“You’re full of too many openings.”

“Oh yeah?” I snorted. “How so?”

“For one, you have no strategy when you’re sleeping. I’ve found you littered around the academy like five times already.” Chimney said. “Once outside the classroom, once on a ledge, once under the mess hall—”

Our hot and muggy trek through Ma Anod’s plains went by peacefully, and in that peace Chimney thought it to be the best time to criticize every wrung of my habits. I was high on the defensive.

“The academy is safe!” I sputtered. “Why are you going around watching me while I’m asleep!?”

He nearly jolted out of step. “Excuse me? How dare you accuse me of doing something s-so—so perverted—”

We paused a few feet behind Commander Lori who’d completely stopped at a fork in the road. We waited for her to say something, but she only surveyed the thick brush of palm trees.

“We’re at the base of Panglao Point.” She said. “Seems like a good spot to take a break.” She glanced behind us and groaned. We were spread pretty far from each other since the incline, and only a group of boys were visible from here. The girls and Coraline were still far back. “Rocca, let everyone know we’ll be breaking at that hut over there. Chid, follow me.”

I nodded obediently and sprinted for the first group. It felt nice to be ahead of everyone. I waved over at Cal and the other boys as they slowed their climb. They looked absolutely defeated by the heat.

“Oh, my god. How are you still alive?” said a brown boy with green scales.

“I was using a leaf for a fan a while back before it broke.” I said, shrugging as if it were obvious. I mean, wasn’t it? There was so much around. The boy groaned at himself.

“Something going on?” Cal inquired. I glanced at my sarong around his hips before returning to his face.

“Commander said we’re taking a break. Head for the hut.” I said, pointing the way.

“Let’s go Snyder!” one of the other boys challenged. The boy with green scales smirked and ran ahead, followed by the others. Cal watched them with growing impatience.

“I’ve got to go—hurry back!” he cried before running off.

“Save me a seat!” I called. Heat prickled my cheeks. Did I really say that? I squealed at the thought of being able to sit together.

I continued on to the girls who weren’t that far behind. Ofelia stared at me coldly, as did the girls alongside her, and I suddenly got cold feet. She looked absolutely stunning amidst all this mud and honestly it’s not fair. She wore a long, thin white dress that was miraculously mud-free at the ends and an extravagantly adorned salakot hat. Even her woven bamboo sack was of the utmost quality and sat effortlessly on her back.

“What is it?” Ofelia asked point-blank, in no interest to humor me.

“U-um,” I pointed behind me. “We’re breaking up the hill.”

“I see.” She gave me a stark once over. I rubbed at the scales blotted at my bare shoulders. “I’m surprised how fast you dumped Miss Man.”

The girls behind her snickered as I stared obliviously.

“What are you…” I gasped. Crap! Tima!

I scurried past them and searched the path, but I couldn’t see Tima or my sister anywhere. They couldn’t have gotten lost or picked off right? I continued down carefully and found them at a bend. Tima was resting in the grass and Coraline stood near, annoyed but present.

“Tima!” I wailed as I ran for her. I tripped on a pit hole and landed on the hard, dry ground. Ow. “Are you…okay?” I wheezed, attempting to pull myself from the ground. The fall had torn a seam in my energy, reminding my muscles just how much I’d strained them today. Everything hurts.

“Me?...” She scoffed gently. “You’re the one that fell…”

I sniffled and pushed myself to my feet. “The pod is taking a break,” I said, aiming for her rucksack. “L-Let me help you carry the rest of this.”

She lifted her head, though her hair curtain remained, shielding her from everyone. Shielding her from me.

I extracted the rope from her sack and carried half, stringing it around both my shoulders and through my arms. Tima got up and heaved the rest over her back. Irritation flooded through my veins as I stared at the scale around her small, relieved smile. How dare those girls call her such a humiliating name.

“Stick with me. We’ll get through this hike.” I promised. “Ate, can you lend a hand?”

My sister snorted as she started ahead of us. “Menial work is for guppies. Keep up before I leave you behind!”

* * *

The hut we congregated to belonged to farmers. Apparently, the other two pods had already passed earlier, and Commander Lori grew super pissed because of that. In order to earn our meals, she let the farmers put us to work—some of the boys went off to care for the livestock, the girls cleaned the house, and Tima and I were sent to the rice terraces to harvest rice stalks.

We now stood before a long stretch of stepped land, nearly breathless by the acreage. It went on for miles, only to be cut off by mountains and a few other houses.

