"Come on, Newb, you really going to let a girl turn you out like that?"

I stop short mid arm twist, leaving the boy beneath me to squirm while I glance up at Serge. "What does me being a girl have to do with anything? I beat up boys all the time in the ring."

Serge claps my shoulder. "You're not in Utopia anymore."

I still didn't see the point. "So?" I shrug one shoulder, whispering a quick apology to the boy when I pull a little too tight on his arm. "Utopia or not I don't see what me being a girl has anything to do with fighting. There are women as strong as men and men as weak as children. What's the big deal?"

Serge does something that surprises me. "I like you." He tells me around a quick smile and nod of his head.

"That's great, can I get up now?" The boy groaned into the blue mat beneath us.

I jumped off of his back, releasing his arm and watch as he rolls onto his back to massage the sore joints. "Can you teach me that?"

I smile, offering him my hand to help him back to his feet. He's about the same height and weight as me, with pale blue eyes and dark hair to his shoulders. "Sure." I smile and he smiles back, relieving me that there wasn't any hard feelings of him getting shown up by a girl. "Stand up straight," I direct and he quickly complies. "and when I throw my arm out to hit you, grab it and pull my wrist towards you while also twisting it slightly." I move slowly, letting him grab me and pull me in. "Good, now as you twist and pull, step to the side so that my weight is thrown forward and you twist my arm at my back while nudging the back of my knee with your so I go down face first."

I hit the mat with an "Oomph." But when I roll over, the boy looks proud of himself and I feel good about it.

"I did it." He grins to himself, sitting back on his knees. "Thanks."

"Name?" Serge snaps, making me jump because I'd forgotten he was there.

"Tam, Sir." The boy nods, raising his chin.

"Go find someone to test that on that doesn't see it coming, Tam." Serge pointed out to the other side of the gymnasium. A long brightly lit room with shiny floors, metal beamed ceilings and dozens of blue mats laid out with Newbs sparring with each other. "Malikah, come with me."

I gulp and jump up beside him, trying to think if I'd ever told him my name before.

"Yes, Sir."

He walks in a march down the long side of the gym, watching the fighters as he goes and I struggle to keep up without running. "How old are you?" He asks without turning around."

"I'm sixteen, Sir."

He stops suddenly and I smack into his back and then jump away, trying not to laugh.

He looks down at me, not looking amused. "Sixteen, huh?"

"Ye-."

He holds out a hand. "That was a rhetorical question."

"A what?"

He places on big hand on his forehead and sighs loudly. "Ugh, Newbs." Then he lowers his hand and glances back down at me. "Look, you've got a lot to learn, and not a lot of time to do it in. From what I've seen you don't need the training in here. How would you feel about doubling up on studies instead of training? I don't want to waste your time in here trying to teach you what you already know when you're a peace maker."

I cross my arms and frown. "No, I want to train. It's fun."

"You're not here to have fun." He quirks an eyebrow. "You're here to become the best Custode you can be. Your life and the life of billions rely on you getting as much out of these six weeks in boot camp as you can."

I badly want to stomp my foot like the little children, but I hold still. "Serge, I'd really like to continue training. I am sure there are things you could teach me." I look up at him under my lashes and he frowns.

"I'll make a deal with you." He tilts his head slightly. "You're going to end up hurting one of these Newbs and that's no good for me. Before you argue it, Samuel over there as a sore leg from that kick you gave him and Allesea hasn't stopped crying yet. She may never come back out." He crosses his arms and I slowly scan the crowd of other Newbs. Sure enough, like he says, the two people I sparred with before Tam are both sitting on the sidelines.

"I can't be the only one who knows how to fight." I groan.

"No, you're not." He agrees with me, then sighs. "But if you were more educated, you'd know that most of these people here are not used to hand to hand fighting like you."

"I don't understand."

"Exactly." He smiles as if I proved his point. "Now back to my deal. You double up on classes, and after dinner twice a week you can train with my special groups. You'll enjoy it, you're less likely to injure one of them, and it will keep you active so you don't get bored. Although I hate to waste it on a peace maker." He raises his brows and looks down at me seriously. "I can't force you to do either, but that is my humble suggestion. If you want to stay here and train with the other Newbs, that's up to you."

