The auditorium was in chaos as Fletcher rose to his feet, staring down the man only a few feet away who was also moving to stand.

  “No monsters to help you out?” Fletcher’s opponent, the bigot, said as he raised his fists once more.

  “Enough with the slurs,” Fletcher snapped in return, tasting some of the blood dripping from his nose.

  Further in the auditorium seats came the yells from Humans and Unhumans as they launched themselves at each other. Fletcher curled his hands into fists as the man approached him.

  Bigot threw out another strong punch towards Fletcher’s face, which he managed to duck under. Fletcher shoved his fist towards the man’s torso, but Bigot knew what he was doing in a fight and slid out of the way long before it reached him.

  The guards were ignoring the Human on Human fight to focus on the much larger, inter-species brawl occurring at the center of the auditorium instead. Fletcher couldn’t blame them since an incident like this could spawn the next Unhuman war with the way tensions were these days.

  Fletcher took a hit to the jaw, but that gave him time to thrust his hand at Bigot’s throat. The bigger man stumbled back a few steps, gasping for air as Fletcher watched, his fists still at the ready. He didn’t really want to fight this guy, but he would keep defending himself if he had to.

  “You’ll pay for that,” Bigot said once he got his breath back.

  “Let this go. It’s not worth it,” Fletcher encouraged him.

  The man growled and dove into Fletcher. As fast as he was, Fletcher didn’t have time to get entirely out of the way and was caught by one of Bigot’s open arms. Together, they tumbled to the ground where Bigot pressed his advantage to sit on top of Fletcher and send quick jabs towards his face. With his arms covering his head to block most of the hits, Fletcher was more or less helpless.

  Bigot got a clean shot in under Fletcher’s arms, slamming into his jaw from the underside and rattling Fletcher’s head into a sharp headache. Fletcher groaned, but the pain served as motivation for him. Finding new strength in his body, he threw the man off of him and regained a little air.

  Fortune favored him, and Bigot launched face first into the side of a chair, his skull clanging against the metal. Fletcher jumped on the man, throwing several of his own hits in hopes of putting a full stop to this fight, but he was only on his third swing when two sets of hands pulled him up and forced his hands behind his back.

  Two Humans were now holding him, and despite his wild bucks, the pair together was far stronger. Bigot slowly stood from the ground with blood leaking from his head and a cut on his lip.

  “You should have run when you had the chance, pretty-boy,” he said with a smile.

  He strode up to Fletcher with new anger and, with that same irritating grin, hit him right in the stomach, causing Fletcher to double over with a gasp. His captors forced him back up, and Bigot took his chance to use Fletcher as his personal punching bag. Blow after blow slammed into Fletcher’s chest and stomach, pulling breathless groans with each hit.

  The man took another shot at his head, and darkness started at the edges of Fletcher’s vision as he watched Bigot wind up for his next punch, one that would surely be the knockout blow. Before the final hit could land home, someone caught hold of Bigot’s hand and threw him back.

  “That is enough,” the [Ogre] guard said tersely. He was over eight feet tall with something akin to a lion’s mane covering his head and surrounding his face and neck. His skin was a deep purple that made for an odd contrast with the black fur.

  “How dare you touch me,” Bigot replied.

  “I wouldn’t press it,” a [Goblin] from behind the guard said. Fletcher thought he seemed familiar, and, after a few seconds, he realized that it was the [Goblin] who’d asked him about teachers.

  “And what do I care what you think?” Bigot looked ready to take a swing at the Unhumans as well.

  Fletcher took the chance to glance around and noticed that the entire room had been subdued except for this last fight. The Human guards were noticeably absent from laying any kind of justice down against their own at the moment, but he chose not to take it personally.

  “My name is Minister Vi’le, and if you even think of trying to hit me, you’ll likely spend the rest of your life in a prison cell so dark, you’d need [Dark Vision] to handle pissing. Do you understand?” The [Goblin] raised one scraggly eyebrow, and Fletcher realized just how many earrings he wore.

  “Minister Vi’le. Like… Prime Minister Vi’le?” one of the Humans holding Fletcher said with new fear in his voice.

  The [Goblin] tilted his head. Not just a [Goblin], but the top representative of his whole species in all affairs regarding Unhumans and Humans.

  That was enough of an answer, and the men holding Fletcher released him. Unfortunately, Fletcher actually needed their support, and without it, he fell to his knees, barely catching himself before he faceplanted entirely.

  “Thanks,” he managed to mutter despite the aching of his chest. Probably a broken rib or two in the mix alongside the minor concussion. Definitely not the way he wanted to end the summer or start off the next school term.

  “Mr. Anders, I would like to speak with you out in the hall if you have a few minutes,” Minister Vi’le stated.

  “Sure thing,” Fletcher said against his better judgment. What he wanted to do was pass out to escape the pounding in his skull and the pain from breathing, but he knew better than to ask a prime minister to wait on him. He slowly moved to push himself back up to his feet, his vision already starting to swim.

  “Knarf, if you’d help him,” the [Goblin] commanded.

