To hear that she wouldn’t fail his class was somewhat of a relief. She knew that she would have to, like everyone else, reach the X eventually in order to move on. It was just that her skills were too underdeveloped to even begin to make a decent effort worthy of being proud of. As far as insight on how to get ahead, the instructor offered her a suggestion that was not so desirable. It wasn’t in her nature to violent, but perhaps she needed to nurture that absent aspect in herself to advance. Diem nodded in response to his recommendation, taking it under serious consideration—in a controlled environment, of course. He began to walk away and she was about to do the same when the sound of his voice caused her to pause. “Spirit jump?” She didn’t know what that was, and as far as she knew she was only capable of seeing glimpses the future, but she wasn’t at all surprised to learn that he was stronger than her. It was evident in the way he had singlehandedly brought the entire class to the ground, leaving them with bumps, bruises, and damaged confidence. “Sure, of course. Thank you.” She said, letting him finally be on his way.<br/><br/>Diem showered and changed in the locker room, donning her uniform once again. She ran her hands over the front of her plaid skirt, smoothing out the wrinkles as she made her way to the cafeteria for lunch. With her tray in her hands she moved through the rows of long tables, full of cliques and tight-knit groups. A few times she believed she found a place to sit, only to find out that a seat was either saved or not for her half-breed bottom. Finally, she found a place in the back by the door to enjoy her meal. The food was quite good, better than anything she had at home. The ingredients were fresh and well-prepared, far from the instant meals she used to eat with her dad in front of the TV at home . . . or wherever home was at the time.<br/><br/>She was minding her own business when the light dimmed over her. Diem looked up, bright eyes taking in the sight of a tall, lithe blonde. She was like an amazon with her lean muscle and stunning good looks. She was accompanied by two other women who were equally alluring, built the same and dress in yellow uniforms. Diem looked around, wondering if she had unknowingly commandeered someone’s space. “Um, am I in your seat? Or do you want me to move? I can move . . .”<br/><br/>“No, we’re actually going to sit here with you, Diem.” She said, sliding into the seat across from her. Her two friends did the same. “I’m Freya, Maxim’s older sister. He says you need some serious combat training . . . I can do it, but I need you to help me with something.”<br/><br/>“Oh, of course. Anything.” Diem was excited to have the help of an upperclassman. Judging by the brooch pinned to her lapel, Freya was a senior.<br/><br/>“How’s your retrocognition?” She asked, fully expecting Diem to know what she was talking about.<br/><br/>“It’s . . . great. It’s good.” She had no idea what retrocognition was, but she didn’t want to lose the chance to train with a skilled warrior. “Why?”<br/><br/>“I might need to have you come with me to a party this weekend, then.” Freya smiled. “Training starts tomorrow morning at dawn. Meet us at the arena. Don't expect an easy session, by the way. . . It was good meeting you, Diem.” She pushed herself up, and she and her gorgeous friends were on their way. When she took a quick look around the room, all eyes were on her. Until she finished eating, she was the source of all the hushed whispers. Apparently upperclassmen didn’t intermingle with lowerclassmen often. Though she was known for being the “new girl” and “the half-breed” she might have just gotten a social boost in the very short time she had interacted with the ladies of Exellero. Now all she needed to do was figure out what retrocognition was.<br/><br/>After the rest of her classes, she spent the rest of the night studying in her dorm room. She completed the assignments that she missed the first two weeks and began to work on the new ones she received that day. Her focus was unwavering till the door opened and Lora stepped through, flopping down on her bed. “What a day?” She sighed raggedly.<br/><br/>“Tell me about it.” Diem agreed, putting her pen down and pushing a hand through her auburn locks. “Do you know what retrocognition is?”<br/><br/>“It lets you see the past. We freshman don’t learn how to do it till sophomore year.”<br/><br/>“Fuck me.” Diem laid her head down on the desk. “I told a senior I knew how to do it. I literally have four days to learn.” She groaned pathetically.