I consider my options. It was kind of boring sparring with people I had to be careful with, although it had been fun to teach Tam one of my tricks. My thoughts wondered back to the speeches this morning and all of the different realms and my interest was piqued again.

"Three nights a week." I smile.

"Two."

"Three."

"Deal, get to class."

He points a long arm towards the doors at the back and I jog off and out into the many forking hallways.

About two doors down and two floors up I was almost to the large room that the class with Group B should be when I saw a familiar figure lurking with girl a few yards away. His head was inclined low to hers, his auburn hair glowing in the light of the overhead bulbs.

Oliver.

He and his friend look pretty cozy together as she laughs, smacking him playfully on the shoulder before she turns and heads further up the hall and into a side door. I wonder absently who the girl might be, but quickly remind myself that this fortress is full of people I don't know.

When Oliver turns and sees me, he slaps on a crooked smile. "Hey," He says, walking to meet me. "What are you doing out here?"

I shrug. "I got kicked out of training."

His eyes widen. "Already?" He smiles.

"I'm on double class duty now."

"How'd you manage that? I've been trying to get dismissed from training sessions for years."

"You've been here years?" I ask, stopping in the middle of the hall.

"Two, yes."

"How long will I be here?"

I look into his eyes and he blinks hard, seeming confused at first before he shakes his head and smiles again. "Once you complete boot camp and take your vow, this is where you live. You'd stay here unless there is a disturbance and our team gets called."

"How often does that happen?" I ask a little too eager. I've learned next to nothing about this realm and only actually been out in the world the short walk it took to get here, but I am itching to get out there and see it. I already so tired of being locked up inside all the time.

He looks down at the floor, tapping his foot. "It's been about one hundred and forty years or so since the last big disturbance that called for a lot of us to go together," he says, looking back to me. "We usually get small disturbances about a dozen times a year, but it's been oddly quiet lately. You know we are entering our last one hundred years?"

I'm still too stuck on the whole, dozen times a year, thing. I can't stay cooped up in this place for that long. Are they insane? I have to be doing something. Outside. I don't care how ginormous this place is, it can't have enough going for it to keep me occupied for my whole life.

Obviously seeing my horror, Oliver nudged me with his elbow and then leaned in closer. "I'll let you in on a little secret if you promise not to tell any of the other Newbs. You're not supposed to know or they think you'll all be too distracted."

His smile sparkled in the light and I nodded. "I won't tell."

"I knew you wouldn't." He grins, wide smile taking up his face. "This end of the Hub is pretty boring, right? Nothing but work and training and eating and then sleeping?" I nod, not needing to be reminded of the utter lack of fun this place would hold if I had to live here for years. "This isn't all of it though. There is a shield up separating this side of the Hub, from the other side. Haven't you noticed this half is all laid out in a semi-circle? There is another half. The fun half. You wouldn't believe in most of what's there if I told you, but I promise. There is nothing boring about staying here."

"Ok, good." I say, smiling with him in our little secret.

His eyes seem to shadow slightly and he gets that look again like he's unsure of himself or confused by something. It only last a second before he hides it back. "Also," He lowers his voice even more, leaning in closer to where I can feel his breath near my ear. "Sometimes, we go other places too. But that's our little secret, right Mali?"

"What do you mean other places?" I am instantly intrigued.

He glances up and down the hall, a glimmer of fear in his eyes. "Shush, our little secret." He says again, tucking a hand at the small of my back and leading me forward again. "Go learn about them, then I'll tell you."

I dig in my heels and refuse to move. "Wait, do you mean the other realms?"

"Shush." He puts a finger over his lips. "Don't say anything about it. Now go to class and find me later and I'll explain everything."

He walks me right up to the door, not dropping his hand until we're there.

"I'll find you later?" I say with my hand on the door.

He nods, and as he turns away, he almost looks sad. "Later." He agrees, putting on a smile as he goes.

