What a shitty day to be alive. Rae rolled out of bed and stretched. The fake sunrise from her enchanted window indicated that it was still pretty early. She didn’t have a clock in here as she had in her old room, and she had no optical chip. So who knew what time it actually was? She stepped out of bed and onto the cold hardwood and shivered. She hadn’t found socks last night before going to bed, but she hadn’t looked very hard. She had been too tired. She didn’t even change out of her jeans. Just collapsed on the bed. But now, she wanted socks.

She looked through her closet where they had been in her old room. There were t-shirts, jeans, sweatpants, and jackets. But no pajamas, underwear, or, most importantly, socks. She stepped back into her room and looked around. She had never used her chest of drawers in her old room. But how were they supposed to know that? She walked over and opened the top drawer. Sure enough, underwear and socks. There was even a pair of her favorite fluffy llama socks. She grabbed them and put them on immediately. Her feet felt warm, and the socks felt familiar. That was something she needed right now.

The cold realization that she was still alone in this world washed over her. She would never feel her parents’ embrace again. Never see their smiles or be told that they were proud of her. She would never know a parent’s love again. And it was all because of some war that had nothing to do with her. 

She hadn’t thought much about it, but she also realized that none of her friends had ever been real. At least her parents were based in reality. Her friends were pure magic. Nothing but illusions. She had never had a real friend in her entire life. Had her whole life been easier because the illusion made it so? She never really had any conflict aside from the rioting downtown that one time. Had that been orchestrated? It had made her afraid of the power of magic. Maybe that was the point. She couldn’t be sure of anything anymore. 

Sun had told Rae of the common area that worked as a cafeteria down the hall from her. They served food throughout the entire day, and it was all paid for by the Church. Apparently, even in persecution, the Church did very well for itself. As she sat in front of her vanity, she realized she hadn’t showered since being out of the illusion. She assumed some spellwork had kept her clean while she was under, but she still felt like she needed to wash herself now. Wash off the stink of the illusion. Of that place. Containment centers, they were called. How long until she was breaking into them instead of out?

She gathered some clothes before walking into the bathroom. It was nice, if not a little plain. There was a vanity with a sink and some basic necessities like a toothbrush and toothpaste. The mirror was a rectangle that pushed in to reveal a medicine cabinet behind it. The toilet was right next to the vanity, and then a glass shower was next to that. It was cozy and had everything she needed. A tub would have been nice, too, but she was in an underground rebel base. Not a five-star hotel.

She reached into the shower and turned the water on. It was immediately hot, and she assumed it had been enchanted like many other things in this place. She stripped down and stepped in, and the hot water felt scalding on her skin. She realized that she had been under an illusion her entire life. This was the first time her skin was exposed to something like this. The illusion might have simulated it, but this was the first time to really feel the sensation. She pressed her head back and let the water wash over her, letting the burn seep in and relishing it. She snapped her fingers, and her hair fell out of the braid she had put it in the night before. She ran her fingers through it. It really was long. Rae wondered if there was an alteration witch that could cut it for her. Or maybe she could cut it herself. She was a super witch, after all.

She finished in the shower and climbed back out. She immediately put her llama socks back on before putting on her other clothes. Her feet always got cold when she showered. She wasn’t sure why. She slipped on the new day’s pair of jeans and another t-shirt. This one wasn’t as tight as the last one and made her feel a little more comfortable. She hadn’t realized how suffocating the last one had been. It had some superhero on it. It reminded her of her favorite movie series from home. She wondered if any of the movies or shows she watched existed here. At least the old stuff, right? She had never been much into that kind of stuff, though.

She walked into her room feeling like a brand new person. As if the stench of illusion had been burned off her skin. New day, new Rae. Hopefully. She had to be strong if she was going to make it through this.

Just then, she felt a grumble in her stomach. She hadn’t eaten anything since coming out of the illusion, either. She wondered how that worked, eating in the illusion. Did someone come and feed her physical body? Or had it not needed food while she was under? She’d figure it out. She still had a lot of questions. She’d get her answers. For now, she was going to go to the cafeteria. Rae looked in her closet for shoes but came up short. Llama socks it is, she thought.

She stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. She heard it lock behind her. Panicked, she put her hand to the handle and heard it unlock. She took her hand back off, and it locked again. Huh. Neat. She wondered who else could unlock her door. Probably at least Agent Sun. Maybe Cami, too. Rae shrugged and began toward the common area.

