Lisa massaged her neck tiredly. She’d never felt so stressed in her life. The process of admitting new students was quite rigorous, especially with the admissions officers’ laziness this year. It seemed like they wanted to give the staff extra work by passing those who just barely scored 60 tacks.

  As she walked through the wide, sunlit halls of the academy, she passed numerous classrooms, the walls turning transparent when she tapped them with her finger. All the students were in holo-desks, paying close attention to their coaches and professors.

  She then passed over the gyms, where the practicum courses took place. She stopped on the bridge she was crossing and looked down at an ongoing Teamwork course. They were currently playing a classic round of Capture the Flag. The team on the left seemed to be winning as their only Ilamikoan student carried their enemy’s flag to their post.

  Most of the spectating students were cheering for the team on the right, shouting for them not to lose. Unfortunately for them, the Ilamikoan’s flexible limbs carried her forward, allowing her to win. Her teammates cheered, but many students groaned in disappointment.

  Lisa tried to keep the word ‘adorable’ out of her mind, but it was all anyone could think when they looked at Lílitha Houdge. She was a tiny little thing— barely 4 feet— with large, black eyes that rivalled a puppy’s in terms of cuteness.

  In Ilamikoan standards, she was only 8 years old, but on Earth, she was already 23, a young woman. Still growing, but she was certainly not a child, despite her appearance.

  In reality, Lílitha was anything but cute. Not only did her flexibility provide her power in her kicks and punches, making them similar to being hit by a wrecking ball, but she had a bite force stronger than a hippo’s. Hence her call sign.

  Then came the other ‘outcast’ of the school: Harrison Smith. To the masses, he didn’t give enough effort. Lisa struggled throughout her entire career to get to first place in her last Versus, unlike him. Hajja was especially adamant with their accusations, desperate to salvage a shred of their pride after losing so many competitions already. Of course, they had the excuse of simply being in a slump.

  “He is always smiling despite everything, isn’t he?”

  Lisa gasped, startled by Benson’s sudden appearance. “You scared the bugs out of me,” she said.

  “Sorry about that,” he chuckled, continuing to observe both Harrison and Lílitha. “He is a positive soul. I’ve never seen him without that smile of his.”

  The two went down the hall, then exited the building and headed to the Hall of Affairs. Students around them politely greeted them. “So… what do you think of the new class?” Lisa asked.

  Benson took a breath. “Hard to say. There were many prospective students with massive potential.”

  “How do you think Josephine will handle this?”

  “My bet is that she will wash her hands and leave it to us. Or she will simply choose the strongest species.”

  “There weren’t a lot,” Lisa remarked. “I was surprised. I thought more of the ‘tops’ would apply.”

  “A few of them piqued my interest. Particularly that human girl.”

  “Yeah, I can tell. When you requested her, I thought… well, I expected more, honestly.”

  “You underestimate her.”

  “Benson, she barely got past 60 on the practical exam. I feel like you’re cutting too much slack just because she’s human. I appreciate that you’re trying to give my species more opportunities, but they still need to put in the work.”

  “She put in plenty of work. She’s merely rusty. With the proper training, she’ll do well.”

  They entered their soundproof meeting room and sat in their respective chairs with their colleagues. Everyone had the same, glassy-eyed expression, their eyes bursting with the desire of a comfy sleep capsule and melatonin tea… or whatever other sleep hormone other species produced.

  When Josephine entered, she looked exhausted beyond measure, a rare occurrence for her. “Well.” She sighed, slumping into her chair. “How many passed with a score over 80?”

  “One hundred candidates, ma’am,” one of the professors replied, scrolling on his AIDA band.

  “How many passed with a score over 90?”

  “Um…” He paused, sifting through the list. “60.”

  “Very well…” Josephine’s fingers drummed on the table as she frowned in thought. Her golden eyes shimmered as her pupils expanded and contracted.

  “There’s 330 spots, right? We can admit these hundred and sixty candidates as a start. That leaves us about half to fill in,” one of the coaches suggested. “If anything, we can merge some of the other applicants into the School of Combat so they can go for a non-Versus career.”