  The [Ogre] bent down close to Fletcher. “Do I have your permission to touch you?”

  As strange of a way as that was of asking that question, a concussed Fletcher didn’t care much.

  “Yeah. That’d be great. I just need a hand up,” he said.

  Knarf had his own ideas of what “help” meant and simply picked Fletcher up entirely, carrying him bridal style to seal the humiliation. He offered a weak protest, but the [Ogre] either didn’t hear or didn’t care, and he followed Vi’le back through the auditorium to exit into the hallway on the Unhuman side, making sure everyone got a good look at the cradled Fletcher.

  The corridor they entered was actually already in use by about a dozen other Unhumans, most of whom were injured and getting treated, including Sunlight.

  “Shari,” Minister Vi’le said upon their entrance, calling the attention of an [Elf]. “How did we fare?”

  “Minister Vi’le.” Shari ducked his head. He had pale skin with dark, copper markings running along it and the same metallic shade for his waist length hair. “These are the only injuries I deemed serious enough to require [Healing]. It would seem the Humans came out far worse, those [Skill]-less jemlk’wp.”

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  Fletcher recognized the word as a slur used against his kind, but he didn’t know enough about it to be offended. He’d been called as bad or worse by his own people anyway.

  “That’s rather rude to say in front of our guest,” Sunlight pointed out, drawing Shari’s attention to Fletcher who was only now being set down by the [Ogre].

  “O-oh, sorry, Mr. Anders. I didn’t realize—”

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Fletcher assured him as he attempted to subtly lean against the nearest wall for some support. He’d assumed that the conversation with Minister Vi’le would be private, but if the Prime Minister wanted a committee involved, he wasn’t going to complain. All he really cared about was that it was fast so he could go seek out the school’s nurse to get something for his sore head and ribs. “What did you need to speak with me about, Minister?”

  “First things first, let’s get you patched up,” Vi’le said.

  “Oh no. I’ll be fine. I’ll go see Nurse Gabby after this.” Fletcher waved a hand to dismiss the concerns.

  As kind of an offer as it was, the Treaty forbade medical treatment between the two peoples. Humans cared for Humans, and Unhumans cared for Unhumans as a safety mechanism to keep any more of the atrocious experiments done during the wars under the guise of “medical care” from repeating themselves.

  “I’m not allowed to help him anyway, sir,” Shari concurred.

  “Ah, right. We should make that official. Mr. Anders, remind me of your middle name.” The [Goblin] glanced at him.

  Remind…? Fletcher couldn’t recall ever giving it in the first place.

  Vi’le continued to stare, so Fletcher answered.

  “Sebastian.”

  “Fletcher Sebastian Anders?” Vi’le confirmed.

  He nodded, still unsure why the [Goblin] needed that information.

  “Shari, Sunlight, you two will be the witnesses.” Vi’le straightened the tunic he wore and cleared his throat. “As a Prime Minister of the Unhumans, I, Vi’le, son of Wha’le, declare you, Fletcher Sebastian Anders, an official citizen of the peoples of Mythia, bringing with it the same rights and duties as any Unhuman citizen.”

  Many of the Unhumans who were being treated gasped, but Knarf and the two witnesses seemed entirely unbothered. Fletcher was with the former group and completely baffled.

  “I-I… What?” he stammered. It wasn’t that easy, right? This one [Goblin] couldn’t just declare him an Unhuman citizen without his consent.

  “The paperwork was filed for it weeks ago. The speech is just a formality to make it ‘official’ by the book. Normally we’d have done with a little more ceremony, but the deities have their own ways. Now, Shari, if you wouldn’t mind.” The [Goblin] motioned to Fletcher.

  The [Elf] walked up to him as Knarf helped lower him to sit on the floor.

  “This may be a bit uncomfortable,” he warned as he placed his hands on Fletcher’s head. He then closed his eyes and, in a quiet voice, said, “[Heal].”

  The next thing Fletcher knew, his entire skull was on fire. He groaned, but it lasted only a few seconds before Shari released him. As the heat dissipated, he found that his thoughts were clear once more and that the headache was gone.

  “Thanks,” Fletcher breathed as he wiped some of the sweat from his brow. Even the broken nose was healed or rather [Healed].

  “My pleasure,” the [Elf] replied with a smile.

  Fletcher moved to push himself back off the floor with a wince. Shari had only taken care of his head, and his chest still throbbed with each breath.

  “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize there was more. Let me take care of that,” the [Elf] apologized as he pushed Fletcher back down. “Is it your chest?”

  “Just a few sore ribs. I’m fine,” Fletcher said, grabbing the man’s hands before they could start unbuttoning his shirt. With the concussion cured, he was suddenly a lot more concerned about what Minister Vi’le had to say to him, especially after doing something as drastic as giving him the same citizenship as Unhumans.

  “Mr. Anders,” the Prime Minister chided.

  Since Fletcher was sitting, he had to look upwards to meet the [Goblin]’s pink eyes, and he recognized that this was not the time for any kind of argument, so, with a nod, he released Shari’s hands. He then undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt just as the [Elf] wanted.