“…Have any idea how to harvest rice?” Tima asked with a woven basket balanced against her hip.

“No idea.” I said.

“Heyyyy!” called a voice. Synder appeared from the hut with a basket too. “Lori wants me to help with the harvest since I know how to do it.”

“How does he know how to do it?” I muttered.

“Maybe his parents own hydroponic rice paddies.” Tima replied.

“What are you two gossiping about?” He smirked as he reached us, oddly curious and staring at us with bright eyes. “It’s fairly simple. Follow me.”

We followed him to the closest rice terrace and watched him sickle off bundles of long yellow grass. Apparently the rice-extraction process would be handled by the farmers, so with relief we went to work.

“You know, when I found out it was mandatory to attend an Ocean Guard Academy, I didn’t think I’d be working odd jobs like this.” Snyder said.

“Where are you from?” I asked. “Everyone in the Sires knows that they go straight to the academies at our age.”

Considering Chickenbutt was from the mountains, I suppose it was likely that there were others who’d come from other places.

“The sea is my home.” Snyder answered cryptically.

“We’re all from the sea. Be specific.” Tima said, unimpressed. “You must have lived near some kind of ocean town.”

He let the suggestion sit in the air as he focused on bundling the rice stalks. I stopped only to watch him, my limited knowledge of the country making bets. His scale color and distribution was nothing special. He didn’t wear anything that suggested his homage to his Sire...

“I lived on a cargo ship.” He finally revealed. “My dad owned it. We would ferry goods all around the country. I’d never stayed in one town for too long.”

“...Must be nice,” I muttered under my breath, “Having a dad.”

“What’s that?” Snyder called.

“…Nothing,” I said. We continued harvesting in silence until our baskets were full.

* * *

The food was done by the time we returned with our rice bushels. We ate outside, the boys at a table and we girls delegated to the grass a few feet away. I was slightly annoyed that I couldn’t sit next to Cal. And what’s more, the Commander got to sit at the table as if she were impervious to her own rule.

“How much longer until we reach Panglao?” Ofelia asked. How she managed to look so refined while eating on the grass with us was a wonder.

Coraline thought aloud as she played with her seldom-dry hair. “Hmm…An hour, maybe two tops? Depending on how slow we go.” Her eyes flicked to Tima and me. “It’s really not that far. We should get there before sunset.”

“What if we don’t?” whined one of Ofelia’s groupies.

“Tough nuts, you’ll still be camping on the ground.”

“Panglao doesn’t have an inn?” Ofelia asked, sounding genuinely shocked.

Coraline stared at her as if she were an idiot. “Why the hell would a cliff have a…”

“Yo,” Synder rolled smoothly from his seat at the table to the spot between me and Tima. “What do girls talk about?”

I swapped looks with Tima. (Why is he bothering us?)

She rolled her eyes and tapped a giant ‘L’ to her forehead. (He’s a loser.)

“…Hey. You guys are aware I can read you, right?” He muttered. “Oh, hey,” his voice lowered to a whisper as his eyes set on me, the curiosity from the rice terraces returning. “You know that muscle head with the mask—Chid—”

A knot of nausea spurred at my throat. Seriously, while I’m eating?

“What’s his deal with you?” Snyder grinned. “You two are like, constantly at each other’s throats. If your eyes had knives you’d both be covered in cuts. I never thought I’d see that kind of animosity from a girl like you.”

Like me? Doesn’t he know who I am? Who everyone expects me to be?

“I mean, come on Rocca. You’re a super sweet angel who, unfortunately, gets chewed out like all time. But it’s not like we all haven’t been at fault at least once.” He winked playfully. “I’m pretty sure we’ve had to do extra laps once because Ofelia was taking too long doing up her makeup to join us at morning call. Whatever good that did.”

“That was Tuesday.” Tima confirmed.

I stared into my rice bowl. People actually see me as…nice? As an innocent girl? Not some warrior’s daughter whose halfassing it?

“Chupacabra’s deal with me…” I muttered, pondering over it. Synder attempted to hide his breathy giggles. “…He thinks I’m a joke. Normally I would ignore him, or let him spit all this trash he thinks of me, but…”

The thought of letting Chid get the last word lit some kind of fire in my chest.

“But he needs a mirror. Him and his stupid mask.”

“Well, hey.” Snyder put up his hands in surrender. “You’re the only person in the pod daring enough to go toe-to-toe with him outside of training.” A cunning smile rose to his lips. “Anyone who labels you weak is a fool.”