We reached even bigger doors. This building was so huge that Giants could live in it comfortably.

“This is our dorm,” Liam said.

“Our dorm?” I asked.

It was gorgeous, like a penthouse in New York. There were massive beds for individuals, a huge bathroom, a personal kitchen, an indoor gym, a pool, and anything else you could think of.

Dorms are separated into tiers. Liam explained that the stronger you are, the higher your tier. Whether you were a man or a woman, you were placed in the same dorm. I was placed in the top tier along with Liam.

It was odd that I got placed into the highest right away, given I had no current powers, so more questions ran through my mind.

“Is there anyone living in here besides you?” I asked. 

“No, just myself. No one has yet to reach this tier,” he said sadly.

“How long have you been living here by yourself?” I asked.

“My whole life, my dad built this academy

“It must get lonely being alone. Do you have a mother?” I asked.

“It was having a busy dad, and… my mother passed when I was young.” He said, looking even sadder.

“I'm so sorry,” I said as I put my hand on his shoulder. I'm here for you.”

He stared at me in amazement as if no one had ever uttered, “I’m here for you.”

I haven’t known him for long, but I understand what it's like to have lost one parent, so of course, I can’t help but be there for him.

Suddenly, he started smiling, a sudden mood change. 

“Take your hand off my shoulder,” he said, laughing, “I don’t know you.”

I looked at him and rolled my eyes while chuckling. 

“Do you think your dad was mad when I did that?” I asked.

“No, I think he was happy I stood up to him for once.”

I took a deep sigh of relief; I didn’t need another problem with everything going on.

“Alright, so where do I sleep?” I asked.

Liam walked me to another massive door within our dorm.

Once again, it magically opened.

There were two beds in there, both of which were king-sized—not even king-sized, but enough to fit a small family.

“Is that size essential?” I said.

“Why not?” He said, chuckling.

The beds were beautifully made, and the silk pillows were covered with a beautiful overthrow—all with grey undertones and whites. 

“Which ones are mine?”

“Pick your poison.” 

I jumped on the one on the right and threw my stuff on it.

“The right one, interesting,” he said, laughing, “They just added that bed before you came; there was only one bed in this room until your arrival.”

“That is such a waste of space; why couldn’t they just have moved someone in here to keep you at least some company?”

“My father has been very strict about the tier ranking; he also claimed that it built character in me. I grew up and learned many talents, and didn’t leave much room for distraction. I could enhance and almost perfect any subject you could think of.”

“Wow, it must have been rough not having anyone there for you; I’m so sorry.” I looked up at him as I was sitting on my bed.

“It's all good, as he says it builds character,” he said as he sat on his bed right across from me. How about you? Did you have anyone to rely on?”

“Well, I guess I had my mom, who I found out today wasn’t really my mom.” She was always busy with work and tending to Mark's needs and wants, so it never really left enough time for me,” I explained. I guess, as your dad says, it builds character.”

We both started laughing. It was nice; it felt warm. We stopped laughing, and things got silent. We both sat there, staring at each other, with no words, just gazing into his eyes and his into mine. It gave me a second to really analyze his face. He was beautiful, with a sharp jawline, broad build, tall, strong, and warm… 

“Your eyes are so—“

Knock.. 

Knock… 

Knock…

“Can I come in?” A voice said it sounded like Charlie.

“Yes, come in,” Liam said with a sigh.

The big door moved once again without anyone touching it. Then Charlie walked around the corner, and my assumption was correct.

“Did I interrupt anything?” Charlie asked.

Liam and I responded simultaneously, saying, “No.”

We both looked back at each other and then back at Charlie.

‘Ooookayyyyy… Well, the brief is in fifteen minutes. I came just in case you guys lost track of time.” Charlie looked back and forth between the both of us.

“Thank you, Charlie; we will head over in a minute.

 Liam said thankfully.

“Of course, have some more alone time,” Charlie said, smirking as he walked out.

Liam blushed for one second but had it under control almost by the time I moved my head to look at him fully. I assume he was blushing due to Charlie's comment.

“Do you have many things to unpack, or should we head over right now,” Liam asked.

“It will take me about five minutes to unload. Will there be enough time to get there?”

“For sure, take your time unloading your things. I'll wait outside the door for you with some tea.” 

I nodded and thanked Liam, and got to unloading my stuff. 

Liam returned and said, “Make sure to wear the clothes already in your closet; there is also a watch.”

“Okay, where is the bathroom?” I asked.

“To your left!” he yelled from the kitchen.

“Thanks!!” I screamed back.

The door to the restroom didn’t open by itself this time. Maybe it was a privacy thing.

I walked in, and the bathroom was amazing. There was a sauna, a bathtub, and a hot tub. It was gorgeous. I placed my new clothing on the five-person sink and took off my clothes down to the underwear. 

I folded up my old clothes on the counter and went to grab the new ones, and they just form-fitted my body immediately. They magically appeared. Is there anything this place doesn’t do? They were tight but not restrictive. They hugged every part of my body, showing off the shape I usually tried to keep hidden. Then I added the watch. It was the most remarkable watch I'd ever seen. It was sleek yet complex, and I was excited to see how it worked.

