Weeks passed.

Furniture arrived. The house became a home as the small, important decorative items made their way to their new spots on shelves and tables. Neighbours and locals introduced themselves, all eager to know more about the new family who'd been escorted in by an Elite in uniform. For the most part, Miela accepted their welcomes with a smile and an invite inside for a milkshake, but there were a few that, Athira noticed, the door remained blocked to.

This school was far, far larger than the one they'd attended before. There were enough students that Colour control classes were divided by Colour and skill. Athira's advanced Purple class was small, and she was quickly able to figure out where her skill level was supposed to be, though, at Sima's suggestion, kept herself at the top of the group's ability level. The instructors proved to be somewhat helpful to correct the few, minor faults in her control.

There was new content, too. Unlike the previous two years where Athira had been significantly ahead of the rest, she was now presented with new information by teachers with minds that held concepts Athira was eager to learn. She'd read some of it in the books at the previous school, content that'd been brought in by Sima, but it was different seeing it in practice. They did experiments, they were shown the inner workings of the Colour-vessel system. Though Athira knew she'd never understand concepts purely from the hands-on approach, it was different and refreshing and she loved it.

The only problem she had was the uniform. Without her cloak, she felt exposed, like anyone could look at her and know what she was hiding--the Colour that she was never quite sure about.

Still, by the end of the first week, she had one or two people she'd tentatively call friends, Zoe and Raph aside. One was an Orange who'd insisted Athira call him 'Rocket' for reasons that apparently didn't exist, and the other was a girl who didn't seem to have a Colour. On her way to Colour control, she always saw her sitting under a tree, scribbling in a notebook. Athira had a feeling she was a Colourless, though this was the first time she'd ever met one in person.

She caught herself thinking about what she'd say more than once, but there was never a good conclusion. The imaginary conversation usually went something like:

Are you Colourless?

Yes, why?

Oh, nothing. Man, I wish I was Colourless. My Colour is a huge pain.

Well aren't you a jerk.

The last line probably wasn't accurate, but by that line, Athira had given up on staying true to reality as the daydream of being Colourless took over, usually lasting until the stress of her Colour control class was over.

As the fifth week of school ended and Athira waved goodbye to Rocket, there was something else that was about to induce wishes of self-Colourlessness.

Pre-Keeper training.

Zoe was bouncing by the gate, an exasperated Raph beside her as Athira walked up to them.

"Thira!" she said, pouncing into her usual hug. "How was school?"

"About the same as it always is, Zo." Athira glanced to Raph. "What was in your sandwich today?"

"Sala--oh, you don't mean literally," said Raph with a sigh. "Just class. One of my teachers keeps singling me out and trying to catch me when I'm not paying attention. Kids at the back aren't helping, either."

"Would you like us to have a word with them?" asked Zoe, her bouncing halted.

Raph gave her a tired smile. "Nawh. I think they're just a little jealous that the new kid was placed in the advanced Red group straight away. I think the teacher knows about Sima and is assuming I'm some kind of delinquent."

"Just mention I'm the reason Sima's around," said Athira with a shrug. "A merger with abnormal Colour development, so she's sticking around. My Colour control group already thinks I'm some kind of freak. Instructors even checked my bag for booster shots a few times."

"I'll manage," said Raph. "I'm sure it'll go away."

"You just let us know!" sang Zoe. "I can accidentally lazer her questionable hairstyle if necessaryyy!"

Athira had to shield herself from the glow off her skin. "Zo, you're doing the glow thing again."

"Oops!" Zoe stopped and took a deep breath, following the air with a few hand movements that Athira had taught her for meditation. The glow shrank back into her skin, though her irises remained gleaming. "Is that better?"

Athira dropped her hand. "Much."

They stopped for an after-school snack at a small corner store Zoe had spotted earlier in the week, courtesy of Athira's excessive crystallised Colour. The owner turned over the Black crystal a few times before cautiously placing it on his Colourformer pad. Most of the Black drained from the crystal and the payment process flashed completed.

The owner snorted in surprise. "Huh, didn't think that'd work. New kind of vessel?"

