Note: This chapter contains strong nguage in a fictional nguage, reminders of an unhealthy environment, and scenes of being force-fed, fighting, and abuse. Please proceed with caution.

  Pnet was woken by Sol shaking her again, shining the rays through her fingers and over her eyes until she sat up, groggily, a slew of compints falling off her lips.

  “Good, you’re up,” Sol said, sitting back on his ankles. “Are you ready for the new school?”

  Pnet looked at her, as the memories came back in pieces, but hit even harder-

  Sol hugged her shoulders. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. But it won’t be like back then. You won’t have to go to two schools anymore.”

  “That was only set up because we-

  “We were concerned about Moon being alone. I understand. But it’ll be different now.”

  “Aren’t the Wizards under war right now?”

  Sol shrugged her shoulders. “It won’t affect us. Right?”

  “It shouldn’t.”

  Sol set Moon’s notebook back in his pants, hiding his behind her back as the two walked out of the hayroom. The smell of decaying meat hit Pnet’s nostrils fast and she leaned against a post, dry-heaving.

  The sir, sitting in front of the pted corpse, stood quickly, as Sol thudded her back, bringing her upright.

  “Sorry. It in smells here.” Her voice’s tone changed, becoming higher as she held her nose together.

  “The ciccen?” he asked, looking between her and the pte. “I don’t think it smells. I only smell meat.”

  “Sir, I’m sure you’ve noticed that we have different senses than you. Feeling the granur texture of the parchment, smelling the decaying corpse.” Sol slid into a chair across from him, motioning for him to sit. “I heard it was sinful to eat before work.”

  “Must be another Elven superstition. Bleh.” Pnet said, nearly getting all the sylbles out perfectly as she sat next to her sibling.

  The man ripped off a leg of meat and ate. Pnet ducked her head under the table, but nothing came from her mouth.

  “Pass me a leg.” Sol whispered to the sir as Pnet sat up again. The leg was snapped off clean and Sol was given the leg. She held it up, but it wasn’t for her.

  “What are you doing?” Pnet asked, now covering her mouth with her hand, fingers still covering her nose.

  “It’s healthy to eat before work. It gets the blood and magic flowing.” The man said, downing a gss of wine.

  “Yes, Pnet, it’s healthy.” Sol agreed.

  “You just called it sinful.”

  “Well, if we’re to blend into this environment, we should follow their beliefs. For example,” Sol pointed the ciccen leg at the man as she spoke. “Which of the Deities does your family worship the most? Have they touched your line-age at all?”

  Sir. Theodric worked the meat down his throat. “The whole town honors Dellun over the others, thanks to the Dragons we're able to bond with. Each town is dedicated to a Deity, and a couple of them worship the same Deity. I hear the Witches do the same thing, but I’ve never seen it.”

  She turned to his sister. “Pnet? Is that true?”

  “How should I know?”

  “You’re the Pnet. Can’t you see into these towns? They’re living on you.”

  “I’m sure I don’t have to reply to that. We both know the answer.”

  “But I'm sure the sir is curious,” Sol said, looking at him, who gave a shrug, head hidden behind his wine.

  Pnet sighed. “With a week’s worth of concentration, I can show my eyes there and look around. But they’ve been known to get stabbed by a farmer who’s wondering why his hill is sentient.”

  “That’s true,” confirmed Sol as the man stared in shock at the bottom of his gss. “She’s come back with bleeding eyes before.”

  Sir. Theodric began to take some meat off of the breast to distract himself. “Aren’t you two going to eat?”

  Pnet started to take her fingers off of her nose, then covered them quickly. “Still smells. I don’t think I could…break it down.”

  “Swallow?” Sol suggested.

  “That’s the verb!”

  Sol wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Rex, Pnet. It won’t kill you.”

  “You know my diet-”

  “Yes, you have an odd diet. But just eat something, at the very least.”

  “The rules state I can’t consume or eat anything that lived or grew on me!”

  “Which leaves cssic liquids and sunrays, and that was from an Elven dietetic. I told you, we have to blend in.”

  Sol pulled her closer, shoving the leg towards her mouth as she tried to get out a response. At this, she curled her lips inwards and punched his thigh, pushing herself as far away from the leg as she could get in his grasp.

  “Boradai boras!” she yelled in their first nguage, hand sinking into the wood. Sol shoved the meat to her teeth again and she sank into the chair, dragging herself to the post in the corner of the tight room. “Zigraz kerin mi ako kipbi e faboril iaxui!” Stop trying to get me to break the rules!

