Sure, the idea of finding my sister still weighed on me, and the side glances from Ice when I passed her from time to time in the halls or elsewhere were a constant reminder of this. But a strange dream of me charging off into space with a team of superheroes—Harp and Laurel at my side—left me with a feeling in my chest when I woke the next day, a feeling of freedom. There was no way I was going to abandon my sister, I knew that… but my heart was sending a different message. One of escape, one of leaving all of that old life behind and being one of these superhero goody-girls.

  Having woken up early, I stopped by the library again to look over that mythology book. My attention was mostly focused on the kitsune, at first, but then I started looking over the various gods and goddesses. All of this had fascinated me at one point, when I was younger and hadn’t yet given up on dreams. I wanted nothing more than to be one of them, back then. Not a god, exactly, but godlike—revered, loved… Able to do great things. When what being in a guild of rogues meant truly sunk in, however, I’d stopped reading about such fairy tales and moved on to studying how to fight, how to move without being heard, and generally focus on more useful skills and knowledge.

  Now, surrounded by the great halls and arches, the walls of books that captured the many heroics of our time and before, my heart was opening up again to the idea that anything was possible. I lingered on a story I’d always enjoyed about the goddess of the underworld, Persephone, breaking free after being abducted by Hades and made to be his wife. Shit, I would gut the fool who tried that on me. An illustrated representation of her on the next page over made me smile, thinking what a beautiful and strong lady she’d been, or would have been if she had been real. Maybe she had been, I thought, even if the books claimed they were merely myths. For all I knew, they were supers like me who’d managed to live on Earth in a different time, before vanishing or going into hiding.

  Excited for the day, I went to the showers, ignoring looks from the girls who were likely whispering about the fox being naked. Fuck them, they weren’t going to ruin my day no matter what. I rinsed, then quickly dressed before heading off for breakfast with a bounce in my step.

  Ice found me on my way to the dining hall, and we moved off to a nook that overlooked a courtyard of trees.

  “I’m going to try and listen in on the staff today,” Ice said in a hushed voice. “Maybe see what it takes to get the guards to open their mouths—what they might share. Your plan?”

  Shit. I hadn’t come up with a plan other than to enjoy classes, learn what I could, and get the most out of my time here while wondering if there was a way to make it more of a long-term stay. When she saw my frown, she rolled her eyes.

  “Fucking useless,” she scoffed.

  “The prisons,” I threw out. We’d been thinking of that as an option anyway, and nobody moved as fast or stealthily as me when it mattered.

  “Oh, shit, yeah… That’s actually a good idea.”

  As if I needed her approval. I frowned, then nodded. “Yeah, going to see about getting in good with some of the staff, too, during the day. See if some will get buddy-buddy with me, then when we get a break, I get down there and see what there is to see.”

  “I’ll meet you at the eastern corridor after classes, then.” Ice started to move back toward the hallway.

  “What, why?”

  “To help you break in.” She laughed, shaking her head at me. “You’re going to need help. You do realize that, right? With all of the superpowered protection I’d imagine they’ve set up, not even including the guards, it won’t be easy.”

  “Right.” I nodded, confirming it was on, then waited until she walked off before I went my way, to separate classes. The schedule had it that way so classes could rotate and meet new students, but I honestly wanted to stay with the same group.

  So it was that I was relieved to see Laurel and Harp again when going back to Lamb’s class. We all sat at a desk together, Olena and Trell nodding to us as they entered and took the next desk over, along with one of the supers from our tour group the first day. As much as Ice was a rock to stand on, in that I’d known her for some time, she was a jagged rock at best. Seeing her walk into class served as a reminder of why I was really here, and I was glad that we were keeping up the charade of not being close. She sat at the front of the class, not even bothering to look my way.

  Lamb welcomed us but didn’t waste any time, getting right back into classes.

  She indicated the board, first telling us to leave our seats as she explained that she was going to lead us in a sort of harmonization exercise. She guided us outside until we were at the eastern gate, a fact that Ice and I shared a look over. This was close to the rumored prisons, and I was glancing around for signs of them, my eyes landing on a statue of Neptune from Earth’s mythology. An older man with a three-pronged spear. God of the sea—but that got me thinking… and remembering what I’d been reading about in mythology. Specifically, the book Laurel had referenced said he had two brothers, with Jupiter having control of the sky and Pluto the underworld. Maybe there’d be a statue of Pluto around here somewhere, marking or having some relevancy to the prisons beneath the surface? If so, I’d have to remember to thank Laurel for that bit of nerd study material later, as I might not have remembered this if I hadn’t just been looking through the book.

  She had us watch the flow of water from the fountain, the way the sun glimmered, sparkling, the trees swaying in the distance, and the mountain beyond that.

  “Take it all in,” Lamb said. “Let yourself be one with it—whether you feel the connection to your inner self from the flow of water, the power of Oram’s radiance, the calm of the blowing leaves, or the sturdy, steadfastness of the mountain. This is about you right now, and nobody else. No worries, no stress. Nothing except your focus on being one with your surroundings, with nature, and with the universe. I ask a lot, I know, but it will take this and more to truly be able to access the powers you have locked inside of you.”

