“I, like, can’t believe you beat up Faraji! He was suuuuper annoying!” Kara says, scooping a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, her nose wrinkling the instant they come into contact with her mouth. Liv watches with pride and an awkward smile, prodding at her own pile of mashed potatoes. After the tests, Liv had found herself with a copious amount of time on her hands while, in kind, having a veritable lack of responsibility. When Kara had asked her if she wanted to get food, she practically jumped at the opportunity.

  Originally, Kara had planned on going out somewhere nice for lunch; though, that plan quickly fell apart when she learned Liv had no money to her name. Now Liv finds herself sat across from Kara in the Initiative’s near empty mess hall, the stale air unperturbed by noise. The food, while free, wasn’t exactly amazing, more-so a sludge of sustenance than anything culinarily impressive.

  Kara sighs dreamily, a small frown forming on her face as she looks down at the foul concoction. “You’re, like, totally crazy."

  "Hm?" Liv questions.

  "Crazy, yknow?" Kara clarifies. "But, like, in a good way! Your scores gonna blow mine out of the water."

  “I dunno ‘bout that.” Liv says, shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes in her own mouth. Sustenance was sustenance, and she’s eaten far worse. She waits for a moment before swallowing, the flakey sludge running down her throat. “I ain’t in the know ‘bout nothin’ in this place, but I reckon yer score can’t be all that low if ya got a win.”

  “I lost to a newbie. If that doesn't bomb my score, I dunno what will.” Kara mumbles, reluctantly pushing another spoonful of potato in her mouth, her eyes downcast. “Totally unfetch.”

  Liv cocks her head to the side, her brows furrowing as she drops her spoon. “What does that… Mean?”

  “Whuzzat?” Kara hums, turning her eyes up to Liv.

  “That, err… Fetch sayin’.” Liv says, pushing her tray to the side as her hands come to clasp together, her arms resting on the table as her voice drops to a slightly embarrassed whisper. “I reckon yer not talkin’ ‘bout the ‘catch’ meanin’, but I dunno if yer talkin’ ‘bout ‘cause ain’t much of a reader… So what’s it mean?”

  “Ohhhhhhh!” Kara’s eyes light up as she sits up, a coy smile spreading across her face as she spreads her arms out, her hands jittering in a “tada” motion. “It’s a thing I'm, like, totes trying to make a thing. It’s basically means, like, cool and awesome.”

  “Why wouldn’t she just use cool?” Her boss’ voice rings through her head, a sentiment matching Liv’s. Is it not already a thing, or is that another turn of phrase? Liv asks the latter part.

  "Well," Kara starts, her spoon toppling over a particularly large pile of potatoes, "think about it. If you, like, hear someone say something all the time, you're gonna think about them when you hear the word? Fetch is, like, dead. So if it catches on, people are gonna think of me when they hear it! It's genius."

  “That’s fetch, I s’pose.” Liv says, the word feeling strange coming from her mouth. Still, the bright smile that spreads across Kara’s face makes the awkward words feel just a bit more natural.

  Kara giggles, allowing her hands to fall to her lap, her tray of potatoes forgotten. “Keep doing that and it’s totally gonna catch on.” She muses, her body swaying side to side happily, her hands drumming her lap to a tune all her own. The two continue to talk on this and that, from their city experiences to the tests that led up to their current predicament. Eventually, a thought crosses Liv’s mind, a stray contemplation that she latches onto.

  “Ya talked ‘bout yer last go ‘round, plus George said ya were ‘reearning yer certification’. What’s all that about?” She inquires, the question innocent in nature.

  Not taken as such, it seems, as Kara’s face pales, her hands tensing as her smile drops. Liv blinks, sweat forming on her brow, a chill going down her spine at the complete 180. Her mind wanders to Donovan and that whole fiasco, her stomach knotting up. Was that not ok to ask? With the gift of hindsight she can see how that could be misconstrued.

  She quickly adds, “I-if yer ok with that! Sorry, I ain’t good at all this social stuff-!”

  “No, it’s ok! I was, like, just caught off.” Kara interjects, a hand running through her pink hair. She looked shaken,a small frown cresting her face, her eyes hazed over as if she was looking someplace distant. She tightens her grip on her hands, sweating further as her lips twitch. After a moment of deliberation, she sighs, her shoulders shrugging with resignation. “I guess its, like, nothing. You'll, like, hear it anyway later down the line..."

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  Liv's brows furrow in confusion, her head tilting to the side. She watches as Kara works her jaw, sweat pouring down her face like a river. She looked like she could keel over at any moment, but Liv couldn't piece it together.

  “Alright.” Kara responds, taking a deep breath in and out, Liv's attention rapt as as Kara continues, “It was a few years ago. Me and a few of my friends were fresh off testing, excited for the future n' stuff. We were, like, pretty strong together. Teamwork junk." Her tone is wistful, longing for days long past. "I was the strongest, technically... Just the highest score: top ten, actually. That made me a 'promising candidate', or something." She says, a clear spark of pride in her voice as she speaks about her score.

