The horse-drawn pumpkin carriages had arrived to pick up the kids at the Grand Pavilion. The pumpkin-headed piper, Surlich, grunted, staring out into the scolding night, as it waited for the first wave of kids to pour out of the building. The cold night air stabbed Circe's eyes as he and his peers were being led by Professor Sempra toward the carriages. Circe and Avery were assigned the fourth carriage.

When they stepped inside, Circe still couldn't help but marvel at how graceful the chandeliers on the ceiling performed, how the leaves and vines grew and slithered like the foliage of the jungle, as well as the tiny decorous flowers that acted like lamps in the compartment seats. What still impressed him was how the pumpkin grew larger and larger as more people entered it. It could've easily housed one thousand faces, but it would've been too crowded and noisy for the pipers.

The two kids plopped into their seats near the back of the pumpkin carriage and didn't say anything to each other for a while. Circe wasn't in the mood to talk anyway, his mind was still stuck in the visual cloud of the silent audience who had refused to clap when they heard his name. Their stares, their caustic resentful stares. The longer he thought about it, the deeper it stung.

Two more kids joined their compartment seats and casually sat right across from them. One was a chestnut-haired kid with glasses Circe had never seen before, but he recognized the blue striped tie. The kid was in Mecha, he seemed pretty timid and distant, the type of kid that probably wouldn't tell him off. The other girl was a mixed Brazilian girl with long curly hair that was elegantly groomed back. She had an exotic dreamy face with a weird shade of brown hair that started off light and grew gradually darker. Circe pinpointed the fringed yellow lapel and the yellow-striped tie in his mind.

Zebulon, the black kid with the dreads, peered into the compartment. "Are these seats full?"

"No," Circe said, scooting over. It was nice to not be stuck with people he didn't completely know. "Where's Phineas?"

Zebulon frowned. "He's off doing his own thing. I tried calling him but I don't think he heard me."

"Hmm," said Avery. Her fingers tapped the table.

"What?" said Circe and Zebulon.

"Nothing," said Avery. Zebulon gave Circe a look that said "girls".

The carriages began to move and trundle into the night.

The Brazilian girl held out her hands and smiled. "Lorraine Silva, Hero. It's nice to meet you guys."

Circe and Zebulon happily received the hand and grinned. Avery stared at the hand and smiled back. "It's nice to meet you too."

"You're the invisible girl," Circe said. "That trick was pretty clever."

"Thanks. And you're Circe Chimer, the boy that everyone's supposed to hate?" said Lorraine with wavering uncertainty.

"Pretty much hits the mark," Circe said. Lorraine laughed.

"And umm…" said Avery staring uncertainty at the bespectacled boy beside Lorraine.

"Oh that's James Boolean, we just met. He's pretty quiet," said Lorraine.

James waved feebly as if the action might make him sick.

"That's ok," said Avery. "You seem pretty smart, James."

"He is," Lorraine divulged. "He was just telling me about algebraic notations, binary vegetables, and computing."

"Binary variables," James said.

"Yeah, that."

"I'm Zebulon,' said Zebulon, who didn't really feel like talking about binary variables. "So we have three Monsters, one Hero, and one Mecha. Wow, why are all the attractive people in Hero?"

"And all the smart ones in Mecha?" said Circe.

"And all the bullies in Sorcerer. Their crowd didn't look too happy to see us."

"You guys are generalizing," said Lorraine. "Everyone looked pretty normal to me."

"Ignore them, they're being idiots," said Avery.

"Are we?" asked Circe.

"Phineas was sorted into Hero. He doesn't look that attractive to me."

"Well, he's not here for you to judge his looks so…"

There was an awkward swapping of stares.

"He's probably attractive intellectually," James pointed out.

"Right! Gimme some," Zebulon got a clap from James. Avery clapped her forehead.

"What classes are you guys looking forward to?" Lorraine asked. "I'm interested in Law Studies, but we don't take that until our third year."

"I actually want to see what Monster Languages is all about, you know…when we're able to take it. I was pretty good at English at my old school."

"And good for you," said Zebulon. "The only thing I'm interested in taking is lunch, I'm starving."

"In Monster Transformation, do you think we'll be practicing with actual monsters?" Circe asked Avery.

"Maybe. I can't wait for the real thing though, when we'll be Shadowing."

"That's in our second year," Circe said excitedly.

"I think we'll be joining you guys as well. The Heroes are usually the first ones to get assignments," said Lorraine.

"We probably get more dangerous battles," said Circe.

"Not really, I think we all start small, we'll be only thirteen after all."

"Way to let them down gently," said Avery, sarcastically winking.

"James, the Mechas usually start working in hospitals in their second year don't they?" Lorraine asked.

"Sounds like it," James said miserably. "Our classes suck."

The pumpkin carriages finally arrived at the violet neon entrance of the Darkplenty Hall and the piper gave a splenetic shout for everyone to get out. The students poured out to the entrance and stood under the stone spikes protruding over the neon lights and four glass doors. This time they were led inside by a goblin and Professor Sempra. The goblin's name was Equin Redcap.