I was so astonished that clothes this cool could exist, although I didn’t feel very comfortable in them as they were not normally what I'd wear. The color, maybe? But the tightness? No.

I walked out and placed the rest of my clothing in my closet. As I finished putting my stuff away, I walked out to the front door, and Liam was waiting for me with a cup of tea.

He looked at me for a few seconds as I walked out, eying me as if he could see through my clothes. 

“What?” I asked, although I already knew what he was thinking.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head, “Here is your tea.”

He handed me the tea, and it was the perfect temperature.

“Thank you. I appreciate it,” I said.

“Of course. These are your first couple of hours. I thought it might help ease your nerves.” 

“Thank you,” I said, smiling.

“Of course,” he said beet red.

He seems to react to compliments as if he had never got them.

He looked down at his watch and then looked back up at me, 

“Oh shit”

“What?” I asked.

“We have five minutes,” he said.

“Will we make it in time?”

“If we run,” he said, grinning.

I chuckled and looked at him.

“Wanna race?” I asked

“Oh, I like that,” he chuckled back.

He sent me the coordinates through my watch so I wouldn’t get lost.

“3…2…1… Go!” Liam shouted.

We both darted. He seemed as if he was going full speed, and I was following right behind him. I used to do track at my old school, so I was prepared.

I started running faster, getting ahead of him. He looked at me amazed as if he had never had anyone outrun him. 

I was running surprisingly faster than I was used to. Was it the clothing? I'm not sure. Once again, I have more questions. The questions keep on piling up and piling up. 

I got lost in the run, which was almost calming; I hadn’t run in quite some time, so it was almost like a form of therapy.

I looked back, and I could no longer see him.

As I wasn’t looking ahead of me, I ran into a student. He was very charming as well. Does everyone at this school have amazing looks? 

“Sorry!” I yelled.

“All good!” He yelled back, chuckling.

I smiled and ran ahead, leaving both of them behind. 

I finally made it to the briefing room, waiting for him. I had one minute and thirty seconds to spare. Then, as I waited, with the clock almost going off to start the briefing, I saw him run around the corner.

He was panting and trying to regain his breath. He fell into a hunch, looked up at me, and said, gasping air in between each word, “Are you aware you just ran a mile in two minutes and thirty seconds?”

I looked at him confused and assumed he was kidding, so I helped him up to his feet, leaned him over my shoulder, and laughed it off. 

“I'm serious,” he said, actually looking for real.

“That’s impossible, that’s faster than the fastest man alive,” 

“That's the fastest that has been recorded in this academy; you just broke the record,” he said in awe.

“Who was the person before me…” In mid-sentence, he looked at me like, “Who do you think?”

“Oh, it was you.” I laughed.

“No shit.” He said.

“Well, how was I supposed to guess,” I laughed, “I'm sorry, I guess?”

“You better be,” he said jokingly.

“It's finally nice not to be number one,” he said

I looked at him, and he genuinely looked relieved.

“Well, let's start this meeting,” I said.

He nodded as I dragged him into the room. We sat beside each other, waiting for the briefing to start.

We both waited patiently for his father to arrive, so we were talking.

The room was beautiful but not as elegant as the other rooms. The table was a circle with around 25 seats surrounding it. I'm presuming there was space for people to come into the middle of the table to speak.

“Why is there almost no one in the halls?” I asked.

‘Class is in session; only people who have completed the test with flying colors can be out, as they have become mentors. Most people who are walking around are our age.”

“Wait, how old are you?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Nineteen, but as of tomorrow, twenty,” he said as if dreading his birthday.

I looked at him with my mouth wide open, “No way.”

“No way, what?” He said, looking confused.

“My Birthday is tomorrow as well!”

He looked at me with his mouth open and said, “No way! Well, happy early birthday!”

“You too!” I said as we were laughing at another coincidence.

We both looked at each other for a second, maintaining eye contact

“Hey, I got a question. You must have been held to a high standard your whole life, right?”

“Well, being the son of the headmasters it's given, you are kind of put on a pedestal and are handed expectations that you don’t want.” He said as he was looking down.

I looked at him, and it seemed he had been alone most of his life while trying to live up to these expectations. I felt bad.

“I'm so sorry, Liam”

“It's all right, Phen. It made me a stronger person, and it made me who I am today, " he said, smiling.

“Well—“

I started to speak, and then two people walked into the briefing room. Everyone stood up immediately. I looked up but remained seated. I looked around, and everyone was staring at me, astonished by my behavior, as if I was disrespecting God myself. 

One man was Liam's father, Lance, and another looked familiar. Then I remembered he was the gentleman I ran into in the hallway. 

Everyone sat down and pulled all their attention to the front of the room.

“Hello, everyone, and welcome to this meeting. Today, everyone, we bring some special news.”

Everyone was holding on to the edge of their seats in anticipation.