  Liv nods, watching as Kara's jaw goes tense once more, her melancholy fading. Liv wasn't good at reading people, but even she could feel the malice rolling of Kara in droves like a wave of fog closing in. It made her nervous, like she was in danger.

  "We all did good, good enough to get picked by some top five douchebag” Kara says as her fists clench, her arms shake, her brows furrowing as her face contorts in anger. “He was a stupid liar who tricked me and everyone else into thinking he was cool.” She damn near growls, her teeth on edge as she talks. Her entire body is tense, her shoulders shaking. She takes a deep, shuddering breath, her voice steady as she speaks.

  "He wanted to be popular, wanted to be on the top. Since me and my friends were all promising, he dragged us to Strata's over and over again. As the 'Second in Command', I had, like, some sway... But I didn't have the will to fight back." She murmurs. "Thought he was gonna be popular anyway, and going against that would ruin me. So I followed his stupid, stupid plans. We, like, worked ourselves to the bone trying to keep up. He didn't care, though. He only wanted the attention...."

  Kara visibly controls herself, her throat bobbing in a vain attempt to control her infernal rage. "On a stupid mission, one that hardly even mattered, we found a secret challenge in one the Strata's. We were already so beat, but he told us we should keep going for glory. Since he pushed, we all went in." She says, her face visibly red as she continues, tears pricking her eyes. "It was easy at first, but we were already so beat. When a strong Demon came down, we didn't have the energy to fight."

  Liv feels her stomach plummet, her eyes visibly widening, a bead of sweat running down the ridge of her brow. A small flash of her mother pops in her mind, though the blurry memory is quelled as soon as it comes.

  "It tore through us," Kara continues, "and I couldn't do anything to stop it. That coward was scared to die, so he grabbed me and ran out on my friends. We managed to escape... But they didn't. He gave up on the initiative after that, but I didn't. Because when i get popular enough, I'll come back for him, and I'll ruin his life for ruining mine." By the end of her sentence, she's spitting through her teeth, her hand slamming on the table to punctuate her point. Tears openly pour down her face, her brows furrowed, the wound inflicted festering with residual hate.

  After a moments more silence, Kara clears her throat, her face still visibly puffy as she gives an awkward laugh. "Jeez; I'm, like, really sorry for all that. Sorry for killing the mood!" She says, picking up her tray. "I'll, like, get out of your hair now. I've got some stuff to do anyway." Her voice slowly gets quieter as she retreats, vanishing through the doors.

  Liv stands as well, her hand coming down to grip her tray. She looks down at the pile of mashed potatoes, her appetite gone entirely. She felt like she just learned some forbidden secret, one that would get her in a lot of trouble...

  “I believe it advisable to avoid challenges in Strata’s.” Her boss advises as Liv walks through the mess hall. Liv agrees, though she doesn't find the resolve to respond.

  She finds her way to the stairs, slowly making her trek upward; however, she’s halted halfway by a strange noise. It’s light, almost airy, yet strong enough to be heard through the halls and doors that block its path, bouncing off the walls and into Liv’s ears. Her brows furrowed, her curiosity piqued. The door that blocks its path is slightly ajar, revealing the path beyond.

  “Do ya know what that is?” She inquires to her boss mentally, her hand coming to the door, opening it to reveal a nicer hall. Paintings adorn the walls, the floor a shining red carpet. It all smelled of a wood Liv couldn’t quite place, the scent pleasantly tickling her nose. The walls had actual wallpaper, one of the only she's actually seen with small chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Deep brown skirting boards run down the length of the floors, only interrupted by the occasional door.

  “I don’t.” It responds, its voice laced with the faintest hint of curiosity.

  Liv nods in acknowledgement as she finally locates the sound. Behind two, dark oak doors adorned with windows in their center lies a fairly large grouping of people, each holding things Liv’s only ever seen on covers of books, vinyl covers, and plastic cases. Cellos, Violins, Bass’, and woodwinds all playing in a harmonious concert, people slowly swaying in pairs in the middle, the room lit up by small chandeliers alongside a slit in the room, sunlight bleeding through the crack. The entire room contains lines and lines of plates stacked with food and small candles, people either dancing slowly or mingling together in opulent outfits.

  Liv looks on at the orchestra, transfixed by the music. She hasn’t ever heard anything like this, and she wants nothing more than to enter. Unfortunately, the door is locked, leaving that world closed completely. With a heavy heart, she leaves, slipping out while closing the door behind her. A loud thunk sounds as it closes, a lock rendering it inaccessible. She slowly makes her way up the stairs, the sound of the music still playing through her mind. Light, airy, and elegant all at the same time. It was beautiful…

  Finally, she makes it back to the accommodations, making her way back to her room. She opens the door, greeted by her room. Wrappers and plastic festoon the floor, dirty clothes thrown around haphazardly across any surface that can hold them. She shrugs, walking past them to her bed, the stuffed penguin sitting with its beady eyes. She lays down, pulling it close to her chest as she relaxes. She would have to visit Anthony again, do some city exploration, but she wanted to do some with Charlotte. She had promised, after all. Until that day, she would simply have to wait until they returned, wait for her results, and wait for the real work to begin.