr. Duncan or Mr. Durean.
         Feeling a nudge at her leg she assumed Kuuro was in need of sustenance. She slipped her hand into one of her pockets and held the treat out for him. She felt the barest touch of his fur against her hand. Raelon wasn’t exactly sure if food was allowed in a class room, even if it was for the familiars.
         Once she started paying attention to what the teacher was saying she actually learned a few things by the time classes were about to change. However, she somehow managed to doze off in the next class as well, but she caught herself before falling completely asleep. Once again Raelon felt the amused attention of the guy beside of her. She gritted her teeth and tried once again to focus on the lecture. The new teacher that now stood at the front of the room epitomized femininity. Her blonde hair hung in lazy ringlets past her shoulders. Her outfit that was meant to subdue womanly curves only enhanced them.
         After listening for a few moments, Raelon found it much more interesting to stare out of the window than listen to her sugar coated lecture. Raelon yawned into her hand and dug for another treat to toss down to Kuuro when she saw that the cat lying beside her was watching her with interest. She pulled out another treat and wondered if the big cat enjoyed sweet things as much as Kuuro did.
         Raelon leaned forward and held out the treat with an open palm towards the big cat. It glared at her for a moment then promptly ignored her once again.
         Raelon felt her lip twitch in annoyance. She handed the treat to Kuuro instead. She could almost feel his amusement at being rejected. With a sniff Raelon straightened in her seat. The drowsiness that had plagued her before had dried up as her pulse picked up a beat in her annoyance.
         The sound of a chime surprised her. Immediately students began to file out of the door. Realizing that it was lunch time, Raelon looked over just in time to see the guy beside of her get up and leave with the crowd. With most of the class already out of the class room Raelon rose from her seat and remembered that she hadn’t made her own lunch last night while making Kuuro’s snacks. With a sigh she left the room and wandered into the empty hall. Kuuro followed close behind still in puppy size.
I guess you didn’t bring your lunch.
         Raelon gave him a grunt in response. She continued down the hall until Kuuro stopped beside of her. She turned back and smelled something. A faint burnt smell was in the air. Raelon went to the nearest classroom and opened the door. A crashing noise followed by a thin stream of hazy smoke greeted her. Waving a hand in front of her face Raelon stepped into the room and saw people running back and forth in the room.
         Moving closer she saw three girls panicking as a small fire had erupted around the sides of a pan on the small burner. Raelon moved a girl out of the way and hurried over. She turned off the burner and removed the pan. Looking around Raelon saw that another of the girls had come back with a fire extinguisher, but she held out a hand before the girl could aim. Whatever had been in the pan was charred beyond recognition and the fire had already gone out.
         Setting the hot pan on a metal rack nearby she turned to the girls who had finally stopped panicking.
“May I ask why you all were trying to burn the school down?” Raelon asked.
“We weren’t trying to start a fire. Honest! We just turned away for a second and before we knew it there was a fire and the room was getting smoky and we couldn’t find the fire extinguisher,” the shortest girl said.
“We were trying to make lunch for Mr. Duncan,” another girl said.
“He doesn’t eat unless someone forces him too,” the short girl said.
         Raelon sighed and looked around. There was still a hazy tint to the room, but it was getting clearer. She went over to the windows and opened all of them.
“What exactly were you girls trying to make?”
         All three blushed and looked away from her. Raelon sighed again.
“Okay well, what do you have left?”
“Well, we haven’t used the eggs and carrots yet. And there should be more ingredients in the refrigerator,” the red head said.
         Raelon looked to where the girl had pointed and went over to check herself. There wasn’t much left. An onion, expired milk, a half stick of butter, three eggs, and two carrots were the only things available. Raelon immediately threw away the milk and closed the door. She turned back to the girls and looked at them.
“What are all of your names?” she asked.
“My name is Sari,” the short one pointed to herself.
“I’m Lei,” the red head said.
“My name is Hanna,” the taller of the brunets said.
         Raelon nodded and introduced herself as well.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if Mr. Duncan bought his own lunch? Or someone got it for him?”
“Oh, but no one other than us three think about Mr. Duncan. He is, after all, our club adviser,” Sari said.
“What club is this exactly?” Raelon asked, but anticipated the answer.
“Well we are supposed to be the home ects club,” Hanna replied.
“I guess cooking is not one of your strong suits.”
“No. Sari is good with sewing and embroidery. Hanna is good at knitting. And I’m best at clothing design,” Lei answered.
“Alright then, well, I could make something for Mr. Duncan today,” Raelon stressed the word.
“Are there any aprons?”