I squeeze through the smallest crack in the door I can manage, trying not to draw attention to myself, but of course the door is at the front of the room instead of the back and all efforts were for nothing.

Blushing a little when the instructor stops mid-sentence to look at me.

"Serge sent me." I tell her quietly.

With a curt nod she shooed me to the back of the room.

I hurry for the last row of seats at the back, eager to get out of the center of attention.

"Psst-psst-psst." I look up at where the noise is coming from and found Yael flagging me down to come sit beside him. "What are you doing here?" He whispers to me while keeping his eyes trained at the front of the room.

"Long story, what'd I miss?"

I settle down into my chair, tucking my legs up into the seat with me.

"Nothing you didn't already know," He whispers to me, turning to smile. "No wonder you couldn't sleep in your bed last night."

"Huh?"

He rolls his purple eyes with a smile. "Utopian, right?" He shrugs. "We just wrapped up the discussion on your realm. Mansions full of sunlight, gold and marble everywhere, Goslyn feathered beds...sounds like the life." I frown, looking down at my hands that I expect to see caked with mud, but instead are smooth and clean. "Oh, no..." Yael sighs. "I'm sorry, I didn't know." He gently lays a hand on my knee and pats. "Do you mind me asking what you did?"

I chew the inside of my cheek. "Long story."

He nods, not pushing it. "You've got a lot of those today," He smiles, trying to lighten my mood. "Should you ever find yourself in need of someone to tell them to, I'm you're guy."

I just nod and he turns back to the front.

"So that was Realms one through three," The instructor goes on and I turn to glare at Yael.

"Sorry," He shrugs. "I kind of didn't pay attention to the first two." His guilty smile is too cute to be mad at. "I only listened to the one about you, bestie. The first two were just Casters, some magic doing guys and gals and then Vampires, grumpy people afraid of light and plants-."

"Here." Yael and I jump when Noah, who I hadn't even noticed was sitting in front of us, turns around suddenly, thrusting a piece of paper at me. "Now both of you can it."

She turns back and I lean close to Yael's ear. "Can what?"

"I was hoping you knew." He shrugs, looking over at the paper. "Oh, there, she's got it."

I turn back to the paper, speedily reading over the notes Noah had taken on the realms.

Realm One, Altomosia, Casters:

Neutral formed beings born with the ability to learn magic.

Small realm, harmonic, land covered in hills and huts. Basic day/night intervals.

Casters are born into "Growing Villages" on the edges of the realm.

Magic training takes place from age four until mastered.

Those with strongest magic are inducted to The Holy Circle and live in the Capitol.

Realm Two, Drako, Drinkers:

Dominant race- Drinkers, Prey- Elvectors

Drinkers- strong neutral bodied, fast, long lifespans, pronounced canines

Elvectors- Top half body like man, bottom half animal. Slower, weaker race.

Drinkers survive on life-force found in blood of Elvectors.

Large rocky realm, no vegetation, dirt, or day shift. Moonlit realm only.

"Alright everyone, on to Fairies..."

"Yay, that's me." Yael grins.

I lean forward to give Noah her notes back, trying to imagine a world of only darkness or where I drink the blood of some other race. It gave me the creeps.

"Casters and Fairies and Vamps, oh my." Noah mumbles dryly, readying her pen for more notes.

It was insane.

It was weird.

It was...kind of amazing.

Had someone told me a week ago about Drinkers and Casters and realms I would have punched them and called them loons. But now, all I want to do is learn more. 

**

Who is excited to learn all about the other realms? Next chapter will be an in depth description of each of the seven realms and their varying inhabitants! Which do you think will be your favorite?

Also, if you haven't heard, I now have a channel on YouTube (Sincerely, Shelby) Where I am posting videos of my advice for you guys on Wattpad, writing, books, and life:) I already have one video up about My 3 Tips to get More Reads on Wattpad, and later this week I will be doing one about how I make my covers! If you want me to make your book a cover in my video, go find my post on my profile here to find out how to be eligible :) 

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