“Did you guys hear about the rankings?”

  “What rankings?” Theo asked wearily, head still flat against the plastic surface of the cafeteria table.

  It was Friday, end of the first week of classes. He had survived, barely, and that was with only the division classes and Basics on his timetable. His brain was so overloaded with the influx of information that he felt like he was dreaming half the time. It all seemed to go in one ear and out the other. He had gone back over the orientation manual at least three or four more times, but nothing seemed to stick. It was all he could do not to pass out after the morning exercise classes, let alone remain focused for the afternoon classes. He was glad the core subjects hadn’t started yet, that would have been torture, and thank fuck he had not started on the weapons training.

  “Each of the classes has a ranking system for the students. Top students will either get contribution store points, or actual resources for their cultivation. That’s not counting the basic points we will get from just passing the classes. I think they will have a ranking board set up in here once the main classes start.”

  “What’s the contribution store again? Sorry, I’ve read that section of the orientation guide like three times and nothing is sticking.” He sat up, rubbing his bloodshot eyes before looking across at Carrie who had started the conversation. Beth gave him a sympathetic look, and a pat on the shoulder from where she sat beside him.

  “That’s fair, it’s a lot to take in for someone new. The Contribution Store is on level ten, but won’t open for us until after the mid-yearlies. We are each given two hundred points at the start of the year, as well as points for passing exams and the mid-yearly trials. Each of the class coordinators will have some discretionary points they can use to incentivise their classes as we progress through the semester. It’s worth trying to get the points, as the store is the main way for us to get cultivation resources through the year. Unless your family sends you stuff of course.”

  Everyone turned to look at Perry then, though he only smiled and pretended to not have heard anything. “What?”

  “Nothing mate, just eat your sandwich,” Max said.

  “Don’t stress too much about it, Theo,” Carrie continued. “You’ll start off low this semester as you get used to everything, but I imagine by second semester you’ll start pulling back. They won’t be culling people based on ranking, at least I don’t think so.” His heart may have lurched a little at that. “If you are handling the pressure of the classes, it’s worth considering extracurricular activities to earn more points. I arranged for a lab assistant position before classes started, so I will get an extra thirty points a week from doing that.”

  “You did what?” Beth asked in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I doubt you’d want to do lab work, Beth. Besides, you already complain about having to do two electives, can you really imagine picking up work on top of that?”

  “Yeah, but… shopping!” she said. “Gah, never mind. I doubt there is anything that I would like to do anyways.”

  “Maybe once you get your first active healing skill you can do something with the healers or medics?” Carrie said.

  “And work with my mother? God no,” she huffed.

  “What are active skills?” Theo asked. They all looked at him for a moment, Perry laughing softly. It was Carrie that put him out of his misery.

  “They will be covered in your Division Classes, and maybe a little bit in the Resonance class. But we can each learn up to nine active skills, you just need to open your nodes first.”

  Theo put his head back on the table. The jargon was killing him. What the fuck were nodes? He vaguely remembered Pat mentioning them. He groaned into the plastic.

  “It’s a lot, I know,” Carrie said sympathetically. “I am happy to answer any questions you have. I am sure any of us would.” The rest of the group murmured their agreement, though Theo could almost hear Perry’s smirk. He could see Beth glare at the man over him. The silence grew weird.

  “How much did you get covered in Basics this week?” Carrie asked.

  “Mostly just some of the broader background,” Theo said into the table top. He sat back up. “We mostly focused on mediation and breathing. I’m still trying to get my technique down pat.”

  “It can take a while, so don’t stress,” Beth said. Her comment was echoed by Carrie, who continued on after.

  “Stop me if I am saying anything you have already been told. But it is our energetic system that lets us cultivate aether. It is made up of nine channels, and there are nine nodes for each channel.”

  “There seems to be a bit of a theme with the number nine. Nine tiers, nine channels, nine nodes,” Theo said.

  “Three gates, nine meridians, eighty-one physical nodes,” Carrie said. “There are a lot of theories, particularly in philosophical and theological circles that try to explain the significance, but I doubt you want to go into that right now.”

  “You are absolutely right,” Theo said with a pained chuckle.