  “We never should’ve let so many apply in the first place. I don’t know why you disagreed on the limit,” Josephine grumbled. “We’re supposed to be more selective than this.”

  “We wanted to avoid accusations of-”

  “Oh, please, they’ll accuse us of everything in the Milky Way. I hardly care anymore.” She connected her AIDA band to the table. “Well, prepare for a long night. We can admit the top 160 and decide on the other half. Then, it’s the analysts’ problem.”

  “I have a suggestion,” Benson began.

  Everyone knowingly looked at him. Benson was as kind as he was predictable, yet sometimes, he was unpredictable. An enigma, Lisa would think.

  “I’m going to turn down that suggestion,” Josephine said coldly.

  “Come now, hear me out.”

  “The last time we heard you out, we wound up wasting our time with a girl that just barely passed. Here I was thinking you’d present us with someone more skilled.”

  “That’s the thing; you’ve admitted many fighters that did much worse in the pressure exam. They were as much a ‘waste of time’ as my candidate, in that case. Why is it that my suggested applicant is a ‘waste’ while the other ones you passed had no potential whatsoever?”

  “What are you implying?” Josephine asked defensively.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were deliberately dismissing my word in these decisions. And as Vice President of this academy, I should have a say in who I deem fit for our school.”

  A tense silence loomed over them. Lisa folded her lips, deciding to say nothing, which implied her silent agreement with Benson. Josephine had definitely been biased when it came to decisions about the new class. Emitonians weren’t very friendly towards humans, or any other species that didn’t have any ‘special ability’. Even though Josephine was born and raised in England, she was as close-minded as those from her planet of descent.

  “If we’re all too exhausted to analyze every single applicant that passed, then let’s make it simple,” Benson continued. “Each of us on the board has requested one candidate, correct? Let’s admit them. All of them have passed each test. Now we have five less applicants to analyze.”

  He had a point. More than anything, Lisa wanted this to be over with. It was her first time being part of the full admissions process, so it took a toll on her energy.

  “That’s not fair to those who deserve a place in the school,” one of the coaches said.

  “I could say that to you. There were many applicants with excellent potential that you rejected. Don’t pretend that it wasn’t because they weren’t the species you preferred.”

  “Now listen here-”

  “Enough.” Josephine sighed, rolling her eyes. “Fine. We’ll do that.” She brought up the applicant files, which hovered in a circle on the table. Sifting through them, she found the five applicants each member of the board requested; a Hajjian, whom she requested herself— that should’ve been obvious. A Mercearthian that the Evaluator, Mr. Estalen, requested. A Paesearthian Lisa’s cousin took a liking to.

  Lisa’s candidate was a Seeyastian she’d seen in the last Junior Versus. He was a talented individual with a lot of power to make up for the lack of an ability. He was very adept in Krav Maga, which Lisa herself knew like her own ID code. She could easily coach him in classes.

  And finally, the human girl Benson wanted.

  Lisa wasn’t about to refuse a candidate of her species in front of the board, especially with her reputation. That would go against everything she believed in. But she couldn’t fully support giving this girl a spot among the 330. She had potential, but she needed a lot more training to qualify for the Versus school. She could try out in the regular School of Combat for a couple years until she was ready.

  It was as if she hadn’t trained in years. The girl’s reflexes were sharp, and she evidently retained muscle memory from previous training, but she was too clumsy and unbalanced. She also kept wiping sweat off herself, which was distracting to both herself and the judges.

  The last thing they needed was accusations of accepting species like humans just so they could dodge suspicions of exclusion. They needed to admit students based on merit alone. They couldn’t go from only accepting the more ‘powerful’ species to only accepting the more ‘underestimated’ species.

  “Our requested candidates know how to fight,” Mr. Estalen told Benson. “Yours-”

  “Has potential,” Benson said. “I’ve been Vice President for a few years now, with all due respect, Professor Estalen. Every request I’ve had, whether for the Junior Versus or the Versus Games themselves, all of you have doubted. But don’t they usually become the best fighters of the batch?”

  “You didn’t notice this girl in her Junior Versus applications,” Josephine pointed out. “She said she applied twice.”

  “Perhaps she wasn’t ready. Now she is.”