  “Moirz, udeilla zergi, zikiete.” You need to stay healthy, Pnet.

  “Nizaabe boliki fikir keiizil eipal!” I do that with other foods.

  “Yikali e z?rvail?” Salt and liquids?

  Pnet lunged at him, hands circling around her neck as they wrestled on the chairs. Sol dove into a ray from the window, leaving her looking lost in the middle of the room.

  “Kol veriki! Zira!” she yelled at the rays before she sat across from the man again. “Always runs away.” Fuck off! Scared!

  After a blink, the meat was between her teeth, held up by someone behind her. Sol had appeared in a ray and held her shoulders to the chair as a constraint, leaving her space to eat the ciccen. Pnet’s tongue barely touched it, but she immediately gagged from the flesh-taste. She faded into the chair again and fell to the ground, trying to push the taste away from her buds.

  “The floor is wheezing.” the man stated, gripping the table as he stood.

  “Oh…you’ve drunk too much,” Sol said, gncing at the bottle and realizing his state. “You can’t work today.”

  “I’ve to take you two to school.”

  Pnet faded out of the wood and appeared in her Wizardly body. “Right. School. SOL, DON’T YOU DARE-”

  “Phor-xidiz ekfeb?ir ali, fyor.” he snapped, bending down to help her stand. She took her hand reluctantly. It is called helping, flower.

  “Boliki zikara, ze ene-baij?t.” I hate that agreement.

  “Nizaabe ete peurei,” was all he said. “Can you bring a cane for the man? And some salted fluids? He’s a little…tipsy.” Stuck with it.

  Pnet ripped a piece of dry skin off of her knee and molded it into a wooden cane before handing it to the sir. “Do we need uniforms?”

  “They’ll assign some to you after they take your measurements.” the man expined, taking the cane.

  “Boliki kir ty makir.” she whispered. That’s so tough to hear.

  “Plezd tefarai utiervi, dukir?” You know what he means, true?

  “Ta, jaforr-” Yes, but-

  The sir covered his mouth with his hand to hide a cough. “Are you ready for school, then? It opens in a few minutes.”

  “Yes, we’re ready,” Pnet said, brushing off her Elven uniform of dust. “Is this alright?”

  He shrugged and donned a coat before leaving the house, the two following him. Sol passed her a quill and ink bottle and a few scraps of parchment from her rays and pced it in her identical belt.

  “Look, if I’m going to be a girl, we’re going to have to fake a lot of things,” Sol said as they turned a corner.

  “When have we ever been authentic?”

  “I’m going to have to grow out my hair like you.”

  “It’s not so bad, right?”

  “You know I hate my hair long. It gets caught in everything.”

  “That’s because you don’t take care of it.”

  “Like you do?”

  “I’m only giving it what I provide.”

  “That’s rich, coming from you. Yus veriz zikiete rei.” You’re the fucking Pnet.

  “Oh, you’re welcome.”

  “Here we are.” the man said, motioning with his free hand towards a building in front of them. A group of children and a few adults mingled at the front of the building and most of the men there had a bottle against their hips. Sir. Theodric grinned and limped towards them, but Pnet grabbed his tunic.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Did you think I was going to join you at school? I’m not a child.” he spat.

  “You can’t just leave us alone.”

  He waved his hand. “What Rustad doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to use an honorific for your elder?”

  “Language brats,” he mumbled, putting his forehead over his hand on the cane. “Look, just…go make friends.” he pushed them gently toward the group of children. “I’ll find you when the lesson’s over.”

  And with that, he hobbled towards the men, who cheered at his arrival, immediately beginning to compin and praise their sons and daughters.

  ”Plezd zkartan?” Pnet asked. “Yuze e femeril xevv obiritan yurei.” Now what? We’re the new children again.

  “Kir raiko ne ze eipal zukeien et tekeinz tedir, jaforr pele flemagiz et tedokri ali, zihir yerai ze ewoultye yuze yukeite.” I didn’t think he’d drink so much, but seeing where he’s going, I say we walk home alone.

  “Plezd Ijero kor hzerven deta?” What if Moon wakes?

  “Twe zirta kal?” Sol shook her head. “E hzer et tedeilla.” For three hours? He needs the rest.

  A boy recognized their words and waved, walking towards the duo. Pnet noticed him and jumped behind Sol, gripping her shoulders in fear.