"Something like that," said Athira, taking the partially-drained crystal back from the pad. "Testing a few models for the Elites."

"They're using kids to test it?"

"I guess they just figure that if a volatile merger with barely matured Colour can't break it, noone can," said Athira casually, taking their food off the counter and turning her back on the stunned shopkeep. 

Zoe waved back at them. "Bye! We'll probably see you again at some point!" After a few bites of her pastry later, she nodded. "Yep. We're definitely going to see him again. This is amazing."

"You're telling me," said Raph inbetween bites of his own.

They found the place for their pre-Keeper training without any major problems. The streets were laid out in a straight, logical manner and there were enough maps around that any tourist would struggle to get lost, absorbed by a camera or not.

The building wasn't anything spectacular. It was three storeys high and shared walls with the two buildings either side of it, but like every other Elite-funded building, it held to the usual design style with white-grey decor and clean lines.

The trio finished off their food inside the foyer. Athira and Zoe took a seat, content to wait. Raph took the initiative and approached the desk, ringing the bell to alert a five-kilometre radius that they were here, judging by the damned noise it made.

Athira winced. "Maybe if you shake it a little harder, someone halfway across the city will hear, Raph."

"I didn't--" He cut off as a woman in an Elite suit appeared through a doorway and moved behind the desk. "Hi, my name's Raphael. I'm here with Zoe and Athira for the pre-Keeper program?"

"Yes, Sima came in earlier and dropped off the paperwork for you threeeee--" She shuffled around the desk, something that didn't sound extraordinarily tidy. "Ah, here it is. Sorry, first day of term, you know how it is. Okay, so you're a Red, Zoe is a Yellow, and Athira is a Purple, correct?" Raph nodded. "Okay, good. Since Sima's filled out the paperwork as your guardian, you three can follow me through to the training area!"

She showed them where they could place their bags--all secure, she assured them--and led them through to the training area. A fairly large, open space for the inside of a building greeted them, a group of nearly twenty other kids already sitting on the floor that looked up as they entered.

The woman waved them forward. "Go sit with the others. Class starts in about ten minutes, but until then, feel free to talk amongst yourselves. Have fun!"

And with that, she was gone.

Athira followed Zoe's lead as they approached the group, most of which had gone back to talking with themselves. Zoe found a place easily and quickly introduced herself to those nearby, but as Raph sat down behind her, he remained oddly quiet.

Athira leaned over. "What's wrong?"

Raph kept his eyes on the ground. "Few of those kids are from the class I told you about earlier. Two of them and four others I don't recognise but that they're sitting with."

"Maybe you guys will get a chance to work it out, then."

"I doubt that."

Athira smirked. "Then I'll be happy to work it out for them."

Raph's classmates continued glancing in their direction as the ten minutes passed. A few more kids entered the training room, finding friends among the group until their numbers made almost thirty. Most seemed excited, though a few--those Athira assume came with recommendations rather than dreams of Keeper-dom--were quieter, observing their surroundings with careful smiles.

Eventually, two Elites entered. Athira recognised the Purple female from the Elite's opening ceremony last year, but the Blue female was new.

"Hey guys!" said Val. "You might remember me from your Colour maturation ceremonies, but just in case you don't, my name is Val, and I'll be one of your primary instructors here! I'm around most days, but you'll be rotating through different instructors to make sure you get a full, well-rounded idea of what's going on.

"So, I'm pretty sure most of you know what this is, what's going to happen, but just to make sure you're all clear, we're going to run through the basics. This is a course for those fifteen or above--fourteen with recommendations--that have an interest in a career as a Keeper. Keepers work as a team and cover a certain area of the city they're working at. They protect the citizens of their area, investigate Colour anomalies our scanners pick up and generally keep the peace for the day-to-day things as well as patrol the streets at night. One team usually involves all six Colours, at least one of which is an elemental, and yes, there is potential to eventually become an Elite in the future. I myself worked on..."

As Val recounted her own experience on a Keeper team to her wide-eyed audience, Athira couldn't help but think back to their old home. She'd never once seen a Keeper patrol near that neighbourhood. It'd been counted as a part of Sirah's main city, even if it was the outskirts, but shouldn't she have at least been aware of a team responsible for that area?