  “I agree with Vice President Kalley,” Gina White said. “The girl just needs a bit of coaching, which is what the school is for. And it’s not like she’s being put on the team. It’s just the first step. There’s a lot of students in the Versus school that have been here for years and haven’t gotten on the team once. Why are we arguing about this particular girl when we have plenty of students we never should have accepted?”

  “Benson’s usually right about these sorts of things,” another professor remarked. “He hasn’t disappointed us.”

  Gina was right. These people didn’t care about this girl. They just didn’t like Benson. Perhaps they were jealous of his eye for hidden gems among the applicants. He was always good at this.

  Still, Lisa couldn’t help a little doubt. Usually, she would see the same potential he did. But this time, she could see the potential, but she couldn’t see the readiness. Maybe if she waited a couple years…

  How did Benson even know her skills, anyway? Every time he requested an applicant, he would have seen them in action before exam day. This time, they’d all met her the day she came in. How did he know of her?

  Josephine let out a huge sigh. “Very well.” She moved the human girl’s file into the ‘Accepted’ section. “There. All of our requested applicants are in the school. Now to analyze the rest of them.”

  After a few tiring hours, the board and the faculty finally had their 330 new students for the Versus Fighting School of Fistborn. The rest of the students applying for the other schools would be analyzed by the other respective Deans; poor Gina had a lot of work to do tonight, being the Dean of the non-Versus branch of the Fighting career. She would probably take some of the Versus School rejects so they could polish themselves up in her school.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Benson, a word?” Lisa said before the Paeseoan could leave. They waited until everyone was out of the room.

  Benson chuckled. “I didn’t think that would work.”

  “I don’t feel good about this,” Lisa told him. “She fainted at the sight of blood. How will she handle the training?”

  “She’ll be fine. There’s plenty that don’t like blood. She’ll get used to it.”

  “I just don’t need a human attracting any controversy right now. This is my first year here. They’ll think I hacked something for her to get in.”

  “They won’t think anything. And even if they do, that’s their problem. Why are you so against this girl?” Benson said.

  “I’m not against her, I just think this spot should go to someone that deserves it,” Lisa reasoned. “I don’t want students to be admitted just because we need more of a certain species in here.”

  “And it won’t. You should know by now that I always know what I am doing.”

  “How do you even know her?”

  “That’s a long story.” He tapped his fingers on the table, looking away.

  Lisa narrowed her eyes. “Benson?”

  He was silent for a few moments. Finally, he sighed. “This stays between us.”

  Lisa made sure no recorders were on in the room. “I’ll lock it down. What is it?”

  After a pause, he quietly said, “I may have seen her in the Cosmos bar.”

  “In where?”

  “Cosmos. The illegal bar on Genesis X.”

  Lisa instantly rose from her chair, repeating his words in her head to make sure she’d been paying full attention. It took a few moments for her to reply. “You mean to tell me that your candidate came from a random bar fight in an illegal bar? On Genesis X?!”

  “It wasn’t a random bar fight, okay? You don’t know the whole story.”

  “You’ve been going to an illegal bar, Benson!” Lisa paced nervously. She had to hope he wasn’t recognized there at all. If this got out, their academy’s already-suffering reputation would take a massive hit they couldn’t afford. Earth was already enough of a laughingstock.

  “I just needed to take some time away, and I liked it there. Great drinks, no one pestering me-”

  “You couldn’t have gone… I don’t know, literally anywhere else? Anyone up there can see you and put it on the Hub!”

  “No one has! Well- until now, but-”

  “‘Until now’? You got spotted?”

  “Could you just listen for a minute? Please?”

  Lisa sighed and sat back down, quieting. She glanced nervously at the door. They were alone, and the room was soundproof, but…

  “My Mask malfunctioned and the girl working the bar recognized me. She made a deal with me that she wouldn’t report that I was there if I watched her sister fight.”

  “Her sister? So it wasn’t even her?”

  “No. She brought her sister and set up a fight so the girl could show her skills. The girl didn’t even know what was going on. I assume her sister lied to her so she could come to the bar. Under pressure, she did very well.”