  “Ipal yuze yuwoulti et tetiervi? Ali kop yuze et norii rikra?” Does he recognize our speech? Is he here to yell at us?

  “Ah takka, zikiete. Ete e femeri ali. Ze ta et ne-takko rei ali.” Oh, rex, Pnet. It’s a child. I’m sure he’s harmless.

  “Hei!” the boy tried in Elven, holding out his hand, which Sol stared at quizzically. “Ze rei Darren. Yus rei…zev norii, ta?” Hi! I’m Darren. You are new here, yes?

  “Ah, infa-rei veriz e.” Sol compined to her sister, but pushed a smile, speaking slower for the boy. “Ta, jahkeetil xevv yuze rei. Fem-ta yus rei?” Oh, the fucking grammar. Yes, we are new students. How are you?

  “Fliz, fliz, fliz ako meet yus! Ze…zerei Darren.” Well, well, nice to meet you! I’m Darren.

  “Zirta boliki yus luwoultye.” You already said that.

  “Sorry, I don’t seem to understand you-”

  “Oh, thank our parents.” Sol sighed, pushing her hair from his forehead. “You aren’t skilless-I mean, inept. Ne tepj pax?l.” she muttered to Pnet. “Darren, is it?” Just untaught.

  “Yes! Yes, that’s my name! You understood me?”

  “We’ve been speaking Elven much longer than you’ve been learning. What education level are you at?”

  “Ah, sorry. Who is we? I understand the parents' part, but I don’t see another person with you.”

  Sol kicked Pnet’s stomach and pulled her up to stand as he sidestepped, ignoring her choice of words.

  “Hello! I’m Krea!” she said, brushing vines and dirt off her arms. “This is Auizia. Did you say your name before?”

  “I think so?”

  “Back to my question,” Sol said, snapping his fingers in front of the boy’s face to get his attention. “What level of education are you at?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “On the scale, which education level would you be considered for?”

  “So, look, Auizia.” Pnet hissed, trying to cover up her mistake. “I don’t think they use the scale here. And the writer is confused. There’s no scale in their notes.”

  “Oh, hush. Well, kid?”

  “No ipal et e femeri ufeb?ir. Yuze et el?koei rei.” she squinted, trying to gauge his age. “Reztan barrokoe.” Don’t call him a kid. We’re his age. Maybe younger.

  “Ne yuze yune rei, zikiete!” No, we’re not, Pnet!

  “Quiet down, quiet down!” a raspy voice said, pushing through the crowd and leaning on his torch. It was Sir. Rustad. “Ah, I see the new ones have arrived. Goodbye, parents! Say your goodbyes now! Goodbye! Goodbye!” he sighed as the adults split from the group, either leaving alone or with some friends. Sir. Theodric didn’t bother to look back at the two as he and his friends stumbled away, still downing their bottles.

  Sir. Rustad was scanning the faces of the crowd. “Gian! Where is that boy?”

  “Here, sir!” a young man said, pushing between the children to hand Sir. Rustad a golden key strung around his neck, which he used to open the lock on the doors. Sol gnced back at Pnet before they joined the rush towards the door.

  “Wait up!” she cried, bracing herself against a desk as Sol slid into a chair.

  “You two!” Sir. Rustad said, pointing at them with a bony finger as the other children sat in their own seats. “Gd to see you here. Introduce yourselves, won’t you?”

  “I’d rather not,” Sol said as Pnet spoke up. “We already did that.”

  “To the whole css, Krea.” the man said, hobbling over to plop himself in a chair next to a wall of wood. “Come on, then.”

  Sol shrugged at her before he walked to the front of the css waving awkwardly as Pnet stood next to her, giving herself space to fully examine the room.

  Chairs and tables were organized in neat little rows, all facing the mentor. In the darkest corner was a nightstand and a metal bed, while the walls were lined with lit torches, which seemed useless with the open doors, flooding the small room with light. But then again, that could have been Sol without her noticing.

  Sol began talking, pinching her arm so her focus would be at the situation at hand. “Hello, I’m…Auizia. And this is my sister-”

  “-Krea.” she beamed. “Nice to meet you all.”

  Sol waited for a heartbeat before she looked at the man in his chair. “Now what?”

  “What is that accent?” a girl asked, standing from her chair to raise her hand.

  “Sit down, Beatrice!” The boy called Gian snapped at her. “What abilities do you have?” he asked them.

  “Uhmm…” Pnet looked between the two, trying to decide which questions to answer first. Sol grabbed her arm in sympathy.