  “In any case, the repetition makes it easier to remember. All you need to know when it comes to active skills is that we can have nine in total, one for each meridian. Each skill can tier up nine times, but can only do so if one of the nodes is cleared and free. Without cleansing your nodes, you can easily become bottlenecked.”

  “How do you manage to keep this all straight in your head? My brain feels absolutely fried from trying to remember it all in.”

  “This is all normal for us,” Carrie said.

  “Don’t forget mate that our parents and grandparents all went through this. These conversations are dinner talk for us,” Perry said. “I remember my father talking to me about skills when I was four. He had a skill path map put on my wall before I even went to primary school.”

  “I can see why you bitch about him so much,” Theo said. Peery scowled.

  “I don’t bitch, man. Come on. I scheme.” There were some disbelieving chuckles around the table.

  “Keep telling yourself that, Gallagher,” Beth said disparagingly. She turned away from Perry, giving Theo’s leg a squeeze. “It will all start to make sense eventually. It will be easier when you get your cultivation cycle down pat and can start to feel the process for yourself.”

  Theo was about to bemoan the lack of progress, but pulled himself up short.

  “I think I might go for swim and then chill in the sauna for a bit,” he said. He didn’t want to foster sympathy. He would get through this, he knew it. It was just a bloody headache trying to cram all this crazy in.

  “That’s a great idea,” Beth said from beside. “Do you mind some company?”

  “Nope, though please don’t comment on how weedy I look compared to all the other muscled up jocks in the program.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said in mock shock. Her eyes sparkled.

  “You already have once, ya’ mole,” he said with a chuckle, standing from the table. “Anyone else want to join?” he asked.

  “I’ve got work in the labs in half an hour or so,” Carrie said, declining the invitation. “Would you all be interested in some board games later though? I only have to work for two hours before dinner, and we have all weekend to get through the readings for next week.” Carrie asked.

  “That sounds like fun,” Theo agreed. Beth and Max were also quick to agree, though Perry declined, already having planned to meet up with some of the other Cerberus trainees.

  “Great,” Carrie said. “Let’s meet back here for dinner, and then we can head back to mine.”

  *      *      *

  Theo contemplated hiding in his room for his first weekend at the institute, but shook himself free of the anxiety that was trying to dictate to him. That particular monster was one he knew how to face, even if it seemed to have found new strength since landing in crazy town.

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  He stood up from his desk, placing the bookmark in his reading for the dragon division class next week. Beth had arranged to meet him and take him on a tour of the gardens on level eight, and he was curious to see them, especially after Perry’s remarks earlier in the week.

  He had just finishing washing the coffee cup when there was a knock at the door. Scooting around his bed, he made it to the door before she knocked for a second time, opening it to see that she had been joined by Max as well.

  “Theo!” Beth said, practically bouncing up and down. “Hurry up already. We need to get going before all the good spots are taken.” She wore a backpack, a blanket sticking out of the top. Theo chuckled, turning back to grab his own from where he had placed it on his bed. He didn’t have much, just a few snacks from the kitchens and a book or two for next week’s readings.

  “Hey, mate. Hope you don’t mind if I crash the party,” Max said when Theo made it back, the big man making space for him to step out into the hall.

  “Not at all, Max. The more the merrier.” Theo liked Max. They hadn’t spoken much individually over the past week, but he had a calm and steady presence that Theo felt drawn to.

  “I figured with us both in the Herbalism class, we might be able to do a bit of scouting in the gardens. We’re not allowed to harvest the plants, but they have a pretty good selection of the main plants and herbs that will be covered.”

  “Sounds good,” Theo said. “Count me in.”

  It was still a few hours until the lunch rush started, so the walk to the southern lifts was relatively clear of their peers. There were a few groups already in the food hall hanging out or playing pool, though they managed to pass through with only a few looks thrown their way. Theo was still a dominant topic of conversation amongst the cohort, and he could see the recognition in their gazes as he and his two friends made their way through. The discovery of him being dual resonant had done the rounds after his Phoenix class on Thursday afternoon, adding fuel to gossip.

