Chapter 1

The country was in chaos. It had been two years since an eccentric scientist had released a military-engineered mutation virus into society. The result was catastrophe, as humans gained seemingly random powers that had previously been ascribed only to the realm of fantasy. Despite profound changes on both personal and global levels, society had managed nevertheless to cling to the order and rules it was familiar with. That is, until about three months ago.

Some lunatic with an atomic manipulation Gift had leveled a Washington that was already nearing collapse as powers beyond its control raged across the land. Ironically, this man, with the power to create nuclear bombs with his mind, was killed a few days later in a car wreck. For once, the world had reason to be thankful for a DUI.

Civilization on a national level had been nearing an end for quite some time, as most towns were too involved with local problems to worry about national unity. Most large cities didn't go out as spectacularly as Washington, but warring factions tended to decimate their populations in a slower, but almost equally potent, manner.

As if the first day of junior high school wasn't scary enough even under normal conditions.

Saric was in his seat a full ten minutes before the bell summoned forth his first tormentor and instructor. He spent those minutes trying to calm his nerves, to little avail. Order on the national level might be a thing of the past, but Gregory Santorez kept order in Arrowhead, Montana. He was a tolerant man, but those who crossed what was formerly known as the law tended to end up as crispy critters. They didn't call Gregory Santorez "Sparkweaver" for nothing. Right now, Saric felt a bit like cursing Sparkweaver, as it was entirely his fault that school was still in session. Not only did the man keep things orderly enough that public institutions were able to continue to function, he even spent an hour per day ensuring they, and the rest of the town, had the electricity to do so.

Saric looked around the room, noting the cramped feeling and the rather uncomfortable chairs attached to the fake wood desks. He sat in the front row, more from second-rate eyesight than from any real desire to become closely acquainted with the teacher.

The ringing of the bell and the nearly simultaneous entry of his first tormenter and teacher of the day interrupted Saric's thoughts.

Teacher number one, in charge of the ever so delightful subject of mathematics, was a young, well-dressed man, probably only a few years out of college. He gave a brief lecture on how the class was to run, with large amounts of homework, pop quizzes, and other unpleasantries designed to hammer knowledge into the heads of the ignorant and sleep into the head of Saric, who was several years ahead of the class. He got a full five minutes into his lecture before someone asked him the inevitable question.

"Mr. Roe, what is your Gift?"

Roe looked at the girl who had asked the question with mild distaste, then responded, "Sound amplification. I can make any sound within my hearing range louder. Anyone caught sleeping in class will find out how unpleasant that can be."

The subject of Gifts was a happy distraction from mathematics for Saric. Saric's own gift was Charisma. People wanted to follow his advice. He couldn't force them to do anything, but his words carried much more weight than the words of others. Discovering his Gift had been rather interesting for Saric. He had just about decided he was among the few socially rejected Giftless when he noticed that he won most of his arguments, even when others had tried the exact same argument and lost.

Mr. Roe then walked to his desk, picking up a stack of papers. He flipped through them, looking closely at each, and eventually stopped at one with a picture of the girl on it. He then began to read aloud.

"Elaine Derras. Gift: Impersonation". "Lovely, why don't they make it a little more vague? Would you care to clarify what your own Gift is, Miss Derras?"

Elaine stood up, shimmered for a moment, and suddenly there were two Mr. Roe's in the room.

"Let's just say there will be time to prepare a face to meet the faces that I meet". Elaine's voice was a perfect mimicry of Mr. Roe, as was her physical appearance. She shimmered again, resuming her natural form, and sat down.

Robert Roe didn't look like he got the reference, but Saric smiled at Elaine's quote of T.S. Eliot.

Mr. Roe spent the rest of the period asking each of the students for better descriptions of their gifts, as his paperwork was decidedly unhelpful. A few students were skipped, and Saric assumed they had not yet caught the virus that greeted each child at puberty. Just before the bell rang, he announced a graded test would be given the next day to see how much of their previous math classes the students remembered.