  “We spoke Elven first, and we have earthen powers.”

  “If you have powers, then where’s your wand?” an older boy asked, leaning back on two legs of his chair. Pnet sent a message to the wood to stand on four legs and he braced himself at the desk in shock.

  “Ne yuze…yuipal ako boliki yuzukeien. Plezd e wand e veriki ali?” Pnet asked, moving close to Sol to whisper. We didn’t think of that. What the fuck is a wand?

  “Ete an ikinar eltasil peurei z?riki bilikiz eztene enmi?” Could it be those funny stick they were holding?

  “Ah Idyguol, buiwaril boliki vag raiko rei boliki peurei argi leian endeilla?” Oh Deities, are Wizards really that weak that they need sticks to perform magic?

  “Dweva ete eldokri, Krea. Eztene enfeb?ir wands rei, ne peurei.” Get it right, Krea. They’re called wands, not sticks.

  “Eztene ze efeb?ir dir peurei argi ze eneill? deta.” I’ll call them magic sticks if I want.

  “Children!” Sir. Rustad coughed. “Sit down, then. Your introduction is over. Gian, help them out, won’t you? Students 187 through 189.”

  “Where’s the third one, then?” Gian asked as he moved to a shelf to find their scroll.

  “That’s a good question.” the mentor said, his eyes narrowing on the two as they took some seats near the open doors.

  “Oh, he fell asleep.” Pnet smiled but tried to move away when Sol reached out to punch her arm.

  “Zikiete, ne yus uwil boliki woultye! Eztene entiervi dir!” Pnet, you can’t say that! They’ll know!

  “Ah, ne ze ewoulyiet lewil. Idyguol, kipik yuze yuwoenar f?biril fliz? dokri h?lk baij?t Ptea!” Oh, I couldn’t tell. Deities, we should’ve gone back to simple names like Ptea!

  “Boliki ol ako anmi yus f?biril tarpirk.” Sol said, rolling his eyes and crossing her arms over his chest as the boy, Gian, gave the two a handful of scrolls. She noticed Sol flinching as the grains of parchment stabbed his skin, but she waved his hand. That was one of your dumber names.

  “Actually.” the mentor stood, leaning on his cane. “Let me reorganize the room. Stand, children. And take your items, please.”

  The children obeyed and stood against the walls, chattering together as their mentor raised his magic stick and raised the tables and chairs into the air, sorting them into groups before he set them down again. Gian stepped forward quickly to set them down nicely, waving his hand when he was done.

  “There we go.” the man said as the children went back to their seats, still chattering. “The Elven learners with the new students.”

  Sir. Rustad had set them with four boys and two girls, all looking up at them with curiosity. The boy called Darren waved.

  Sol rubbed a hand across his face when she saw him. “Zerki.”

  “Ze kir flizia zuib?i yoruvi ne eztene enipal tiervi rei.” Pnet whispered, putting on a smile for the kids. “So what are you learning?” I’m so gd they don’t know bad words.

  A girl pulled her sweater over her neck, visibly sweating. “W-well, we’re all at different scrolls and different stages of learning-”

  “What unit are you working on?” Sol snapped.

  “Uhm…” she blushed, hiding her cheeks in her colr. “I-I-I-”

  “I-I-I.” Sol mocked, gring at her. “Spit it out.”

  “School words,” she said quickly. “I’m working on school words. Alice is just behind me, on business words.”

  “Is it true that the word for business is xirki?” the girl next to her asked, hand shooting in the air as she continued talking. “And the plural of that is xirkid?”

  “Well, no. The plural for that is xirkil.” Pnet expined to her. “Adding a -d at the end would make you say businessed, which is not correct even in a formal standing such as that.”

  Sol turned to the boys. “What units are you working on?”

  “Oh, oh! Me, me!”

  “What is it, Darren?”

  “Oh, I’m so excited! I’m the youngest here, and-”

  “What is it, Darren?”

  “I-I’m working on the past tense. Rejj.”

  “The word is reij, and that’s very interesting. Next to him. What are you working on?”

  The boy checked his notes frantically. “Family. You know, mother and father.”

  “Same,” said the kid sitting across from him. “We joined this course at the same time.”

  “Father said if one of us was to be a trader, then we had to learn another nguage and shoved us in the course.”

  “I didn't need a reason.” Sol sighed, already getting his patience tested. “Last one.”

  The boy snapped the sap in his mouth, grinning. “What are we doing?”