  It had been hard to gauge the overall response. As Master Vincent had alluded to, there had been more than a few envious looks, though for most he had been unable to decipher their expressions. It seemed the majority were waiting on the three Royal’s responses before deciding either way. Theo was determined not to let it get to him. He had indulged in enough angst already this week, it was time to focus.

  The southern lifts were located behind the dining hall, a small door to the side of the kitchens opening to the hallway that led them. There were a few students wandering about, though mostly it was uneventful on the trip down. Beth filled the silence with random chatter, effortlessly drawing both Theo and Max into the conversation.

  To Theo’s surprise, the first person they ran into when stepping out of the lifts was Brendan. His new Radiant friend was standing chatting with a pair of guys just outside the double doors that led into the therapy gardens. Theo was pleased to see the younger man pause his conversation and give Theo a wave, beckoning them to join.

  “Theo! How’d the rest of your first week go?” Brendan asked.

  Max and Beth both paused, letting Theo take the lead as they moved towards the three young men. Theo hadn’t met the other two, though one of their faces was familiar.

  “I’m still kicking, barely,” he said with a chuckle. “Going to take a tour of the gardens with Beth and Max now. I didn’t get the full tour before the semester started.”

  “They’re not bad. We just did a lap around ourselves,” Brendan said. “Apparently they get bigger further down and the aether is more condensed for the later years.”

  “How the hell did they even build this under Melbourne without anyone knowing?” Theo asked, mostly to himself. Beth of course, couldn’t help but jump in.

  “Aether, silly. You think this is all done like norm construction?”

  “I hadn’t really thought about it, if I’m being honest.”

  “That’s understandable,” Brendan said, inadvertently cutting Beth off. Theo stifled a chuckle as the man threw her an apprehensive glance when he realised what he had done. His next words came a little rushed as a result. “Theo, let me introduce you to Peter and Darren.” He got a nod from Peter before continuing. “You might recognise Peter from Basics. He’s got a mutated bloodline that’s meant his family’s cultivation methods aren’t quite working, and Darren’s older sister went through the institute with my brothers.”

  “Hey guys. I thought I recognised your face, Peter.” They shook hands before Theo continued on. “But… despite the burning curiosity, please don’t tell me anything about mutated bloodlines. My brain cannot handle any new information right now.”

  “Fair,” Peter said with a smile. “I can’t even imagine what it must be like trying to adapt to all this.”

  “It’s been a week, that’s for sure.”

  “I can’t believe you’re dual though, man. Talk about getting thrown under the bus, but in a good way, I suppose. I lost a handful of contribution points in the betting pool because of that.”

  “I’m sorry?” Theo said, not sure how to respond.

  “Ha! Don’t worry about it. I don’t think anyone picked it to be fair. I at least got half mine back for picking Radiant. Still, there may be some sore losers out there, just so you know.”

  “Just what I need,” Theo said, getting genuinely annoyed. He supressed it for the sake of the burgeoning rapport he was building. “Thanks for the heads up though.”

  “All good. I’m in Thunderbird with Carrie, so I may see you around from time to time. Say hi next week when you get to Basics. I’ll probably be there for a few more weeks until I get things back under control myself.”

  “I’ll do that,” Theo said with a smile. He turned seeing that Max had been chatting quietly with Brendan. Beth meanwhile had cornered Darren.

  Theo had to admit, the man was attractive, even against the already high standards that seemed to be common amongst the aetheric families. He was edging six feet with short cropped black hair and thickly lashed dark eyes. There was obviously some Mediterranean blood in the mix given the natural tan, and he was bulky. Probably a titan, Theo thought.

  The poor man was clearly uncertain about the attention he was getting from Beth. One moment he looked like a cornered animal, the next there was a light flush rising up his neck. He heard Beth’s low throated chuckle, and decided he would do the man a favour.

  “It was awesome seeing you, Brendan. And nice to meet you Peter, Darren.” He almost chuckled at the relieved smile on the tall man’s face. “Thanks for the intro’s.” He gave Brendan a shoulder slap, as he moved towards the doors.

  “Any time, Theo. I’ll see you in class next week, if not before.”

