First period was abuzz with gossip centered around Sullivan. Although multiple students from their school had awakened, and some with high aptitudes, yesterday the only awakening that mattered was Sullivan's, sidelining every other embittered and jealous awakened. Many of the students who had failed the academic portion of the test, and thus were untested for aptitude, took a malicious pleasure in mentioning Sullivan to the awakened in their classes.

  "Hey Herb, you're like best friends with Sullivan, right? Can I get his number? My sister wanted it cause she's like super crushing on him." asked a female classmate whom Herb suspected did not have a sister.

  "Yeah, sure." Herb replied, feeling another small part of himself die inside.

  Yesterday had been Herb's awakening. Yesterday he had awakened the C aptitude that for years he had hoped, prayed, and dreamt of eventually possessing—C being a reasonable compromise, he opined in his heart. But what happened when Herb returned home that day to apprise his parents, chiefly his father, of his dream come true?

  "Herb, isn't that Sullivan kid your friend? Better stay close to him with how his future's looking. You never know when those kinds of connections will come in handy."

  "Yeah, but guess what, I got a C aptitude during my awakening today. I can become a professional awakener like you, Dad."

  "Oh, that's nice son."

  That's nice son? That's nice? That is all his father, who, by the way, had only managed to awaken a C- aptitude had to say? Herb nearly had a conniption fit.

  "Maybe I should've set my dream aptitude higher." Herb muttered to himself gloomily.

  Herb was not alone in his turbulent emotions.

  Jake Salitour had never doubted he would turn out to have the highest aptitude in his school, let alone the city of Phoenix. Not only was his family a famous awakener family, but his father had even bought him special supplements that were supposed to raise aptitude.

  Today, according to Jake's vision of the future, was supposed to be the day he was final distinguished from his high school peers and took the first step onto the road of becoming more than merely a member of the prestigious Salitour family. Today was supposed to be the last day he interacted with the unimportant side-characters as he accepted their praise, well-wishes, and envious leers.

  But as it turned out, today he was a side-character.

  "That conceited bastard!" Imprecated Jake. "He didn't even have the decency to show up today. It's all already gone to his head."