Saric left his seat with a profound sense of relief, joining the trickle of students hurrying to get out the door and on to some other class. He reflected on the loss of traffic in the hallways. The battle for Arrowhead between Sparkweaver and Jack Marcon, a would-be despot with the power to send people into a berserk frenzy had been brief, but not without its human cost. Marcon had used his ability to make civilians into his weapons and armor, resulting in hundreds of deaths before he was cornered and hit with a blast of lightning so intense it had left a crater in the spot he had been standing.

Light though the traffic was, Saric would have missed the arrival of one of his best friends, Dennis Klein, had he not heard the telltale flapping of wings. Dennis came out of a side hall, his leathery wings fully extended, their tips nearly brushing the walls on both sides. His face was showing the strain of using those wings. Dennis had only caught the virus last month, and the sickness caused by the mutation was still fresh in his mind. Exacerbating his difficulty with flying was the fact that while his wings had shown up, they hadn't shown up fully muscled, and lifting himself as he was probably exhausted him. He was headed to the same room Saric was walking towards. Saric finally reached the door and hurried in, waving a quick greeting to his gasping friend.

As he sat down next to Dennis, he noticed the girl from last period... what was her name? Ah yes, Elaine. Elaine shared this class with him as well. He subtly admired her from his seat, thinking that if this was her natural form, there would be little reason for her Gift-why change form when her natural flowing, flaming hair, beautiful green eyes, and golden, almost glowing skin marked her as so rare a beauty? Dennis caught his stare and grinned.

"Everybody always falls in love with the red head," he murmured to Saric.

"No. Everybody always falls in LUST with the red head," Saric murmured back with a smile.

Dennis choked back his laughter, trying not to draw too much attention, and was probably successful, as he received no more than the usual stares that went with a ten-foot wingspan.

The two were so busy trying to regain their composure that they nearly missed the entry of the teacher. She looked to be of middle years, with graying hair and faint smile lines marking her face. Saric hoped those lines were a good indicator of her personality. Stepping to the front of the class, she began her standard first day speech.

"Good morning, students, and welcome to World and Post Apocalyptic History class. My name is Amelia Taggert. My Gift is minor healing. If you need to see me outside of class, I can be found in the nurse's office during lunch. This class will be focusing on the events leading up to presumed worldwide collapse of government on the national level. I say presumed because, at the time our news was cut off, most of the other nations of the world had already collapsed.

Now, this being the first day, that's enough for the lecture. You may ask any questions you have, socialize, read, or in any other way occupy yourselves until it is time for the next period."

"Well, that was certainly refreshingly short," Saric remarked with a smile in his voice.

"Yes, and now's your chance to introduce yourself to that girl you were ogling at the beginning of class," Dennis motioned towards Elaine, who was sitting alone, tapping her pencil's eraser slowly against her desk.

"I've got a better idea. How about not."

"Come on, you'll never know if you don't try."

"Nor risk being made a fool of."

"You know what they say; 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.' Come on; go for it. Or would you rather I did it for you. It's going to look a whole lot more conspicuous if I go up to her with my 'oh, don't mind the wings' and point you out."

"Blackmailer."

"In a heartbeat"

Reluctantly, Saric rose from his seat, making his way through the aisles between the desks towards Elaine. He was thankful that the rest of the class was absorbed in their own discussion, allowing him to approach her relatively unnoticed. Mentally, he willed himself to relax, and felt the tension and nervousness drain away from him as he reached her.

"Hi, Elaine. I'm Saric Kelvrosa. We were in math together last period. Great T. S. Eliot quote, by the way."

"Thanks, but I don't think Mister Roe got the reference," Elaine said with a slight laugh.

"Well, it may be just my imagination, but it looks to me as though anything other than numbers is a foreign concept to him," Saric said, counting on his fingers with an intense look of concentration.

"Oh no, he's got room in his head for at least one other concept," Elaine was smiling openly now.

"And what might that be?"

"The most annoying teacher is the most effective teacher," as Elaine said it, her face changed to look like Roe's.