  “If it was staged, they must’ve gone easy on her,” Lisa pointed out.

  “Perhaps, but I could see it. She had a good position, good reflexes and form, strong force behind her hits. I think she was simply… overthinking it during the test. If her sister’s working at an illegal bar at such a young age, I don’t know what her home life is like.”

  “Did you do a background check on her?” Lisa asked.

  “I looked up her name. She’s apparently related to some famous Socializer— I don’t know who she is. Miss Milky Way winner. She’s her daughter.”

  “A Socializer? That’s great. The same lunatics who said I was leading the human race into a murderous rampage.” Lisa shook her head in disbelief and opened the girl’s file on the table. Calista Medley was her name. She was a pretty one, her waist evidently shaped by Thinning treatments. Definitely a Socializer.

  Why would she be here if her mother was a famous beauty queen? Weren’t the Versus Games considered a sacrilege by those people? Why would she even be interested? How would she have trained? There were so many unanswered questions about this girl, and Lisa didn’t like it. Everything about this was too masky.

  “Just give her a chance, Lisa,” Benson said.

  “You saw this girl get lured into a bar by her sister so she could fight. What if she doesn’t even want to be here and her sister— if that was her sister— forced her or something? All of this… it doesn’t make sense.”

  “I know. It’s hard to explain. But I know she’s worth the shot. Like Gina said, she’ll just be in the school. It’s up to her to get on the team.” He disabled his translator chip as he left, saying a Paeseoan phrase that Lisa understood. “Pali nebetem a thia.”

  ‘It takes a special set of eyes.’

  ===

  Calista had become depressed to the point that her mother wasn’t as angry anymore. Seeing her ‘future beauty queen’ daughter neglect herself, refusing Thinning treatments and not even requesting the AIDA to fix her hair— it took a toll on the whole family.

  In no time, former fans of Jennifer and Calista found the footage of Lílitha pummeling Calista’s face. Now the humiliation was plastered all over both the Versus and Socializer Hubs. Both worlds were against her; one full of ridicule towards a Socializer wanting to be a fighter, and one full of hatred for a girl betraying her community.

  “You have to do something,” Jennifer said. “Just let me take you to the spa, okay? You don’t have to see anyone. You can just go in an SD tank.”

  “I’m fine,” Calista said coldly, keeping her eyes away from her mother. The sudden kindness only angered her. Was she genuinely concerned, or was she more worried about her ‘perfect’ appearance deteriorating?

  All her life, she’d been conditioned to caring about what Jennifer’s fans thought of her. Now that they hated her… what did she have left to care about?

  She was done. Her Versus career was nonexistent, and NYWS was definitely not an option. The SociaLights were already showing off their cute, new uniforms; white cotton shirts that looked airy and comfortable to wear on a nice hot day, and pink, pleated plaid skirts that would’ve looked so cute on her. They were quick to rub Calista’s recent failure in her face. It was as if they knew she was still watching their stuff and missing her place among them.

  She wasn’t sure if she really missed them, but she missed having something to look forward to. She was even considering moving out of the country. She could go to a remote country that didn’t associate with either world. There were plenty of countries that didn’t partake in the Versus Games or have Socializers.

  Or she could even move off-planet. None of the other species would care about her and her reputation. She could start fresh without fearing someone recognizing her and trying to ruin her life one way or another.

  No wonder everyone made fun of humans. They attacked each other over the stupidest things. But when someone actually did something immoral and wrong, they were forgiven, excused, even praised at times. People were quick to defend a Socializer when they defamed a fighter’s family or bullied a 12-year old human that talked about the Games. It didn’t matter if they wrecked a wedding to get attention or used their status to abuse other people.

  Shortly after Jennifer gave up and left Calista alone, Henry came through the wall. Calista sighed, not looking at him. “I’m not going out,” she said. She was sitting in one of her chairs, her knees hugged against her chest.

  “I’m not asking you to.” He sat in the hovering chair across from her. “I just wanted to keep you company now that I have time.”

  “Hackers give you a break?”

  “No. I’m just taking one. There’s plenty of engineers out there that are ‘better’ than me. If I’m that worthless, they shouldn’t miss me.”