         Hanna went to a door and pulled out a clean but lacy green apron. Tying it on Raelon washed her hands at the sink and asked for a cutting board and knife. While at the sink she scrubbed the charred mess out of the pan and wiped it dry. Raelon placed the pan onto the burner and set the temperature to medium high.
         Getting the last of the ingredients out of the refrigerator she cleaned the onion and carrots before cutting them into thin strips. She felt the girls watching her as she worked and did her best to explain what she was doing.
         Dropping the onions into the pan she halved the butter twice and put one piece in along with a pinch of salt. She explained to the girls that the salt would help soften the onion. On request one of the girls handed her a clean plate. Once the onions had browned she removed them and placed the carrots in. With a quick toss she added salt and pepper, allowing the carrots to soften before putting them onto the plate with the onions. Then she put another piece of butter in. Raelon cracked the eggs into to a bowl and scrambled them while the butter melted. She poured the eggs in and waited until the eggs became a bit firmer to add the onions and carrots in the center. Raelon turned the heat off and flipped the egg to encase the inside. After a minute or so she slid the omelet out of the pan and handed the plate to Sari.
“I hope he is fine with that.”
         Raelon removed the apron and handed it to Hanna. Suddenly she heard her own stomach growl. With a slight blush Raelon turned to leaven when she felt a tug at her hand.
“If you’re hungry you can eat with us. We have plenty between the three of us,” Lei said.
         Before she knew it she was eating with the three girls and carrying on a normal conversation. A warning bell rang that signaled the end of lunch. The girls thanked her for making Mr. Duncan’s lunch and made her promise to come back tomorrow. She agreed and said her good byes.
         Walking back to class she realized that Kuuro had been gone the entire time. The familiars of the girl’s hadn’t been there either. Then, as if he hadn’t been missing at all Kuuro came out of nowhere and fell into step beside of her.
“Where have you been?”
Having a little fun.
“Hungry?”
Not particularly, but I wouldn’t say no to a treat.
         With a smile she handed one down to him. Returning to class there were still a few empty desks, but the majority of the class had also come back. Raelon sat in her previous seat and resigned herself to the next class.

         The last bell rang none too soon. Some of the students hurried out of class, but the majority stayed behind to talk with others in the class. Raelon had a strange feeling that some of their conversations were geared toward her. She confirmed that thought when she heard someone’s comment about sleeping on the first day of school. A light flush crept up to her cheeks making Raelon escape from the room quickly.
         It was almost with relief to get started on the list of jobs waiting for her. At least that would give her something to do besides sitting. Kuuro yawned beside of her.
Well that was boring.
“Believe me, I know.”
         Raelon hurried back to the dorms to change out of her uniform. Her empty stomach reminded her that she had skipped out on lunch. Rummaging through her own refrigerator she tossed together a few things for a late lunch or early dinner. Giving the majority of it to Kuuro she swallowed her portion before checking her watch. It was a few minutes before four. Once Raelon had finished she put the dirty dishes into the sink and checked the list of jobs she still had.
         Next on the list was to clean classrooms 200-210.
“Do you plan on helping this time?”
Depends on the job.
         Raelon sighed. That pretty much meant no. She left the dorm and started looking for the janitor’s closet. She recalled passing it one the way to class earlier, but she couldn’t remember the exact location. She only found it because another worker had the door open. The label of “Janitor Supply Closet” faced her. She went over and picked what she thought she would need. Two buckets, rags, scrubbing brushes, cleaning solutions of various kinds, a broom, and mop. Raelon handed one bucket to Kuuro who carried it in his mouth. She asked the other worker where class 200 was. He told her at the very end of the right hallway on the next floor up. She thanked him and set off for the stairs.
         Kuuro made odd noises as he held the bucket between his teeth. She turned to look at him. A laugh she couldn’t quite suppress slipped out. In his puppy size the bucket nearly dragged on the ground, even with his head tilted up.
“Why don’t you just change to a bigger size?”
Why don’t you just hold this bucket as well? I don’t have thumbs or hands for that matter.
         His peevish tone made her sputter over a laugh.
         Raelon took the bucket from him and balanced the two on either side of the mop and broom she held across her shoulders.
“Better?”
Much.
         Once past the stairs she turned into the right hallway. At the end there was another hallway. She checked the room numbers before turning to the left. Raelon opened up the class door and almost choked on the dust. Desks were stacked against the wall farthest from the chalk board and chairs were lined up and stacked against the adjacent wall. Everything was coated in a layer of dust, even the ceiling looked dingy. The first thing she did was to open the windows. She dumped the contents of one bucket, picked up a cleaning solution, and went in search of a bathroom.