"After all," she went on, in his voice, "It is the responsibility of the teacher to teach, and the responsibility of the student to keep quiet and absorb knowledge, no matter how boringly it is presented."

Roe hadn't actually said anything of the sort, but his manner had seemed to imply it. Saric laughed.

"So, what class do you have next?" he asked.

"Gift Development with Cameron, and you?"

"Same."

"Well then, it appears we'll be seeing a fair amount of one another."

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of the bell. Students looked up, packed away their supplies, and began walking out the door, joining the stream of bodies that filled the hall. Saric offered Elaine a hand with her things, and together they worked their way through the unfamiliar school towards the next class.

Opening the door marked Gift Development; Saric beheld a large, fenced area that included a track, a few game courts on blacktop, and a large grassy area. A large, mustached man saw the two of them and waved them over to where a small group of students had already gathered. Apparently class had not yet started, as the students were milling around in friendly and rather loud conversation. Among them, Saric saw a familiar and welcome face belonging to Kentaro Ishida. Kentaro was originally from Japan, but he and his family had been visiting relatives in America, and been stuck on the wrong side of the Pacific when things started going downhill. Kentaro took to his new home quite well, though he still had occasional problems fitting in. He and Saric had been friends immediately.

Saric called to him, getting his attention. Kentaro rose from his sitting position, a smile on his face.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Saric-san. Ogenki desu ka?" Kentaro greeted Saric, as always, in his native tongue.

"Good morning, Kentaro-san. I'm fine, thanks for asking, and you?" Saric completed the ritual.

"I am better than fine. My Gift came to me only a few days ago. I still feel a bit sick, but it is well worth the nausea and headache to gain such a thing."

"So, what's the Gift?"

"Allow me to demonstrate later, but first, you must introduce me to the beautiful lady who accompanied you here,"

"Of course, pardon me for forgetting my manners. Kentaro, allow me to introduce Elaine Derras. She and I have Math and History together. Elaine, this is Kentaro Ishida, late of Japan, and a good friend of mine,"

"Pleased to meet you, Kentaro," Elaine said with a smile.

"Doozo yoroshiku, Elaine-san. I am pleased also to have met with you,"

"I believe you were going to demonstrate your Gift. Please, go ahead," Elaine said.

"See that tree on the other side of the field? Keep your eye on it, please,"

Saric and Elaine turned their eyes to the tree. A slightly blurred Kentaro was already over halfway there. In the space of another second, he touched the tree. A few more seconds brought him back before them.

"As you can see, I've gotten a little faster," Kentaro grinned.

"Incredible, have you clocked your time yet?" Saric asked.

"I have as yet had no opportunity to do such."

"I think we'll have to change that," The voice came from behind the trio, startling them all. They looked up into the face of the instructor, Mister Cameron. He then raised his voice, addressing all students present.

"Welcome, students, to Gift Development. My name is William Cameron. For the next nine months, I will be your instructor, and, if necessary, slave driver. Not to sound arrogant, but this is perhaps the single most important class you will ever take. We live in a frightening new world, and those who cannot make optimum use of everything available to them are unlikely to survive its ravages.

This class replaces your normal PE class, and, as with PE, you will be expected to have a gym uniform in all future meetings. Some of you have Gifts that are, for lack of a better description, potentially messy. You will also be expected to maintain an adequate level of physical fitness. There will be exams every six weeks to ensure that you are fit. If it is found that you are not, you will join a special PE class that starts ONE HOUR BEFORE school begins. Frankly, I don't want to have to be here at 7 in the morning any more than you do, so do us both a favor and keep in shape. I will be available after class to help you with any questions you might have regarding either physical fitness or Gift Development.

With that out of the way, I would like to encourage each of you to do your best. Even the most miniscule of Gifts can be immensely powerful in the right place and time. For those few who have not yet obtained Gifts, your focus will be on how to get around the handicap. Also, please take all available precautions, but understand that should something go wrong, my Gift is suppression, and if need be, I can block your Gifts for up to twenty-four hours.

As I call your name, state your Gift, if you have one, and give a demonstration, if possible."