  Shari placed his freezing cold hands on Fletcher’s bare, bruised chest and again closed his eyes to repeat the process as before. The [Skill] activated, and the burning sensation encompassed his entire torso for several seconds. Once Shari was finished, the discomfort and pain all went away, leaving him a little more sweaty but in as good of condition as when he first came to the meeting.

  “Thanks, again,” Fletcher said as he sat up a little taller. This was a nice perk about being an Unhuman citizen, but he wasn’t sure he was going to like the price of it all.

  “Now that you’re finally in condition for a proper chat…” Minister Vi’le summoned his attention once again. “I would like to speak with you about your new job.”

  Fletcher chuckled weakly. “Ah, well I’m not quite sure we managed to convince them to take the program full-time after all.”

  “Of course not. Alcett Academy for Unhuman Education will be lucky to remain open even during the summers, but that’s due to the Humans, not us,” Vi’le said. “I’m talking about the one you were chosen for a month ago, Chief Administrator of the Bren’it’p Education Program.”

  “Chief Administrator? Bren’it’p? I’m sorry, Minister Vi’le, but I have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about. I haven’t heard a word of any of this.” Fletcher shook his head.

  Bren’it’p was one of the largest Unhuman cities in the world, settled deep in Mythia, the part of the world which was originally Unhuman. He’d been on the fence about taking a position a few hours outside of Alcett, so taking one that was literally on the other side of the planet was out of the question. That deep in Unhuman territory, he was bound to finally run across someone who would [Sniff] him out for what he was or a Hex Cloud or some other trouble.

  “Of course not. That’s why I’m here, to inform you.” Vi’le stated that like it was obvious, but Fletcher had never heard of a Prime Minister making a special trip to offer a Human a job. “Li’lic speaks of her time in your classroom often. All the Unhumans you’ve ever taught give you the same glowing review.”

  Li’lic?

  Fletcher could see the family resemblance now that he knew to look for it.

  “You were an obvious choice for the position, and today’s incident only cements it. You’ll be overseeing every aspect of the program and training the Unhuman teachers. Part of education is learning to continue the cycle on our own, and you will be helping facilitate that transfer,” the [Goblin] continued.

  Fletcher blinked several times in disbelief, wondering if Shari had actually cured his concussion. This couldn’t be real, right? He was far from qualified to oversee an entire education program. “Um, wow. That’s an incredible offer, but—”

  “It’s not an offer,” Vi’le cut him off.

  “Then… what is it?” Fletcher asked slowly.

  Sunlight smiled, stepping in to explain. “Fletcher, jobs in Unhuman culture are handled differently than Human. When we find the best candidate for a position, they take the job. It’s considered a duty of the citizen to accept any position they are deemed worthy of.”

  “And since I’m now a citizen, I’m expected to do the same,” Fletcher filled in for her. “I see.” That was a tricky way of forcing his hand. But shouldn’t he at least have to agree to becoming a citizen first? Something inside said that there was more to this than they were letting on.

  “Very good. The details of dual citizenship and expectations while living in Bren’it’p will be handled through the Alcett Embassy,” Minister Vi’le said. “Any questions?”

  “It’s not really a question, but more of a statement. I’m not qualified for this position in any way.” Fletcher felt that it was his duty to be honest about what he could and could not do well. Teaching? He was pretty good at it. Not being a bigot? Also one of his strengths. Running an education program with untrained teachers from an entirely different species? Nope. Not something he had the skill set for in the slightest.

  Minister Vi’le laughed. “Do you know how many candidates we discussed? How many background checks we ran? You weren’t chosen at random. But I’ll try to show you why it was you specifically.” He motioned to the room. “Where is the nearest Human?”

  Fletcher shrugged. “The auditorium I guess. It’s not like I have [Sense Human] as a [Skill] or anything.”

  “Are you afraid right now, Mr. Anders?”

  “No. Of course not. Why would I be?”

  “And what was the cause of the fight you just got in?”

  “Some guy was being a jerk to a good friend of mine. What is your point, Prime Minister?”

  “You don’t see it.” Minister Vi’le was smiling, but Fletcher did not understand the joke.

  “The point? No. I just said that.”

  “No. You don’t see the difference between us and Humans. You are one of the very few of your kind who treat Unhumans the same as your own species.” The [Goblin] was more emphatic now. “It is rare to find someone like you, and given your passion for education and your skill in teaching, you were the most obvious choice.”

  “Thank you,” Fletcher said hesitantly. He still didn’t like that he was being forced to take this job, but right now was not the time to argue about it.

  “Madam Sunlight has all the details about the position. Why don’t you go get checked out by your Human doctor? I’m sure you have a lot to process.”

  “Yeah. Okay. Thanks, uh, for the [Healing] and everything,” Fletcher said as he stood. Sunlight offered her usual warm smile, and everyone else in the hallway grinned like this was the best news they’d heard all day. They all really thought this was just great for him, but no one seemed to realize that this could be the end of his life as he knew it. Not to mention that he was going to have to find a way to explain all this to his dad. Needless to say, the day had not gone how he originally planned.