The 4x4 police car stopped in front of the house, tires screeching, and Rowan rushed outside. “I’m back!”

  “Daddy!” Lizzie screamed, erupting out of the house and jumping in his arms. “Mommy’s a Hero and got a Class!” On the loudest words, droplets of spit hit Rowan’s face, together with the food she was eating. His best guess was apple pie.

  “Your warning was spot on,” he told Grace, who had appeared in the doorframe. She rushed to hug them both. Dmitri appeared behind, waving his hand and keeping aside, letting them have their moment.

  [Cory]: Her premonition helped us realize the danger, and the System recognized her participation. Grace unlocked the Seer Class and leveled up directly to nineteen.

  “Beurch!” Isla retched, slowly exiting the car. She tried to say something but didn’t make it. Widening her eyes, the policewoman rushed forward, shoving Grace out of her way. Bent in two, she emptied her stomach onto the grass.

  “Auntie Isla is sick,” Lizzie stated while Grace wrapped her arm around Isla’s shoulders.

  “What happened? Do you need some water?"

  “Mom let him d-drive, b-because she was not f-feeling well. It was c-crazy,” Thomas whimpered in a shaky voice, muffled by the back seat window. “We went like a hundred miles an hour.”

  “I’m an amateur rally driver,” Rowan explained, putting Lizzie on the ground. “And for the record, it was at most ninety.”

  “Please, dump him,” Isla mumbled before throwing up again. “Beurch!”

  “Never!” Grace frowned, clenching her fists and stepping back from her ailing friend.

  Rising painfully, Isla went to the car and scribbled something on a piece of paper. “Ticket for speeding.” She shoved the note in Rowan’s hands, then drove off slowly. Her retching could be heard even when the vehicle disappeared behind the corner.

  “Goodness. Go inside. I’ll clean it up,” Dmitri offered, grabbing the water hose.

  “Are you hungry?” Grace asked.

  “I sure am,” Rowan kissed her.

  “We had something special for lunch, kept you some.”

  “Thanks,” Rowan rubbed his hands in anticipation. He followed her into the house and aimed directly for the table while she beelined for the stove.

  “Tell him about your class,” Lizzie asked eagerly when the woman returned, pulling Grace’s sleeve.

  “Watch it! I almost dropped the food!” Grace blurted. “Dmitri made this,” she said, putting a plate on the table and sitting beside Rowan. The food looked like a sort of lasagna. Baked in the oven, alternating layers of potatoes, eggplants, and minced meat.

  “Mmmm…” Rowan let out a groan of satisfaction. “Ish rully good.”

  “Don’t speak with the mouth full, please; you’re giving Lizzie a bad example.”

  “Shure, oops,” Rowan shut his mouth and swallowed the food, lowering his head between the shoulders. “What about the class?”

  “I… don’t know what to do… Can I refuse it?” Grace asked.

  “Cory?”

  [Cory to Rowan and Grace]: Once a class is bestowed, it can’t be removed.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “AH!” Grace jumped up.

  “It’s the Core’s voice, don’t worry.”

  “But she’s speaking in my head! I want it gone,” Grace yelled.

  [Cory to Rowan]: I’ll let her be for now. That class is perfect for her.

  “She can switch to texts, emails, or SMSs if you choose,” Rowan tried to calm Grace, fondling her hand.

  “I won’t have that thing spying on me while going to the loo or taking a bath! Tell that core to go away!”

  “It’s not in your head, mommy!” Lizzie insisted. “It’s like you having a phone call.”

  “Lizzie’s right,” Rowan said. “The AI is a personal assistant. It has privacy protocols; I’ll show you how to access the settings. Don’t worry, it won’t follow you in the bathroom or watch us… err… cuddling,” he peeked at Lizzie, avoiding to say sex. “Why don’t you tell me about the class?”

  Grace rested her forehead against her right palm.

  “It says Seer. Epic. I’m… supposed to have visions of the future… Two free Attribute Points in Charisma, Intelligence, and Dexterity every ten levels.”

  “What are your stats?”

  “Nine in Strength and Constitution, eighteen in Dexterity, Twenty in Intelligence and Will, and twenty-four in Charisma... which is in bold. ”

  “It’s your main stat.”