As she walked, the hallway became more decorated. Eventually, there were pedestals with busts or sculptures on them. The artwork on the wall became larger. Some of the paintings even moved with magic. She stopped and wondered at one particular piece. It was of Hecate and who Rae recognized as Hades, one of the more popular mythologies of Hecate. It showed her rising from under him and shining bright like a star before returning to its original position. It was weird to think that Hades had ever been Hecate’s superior, even in mythology.

Soon, Rae came to a large domed room. The dome was gold with intricate designs carved into the ceiling. It was more stories of Hecate. One particular drawing of Hecate drew Rae’s attention. She didn’t know what it was depicting, but it was beautiful. Hecate was shown standing tall over a fallen lion. She held a flame in her hand, and one foot rested on the lion’s back. It must be a more recent story, as Rae had no idea what it was from. As she was staring up at the ceiling, she hadn’t realized that she was still walking. She bumped into someone as they were passing.

“Oh, shit, sorry,” Rae said as she regained her balance. The girl stumbled a couple of steps, but the tray she had been holding stayed perfectly in place. Well, that’s unexpected.

“Oh my gods, I’m sorry!” the girl exclaimed in a posh accent. “I’m a total klutz. I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s fine… did you catch that? With magic?”

“Oh, my tray? Yep!” she said proudly. “I’m always running into something or tripping, so I’ve gotten pretty good reflexes at saving my things from falling now.”

“Obviously.” Rae was impressed. She looked at the girl and took her in. She was an inch or two taller than Rae, with brown hair and blonde highlights. Her hair was in curls in a ponytail behind her head. She had bright blue eyes that shone like sapphires on her face. She was studying Rae, too. She appeared to be about the same age.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” she said. “Hi, my name’s Kiera. It’s nice to meet you.” She extended her hand to Rae. She had bright, almost glowing nail polish on. In fact, upon further examination, Rae realized they were glowing. Bright pink.

“Hi. I’m Rae.” Kiera cocked her head to the side as if Rae had just told her her name was Bernard.

“Rae… Rae… That sounds familiar. Wait. Are you Rae Riot? Are you the Rae Riot?” Rae blankly stared at her before slowly nodding. “Oh. My. Gods. It is you! You’re a right legend. I’d heard they were close to breaking you out, but you’re actually here. Ahhhhhh!” Kiera was obviously excited to meet Rae, though Rae wasn’t sure why. “This was fate, us meeting like this. We’re going to be best mates. Absolute besties.” She must have read the confused look on Rae’s face. “Don’t worry; it’s a process. I’d wager it will be a fast one, though. Sit with us! We’re that table over there. Grab your food and come join us.” 

Rae looked to where Kiera had pointed. It was a small round table with a couple of people already sitting there. Kiera grabbed her tray from the air and excitedly jogged over to her table. She pointed at Rae and clapped before sitting. Rae took in the rest of the room as Kiera sat down. There were a lot of small tables like the one that Kiera sat at. There were a couple of large tables and a couple of setups that were just chairs around coffee tables. Against the walls were a few stone fireplaces that were roaring. She also noticed several doorways along the wall that led to separate hallways. They were all labeled with gold plates above them. Tech Center. Maybe she could get an optical chip there.

Finally, her eyes found a large window that opened into a kitchen. At the window were trays lined with different types of food. She saw one that looked like classic bacon and eggs, one with crepes, and one with pancakes. She wanted the pancakes. She walked over to the window, swiped her tray, and turned back to find Kiera in the crowded room. A few people were looking at her with the same quizzical look Kiera had met her with earlier. Rae assumed new people weren’t very common around here. Rae locked onto Kiera and headed toward their table. 

She sat down, and Kiera immediately started before Rae had a chance to say anything. “Everyone, this is Rae! She’s going to be in our classes from now on. Oh my gods, Rae, have you gotten a tutor yet? I can totes be your tutor! At least in alteration and enchantment. I’ve got perfect scores in both. I can probably show you a thing or two in everything except technomancy. I’m no good at fiddling with gadgets.”

“I don’t have a tutor yet. I didn’t even know there were classes. Are they just magic classes?” Rae asked.

“Yep! There’s a history class, too, if you ever want to sit in on it. It’s interesting to learn the history of the Church of Hecate and Rath as a whole. That class is required like the others, though.”

“Required?”