         The nearest one she could find was on the floor below at the foot of the stairs. She filled the bucket and mixed in the cleaner. Once the bucket was filled to an inch of the rim she totted it back up the stairs. Raelon had managed to avoid spilling the soapy water and set the bucket on the dusty floor. Looking around she contemplated on where to start. She decided to leave the floor for last and set her attention on the walls and windows. A layer of thin grime coated both the walls and glass. She took up a scrubbing brush and got to work.
         Raelon had to refill and empty the two buckets countless times before all ten of the class rooms were clean. It was dark outside of the windows by the time Raelon threw away the last of the dirty rags and dumped out the nasty water in the buckets. Kuuro had remained out of site through out the entire cleaning process. She suspected he had gone out to look for things to snack on while she was busy.
         Stretching her back Raelon tried to work out the stiffness in her muscles from leaning over for so long. Since she had forgotten gloves her hands were a bit wrinkled from the constant contact with the water. She took up the remaining cleaning items and carried them back to the Janitor’s closet. It was locked so she arranged all of the things just outside of the door.
         She dragged herself back to her dorm room and made her way to the shower. The hot water loosened up most of her muscles and washed away the grime from the rooms. She stayed in the shower until she felt slightly light headed. Wrapping a clean towel around her body Raelon sprawled out on her bed.
         She didn’t know when Kuuro had gotten in but he was suddenly beside her. He nudged the damp towel off of her and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders with his teeth.
“Welcome back, good hunting I suppose?” she asked sleepily.
Quite, I would have brought you something, but I don’t think the headmaster would appreciate finding out about the poached wildlife.
         Raelon recognized his attempt at humor and grinned with her eyes closed. The headmaster certainly didn’t seem like the type who could deal with seeing something like that.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to get through class without sleeping tomorrow.”
Actually, it is more like today. You were cleaning for a long time. I kept the dormitory unlocked until you got in.
         Raelon didn’t ask how, but she was grateful that she hadn’t been locked out.
“Thanks…”
         She heard Kuuro settle beside of the bed and promptly drifted off to sleep.

         Something woke her. It sounded like a noise, but she didn’t hear anything. She sat up and saw Kuuro stretched out beside the bed. Raelon rubbed her face against her palms before glancing at the clock. It was five in the morning. Too early to wake up, but not enough time that it was worth going back to sleep. Pushing the blanket off of her Raelon jumped over Kuuro and got dressed. There were still a few snacks from yesterday that would just barely be enough for Kuuro during school. She set about making more and even had time to make her own lunch. With a yawn she walked over to Kuuro and nudged him. He rolled to his back and stretched his legs. Raelon leaned closer and rubbed the black patch on his chest.
“Come on lazy, time for school.”
         Raelon left the snacks on the counter to cool and grabbed her things. There was no rushing today. She had plenty of time before class started, but getting up early had taken its toll. She yawned and felt water collect in her eyes. Blinking them away, she saw that many of the students around her had familiars small enough to hitch a ride on their humans. She looked down at Kuuro and realized that he would have had to be held if he were smaller. As it were he didn’t have the appendages to hold on to a human, without causing damage.
         Hiding a yawn behind her hand Raelon walked into the entrance. She made her way to the class room and wondered if she should sit where she had yesterday. There weren’t assigned seats, but she hadn’t minded the back seats either. It had at least kept her out of trouble from dozing off in class. That thought made her wonder if the guy from yesterday would sit beside of her again. She doubted it unless he came to class late again.
         Walking into the class, Raelon noticed that many of the students were lingering in the halls to talk with students assigned to other class rooms. She sat down in her previous seat. She handed Kuuro a treat before he settled down under her chair.
         She lasted longer than she expected. Making it through homeroom and Mr. Duncan’s class, but she lost the battle five minutes after the blonde, Ms. Laurel, started her lesson.
         Kuuro woke her up with a soft nip to her leg. She looked up in time to see Ms. Laurel leave the room. Raelon stretched her arms and sat up, a bit refreshed after the nap. She looked over to her right and saw that the seat beside of her was empty.
         Suddenly students started filing out the door.
“What’s going on Kuuro?”
Something called “PE”.
         With a groan Raelon rose from her seat and followed the crowd. The class met up with two more in the hall and all three classrooms made their way to the gym. The girls and boys separated to move into the dressing rooms. Raelon moved to her assigned locker and found an oversized shirt and shorts. Slipping out of her uniform she hurriedly changed and tried to squeeze out of the room. Once free of the crowding girls Raelon made her way to the middle of the gym where the rest of the dressed girls were waiting. The Physical Education teacher waited until a large number of girls had exited the dressing room before explaining the class for that day.