  “How do you do it, Dad? Why didn’t you just do what your family does? It would’ve been easier, right? You keep going to work and letting them talk about you… and you’re okay?”

  “I’m not,” he said. “Sometimes, it gets to me. It hurts and frustrates me. I just don’t let it stop me.”

  “But why? You had the cheat code. You could’ve done stuff on the Hub instead.”

  “I didn’t want to. I never wanted this life, Cali. I just did what I wanted. The fact that it’s more difficult for humans never made me stop trying. Yeah, it was difficult to get to the position I have now, but I made it.”

  “And Grandma and Grandpa didn’t say anything?”

  “Your grandpa doesn’t care. Your grandma… it took some arguing. Eventually, she refocused on my sister and left me alone.”

  Calista sighed dreadfully. “I don’t want Kate or Quincy to go through this.”

  “It’s up to them. We all have our own lives, Calista. You’re a good kid. You’ve put up with your mom and respected her. But she needs to respect you, too. Once a parent crosses that line… that’s when they’re a problem.”

  “So Mom’s the problem, right? It’s not me?”

  “Your mom… she’s been through a lot. You know she tried so hard to not be married to me?”

  Calista’s chin lifted from her knees. “She did?”

  “Bugs, yeah. She didn’t even like seeing me. Tried everything to get out of it. But her mother wouldn’t let her marry anyone else, and she wanted to marry someone… so she went with me. I gave her as much space as possible. We didn’t start truly being a couple until… maybe three years into our marriage. She eventually started liking me and we became an actual couple in love. She had a huge gamechanger at one point, and she became such a different person…”

  “What gamechanger?”

  “You.”

  Calista’s emerald eyes blinked. “Me?” she almost scoffed.

  “When she found out she was pregnant, she was so… so happy. I’d never seen her like that. Her smile wasn’t the same as it was when she was with her channel friends or when she was at a Socializer gala. I’d never seen her like that— or been so in love. But then the Hajjians started killing all the birthing pods, and your grandmother started pressing your mom about her stomach, and her waist getting too large…” He trailed off. “That was the first time she really defied her mom. She didn’t care about what she thought, or her followers, she just cared about you.”

  Calista shook her head, disbelieving. All her life, she always felt like Jennifer resented her for the backlash she got for having her naturally. After all, she did say she wished she’d never saved her.

  “I guess after a few years, everything everyone said got to her. There were a lot of… horrible things. Especially from the family. And the death threats… maybe she thought that if you ‘proved yourself’ to the fans, she could protect you.”

  Death threats? Calista saw the cruelty they were giving her just for the Versus test. She never thought about all that Jennifer had to hear for years since she was born. She had to hear threats towards her… towards her daughter.

  “She doesn’t want to talk about it with you— she should, though. She was the same as you, Calista. She just never got the chance to really explore what she really wanted. She was raised to be Jennifer Zyben, Miss Milky Way.”

  “If she didn’t like being a Socializer, then why is she making me? Why do we have to keep this going?”

  Henry breathed deeply. “It’s a complicated answer. The cheat-code version is that… it runs in the family.”

  “Well, it’ll end with her, because I’m done. And I hope Kate and Quincy don’t put up with it.”

  “It’s up to them, just like it’s up to you. They can say what they want about you. They’re not worth it.”

  “Why don’t you tell her that?” Calista shifted to fully face her father. “She listens to you.”

  “She listens to her parents more. Her mother, especially. It’s always been a thing with both our families. I guess it’s my fault for not standing up for you three sooner.” Henry reached out, stroking Calista’s hair and tucking it behind her ear. “I’m sorry, babycodes. I should’ve been stronger… as your dad.”

  Calista looked at the view of the neighborhood through her window. All the mansions, skyscrapers, Air-Cars zooming overhead… would they have any of this if her mother hadn’t followed the family ‘business’? Would they have lived in a cramped apartment on a space station if Jennifer had followed a different career with more firewalls blocking her just because she was a human?

  “Calista Medley, you have a message from… Fistborn Academy. Would you like to view the message now, or save it for later?”

  Both Calista and her father looked up at the ceiling, then looked at each other. “There’s no way,” Calista said.