The first student called, Al Anderson, had the Gift of making illusionary mirrors. The mirrors had no substance to them, but functioned nonetheless as highly reflective surfaces until such time as Anderson stopped concentrating on them, at which point they vanished.

"Mister Anderson, what uses can you think of for that Gift of yours?"

Al apparently wasn't very impressed with his own power and said as much.

"This is an example of an undervalued Gift. Mister Anderson, allow me to point out a few uses your power might have. You can see behind you, you can temporarily blind someone, you can create a signal that can be seen from a distance, and, if you learn how to focus those mirrors properly, you can probably create a laser with them. Furthermore, if you study the old magician's tricks, you'll find a lot of them used mirrors. Learn those tricks, and there's a good chance you'll be able to put them to practical use. That's just what I can think of to start with. You can spend this hour working on moving with the mirror as your guide. I will be coming behind you at random times. If I tap you on the shoulder, you get an F for the day. Every time you see me behind you, touch my hand WITHOUT turning around to face me."

The rest of the students went in a similar fashion. Elaine was told to work on her acting, and to try and pick up the mannerisms of the people she was imitating. Kentaro was given a stopwatch, pointed in the general direction of the track, and instructed to shoot for as fast a mile as he could get. Saric was to practice techniques of skilled speakers, to enhance his natural charisma. Dennis worked on strengthening his wing muscles by circling the class for the duration of the period. The sound of Mr. Cameron's whistle announcing the end of the mental and physical exertions seemed to many to be less a piercing trill and more the tintinnabulation of a bell declaring salvation.

Once the students had gathered, Mr. Cameron began speaking, "You have done well today, for the most part. I expect you to continue to do so. Mister Lenmuir, Miss Shae, and Mister Alvernasse, I expect significant improvement tomorrow, or there will be consequences. Mister Eldath, I want you to be more careful with your Gift. One of your energy spikes very nearly impaled one of your fellow students, and would have, had I not suppressed it.

Mister Ishida has suggested a martial arts class instead of a before school PE class, which will most likely be started as soon as the details can be worked out. While, as before, it would not be mandatory except for those in very poor physical shape, if this class goes forward, I highly recommend that you all take advantage of it.

You have ten minutes until the next bell. By the way, expect to hit the showers in future meetings. I'm letting you all slide today, because I know none of you have a change of clothing. Now, everyone get over to the locker rooms. You will each be assigned a locker before you leave class today. In this locker will be kept anything that might help your training. I will discuss what you might each want to bring with you individually, after I've had some time to think about it."

'Well, that's a cheery thought' Saric thought sarcastically as he headed to the locker. With a mental shrug, he joined the group and headed towards the lockers. He couldn't help but notice that Dennis looked absolutely exhausted.

"Too much wing work for ya, Dennis?"

"He... said if... I touched... the... ground... I'd better... be... too tired to... move, or... I'd get... an F... for the day," Dennis panted.

"He had me start reading a textbook on Public Speaking. Did you know that someone staring unblinkingly straight at you while you're talking is probably not paying attention?"

"I did, but... thankfully, most of the... worst teachers don't."

"That was refreshing," Kentaro had just come up beside the two.

"What was your best time today?" Saric asked.

"Seven seconds per mile best. Average was 8."

"How do you get the energy for that kind of movement?" Dennis had finally gotten his breath back.

"For the most part, I use the energy around me, but after a workout like this, I also eat about three times what you do. I am VERY ready for lunch just about now."

"Wait a second," Saric said, eyes widening, "You've been running about 45 minutes, at about 8 seconds per mile. Do you realize you just ran almost 340 miles?"

"No wonder I am hungry, then!"

The three had entered the locker room while chatting, and each welcomed the relief from the hot September sun.

"Alright, line up," Cameron shouted, grabbing a clipboard from the top of one of the lockers.

Everyone was assigned a locker, then given permission to head off to lunch. Upon receiving permission, Kentaro promptly blurred out the door. Saric and Dennis followed at a more human pace.

