They checked the hour on their band ids whilst the students that had proceeded them into class smirked. It's just made eight. I could have sworn the bell sounded five minutes back.

"I took the liberty of requesting classes let in five minutes early. Principle Fireside didn't object." He nodded toward the card table set up along the wall at the side of the room nearest to the door. "Help yourselves to coffee or juice. You'll need all the energy you can get as I expect you to remain lucid through this exam. Exhaustion is not a valid excuse for failure to complete the test."

Anthemone, Cal, and the other latecomers breathed mute sighs of relief and helped themselves to styrene cups steaming coffee or icy melon juice. Anthemone opted for the juice, knowing she'd need to keep her head firmly in the present if she had any hope at all of passing. I did decently on the last exam. I can do that twice.

She and Cal took their seats behind Suzu, who was a year ahead in the sciences, and behind Guiren who'd helped Anthemone study for her maths exam all year to great effect. I'll get him something nice for Christmastime. That decided, Anthemone finished off her juice and prayed she wouldn't have to pee before she came to the bonus questions.

Once all had settled, Tanaka returned to the frontmost position in the class.

"Your exam has been pre-loaded onto your data consoles. All network connections have been temporarily disabled. Any attempt to engage them or initiate another will result in an immediate failing grade for this exam and a non-negotiable suspension of no less than two weeks. You may access your consoles by wirelessly uplinking your band ids or inputting your fingerprint if you have neglected to bring your ids to class. Are there any questions?"

The underachieving whiz kid himself raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Potenza."

"How long do we have?"

Instructor Tanaka folded his hands in front of him, smiling faintly. "As long as you need. If there's nothing more, you may begin."

...

Anthemone stumbled out of her second class of the day feeling numb from the neck up. Biology had been brutal despite her efforts to prepare. She thought she'd done all right. I didn't fail. Let's see how well I pulled that off. Sitting through a two-hour lecture on vectors directly afterward had sent her overtaxed brain into freefall.

I need sugar, carbs, caffeine, and all the fatty food I can swallow. Greenhouse don't fail me now.

Anthemone made a long overdue stop at her locker to dump her book bag and sweater and retrieve her statistical calculator. Balmain insisted on low-tech calculations, stating that most of them would have the profound misfortune of finding themselves in government service and that they should be prepared for the world of making do.

She's a real picker-upper.

Having gathered what she needed, Anthemone tromped back to the greenie for sustenance.

She patted Guiren on the back as she passed him at his locker. "How about that bio test?"

"I've blocked it from my memory."

"You, too?"

"Is my brain leaking out of my ears? I've been checking since ten because I feel wrung out."

"Same deal here. I'm heading to lunch. Stop by the green space if you get bored with your club meeting."

"Thanks for the invite."

"It's whatever. Offer's always open." Anthemone had seen Guiren at his network programming; he was a god among binary code who would surely rule the world before age twenty. Also hella good at maths. Mall is the only student in school better.

"Nice." Guiren seemed to think something over. "Ay, An. Got you something."

"What for?"

"I don't know. Something called a birthday. Normal people celebrate those, right?"

"What's normal about me?"

"I plead the Fifth, which only you would know about because nobody else reads the old Bill of Rights except..." He waited; she bit her tongue. "Don't leave me hangin'."

"Weirdoes."

"You say 'weirdo' like it's a bad thing. Weirdoes stick together. They also buy awesome gifts." He produced a squat cylindrical package from his locker. It was covered in mint green wrapping paper inscribed with her name in printed silver letters. She took it from him and was surprised by how heavy it was for its size.

"What is it?"

He cocked his head, a lock of spiked hair falling into his face.

"Maybe not what you want, but what you need."

"You don't have to insert postulates into everything."

"Logical propositions are the basis of all concrete knowledge. I don't need to add what's already here."

"If I take my gift and leave now, will you promise to leave axiom schemas out of our next conversation?"

"If not A, then not B."

"I'm out of here."

"You're welcome," he sang.

Anthemone stomped off, not altogether upset, really, just famished beyond belief.

On arriving in the courtyard, Anthemone tried to spot Cal at a distance. The red halo of hair is a pretty reliable giveaway. She wasn't anywhere to be seen at first glance.

We've got the LAXers playing co-ed pickup by the trans-port. The ruggers playing pickup over a cupcake. The Bikers standing guard over the bike rack and promising murder to anybody that damages the wheels. These are my people. The only ones missing was an assembly of the Junior Historians League. They usually met up in the library, more content to huddle among scrolls borrowed from Belleton and out-of-town museums and private collections than gather in the light of day. Yep, those are my people.

Efram had been—was one of her people as well. Now that the first half of her day was done, there was little to distract her from what she'd seen this morning. Not to mention, what she'd been told. None of it added up to the pictures that continued to flicker behind her eyelids hours after she'd drunk sweet tea with her breakfast to dull them.