Val finished the story about her first week as a Keeper and continued on with the course basics.

"If you choose to continue with this program, you'll be able to skip a few years of official Keeper training later, kind of like a fast-track. It'll boost your academic grades if you do well here, though not in your Colour-control classes. Those we use to collect extra data to prepare sessions here.

"You'll be training twice a week in a variety of physical, Colour-based and problem-solving abilties, all of which are important for Keepers to possess. We'll be dividing this group into smaller teams--as close to the real thing as I can manage. You'll work together, and eventually, you'll elect a leader. The curriculum is broken up by terms, but the first year is a single unit, as such. As a team, you'll also be choosing a community project, though that won't be until term two, until your team has had time to bond. If we feel you are incompatible or incapable or meeting standards, we reserve the right to remove you from the program. Are there any questions?"

One of the boys Raph had pointed out earlier raised his hand. "How is the leader elected?"

"By the group," said Val. "They'll be in charge as a leader of a Keeper team would be, and we'll also be keeping an eye on potential candidates. Interesting fact, almost all lead Keepers completed this exact program. Anyone else?"

"Do we choose our groups?"

"No." Val motioned over another Elite carrying a tablet. "As a matter of fact, they've already been assigned. No promises on friends, and there is no swapping unless a clash of Colour is apparent. If there are no more questions, I'll read out the teams and their assigned Elite."

Everyone was too eager to know who they'd be with to raise their hand. Val assigned each team a corner and a number and began reading.

Zoe's name was called first out of the three of them. She was assigned to team two and skipped over to her corner, glow completely out of control once more. Raph was read out as the Red of group four, but as the Green and Blue were called, Athira saw him stiffen. Sure enough, two of the boys stood up. Athira was so focused on them that she almost didn't hear her own name called as the Purple.

"Thira," he said, nudging her with his foot. "C'mon."

They made their way to their corner. Raph folded his arms and stared at the wall, but Athira used the chance to observe the Green and Blue. They were elbowing eachother and snickering, words she couldn't make out--probably for the best. She had a feeling that if she could hear them, she'd have been obligated to knock their legs out from under them and have been removed from the room.

Their assigned Elite was a Red who introduced himself as Noah. Athira was only half-paying attention as he explained that he'd be their group leader, simulating a managing Elite of a Keeper team and their ultimate role in things.

He already knew their names, something that became apparent as he said, "Athira! Why is it important to trust your managing Elite?"

Athira shrugged. "No idea. I wasn't listening."

Noah raised an eyebrow, not amused. "Points for honesty, but pay attention. Trusting your managing Elite is important as they are effectively in charge of ensuring your team has everything it needs and calling for backup if situations arise that your team cannot handle alone. All managing Elites are combat specialists, they just have additional duties."

The Yellow girl raised her hand. "Aren't all Elites combat specialists?"

"Combat trained? Yes. Capable of defending ourselves? Yes. Specialists? No. Some of us are trainers, like myself, some of us are researchers, some are medics, it varies a lot. But!" he said, clapping his hands together. "That's enough talking for now--how about we see what everyone's Colour is capable? Start at the top of the spectrum, everyone gives us their name, a short demonstration, and a quick explanation. Go!"

As Green and Blue continued their smirking, Raph exhaled and took his position, a strong stance Athira had taught him for centering himself when he felt off-balance. His legs slightly bent, he summoned his Red. It dripped from his hands, slowly hardening into a dagger.

"I'm Raphael, Raph for short," he said, grasping the dagger's hilt completely and giving it a few flicks through the air before it lengthened, changing into a slender sword. "I'm a Red, and I specialise in creating and using weaponry and other gadgets. Still learning the more intricate ones, but if the Colour breaks from the main mass, like a projectile, I lose my control over it." To emphasise his point, he formed a crossbow and fired a gentle bolt at the floor that quickly evaporated into the air.

A few claps from around the group. Orange and Yellow didn't have anything particularly unusual--the ability to control any inanimate object upon touching it and a partial control over electricity respectively--but when it came to Green, Athira resisted the urge to backhand him with a tendril.