“Yeah,” one of the nameless faces at the table said. “If you ever want to go out on missions, you have to pass all seven of your classes—one for each school of magic and then a general magic class. If you’re lucky, like me, you only really have to pass five classes. My enchantment and technomancy scores are so low that there’s not much I can do. I’m Tim, by the way.”

“Hello, Tim.” Tim was cute. He had messy brown hair and stunning hazel eyes. His face was round but warm and welcoming. He looked to have a solid build with broad shoulders, but getting a read on him while he was sitting down was hard.

“I’m Darcy,” another girl at the table said. She had long blue hair and light brown skin that seemed to be kissed by the sun. She had gentle green eyes that reminded Rae of her own. 

“Hi, Darcy.” Rae felt a little overwhelmed meeting all of these new people. She was never good with names. Though she figured she could keep three straight. Kiera, Tim, Darcy. Easy.

“Hey, fucking nerds,” a voice bellowed from behind Rae. It was a deep voice that echoed within Rae’s bones. She turned to find a tall young man with dark features. His black hair was slicked back, and his eyes shone like coals on his face. His features were sharp, with a jawline that could cut glass. Gods, he was beautiful. He slammed his hands on the table and turned his attention immediately to Rae.

“I haven’t seen you around. What are you doing with the losers? They get a hold of you before anyone else had the chance?” he asked her with a smolder.

“We’re not losers, Tyler,” Kiera said with a tone of hurt in her voice. “Piss off.” 

“Yeah, okay. What about you, gorgeous? What’s your name?” 

“I’m Rae,” Rae stuttered. She felt like her tongue was going to stick to the top of her suddenly parched mouth.

“Rae. That’s a cute name. Well, Rae, if you want to ditch the nerds, you can come sit with us. You’ll fit in perfectly. I can tell.”

“We’re not nerds, and we’re not losers, you oversized cunt.” Rae looked over at Kiera, whose hair was now a blazing red that matched her cheeks. She was standing with her fists clenched.

“Awh, are you going to cry?” Tyler mocked.

“No, but I might smash your fucking face in.”

“You could try, but I don’t think you could even reach my face, squirt.” Tyler stood up to his full height. He towered over Kiera, and Rae thought he might be right. “Go ahead. Hit me. Give me an excuse to turn you to ash.”

“If your dad weren’t an agent, I’d break every bone in your body. And I’d enjoy every second.”

“You’re no better than a Thor, nerd. Sit down before you get hurt. As for you, if you decide to join us, we’re over there. Or stay here and commit social suicide. It’s up to you, really.” He motioned toward Rae and then pointed to a nearby table with a few people already sitting at it. He walked away and sat back at his table. He had a nice ass, too. Too bad he was a jackass.

“Who was that?” Rae asked as Kiera sat back down. Kiera’s hair returned to her previous brown with blonde highlights.

“Tyler Sun,” Kiera said. “His dad’s a hotshot agent here, so he thinks he runs shit. It doesn’t help that he’s a fiver. Perfect in all schools except for alteration. If he wanted, he could obliterate me. But if he wasn’t expecting it, I could turn him into paste. It’s too bad that his dad is such a big shot. He wouldn’t get away with half the shit he does otherwise.”

“Strange that he’s such a jerk. His dad is so nice.”

“To you, maybe,” Kiera scoffed. “Real jackass to us lessers. I’ve got three hundred and thirty cells, and he still treats me like I have the plague.”

“Is three hundred and thirty cells really viewed as lesser?”

“It is when you’ve got the specialties I have. Alteration and enchantment? I’m as useful as our tech guys in a fight. I can dominate the Thors physically, but I don’t have the same resistance to magic that they have. So to the elites around here, I’m just a lesser Thor.”

“Is there magic resistance really that big of a problem?”

“A powerful Thor can survive a full-force concussive blast from a five-hundred-cell witch. And before the witch has time to recover, boom. They’re dead. They scale just like we do, though. Most of Thor’s Chosen would be evaporated by a five-hundred-cell witch. Someone like you would evaporate all Thors. They’re not measurable like we are, but if they were, I’m certain none of them would measure up to you.”

“Do they have magic? The Thors.”

“Basic magic, just like any other non-chosen witch. They max out at one hundred cells. They can’t hold a candle to any of us, but they can be sneakily powerful.”

“Huh. Weird to think someone as powerful as you can be considered lesser.”

“That’s sweet, love.” Kiera put her hand on Rae’s. “But you’ll come to learn what true power is once they trust you enough to take your limiter off. You’ll make even Tyler look like a normal witch.”