Did I see what I thought did? It might have been a dream after all. Or castoff from Dad or my own wicked imagination turning up with its typical impeccable timing.

Anthemone scraped her nails over the slick paper covering Guiren's present. If there's peace of mind in this box, I'll marry him.

With infinite care, she dismantled the architectural folds holding the decorative paper in place. A cautious tug to start. The gradual slide of a winged section of chevron-patterned green. Folds became angles became planes until the whole operation came undone in a flick of the wrist. She stuffed the paper into her bag to examine the small hatbox.

Inside was a hand-sized chunk of violet amethyst crystal, raw and unpolished, unrefined by human hands save for the effort it took to cull. Amethyst is believed to have a calming effect on heightened emotions. The jerk did something right.

Anthemone felt the shove two seconds before she saw it.

"Nice rock, Mangle-nault!" Tillerman Head cracked up at his own shitty joke, intentionally slapping her on the back so hard she stumbled and lost her grip on Guerin's gift to her.

Anthemone lunged to catch the raw amethyst crystal before it crashed and shattered into jagged splinters on the concrete. Her boots slipped on the sidewalk, sending her tumbling singlehandedly onto the ground. The shock of the impact raced up her left wrist. Fuck me. Fuck. ME. I saw that coming and that just made it worse.

Cradling the amethyst to her chest, she eased onto her knees to inspect the damage. The rock's fine. Me on the other hand... Her palms were scraped from the fall and the friction of the crystal's sharpest edges. No blood, I don't think. She blinked back tears of shock anyway. Being the target of neuro-supremacists wasn't some new phenomenon where she was concerned, but they'd been more discreet about their disdain when there was still a chance she might be one of them. Joke's on all of us; I still might be. Not that that'd make this asshole dislike me any less. Today was her birthday; everybody knew. She was a nothing.

Anthemone lifted her eyes from wounds to a pair of brown legs approaching. Khadijah crouched on the ground beside her, her expression a potent combo of rage and protectiveness.

"The day Fireside disbands that shitty team will be the best day, I swear." She eyed Anthemone's bruised palms. "Need a hand, An?"

"Could do with two." Anthemone shrugged.

"I'll get the rock. Up and at 'em." Khadijah levied her off her knees by her forearms, taking a second to grab the crystal once Anthemone was stable on her feet.

Just when Anthemone thought she might be able to move past her problems, she was reminded why she couldn't. Anthemone had become the bruised-up center of attention for most of lunching student body—including Hart Magnussen, master archer, girls' LAX captain, and maybe, just maybe the love of Anthemone's short life.

For Hart Magnussen had called a halt to gameplay on the side yard to watch the Tillerman's dickhead move play out, and she looked PO'd.

"Okay, Manigault!" she enquired across the green.

Anthemone bit down on her anxiety at all the eyes fixed on her. "Mm, yeah, it's all good."

"Liar," Khadijah hissed under her breath.

"My lie to tell."

"Save me from brave year-tens," she muttered sotto voce. "I've got her, Mags!" she called out to the captain.

Hart answered with a cautious nod.

"Let's go inside. I don't trust those idiots in front of a captive audience. Captive being the operative word."

"Best idea I've heard all day."

...

Calgary stormed into the greenie four minutes into the lunch period to find Anthemone and Khadijah comparing notes Instructor Principio's ethics midterm.

"What the fuck happened out there?"

Anthemone was too sore to play dumb. "Idiots being idiots, so basically what you'd expect from boy LAXers."

"Where were the monitors? Thay're s'ppos'd ta keep tha from gon' on."

"All right, calm down. You're turning into a leprechaun."

Calgary wagged an admonishing finger at her.

"Don' chu start with me."

Anthemone and Khadijah shared a look.

"As much as it pains me to give a tenner credit, she's right. You sound like you're chasing a rainbow. Breathe deep and have a seat."

"They tried to hurt my friend," Cal ground out through gritted teeth, each word visibly painful to enunciate. "I saw you fall, An. I didn't see him push you. I'm sorry. I was just catching up with Instructor Balmain."

Anthemone latched onto the promise of a new subject. "About your final project? What'd she say?"

"Hold on, are year tens even allowed to think about that yet?" Khadijah glowered.

"Cal's advanced," Anthemone gloated, knowing it would get her goat and drive her nuts.

"You're both babies. Slow down; I'm aging at twice the speed of light sitting next to the two of you. Later, children." Khadijah departed once she'd favored Anthemone with a conciliatory pat on the shoulder.

Calgary took her spot in the opposite iron seat and leaned over the table to scrutinize Anthemone more closely. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Anthemone sucked down her pulpy fruit juice through a straw, using the extra time to chew.

"An?"

She averted her gaze from Cal's narrowed eyes to search for more combative LAXers in the area. I'll be damned if I let 'em get the drop on me again.