  Gian, the servant boy, grabbed him by the jaw, keeping a few scrolls tucked under his arm. “You’d do best to listen to your fellow students. They’re trying to help you. And stop chewing this. You’ll damage yourself, even if it is fake.”

  He pulled the white muck from his mouth and threw it out the window. Pnet felt the spsh under her arm and itched the area, deepening the muck for fertilizer.

  The st boy sighed, pushing Gian’s hand away. “I’m working on…” His continued mumbling made his words unrecognizable.

  Gian smacked the back of his head, causing him to jump in his chair. “Speak up, boy.”

  “Fine! I’m working on the present tense. Happy?”

  “Gian!” Sir. Rustad called from the front of the css. “Beatrice has lost her quill again!”

  “Every time,” he compined under his breath, dropping the scrolls on the boy’s desk before he stepped away. The boy stared at Sol, deep in thought.

  “Are you sure you’re a girl?”

  “Yes, I am, henerve. Now, does anyone need help or something expining to them?”

  Alice’s words came before her hand in the air. “Hi! I have a test tomorrow. Can you study with me?”

  “It’s her third time taking the test.” Sweater Girl whispered to Pnet.

  “Switch seats with her,” Pnet instructed. “I’ll help.”

  The girl looked nervously at the boys next to Alice and shook her head. “I’d, uhm…I’d rather n-not.”

  “Switch seats with me, then. I’d prefer just not to talk over you.”

  They made the switch and Alice beamed at her. “So I was going to read off the word and you’d transte it for me. Speaking it has always been hard for me.”

  “Boliki ako k-tooz ol ako e eirikalkil ali- That’s fine. Where’s your list?” That’s one of the superficials of learning-

  Pnet helped her through her list of thirty-seven words, as Sol was stabbing his palm with her nails to not yell at Darren, undoubtedly making a scene.

  “Veriz zerkill zikra ako. Stop writing so big! And is that- Why would you write that?”

  “What do you mean? What do you mean? I tried to write that phrase!”

  “That phrase? That phrase- zerki! Verikiz kirrilk! Zerki henerve! Ne boliki plezd- what you wrote! You were meant to write I’m going to the town, not I’m going hunting to rete. Do you know how terrible that sounds? Do you know how much the Elves would hate you for that?”

  The boy was crying now, trying to wipe his tears off the parchment, but he only succeeded in wiping away the ink, ruining his progress. “I-I’m sorry!”

  “You’re sorry? Sorry? Try being sorry when there’s an arrow heading towards your nose because of how dirty it is. That’s how they’ll hurt you. You won’t be the one hunting, they’ll-”

  “Auizia!” Sir. Rustad finally stood from his chair, gring down at Sol from across the room. “What is wrong with you?”

  Sol saw the anger in his eyes and tried to lean away as he approached, hand outstretched. “Oh no, I’m sorry! I’m just trying to help the boy-”

  “Helping the boy is kindly expining the subject to him and smiling when he gets it right and wrong. Clearly, I should find a woman to teach you this before you get expelled on your first day!”

  “Sir, I-”

  Sol’s head bowed as he was hit across the face, and the mentor grabbed her by the hair, dragging him out of her chair and carrying her to the door. Pnet rushed from her seat to stop him, but the boy called Gian held her back, lifting her off the floor and in his arms. She tried to climb over his shoulder, stabbing his exposed skin with her nails.

  “Stop!” Sol and Pnet cried at the same time, both trying and failing to break free from the mans’ grips. Sol was tossed onto the doorstep and the door quickly smmed in his face. Sir. Rustad looked through an opening gap in the door to whisper something before he stood again, ordering Gian to raise the lights.

  “All is well, children. As you were.”

  The children quickly sorted themselves back to their work and Pnet was pced back in the chair, noticing mushrooms sprouting on her inner forearm.

  Sweater Girl touched her shoulder as she quickly brushed them away, dropping them into her p before she pushed them into the dirt below. “She’ll be alright. Sir. Rustad will let her back in eventually. She just has to tone down her anger.”

  The door was hit in twice, but Sol’s yells were muffled.

  “I presume,” Pnet said, wiping away any more mushrooms she saw on her arms. “Now, what do you need help with?”

  Final note: The phrase that Darren was trying to write was: "Ze edokriz e v?ren ako rei." I'm going to the town. But he ended up writing: "Ze dokriz rei zee-taniz v?rei." I'm going hunting to rete.