  “Look, Rowan, I don’t want this,” she shook her head.

  “You saved our lives today,” he said gently, caressing her cheek. “Next time, it could be about Lizzie. Would it hurt if your premonitions worked better?”

  Grace swallowed a lump. “Tell me what to do,” she surrendered.

  “You have nineteen free Attribute Points, right?”

  “Twenty-one.”

  “True, the quests… Well, let’s do this. Put a point in Charisma.”

  “I see a weird text and some fireworks!” she screamed, waving her hands in front of her face, like to chase away a mosquito.

  “Cory’s adding emojis to notifications lately. Tell me what it says,” Rowan asked, coming and hugging her to stop her from shaking.

  “That I got a p-perk... Silk-Tongue: When my intuitions are true, my words can convince others.”

  “That’s nice,” Dmitri said, arriving in the room. “Remember Cassandra? She was right, but no one believed her.”

  “Man, your food is great,” Rowan said. “I had no idea Russian food is so good.”

  Dmitri frowned. “It’s Greek food. Moussaka.”

  “Err… but you’re still Russian, right?”

  “No, I’m Greek.”

  “Shit!”

  “What’s wrong about being Greek?” Dmitri raised his voice.

  “Sorry… My bad. You know we started talking with other Awakened Towns, right? There’s a delegation from Russia visiting next week. I hoped you could translate or, you know, socialize with them for us.”

  “I’m sure they speak English,” Grace said, squeezing his hand. “Let’s get over with the class thing.”

  “Hmpf,” Dmitri snorted, exiting toward the stairs.

  “Geez, I’m such a klutz…” Rowan sighed.

  “Buy him a bottle of wine; he’ll get over it. For the record, I thought he was Russian too. Can we go concentrate on my class, please?” Grace’s voice was now annoyed.

  “Daddy is such a good person. He cares for everyone,” Lizzie said.

  “Yes, he is,” Grace fondled Rowan’s neck, her ire melting.

  Your Strategic Sixth Sense has detected a spell in your vicinity: Cute Diversion.

  What?

  “Are you all right?” Grace asked.

  On the other hand, Lizzie was trying to make herself as small as possible. She knew he knew. He frowned and waved his finger at Lizzie. “Go to your room, missy. You’re grounded. Starting tomorrow, I’ll double-check your homework. Are we clear?”

  Evidently happy with such a light punishment, Lizzie jumped from her chair, grinning widely, and ran out of the room.

  “What did she do?” Grace asked.

  “Put a spell on you, of course. She hates it when we argue. Now put five points in Intelligence and Will.”

  “Five between them, or?”

  “Five in each. Read me the perks.”

  Hugging him, she whispered in his ear.

  “The Will perk is called Mindful Control. Better control of my body under intense emotions. Stage fright, or… intimate moments. I’ll show what it can do later tonight,” she let a whiff of air tickle his cheek.

  “Can’t wait,” he kissed the back of her neck.

  “The other perk is about management skills. That could be useful for the business… if there is any future in it.”

  “I’m sure there is. Put seven in Dex, one in Strength, and two in Con. Now you have four perks unlocked. The rest will have to wait. Do you have any combat skills?”

  “Advanced Ranged Proficiency, in Dex. I can detect weak spots or something.”

  “That’s awesome!” Rowan gasped. “Isla only has medium. How the heck do you have it on Advanced?”

  “Thank you,” Grace gloated. “I did clay pigeon shooting and archery in high school, for fun… Well… not for fun; I had a crush on the sports teacher…” she confessed.

  “Hm…” Rowan said, trying to appear neutral but nonetheless being curious.

  “He didn’t even notice, the bastard,” she frowned, following with a sigh. “Or maybe it was because of the pimples and the braces… Anyway, he said I was a natural. Why are you laughing?”

  “I’m not laughing; I’m smiling. I bet you were cute with pimples and braces. This skill plays to our advantage. I hope you like to hunt rats.”

  “What? I hate rats!” Grace jerked her head back.

  “Perfect! Then you’ll love hunting them. There’s a new quest about clearing the sewers from rats. Part of my Count’s chores, but I’ll share it with you.”

  “Noooo….” Grace sulked.