Surprisingly, Lion was incredibly helpful with the tour, breaking down the school rules better than I expected. We ended up having the same opening class, so we walked together. When we arrived, he peeled off and joined a group of loud students across the room.

Doesn’t seem like that would be his crowd, I thought, scanning for an empty seat.

There was one open spot beside a girl with flame-colored hair, dark chestnut skin, and emerald eyes. A unibrow framed her face in a way that somehow enhanced her beauty rather than taking from it. She was fully focused on something in her hands, completely unaware of the room around her.

I walked over and took the seat.

“Hi, I’m Euphoria.”

After I sat down, I saw that she was tinkering with a mechanical bracelet. Very small screws were scattered across her desk, and she held the smallest screwdriver I’d ever seen.

She glanced up quickly.

“You must be Euphoria! You’ve been the talk of the school for the past two days. Hi, I’m Bambi,” she said with a bright smile.

I smiled back and gave a small wave.

“Hi. And yeah…” I replied vaguely. I didn’t really want to keep revisiting my “pop-up” and have everyone digging into my past. I just wanted to exist here…quietly.

“Um… what are you working on?” I asked, still looking at the bracelet. I had watched my father create for years, and somewhere along the way, I’d grown to love the process myself.

Her face lit up instantly.

“I’m creating communication bracelets for the Mid-EyEs community. There’s been huge demand for better communication since the Low and High communities have their own resources. I’m going to introduce my idea at the rally this weekend. I’m sure you’re already aware since your dad is the host.”

I smiled slightly.

“Yes, I’ll actually be attending. How do they work?”

“That’s for this weekend,” she said with a wink, continuing to tinker with the bracelet.

“Fair,” I laughed.

I looked around, noticing some students staring.

“Oh, don’t act so surprised,” Bambi said, still looking down at her bracelet.

“What do you mean?” I asked, turning toward her in confusion.

She looked up at me.

“You’re Victor Fox’s DAUGHTER. He’s the most famous EyE among all three tiers!”

She shook her head in disbelief.

“Do you know how many inventors look up to him? Me included.”

Bambi carefully tightened one of the tiny screws in her bracelet.

“Space King gave everyone a future to build toward, but your dad helped people actually live in it. Before him, communities were focused on survival, power, territory, and war. That was life”.

She looked up at me.

“Then Victor started combining technology, elements, and EyE abilities to solve actual problems. Water systems, communication, transportation… things people take for granted now.”

Bambi smiled.

“Space King may have built the foundation, but your dad helped people live in it.”

She let out a small laugh.

“And you’re his daughter? You’re automatically famous, Euphoria. Get used to it.”

She turned back to her bracelet.

I had always known my father was well-known and that his work was greatly celebrated, but I guess I never thought about the attention it would bring me. I wasn’t sure how to handle it. Honestly, I just wanted to blend in and train.

My hand tightened slightly, heat flaring through my palm before cooling again.

I sighed and looked back at Bambi.

“Well, I would still prefer not to be stared at,” I said loud enough for the class to hear.

The students staring quickly turned away, embarrassed.

I could hear Lion laughing from across the room, but I decided not to turn in that direction and give it any attention.

Bambi laughed.

“Guess you solved that problem.”

I met her emerald eyes.

“Uh, do you mind telling me what your abilities are, if you have any yet?”

“Yes. I have one fully functional ability: flying, but it’s not mastered yet. Andddd I have another ability that I got a little while ago, but I’m not exactly sure what it does yet, so I’m still working on it.”

I leaned forward excitedly.

“Wow. Flying is literally one of the top three most popular abilities. That’s pretty cool”. 

Bambi smiled sweetly.

“It’s great… once you get used to dodging bugs mid-air.”

I laughed.

“What about you? Do you have any abilities?” she asked.

My face warmed. I knew asking about her abilities would eventually lead to that question, but I was still caught off guard

“Well, I—”

I was interrupted as the door swung open.

My eyebrows rose.

Six women walked in simultaneously. All of them were completely identical, down to the stray hairs on their heads.

“~Good Morning Class~,” they said in perfect unison.

“Whoa,” I thought.