  “And if we’re already at our full potential?” Ice asked.

  Lamb gave her a sly smile, shook her head, and said, “None of us ever will be, dear.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “The point I’m trying to make here is that, while society will label us as different tiers in the supers hierarchy, it’s only so by our limited understanding of self. Tier One supers are only so because of their ability to tap into their powers, though they might not realize it. Many—most—have no idea they’re doing it, or how. But my study focuses on exactly this, and I firmly believe you each have the potential to become Tier Ones if you so desire.”

  “You think we can have powers as strong as theirs?” Trell asked, nudging Olena, who frowned, seemingly not liking the idea of challenging her aunt.

  “Powers as strong, but not the same. You have your specific powers, that’s true.” Lamb considered each of us, then chose Laurel. “You, for instance, have a mental connection, and something special with nature, if I’m correct. But if you were to truly develop those skills, I believe you’d be able to fully read minds, to perhaps even control minds. Likewise, you’d be able to manipulate nature in such ways that even I cannot fathom. And it’s all connected, all of it part of you already, if you can only learn how to tap into it. And on that note,” she indicated the fountain and beyond, “shall we?”

  We all turned, focusing, and in spite of a few shuffling here and there, we all seemed into it. I couldn’t imagine Ice taking this seriously, but Laurel seemed one hundred percent in the zone, and I tried to be too. This was all over my head, but if the professor was right and there was any chance of me being as powerful as a Tier One someday, shit, I’d do whatever it took.

  As I sat there, listening to the water and breathing in the fresh air that had a minty subtleness to it, I focused on my breathing, letting it all wash over me. And then it happened. Nothing big at first, but I started to sense parts of me I’d never really been aware of, like a tingling light was moving through my body, getting to know my internal workings, getting to—know my mind and how it all worked. I remembered sitting on the side of a ship out in the fringe, staring out at space and laughing with my sister as she tried to explain to me how I wasn’t eating my soup properly, that it wasn’t legit unless it came in a bread bowl and chunks of bread were used to sop it up. Then there was a time with my guild master, the first time he’d noticed me use a charm and his eyes had lit up as if we’d brought him the greatest treasure. He too had hoped I could do more with my powers, but upon learning of at least this one, he quickly made good use of me, having me at meetings and making signals for when he wanted the other side of those meetings to feel either calm or tense. Mood manipulation worked wonders, when under his control.

  The sunlight shone in yellow and blue sparkles, and I remembered a planet we’d gone thieving on, one where I’d first caught sight of a nude man. The sunlight had sparkled that day, too, as he emerged from the water, tracing his abs and running down his cock, his body glistening. I’d been hidden on lookout, and snuck over to the edge of my hiding spot at the sound of laughter. Upon hearing him I hadn’t been sure why, but then I was there, watching him step out of the water and saw where he was walking to—three women, equally nude, laid out on a blanket and waiting, caressing each other, kissing, moaning and laughing.

  That had been the first time I’d ever touched myself to the point of climax, and for some reason it was all coming back now. My urge to moan, the taste of blood on my lip as I bit it to stay silent, the wetness down there when I was done. And then the realization that, while I wasn’t in a hurry considering what the pirate and his three women were up to, I needed to alert my guild master and the others on our team that we had company.

  It had been good timing, too, because as I left my spot to run back, the pirate had let out a long, deep moan that left me very curious but also humored. Their little romp hadn’t taken nearly as long as I’d expected, and I kind of wished I’d stayed and enjoyed the full show.

  A twitch of my chest brought me back to the present, and I realized I was moist downstairs. But there was something else off, something that didn’t belong. I started, sitting and turning to Laurel just in time to notice the shine on her arm. Her gaze was forward, but her lower lip moved subtly and I could sense her mind on me.

  What the hell? There was no way to know if all of that had been me, or related to her powers and that light I’d noticed on her arm the first time we met.

  “Focus,” Lamb said from somewhere behind me, and so I did, staring forward again, this time with my attention on the trees.

  My mind was instantly open, more so than it had been before, and this time it wasn’t some sex show or touching myself that came to mind, but me, floating in a pool of brilliant moonlight like silver, and I was completely nude. This wasn’t a memory. More like a vision? And by Oram, I was gorgeous. More beautiful than I’d ever realized, I thought with a grin, but not only because I could see my well-sculpted thighs or perky breasts. It was that I could see inside on a spiritual level, and could see the powers flowing through me. So many colors!

  Maybe I wouldn’t be able to access them yet, but Lamb was right. They were there, and I had no doubt that someday I’d be unstoppable.

  We continued like this, then spent time with each of us trying out our powers, working in groups to try our powers and see what bringing them to the next level might mean. But all the while I kept thinking back to that first part of the exercise, with the weird thoughts and the light on Laurel’s arm. There was no real reason to think she’d been up to anything, except for a gut feeling.

  For me, gut feelings were everything.

  So when class ended and we were on our way to sparring with Zilch, I cut her off and waited until the others were a bit ahead.

  “What’d you do back there?” I asked.

  She frowned, which was even cuter than her half-smile she so often wore. “We have to get to class.”