"I'm sure you heard of my brother Ulrik and my cousin, Golluck." said Equin, sweeping them into the pearly halls of Darkplenty.

"We've heard," said Circe, yawning. His group was in front of the throbbing mob. He didn't understand why goblins loved to talk about their relatives so much. 

The front entrance hall was bedecked with a bunch of posters under walls fringed with soft pink neon lights. To their furthest left and right sides was a passageway that led to the movie theaters. In the center was a shiny black door outlined in neon blue  The doorknob itself appeared to be glowing in blue as well. When the crowd of anxious students entered they were windswept by the visage of a large sweeping dining room area with a bunch of neon restaurant booths that served all types of cuisines.

From the typical American burger and pizza restaurants to Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Cajun, and Eastern food. The names of the restaurants were boxed in with their own individual neon color. In the center of the room was a colony of round tables scattered around with the other older students eating. A huge glass-paneled vista sat in the background so you were able to see the purple night sky and the huge bustling city. There was a door that was carved in that let you through the glass doors so you could eat outside.

"Alright guys, enjoy yourselves!" Professor Sempra shouted.

"Wait, the food is free?" Zebulon hollered, incredulous. The students roared with laughter.

Sempra's pink lips creased into a smile. Her bloody diamond jewel flashed and Circe could've sworn that her eyes had turned red. "Yes Mr. Brooks, the expenses are taken care of. Usually, you would need your badge—" but her words got drowned out by the horde of students that rushed by her. In a matter of seconds, the first years were already in line to get something to eat.

"So, I guess we're all friends now. You guys don't seem to hate me," said Circe as Avery and Zebulon joined him at Alfonso's Tacorea line.

"Why would I hate you? You saved my life," said Avery.

"You guys are alright," said Zebulon trying as hard as he could to be nonchalant. Avery rolled her eyes.

After they had gotten their white takeout bags of tacos and burritos, they went to Worthington's to get their seasoned burgers and fries. They were handed checkered bags with a lip and tongue that was branded with the emerald Worthington's letters.

"We should eat outside," said Circe, staring enviously as the fourth and fifth years went outside with their group of friends.

"Look, there's Phineas!" Zebulon waved. "Phineas, over here!"

Phineas Dempsey was standing in the Indian restaurant line talking to a gang of fifth year girl and boys. Circe found them very alluring to look at and almost thought they were the popular kids until he saw Nathanial Hawthourne and Jeremiah Goldcoin walk by to sit with a group of ninth year Sorcerers. Nathaniel, an athletic thin boned boy with long chestnut brown hair and ocean blue eyes, was wearing a suit with a fringed purple lapel and purple striped tie and Jeremiah, the tanned blonde boy, was dressed similarly but in yellow. The girls fawned over them as more and more gravitated to their table. A chubby-faced girl with brunette pigtails was fiddling with Jeremiah's tie. She was dressed in a striped red tied suit with fringed red lapels.

"Don't worry about Phineas," said Avery sullenly. "It looks like Phineas has found his real friends."

"Don't talk like that, I'm sure he's just distracted," said Circe, trying not to look at Jeremiah and Nathanial's growing mob of fans. The two of them left to go outside.

"Oh, wake up! He literally saw us. He doesn't want to talk to us anymore. And what are those girls thinking crowding around those boys? They're twelve."

"C'mon, let's go eat. You guys get a little jealous when you're hungry," said Zebulon.

"Says who?"

The trio slid past the glass door under the large mullioned dining hall window. The chattering buzz of the dining hall instantly became muffled as they were met with the cold night air and the view of the dark purple sky with shadowy black clouds overlooking a busy gothic city.

Circe accidentally bumped into a tall woman with white blonde hair.

"P-Professor Sempra?" he said nervously.

"Chimer, I was just looking for you. Zenithclad and I would like to have a word with you," said Professor Sempra solemnly.

Circe stared at Avery and Zebulon who looked just as nervous as he was and shrugged.

Professor Sempra giggled. "I'm just messing with you Chimer," the woman morphed into a mixed Japanese girl with strawberry red hair. She was wearing the typical three piece skirt suit with a yellow striped tie with a fringed yellow lapel. She looked at Zebulon and pointed. "Hey, you're really funny." Then she walked back into the dining hall.

"Carrow Katakowa, Hero. She's a shapeshifter," said Avery. "She's not allowed to be using her powers outside of class. I don't know how she's getting away with it."

"How do you know all this?' Circe asked.

"Because I actually paid attention to the names that were being called at the Avaluation, unlike you idiots."

"All five hundred of them? Who could possibly stay awake through all of that?" Circe marveled.

Zebulon fixed his gaze. "And why are you such a party pooper?"

"What, you thought she was cute?"

Zebulon laughed, cooly putting his hands into the slitted pockets of his black trousers. "No."