Green's name was Liam, and he could change the density of the extremities of his body--anything that didn't encapsulate a crucial organ, but he could also pass it onto objects he touched for a short period of time.

"The cool thing about this is that I can counter most Reds," said Liam. "For example, can I have a demonstration piece, Raph? Even if you can't let go of it, it should be good enough for what I have in mind."

Raph, to his credit, formed a small dagger and held it out without so much as a blink. Liam placed his almost see-through hand on the dagger. Cracks ran through the Red surface as the Colour broke apart, and Liam removed his hand triumphantly, leaving Raph with a puddle of Red he quickly dismissed.

Liam raised his hands and grinned. "See! Useless! Not to mention, I'm also an elemental." He proved the point by levitating water from the contained in the corner and maneuvering it over their heads. When it reached Raph's, Athira was ready to catch the water if Liam suddenly 'lost control', but he was busy showing off and it passed by without incident.

Blue didn't help cool the ember flaring in Athira's chest either. As he ran through his demonstration-- the usual basic runing ability with speciality in binding runes of all kinds--he walked over to the wall and placed his hand upon it, leaving behind a binding etching. He also asked Raph for a demonstration, but claimed he only needed Raph's hand against the rune.

"And," said Blue, aka Jake as Raph placed his hand on the rune. "I don't even have to maintain contact with my Colour for it to be useful! Observe!"

The group turned to Raph, whose hand was now fused to the wall. No matter how he pulled or morphed his Red, the rune remained firmly attached to his skin, pulling it taut.

"Good demonstration," said Noah, brow creasing as Jake made no move to free Raph. "But Raph was a willing participant, and that should be honoured by releasing him once your point has been made."

"He won't have to," said Athira, cutting off Jake as that lazy, infuriating smile curled his lips. "It's my turn now."

She strode up to the wall, ignoring the frustrated gleam of tears in Raph's eyes stubbornly watching the wall. With one hand, she curled a soft tendril around his wrist and dug part of it into the wall, surrounding the rune entirely. The Black closed in, dissolving the Blue binding Raph's hand. His release was accompanied by a small gasp that she liked to think was Jake.

"My name is Athira, and my Colour is Purple," she said, the well-practiced words feeling almost true as she turned back. She flicked her gaze between Liam and Jake. "I'm a volatile merger, so my Colour is a little... unstable. I can remove things created by other's Colour. For example, runes or anything shifted. I can levitate things with my Colour," she said, demonstrating by pulling Liam's watch straight through his wrist and into her palm. He clutched his wrist as she held it out back to him. "And I can also pass myself and other things through physical mediums."

She waved her arm through the wall as the Orange said, "Can you move through people, too?"

Athira pretended to consider the question. "Sometimes. It doesn't always work, though. I could try, but someone would have to be willing to try it."

Jake snorted. "I'll volunteer. I'll even shift my arm density for you, make it a little easier."

"Okay then, if you say so," said Athira.

She lined up her palm with his outstretched wrist.

Her Black-covered palm came down with an almighty smack, straight on the soft part of Jake's forearm, who shouted and hopped away, clutching his entirely-physical arm.

"Whoops," said Athira. "Guess it didn't work that time."

Class was fairly uneventful after that.

An hour and a half later they were finished, all well and truly introduced, though Liam and Jake's dislike of Raph only seemed to grow stronger. Noah seemed to have caught onto it, but aside from a disapproving frown, he didn't take action, and it was driving Athira insane the way that Raph just seemed to take it.

The walk home saw an awkward silence after Zoe's initial excitement babble about her group and how awesome they were. Athira wasn't going to tell Raph how he handled his problems, but neither was she going to approve of his 'sit there and take it' method.

Eventually, he said something. "You've never been able to pass through other people yourself, have you, Athira?"

"Nope," said Athira with a satisfied smirk.

The corner of Raph's lips tweaked. "Thanks for that."

*+*+*+*

A/N - This was longer than I was expecting. Hopefully it didn't drag on XD 

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