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"Hey, Neutral!"

I didn't glance up from my e-book. Usually, some of the kids would get bored and move on. No sense in going out of their way to trouble the Inert kid in the corner.

"What're you reading?" the boy demanded.

I peeked over the edge of my e-book and squinted against the sunlight at the figure approaching me. Dustin. That kid was a regular. He was sixteen, two years older than I was, and he stood a whole head taller. Several years on the gladiator team had given him shoulders broad enough for two people. I quickly glanced back down at my e-book, glueing my eyes to the screen and hoping in vain that he'd go away. He always liked stealing something-if not cash, then anything of value that I had on me. Even when I didn't carry anything important on me, he still made a point of trying, if only to prove he could. I hated him.

"Hey!" Dustin roared, stomping to a stop at my feet. "I asked you a question!"

He twisted his hand, summoning an invisible force that wrapped around my torso in a vice grip, attempting to force me to my feet. I staggered upright, dropping my tablet in the process. Around him, his friends from the gladiator team gathered up at a safe distance, forming a wall between my corner of the yard and the path to safety.

"It's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you."

I stared him down, doing my best to maintain my blank expression. I couldn't give him something to latch onto. Kids like Dustin, they only wanted to show off. He was the strongest Kinetic on our school's gladiator team, and since Kinetic abilities weren't allowed in the classroom, he took every opportunity he could get to show off his powers outside. So of course it made sense for him to target the one kid who couldn't fight back.

Anyway, this wasn't my first time dealing with punks like him. I know people say if you stand your ground, you'll discourage the bullies, but that's not the case here. If an Inert stands up to a Kinetic, they get chewed up for breakfast.

"Hey, Dustin," I said as calmly as I could. "I thought you were trying to get in extra practice during the lunch hours."

"Coach is cutting us some slack after I won us the last game," he said, shrugging. "I wiped the floor with Lasko High's heaviest hitters. You know, Charlie, you should come to the matches one day. Maybe you can pretend you have powers as you sit and cheer for us on the bleachers."

At that, he laughed, and his friends laughed with him. By now, I'd heard that joke often enough that I only stared back expressionlessly, patiently waiting for them to finish up and leave. Seeing my lack of reaction, Dustin scowled, and I felt the invisible bonds around me tighten. Before I knew it, my backpack was swept off the ground, flying into his hands. He handed it off to his friends without skipping a beat, waiting for them to ransack it. I didn't flinch. I'd gotten into the habit of keeping it mostly empty a long time ago.

By now, this was almost a daily ritual for me. Every day at lunchtime, I carried my meal out onto the rooftop yard of my school, which was actually pretty roomy considering the city already suffered from severely limited space. I used to eat in the bathroom, but I had learned the hard way a while back that the bathroom offered few escape routes and no adult supervision. That's why I just stuck it out up here. Even then, Dustin and his friends still found a way to torment me, but at least they could only limit themselves to minor pranks and insults.

"Nothing," one of his friends said, letting it drop to the ground. "It's empty."

"What about that?" Dustin asked.

My e-book leaped into his hands as if it had suddenly gained a life of its own, and he flipped it over to get a look at it. School-issued, borrowed from the library.

"This yours?" he asked, as if he didn't know the answer already.

I gritted my teeth, but I forced myself to nod anyway.

"Mine now," he said, grinning ear to ear like a man who'd just struck gold.

"It belongs to the school," I blurted out.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have lost it," Dustin shot back, tucking it under his arm.

I jerked against the restraints, itching to throw a punch at him even though I knew it wouldn't do any good. It'd just get me into trouble with him, and besides, with his telekinesis and gladiator training, I'd probably never land that punch. Instead, I clenched my jaw and took deep breaths, forcing myself to wait it out.

"You know something, Charlie?" Dustin said, waving a hand in my direction. The invisible bonds sloughed away, letting me slump to my knees on the rough limestone. He took a step closer, waving the e-book teasingly out of my reach. I tried grabbing it back from him, but an invisible whip cracked across my torso.

I crumpled to the ground with my arms around my gut, wheezing from the blow and my anger.

"Every time I look at you, I just about die from secondhand embarrassment," Dustin said with mock sincerity. "I just can't help but feel sorry for your mom, you know?"

I half sat up, feeling a dull roar rise in my ears. I took a deep breath.

"First, she has you," Dustin was saying. "Then, I guess she couldn't really cut it because your dad up and vanished on her, right? Looks like your whole family's a pi-"

I screamed and threw myself at Dustin, cutting his words off as I tackled his legs. The kid was large, but I had momentum on my side. His legs gave away and I brought him down with a heavy thud. I growled and crawled up onto his stomach, swinging my fists repeatedly into Dustin's chest. I heard a rib break, but I kept pounding, feeling tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Just. Shut. Up!" I shouted.

Finally, my breath ran out and I sat up, breathing hard. Then I noticed the pool of blood by Dustin's head. He must have struck it on the pavement when he fell.

"Uh oh," I gasped. I glanced up at his friends some distance away. They'd all gone silent and were staring at me.

"Is he dead?" one of them whispered.

I gulped and looked down at Dustin's unconscious form. "I-I didn't mean-"

"Get him!" someone shouted, and suddenly every kid within a dozen meters was rushing at me all at once. I only had time to throw my arms up in front of me before a rolling wave of dirt body-slammed me into the fence. Something snapped in my left arm and I gasped, but I didn't have enough air in my lungs to scream.

The earth rolled back suddenly, and I looked up weakly to see Helenni, the lunch aide, standing over me. I collapsed to the ground, clutching my arm and hissing in pain.

"Every one of you, to the headmaster's office!" he roared. "Now!"