  “Not until you tell me.”

  We stared at each other for a moment, and then she shrugged. “It’s… something I haven’t figured out yet. Not completely, anyway, so don’t tell anyone.” She held out a hand, and I wasn’t sure what to do at first, but when she nodded I took it. “Watch.”

  Together, standing there holding hands, we watched as a faint light emerged from her forearm and drifted down to mine. Instantly I was tingling all over, my breathing heavy, and the two of us were together in the waters from before, but we weren’t floating. We were doing a lot more than just floating, and I blushed, pulling my hand away.

  “Sorry,” she said, quickly, and looked away.

  Holy shit, had those been her thoughts? I’d assumed they were mine and she was seeing them, but now that I considered it, nothing like that had been going through my mind a moment ago.

  “I…” I started, but then glanced around and smiled. “We should be going to class.”

  “It was—I mean, I sensed you needed help with the exercise, that’s all.” She was still blushing, still unable to look me in the eyes, so I put a finger to her chin, guiding her face up to look at mine.

  “Thank you,” I said, then nodded toward the direction of the class.

  She returned the smile, and oh by Oram I suddenly wanted her in the waters like in the vision. Of course, this wasn’t the time nor place, so we continued on, ready to blow off some steam in the sparring ring.

  And did we ever! Nobody stood a chance against either of us that day. It was glorious, first me against Ice, earning a few glares and yelps of surprise, then me on the sidelines watching Laurel show Trell how it was done. Each kick translated in my mind as her bare thighs rubbing against mine, each punch as her hands gripping me, pulling me in close, massaging my breasts and down below.

  Fuck, if focus was something I needed to learn, I was in trouble.

  She stepped out of the ring, sat next to me, and I thought I would melt at the way she smiled. I returned the smile, and felt that tingling of her light again as it moved over to me. Biting my lip, I watched the next fight while not really watching, simply enjoying the moment and the company.

  15

  After classes that second day, when we were given free time with the expectation that we’d spend it getting to know our new classmates better, I decided it was time to see what the prisons had to offer. It sucked, knowing that Laurel and the others were exploring the grounds or finding some room to lounge in and share stories, having a great time, while I was sneaking around in the underbelly of the school. Hell, there was a lot I wouldn’t mind doing with them, but that was just it—in the back of my mind, I knew how distracted I was getting. My sister could be in real trouble, and here I was living the fantasy life I’d always dreamed.

  If I was going to become a better super, it had to start with me not only thinking of myself. Going to the prisons was the only option, really. I wasn’t about to let my sister rot away down there, and if there was the slightest chance she was in the prisons, I’d find her.

  True to her word, Ice was waiting for me at the wall south of the Neptune statue.

  “What’re we looking for, exactly?” she said. “Because if you don’t have a clue how to even find the prisons, I’m going to be pissed about wasting my time.”

  Time doing what else, I wanted to ask, but refrained. She hadn’t learned anything other than through her chats with the guys, so this was our best lead.

  “Pluto,” I said, already starting to look around. “Rumor has it the prisons are somewhere around here, likely below us. But where, exactly?”

  When she asked why Pluto, I explained about his connection to the underworld, about how he and his brothers had taken over after killing their father, and how later he’d come to be known as Hades. Personally, I’d always preferred the version of him that wasn’t so dark—the one associated with harvest. Hence sticking with Pluto, at the moment.

  No signs of a Pluto statue, though. We kept looking, Ice giving me shit about how I needed to not show off in sparring or Zilch might get suspicious, reminding me not to draw attention to myself, but I scoffed.

  Attention was going to find me no matter what.

  Passing a garden with rich pink and orange flowers hanging from the wall, along with tall palms and plants I’d never seen before that spiraled up with thick thorns, I paused.

  “Shit, there.” I stepped forward, watching as the gentle wind moved a flower aside. I helped it, and let out a yelp. On the wall in front of me was a symbol of a circle, below it a half circle connected to a plus sign below that. I recognized it clearly as the astrological symbol for the planet Pluto. That had to mean something.

  “Circle, plus… moon?” I said aloud, ignoring Ice’s pestering for more information. I was looking for more now, when I froze, noticing the windows along the wall. Past the wall was one of the domed tops of the school buildings, and if I stood in the right place, I could see the pattern on the window looking like a cross below the circle, with the top of the roof like that half circle between the two.

  “I know you have a silly grin on your face,” Ice said. “But I’m still waiting to find out why.”

  With a laugh, I explained, then went to the window. She propped me up so I could see inside. To my joy it wasn’t just another room at all, but a descending passageway. Only, a figure moved. I ducked out of the window.

  “Shit, there’s a guard in there,” I said, now whispering.

  “Which is a good sign,” Ice replied, also keeping her voice low. “Means there’s something worth guarding.”

  I nodded, glancing around. “We need to find a way in, then—”

  She moved her hand and I thought she was waving me away, but suddenly the metal of the window shot off and was followed by a loud clang and a thud.

  I frowned and jumped on my own this time so I could land in the window and get a look. Sure enough, the guard lay on the ground, out.

  “Please tell me you didn’t kill him,” I said.