“As you all may be aware, physical fitness is not only very important for the health of your body, but it may also be a very important asset for the dangerous times ahead. In the worst case scenario, you all must be physically fit enough to run fast enough to potentially save your lives and those of your familiars as well.”
         Raelon suppressed a yawn. The move seemed to catch the teacher’s eye because he strode forward and came to stand right in front of her.
“What is your name student?”
“Raelon.”
“Well Raelon, how about you demonstrate for the class the appropriate speed to run without exhausting the body too quickly.”
         Raelon heard the authority behind the suggestion and agreed readily enough. The class walked out to a track and he directed her to the starting point.
“You will run from this line to that pole and back.”
         Raelon nodded and stretched the muscles in her legs. That seemed to interest the teacher, but she just didn’t want to pull a muscle. That would mean she wouldn’t be able to do the jobs the school provided; which meant less food for both Kuuro and herself.
         Setting a stance at the starting line she heard the teacher count off. On go she took off. She saw Kuuro keep pace beside of her to her right. The both of them rounded the pole, with Kuuro on the far side. Then they sprinted back. She didn’t slow until she cleared the starting point. She jogged a few more steps before stopping in front of the teacher.
         Breathing a bit faster than normal Raelon waited for him to tell her what her time was. Kuuro came up beside of her, not even out of breath.
“5:15, for a fifty meter sprint. Not bad kid. You probably lost some speed rounding that pole, but not bad at all.”
         Raelon wasn’t sure what he meant, but he had taken his focus off of her so she moved away and noticed that the boys from the other class had also picked off a few runners. There were three boys that went. They all stood in varying starting positions, but as soon as they started it was clear that one of the boys stood above the rest. He didn’t run so much as fly across the ground. The teacher had stood at the opposite end of the starting line. He clapped the boy across the shoulder hard enough to make him sag a bit. Raelon brought her attention back to the girls who had now started running one at a time. One of the girls seemed to be recording the times as soon as the teacher barked them at her.
         Raelon backed away from the group and found a spot in the shade. Kuuro sat near her and watched the other students run.
What is the point in running in a straight line if someone is chasing you?
“I suspect that the teachers want to know the average speed that each person can run away,” she said with a grin.
Run away? Like prey?
“Precisely,” she said.
         Her thoughts were blessedly still. The warmth in the air felt heavy against her face, but each cool breeze lifted the heavy veil of warm still air. She wondered if it was this humid back home. It was probably hot, but the clustered tree would keep everything doused in shade.
         After a while Raelon dozed off in the relative cool of the shade. She stirred only when she heard multiple footsteps coming closer. She sat up and saw that the boys had finished running and were heading back towards the gym. A few lingering behind with the teacher. The girls were taking a bit longer to finish up, but after the remaining girls finished they too headed back to the gym. The teacher called out a few names and asked them to stay behind. Raelon being one of them.
         The boy's group walked over to the remaining girls before the teachers began to explain.
“You all are the fastest bunch in your age level. You will be sent to take another series of test before moving on to the next step.”
         From what Raelon could see there were four boys and three girls including herself. Each of the students had varying familiars. She recognized the cat and boy who had sat next to her yesterday. Raelon looked at the teacher.
“What is the next step?”
         He turned to her and smiled.
“Advance Placement.”
         The two words were emphasized in a way that made her feel as if she should be either proud or anxious. Instead she nodded and was herded along with the rest away from the other students to a separate building deeper in the woods. From the front the building looked like a warehouse.
         Once they made it into the building a blast of cool air hit all of them. They were all sweaty enough to enjoy the chilling air. The teachers pushed them into an elevator and into another hallway on the third floor. They arrived into a room that was stark white with nothing more interesting than the immense size of the room. Towards the center of the room a lone man stood with his feet braced slightly apart. With a jolt she recognized Bennet from the little convenience store near the dorms.
“Welcome students. I am happy to say that you all have been asked here today to be tested. If you pass you will be allowed to join the AP class and undertake ranked missions.”
         Ben wave a hand and the two teachers retreated to the elevator.
“If all of your familiars would please move to the room to your left. We will begin the testing soon.”
         Kuuro and the cat swaggered off immediately towards the door to the next room, but some of the others hung back. They only left once prodded by their humans.
“I would like all of you to pair off, but it seems that we have an odd number of students so there will be one team of three or a volunteer for a solo team.”
         His suggestion hung in the air. Raelon started to raise her hand to volunteer, but it was caught by the boy from yesterday. He grinned at her, finally looking her in the face. Raelon shrugged and nodded her head at him.
         The other students paired off and looked back at Ben expectantly.
“Good, very good. Let us go then.”