He glanced down at me and sighed. "You too, Charlie. Come on."

* * *

"...and unfortunately, this will result in a suspension for Charles," Reis muttered. "I'm sorry, but we have zero tolerance for fights. I'm sure you can see why."

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. Dustin had had a concussion and the nurse was taking care of him. I got away with a few bruises and cuts, and I was let off after she'd Healed my arm. Something about a fractured radial bone.

Reis, the bald, pasty headmaster sitting behind the desk, had called our parents to the school to discuss our behavior in the playground, and within the hour, both our mothers were in the office.

"That's not being fair to Charlie," Mom protested as he finished, just as Dustin's mom said, "Fair enough."

"It's our school's policy," Reis answered firmly. "I'm sorry, but it's either this or expulsion."

I heard my mother swear, and I quickly tried to make myself look small.

"Mistress Phaedra, would you mind leaving us for now? I want to speak to Mistress Zhang alone. You can wait for me outside."

Dustin's mom growled something under her breath, but she got up and left. Reis watched her leave, remaining silent until the door had closed after them. When they were gone, he let out a long-drawn sigh and leaned back on his office chair.

"Mistress," he started, but my mother cut him off.

"Is this going on his record?" she asked.

I winced. Mom had a habit of being blunt.

"Unfortunately, yes," the headmaster said, pressing fingers to his temple. "I know about Charles's...situation, but-"

"Then why haven't you done anything about it?" Mom snapped. "Children born without Kinetic abilities are uncommon, but nothing to poke fun at. If anything, you should be-"

"I'm not done, Mistress," Reis said, holding up a hand. "Let me finish."

"-punishing that stupid schnook who broke my son's arm!"

Reis sighed again. "Technically, his arm was broken after he knocked Dustin out."

"That's not the point!"

"We're trying, but you must realize that we have to show that hurting other kids brings serious consequences. And for that matter, we-"

"Oh, really," my mother said flatly. "Someone broke my son's arm and no one's even getting a detention for that?"

"Dustin was hurt very badly," Reis said firmly. "And we were unable to determine which of the students attacked Charles."

"Suspend all of them! You're the headmaster!"

"Mistress Zhang," the headmaster said. "Some of those kids are some of the finest on our gladiator team, and it would be unreasonable to-"

"Oh, you shut up," my mother snapped. She stood up, pushing her chair back. "We're done."

She snatched my hand and towed me away, and not a little roughly too. Ushering me out of the office, she slammed the door closed after us.

Mistress Phaedra was sitting just outside, and she stood the moment she caught sight of us. She was a stately woman, her auburn hair wrapped in a neat bun and draped in pearls. As we neared, she took a step toward us, words appearing on her lips, but my mother stuck a finger in her face as we walked past.

"Choke on a dick, asshole."

Seconds later, we were in the auto, speeding away from the school. I stayed silent, keeping my gaze fixed firmly out my window and listening to the radio, hoping that I wouldn't be catching the eddies of my mother's fury.

"-Ex-governor Dukakis was found 'not guilty' on charges of human trafficking related to the Sham cartel, but was still fined on minor corruption charges. He was last seen this morning leaving the courthouse but was not available for further comment. In other news, tensions along the Primordian border escalate as Chief Justice Salvatore deployed Capital troops in a display of force, countering the Great Leader Morza's latest weapon tests on-"

My mother switched off the radio and sighed, leaning back into her seat. She squinted at me in the rearview mirror, slowing the auto down. Her fingers drummed on the steering joysticks and on the dashboard. It was something she did when she was worried.

"You okay?" she asked, stopping at an intersection. "I heard from Helenni that Dustin's friends jumped you after you knocked him out. If the nurse didn't do a good job with that Healing, I can schedule an emergency appointment with the pediatrician and-"

"I'm fine," I muttered. "It's not that bad."

She glanced back at me in the rearview mirror.

"What did he do?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said, gluing my eyes to the window.

If she saw, she didn't say anything. We drove in silence for a while longer, and then she glanced back at me through the mirror again. When she spoke, she spoke so softly I almost didn't hear her.

"You know I'm still proud of you, right?" she said.

"What for?" I asked. "I knocked a kid out today."

"You remind me of your dad," she said. "You don't think like a Kingsfielder. You aren't defined by your powers."

I glanced away. Yeah, I thought, because I don't have any. I didn't say it out loud, but by the way my mom looked at me in the mirror, she must have instantly known what I was thinking. She bit her lip and glanced down at her watch. Normally, she'd be working for another four hours; she must have taken a break to come pick me up because she was still dressed in her work clothes, minus the apron. She also smelled like fryer oil and fish.

"Charlie," she began, but I cut her off.

"Yeah, I know," I said. "Work."

"No, not that," she said. "Well, something like that. Peter called sometime this morning. He asked if you could go up to the Institute after school to help him move his things out. I need to make a stop at home before I get back to work, so I could drop you off first if you want."

That caught my attention. Ever since my brother had tested into the prestigious Cadmus Institute almost six years ago, he never once invited me to his school. Everything I knew about the Institute came from the projects he brought home and hearsay; he almost never talked about what happened there.

"Why didn't he just hire movers?" I asked casually, struggling to keep my excitement from bubbling into my voice.

"I thought you wanted to see Peter's school," she remarked slyly. "He's already secured a visitor's pass for you. Since I figure you don't want to hang around my workplace for another few hours, I could drop you off at the shuttle terminal and see you off."

I nodded, elated at the notion of finally seeing Peter's school for myself.

"Yeah, that's fine," I said as nonchalantly as possible. "What about my stuff?"

"We'll drop it off at home first before I take you to the station. And comb your hair before you go; you look like you're wearing a mop with that mess."

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