  “You want to hear it?”

  Calista looked at the wall. Her mother had mellowed the past few days, but…

  “I’m here. I’m your father, and you have my permission. That’s final.”

  Calista nodded and asked the AIDA to play the message. The entire panel of judges, including Lisa White and Benson Kalley, appeared before the two.

  “Miss Medley, we’d like to extend our congratulations,” President Chrisman said. “Seeing as you have completed all the requirements expected of a new student, you have officially been accepted to the Versus Fighting School of Fistborn Academy. Please proceed to TelePort 3 to Washington D.C. on September 5th at 9:00 AM. You will be transported to Fistborn with the other new Versus School students. We are thrilled to have you join our academy.” Contrary to her words, Chrisman had the most impassive look and the most bored tone. It didn’t diminish the importance of the message for Calista.

  Once it closed, Calista stared at her father, who was equally shocked. She shook her head. “I’m dreaming, right? I fell asleep?”

  “You’re not dreaming,” Henry said.

  “They’re serious? But… I didn’t even… I did terrible.”

  “Maybe you didn’t. I saw that recording, Cali. You landed a few good hits. I guess it was enough.”

  “I…” Calista covered her mouth, trying not to shout the news out the window to her neighbors— not that they would hear anything through the soundproof walls. “I got in…”

  “You got in!” Henry took his daughter into a tight embrace, laughing. “I’m so proud of you, my girl.”

  Calista was still dazed when Henry called her siblings over and told them the news. Quincy was excited, but Katelyn was jumping up and down while screaming, crushing Calista in a hug. Calista could hardly believe it. She passed the test. She was a Fistborn student.

  She was going to be a fighter. For real.

  The sounds of celebration screeched to a halt when Jennifer entered the room. Her green eyes were filled with tears and her face was tight with emotion. Calista couldn’t tell what she was feeling. Was she angry with her again for leaving the family? Was she regretful about doubting her? Was she proud? Doubtful.

  Seeing her mother cry was something she hadn’t seen in years. She always repeated her motto: “Don’t let them see you break.” Calista’s heart wrenched, but this time, she held back her tears.

  “Calista, I…” A tear dropped down Jennifer’s blushed cheek. “I… don’t see any reason to stop you now. I…” Her polished lips parted, flapping as she tried to get words out. Calista felt like going to hug her, but the tension between them was still thick. Jennifer still hadn’t apologized for what she said; either she was too proud or she really didn’t feel sorry.

  “Good luck… at Fistborn,” Jennifer finally choked out before leaving.

  Henry sighed, then smiled at Calista, kissing her forehead. “I’ll take you to the TelePort, okay? We should go out to dinner. I know a really good Paesearthian restaurant. I’ll just talk to your mother for a minute, ‘kay?” He left the room, obviously intending to reprimand his wife for not apologizing to Calista.

  Katelyn hugged Calista once again. “My sister’s a fighter! I’m so excited!” She pulled away and jumped around. “Oh, you have to tell me what it’s like when you get there! See if they allow family visits! Imagine if you get on the team, Cali!”

  “I don’t know…” Doubt clouded Calista’s excitement. How did she even pass that test? Did they accept her because of Benson?

  “You don’t know? Cali, you haven’t trained in years and you got into the school!”

  “Exactly. I don’t get how I passed. You saw the recording. I passed out when I saw blood.”

  “But you lasted a while. There were a lot of fighters that didn’t even last a few seconds. I mean- you elbowed Lílitha Houdge in the mouth when she was going to bite you! That was amazing!” Katelyn took Calista’s hands. “Don’t you start doubting yourself now. You got into that school for a reason.”

  “Look, if you don’t get on the team this year, then try for next time,” said Quincy, playing on his Pet screen. “Then try again and again. You’ve got three tries until you age out. You’re graduating from Fistborn either way.”

  He had a point. Fistborn Versus School students needed to be between 15 and 31 years of age. Being eighteen, she had three Versus years to try and get on the team. Even if she didn’t, she’d still be enrolled and have somewhere to go and escape her family and her former fans.

  She’d gotten this far. She just needed to truly do her best.