  He caught Beth’s scowl, though her face smoothed over quickly when Max joined Theo at the doors to the garden. Theo decided the safest path was to ignore the girl for now. Pushing open the doors, the first thing he noted was the tingling sensation that rushed over his skin. He shivered, though the air had warmed slightly in the artificially controlled garden environment.

  “Feel that aether,” Max said, rubbing his own forearms in response. “I don’t know how they do it, but they somehow increase the density and keep in contained within the gardens. It’s why they are so good for cultivating in.”

  “Makes sense,” Theo said. “Though, a bit wasted on me for now.”

  “You’ll get there, buddy. Don’t fret it.”

  There was a single paved path, the gardens to either side of it manicured and kept low, allowing for a clear view deeper in. There were a few groups set up in the entrance area, blankets spread on the grassy spots that had been placed between the rock bordered beds. Most ignored the three of them as they walked, though a few conversations came to a halt, watching them as they passed.

  Theo kept his gaze focused forward, though with the natural beauty around him, he found it easier to ignore the stares. Ahead of them, he could see the red tiled roof of a large pagoda, wooden frame pushing through the greenery that surrounded it.

  “We should find somewhere just past the pagoda,” Beth said, obviously having already forgotten Darren. She skipped up from behind Theo, interlocking her arm with his. “The gardens split into the different resonance sections after it, but it is still pretty balanced for the first twenty or so meters.”

  “I know a pretty good spot,” Max said from Theo’s other side.

  “Then lead the way, big man,” Beth said.

  Theo was content to follow, though with Beth’s grip, it was more of a leashed pull. There were paths that navigated around the pagoda, some paved, the others just beaten earth. Rather than push through the groups of people that had set up inside the pagoda itself, they decided to take one of the paths, and cut through the greenery to do so. Just as they came out the other side, hitting the main pathway, Max stopped abruptly. Given the man’s size, it was not immediately apparent why, but it was revealed all too soon.

  Jason stood just to the side of the path, talking softly with a set of twins. The legacy kid had yet to notice them, which gave Theo some time to take in his appearance. He hadn’t really bothered the first time, but he could see his arrogance in the way he held himself. He had unblemished pale skin, his face framed by strawberry blonde hair that had been styled into a modern looking mullet.

  Like everyone at the institute, he was toned, a swimmers build rather than the thicker muscle of the titan group. He had his training shirt sleeves rolled up to show off his biceps, and he seemed to be flexing as though conscious of always being on display. Theo caught himself scoffing, the look on his face probably not the most appreciative. Of course, that was the point at which the man turned, catching sight of them.

  “Ahh, Max isn’t it? And Beth Mayberry.” Jason’s tone was only slightly condescending. “And… the norm.” Ahh, there it is.

  Theo glanced at Beth, trying to catch her eye to gauge how he should approach this. All he caught was the tightening of her eyes and a stiffness in her shoulders as Jason spoke. Then he remembered that they were both Hydra. She clearly had some experience with the guy already. Keep it simple then, he decided.

  “Hey Jason, I’m Theo,” he said, offering a hand.

  “Such a pleasure,” Dylan said, not even bothering to look at Theo. The hand was ignored. “Beth, I’ve heard you plan to follow the healer’s path, just like your mother. My father is well acquainted with Master Caraway. Let me know if you need help organising any extra lessons.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Beth said, her tone clipped. “I spoke with Master Caraway after class last week and she has given me some pointers already.”

  “I’m sure,” Jason said. “Oh, have you met Marcus and Brian? Their father recently led a raid on a Tagma recruitment party. None of the blood suckers were caught though, sadly. Found quite a bit trash left over at the site afterwards.” He glanced over at Theo. It was subtle, easily overlooked if you weren’t looking for it. Theo felt his guts drop, his heart rate increasing. The fucker.

  “I’ve heard some of the witches left some nasty surprises behind as well. Took some time for them to clear out the potential infection. My father did warn that there was a chance it could spread, even with the best efforts of our teams.”

  Theo felt Beth’s arm tighten on his, saw her mouth begin to open. Jason didn’t give her a chance to respond. Turning, he beckoned to the twins, the pair barely trying to mask the smirks.

  “Anyway, enough of that. Don’t let us interrupt your outing. Say hello to your mother for me, Beth.”

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