Though the line was fairly long, the food was singularly unappetizing. Arrowhead grew a fair amount of its own food, but Jack Rando created most of it. Rando could take nearly any material and make it into a highly nutritious dish. Most people, however, referred to it as "Rando's Chicken Dumplings" because it tasted like chicken, and Rando used garbage out of the town dump for the ingredients, since the nutritional value and taste never varied, no matter what he started with. Usually meals in Arrowhead consisted of dumplings with a side of whatever fruits and vegetables were available. As Saric passed Kentaro, he noticed his friend, true to his word, had gotten three helpings of the stuff. At least food was always available in plentiful amounts.

Overall, lunch turned out to be fairly uneventful. Saric, Kentaro and Elaine headed off to Science, while Dennis headed off towards math. Saric and Elaine gave him their condolences.

The sight that greeted him upon entering the classroom was quite a surprise to Saric. Large wooden cages lined the walls on all sides. Inside were snakes, lizards, turtles, and other reptiles. Above the cages, charts dedicated to just about every imaginable science covered the walls. Immediately visible were a chart dedicated to insects, another dedicated to the water cycle, and a third dedicated to the layers of the Earth. Above the blackboard, a huge poster of the periodic table covered the wall. In the front of the class, a middle-aged man stood smiling and welcoming each student as they entered the room. When all were seated, he began his introductory speech. He had probably already done this several times today, but he still sounded fresh, enthusiastic, and spontaneous.

"Welcome to science, everyone! My name is Ethan Conner, and it will be my pleasure, and hopefully yours as well, to teach you the basics of many of the sciences used in the world today. We'll be covering the bare bones of anatomy, touching on the crust of geology, going into a skin-deep study of biology, learning the AB CO2s of chemistry, and spending a bit less than seven times the amount of time it takes for light to get from the sun to Pluto studying astronomy. And don't worry; I won't be making too many more lousy jokes.

Let me tell you a bit about myself, so you know what to expect from me. I was born here in Arrowhead, but I've lived all over the country. I went to college in California, where I got my degree in teaching. My Gift is True Sight, and it gives me a huge advantage in the Sciences. If I want to know about something, all I have to do is spend ten minutes in close proximity with it, thinking about what one fact I want to know. This does work on people, but you have my word, I will not pry into your personal lives. I can also see through illusion based Gifts.

Remember, in our new world, knowledge is one of the easiest things to lose. Hopefully, each of you will be as interested in seeking it as I am in teaching what little I know of it. As you may have noticed, you have not yet received textbooks from any of your classes. This is due to the complete lack of an ability to replace these manuals. We are extremely fortunate in that we have someone who can repair them via Gift, but until we set up a system, we are taking no chances. With any luck, you'll get your books tomorrow, but Wednesday at the latest. With that in mind, no actual homework will be given until you get your books. Following first day tradition, I'll let you spend the rest of the class socializing. Be ready for serious class tomorrow."

Saric, instead of immediately joining his friends, went to look at the various creatures displayed in the room. Above each cage was a plaque with the name of the inhabitant inscribed upon it. Snakes were a particularly repetitive item, with the largest being an immense Burmese python, cited on the plaque as being 13 feet long and 8 inches thick as of a few years ago, and still growing. Saric wasn't certain whether the snake was staring at him or just sleeping. It was hard to tell with snakes, since they were a bit lacking in the eyelid department. Fascinated, Saric continued his observation of the myriad animals residing in the place that would be his own abode for an hour each day.

Kentaro was still trying to figure out the puns in Mr. Conner's introduction speech. Speaking English was one thing, understanding the myriad expressions and slang terms used was another. While two years in America had given him some sense of the things, he still habitually looked skyward whenever someone greeted him with the question "What's up?"

A tap on the shoulder halted his linguistic ponderings. Looking up, he saw Elaine. He smiled at the welcome distraction; trying to figure out the subtleties of English was often a frustrating experience.

"Mr. Cameron said something about a martial arts class at the end of Gift Development." she began, returning his smile, "He also mentioned your name. I've always been fascinated by martial arts, and I got to wondering, what exactly do you have in mind?"