"I'm better than all right. I'm flawless like a diamond." Anthemone swept her fluffy hair back behind her ears. Falling had thrown it into disarray and she wasn't up to the maintenance at the moment.

"Doubt that. But it's obvious you didn't hit your head since you sound exactly as out of your mind as you usually do."

Anthemone pinched her. "Rude."

"Honest, though," Cal giggled. Then, she sobered. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"And I'm sorry I was. We're both upset about stuff we couldn't have known to change. It's dumb; let's stop."

"Like it's that easy?"

"I'm making a motion that it should be that easy. All in favor?" Anthemone raised her hand, squinting at her best friend in a pointed fashion until Calgary lifted a reluctant hand of her own. "Good. All opposed?" Cal raised her other hand. "One vote per member. The motion carries."

"So corrupt."

"I'm a product of the system. Can't be helped."

"Well, if any more of those pieces of crap bug you, you let me know, and I'll deal with them."

"You being expelled for violent lashing out is the worst birthday present I've gotten so far."

"Speaking of shitty presents, why'd they get on you today? 'S not like you're the only Regular in the place. We're not specialized like that."

Anthemone wasn't enough of an egotist to believe she was the only student to be singled-out. This was the status quo visited on her for a change. I don't know how the rest deal with this day in and day out. I don't get why the people in charge refuse to do something about it. What I went through was far from the worst of it. Far from even the worse she'd seen in her years at Keyworth-Day.

Anthemone scrubbed at a grass stain tinging the hem of her romper. "I was opening a birthday present. Must have pissed them off that somebody might bother celebrating not coming out like them."

Cal sat silent for a beat. "So the plot thickens. What'd you get and who from?"

Anthemone produced her bright crystal. "Amethyst rock."

Cal took it in hand, weighing its heft, scrutinizing the craggy hardened surface that characterized its transparent crest and the undifferentiated opaque facet that made up its base.

She whistled in appreciation. "You've got a chevron amethyst. It would have needed lots of iron to bring out a color this rich, and you can see the white quartz here at the bottom. And look at the clarity. You must have some kind of secret admirer." She handed the rough-cut stone back to her, and Anthemone packed it inside its box for safekeeping.

"Is there anything you don't know?"

"Loads; I'm not the family crystal expert. You know Mum's into mysticism. Psycho-tourists love a talisman so she buys in bulk and sells out every trip."

"Regulars really think that's how the other half lives?"

"Makes us seem more alien."

"Like a freak show," Anthemone contributed, swallowing back a gush of nauseating bile. I can't win.

"More like a sideshow, yeah, just not that scary either way. Maybe that's all to the best. Circus acts don't get shipped off to war. We get left behind to build weapons and lay tarot for traveling soldiers. There might be some surviving that."

It didn't save my Uncle Skaggs any.

"Knowing my mom, she'd sign up to help."

Cal's face colored. "Ah, shit, An, I'm sorry. I forgot about your mum's brother. She still thinks she'll find him? After all this time?"

"She hopes she will, but she doesn't talk about it because my dad gets that look on his face. She hates the look." The mixture of thin-stretched patience and pity. Then again, Orion Manigault had been a footman in the very war that claimed his brother-in-law. He never thought there was much to fondly recall about it or those who'd fought on its killing fields.

"Mum and Ma used to have knockdown fights about them assisting the International Seer League at the UN."

"Let guess: Fatima thinks it's the right thing to do. Tabitha thinks it's the wrong one."

"She thinks it's the dangerous one. She won't say why."

"I tend to trust the mystic."

"Ma does, too. That's why she hasn't gone in years of bein' asked. Said it doesn't smell right."

"But it feels wrong to say no."

"Doesn't it?

Anthemone thought about the pull she felt to listen when given orders. Refusing was simple enough when the person doing the asking wasn't in authority. But when they were, Anthemone often felt she might break out in hives. No matter how stupid, I think about doing it just to have it done with.

"I guess it does."

Cal hummed. Her expression said she'd turned inward to think. "It's the weirdest thing."

Sensing that her friend needed a minute with her own thoughts, Anthemone returned to the mystery of her dream.

I can't solve the problems of the world quite yet; I'll stick to my own in the meantime. Am I right about this being more than it seems? It was one dream. One dream does not a seer make. It wasn't unheard of for a Regular to exhibit one prophetic or projective event in a lifetime. The stories were legion; flashes that warned of automobile crashes or sudden explosions, a beloved voice saying 'don't cross the street' when an erstwhile driver failed to heed the traffic signals.

Could somebody have foreseen this? They must have there wouldn't have been a blast to begin with.

Anthemone turned to the only reliable source of seer predictions in North America, the online Prophet Pages. She keyed up the bookmarked page on her tablet and began to read the latest.