"Both of my parents are masters in martial arts. My mother is a Shinobi, or ninja. My father is skilled in Aikido. I have been practicing both since I was old enough to stand. As everyone keeps pointing out, it is a dangerous world that we now live in. It is therefore my duty to offer to my peers, if I can, a safety net. Conventional fighting is not very helpful against the most powerful of Gifts, but it offers a chance for survival that is slightly increased, at the least. The only question is, who will teach the class? I have suggested that for the seventh grade, all available martial arts instructors should teach a sample course, and each student should decide which path or paths they will pursue, if any, at the time of the beginning of the eighth grade."

"It sounds like you have enough experience to do some teaching of your own," Elaine commented, wondering if the school would have the sense to include Kentaro, or if they would let a minor factor like his age get in the way.

"If the school accepts this idea, I hope to teach what I can. If they will not allow me to do so directly, I will do my best to serve as an assistant to the teacher, and a tutor to those who do not yet know."

"Well, if they go forward with it, even as no more than an elective, consider yourself to have one student already signed up."

"My thanks, but I warn you, if I am responsible for any part of this class, you will work for your knowledge. I hope you are physically fit, or your first several weeks will likely be rather unpleasant."

Elaine laughed and shimmered for a moment. When her features clarified again, Kentaro found he was staring at his mirror image. She spoke, rather unsurprisingly, in his voice.

"The mimicry is complete, Kentaro. The only thing you can do in that body that I can't is invoking your Gift."

"It is a pity, then, that you will not be using my body. You do not want to... I believe the phrase is 'tip your hand' to an enemy. Let him wonder what your Gift is for as long as he can, and let him think you a mere female as long as he can. Every time he underestimates you, your power over him grows."

"'Mere' female?" Elaine's eyes suddenly had a dangerous glint in them.

"I say only that men tend to underestimate women in combat. A foolish mistake, considering men have an additional, highly vulnerable target, but one that is made all the time."

"In that case I guess I'll forgive you."

"You honor me... sorry, when you are Japanese, everyone expects you to say that sort of thing."

"I'd show you an example of American spirit, but my lawyer is on vacation," Elaine laughed.

"I think that is a demonstration I can afford to miss, though I doubt I could afford the fee you would charge me to witness it."

"Oh yes, you looked at me funny once. That's sexual harassment and worth ten million at the very minimum! Albeit, money is just a bit useless when your entire economy is comprised of one town."

"So, shifting focus a bit, tell me more about yourself, Elaine."

"Well, my mother's name is Diane. Her Gift is telekinesis. I have a younger brother named Alexander. He's about 8 years old, and something of a pain. My father... died a few years back. He never got to see the apocalypse. I sometimes... envy him that luxury, though I certainly enjoy my Gift. My hobbies include reading, hiking, and playing minor tricks using my Gift.

Before the apocalypse, I wanted to be a doctor. Now, it's hard to tell. I don't have the slightest idea what the world is going to be like ten years from now, but I get the feeling it won't have recovered sufficiently that I can pack my bags and go off to college."

"My condolences regarding your father. It is certainly a confusing time. I do not even know how my home country is handling the change. Even if I could go back now, I would not. This town has established a fair degree of order. There is no assurance of that, back home. I am thankful that I have no close family remaining in Japan."

"So, what did you want to be, before the apocalypse?"

"Well, when I was younger, I wanted to be shogun, but as I got older, I began to realize that the odds of becoming such were less than perfect. I decided I wanted to be a sensei-a teacher, though of what, I do not know. Obviously, my lifestyle lends itself well to the teaching of martial arts, but I wanted to teach something academic, if not exclusively, at least in addition to that."

"I hope they paid teachers better in Japan than they did in this country. Here, if you wanted to live in a cardboard box, the best career you could have chosen was that of a teacher. If you really wanted to make money, you went into a much more important career, like entertainment. After all, an education is useless, but heaven forefend we should ever be BORED!"