I woke with a start as a pillow was snatched from underneath my head and used to hit me lightly in the face. I sat up quickly, and rolled off the edge of my bed. My head slammed into the floor, and fire instantly jumped to my fingertips. I was about to tear the culprit apart, until I
realized that it was Elias. I calmed down and rubbed my head.
          “Why?” I groaned.
          “Disciplinary Hearing has already started, Griffin,” he said.
          “What Disciplinary—” I cut myself as I realized what was happening. I was being dragged into Cataline’s office again, and I had sworn up and down that I would not be late this time. Elias started laughing and walked out of my orb to wait for me to change.
          I stumbled over my own feet trying to get up, and hit my forehead against the edge of an open drawer. Instead of stopping to inspect the damage, I righted myself and frantically looked for clothes that wouldn’t somehow offend Cataline. Everything that adhered to school colors was a wrinkled mess. I dumped half of my wardrobe out onto the floor.
          “How do I not have anything blue, red, or orange?” I said to myself.
          I gave up and settled on a black shirt and pants that had none of the trainings’ colors on them.
          It didn’t matter. Cataline would be livid either way. I went through my desk to find anything that would fix the jumbled mess of hair on my head. I threw everything useless onto the floor and accidentally lit an intense violet flame in my palm. I shook my hand to get rid of it, but it shot toward the wall of my orb, causing it to start swinging uncontrollably. It collided with the
orb next to it, combining them. Lynette was in her bed, still fast asleep.
          She opened her eyes and glared at me. “Why!”
          “It’s was an accident!”
          Lynette shot an orange flame at her wall, and my orb swung backward and detached itself from hers. I caught myself before I fell and put my shoes on. I gave up looking for a way to control my hair and rolled it into a knot. I formed a ladder from my room down to the ground. It
was flimsy at best, but I climbed down anyway.
          I felt the ladder start to crack under my weight and jumped down the last five steps. I landed in the center of the Enclaves. Elias was leaning against a tree, waiting. I grabbed his arm and ran through the campus, trying to turn a five minute walk into one.
          A messenger goblin caught me off and brought me to a screeching halt. He caught me before I collided with him.
          “Message from Vaughn—”
          “Yes, yes, I’m late,” I said and went around him.
          I felt like I was running without actually moving. It started to feel like an obstacle course. I passed tree after tree quickly, but people were waking up, and I was now also dodging ladders.
I was just about to pass the very last tree when someone suddenly formed a ladder and began climbing down from their orb just inches away from me. I crashed into him, and we both tumbled to the ground.
          “DEMI!” he yelled.
          “I’m so sorry!” I said. “I’m late!”
          I took off running again. I heard Elias laughing somewhere far behind me. I passed the schoolhouse and shot toward the Headmistress’ orb. I made it in just before Cataline was exiting to come get me. She looked me over and seemed to consider kicking me out.
          “Please, explain to me what the hell you are wearing,” she said.
          I looked down at my shirt. It had an angry goblin on it, shaking his fist.
          “I believe this is a lift driver,” I said. “He is expressing his frustration with the system.”
          “I make it so easy to follow the rules,” she said. “I do not know how much more lenient I can be with uniforms for you to actually do what is asked of you!”
          “The goblin’s purple!” I said.
          “And which training is purple?” she asked.
          “My fire’s color is purple,” I said. “That should count! It shouldn’t be held against me
that I’m abnormal!”
          She closed her eyes for a moment, and then sighed and gestured for me go into her office. She followed and shut the door. I checked the time. I was twenty minutes late.
          Nikolai Ordway and my father, the great Vaughn Griffin, were seated at a table in the front of the room. I collapsed into one of the chairs, still trying to regulate my breathing. Cataline sat on my father’s left. Her scribe was sitting in a corner, waiting to record yet another Demeter Disaster.
          “You swore to me that you would not be late this time,” my dad snapped.
          “What are you wearing, Demi?” Nikolai asked and laughed.
          “Don’t encourage this behavior, Nikolai!” Cataline said.
          “Lighten up, Cat,” Nikolai said. “You’re late, Demi.”
          “I overslept,” I said. “And I don’t even know what this is about.”
          “You must be joking,” Cataline said.
          “You can’t take a joke, Cataline,” I said.
          “Watch your tone,” she said.
          “I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said.
          “Allow me to change your mind,” she said. “You are being charged with a repeated violation of Code 14, Article 7 of The Book of Ethics, Volume Two.”
          “‘Being charged’?” I asked. “That’s a bit dramatic, isn’t it?”
          “This is not a joke, Demi,” Nikolai said.
          “You’re saying I broke an outdated, obscure, archaic law of some kind that was written several thousand years ago.”
          “Do not be condescending!” my father said.
          “Even if it’s my natural state?” I asked. “Sorry.”
          “No demon under the age of maturity is allowed enter the human world without the company of an adult,” Cataline said. “And you are a repeat offender.”
          “Absolutely not guilty.”
          “I have evidence that you have left school without permission many times, Demeter,”
Cataline said.
          “And you have admonished me for it each time I did it. That does not mean I have ever ventured into the human world.”
          “Don’t lie!” Cataline said.
          “Do you have proof?”
          “If you did not go above the surface, where did you go?” Nikolai asked.
          “Walked around aimlessly.”
          “Demeter, you are insulting our intelligence, and I’m tired of your attitude,” my father said sternly. “Tell the truth. Did you break this law, or not?”
          “I have left school, but I have not crossed into the human world,” I said. “I don’t even see how I would have gotten all the way up there, considering this school lives on the furthest layer
from the surface.”
          I could see his anger building. Vaughn Griffin’s reputation meant everything to him. He was the Head of the High Council, who governed every inch of the world we lived in. He was
the strongest demon alive, and his status was only threatened by one thing: the most troublemaking demon left to run loose on the streets of Terra, who also happened to be his fifteen-year-old daughter.
          “You are not allowed to leave school at all!” Cataline said.
          “Yes, but I broke school rules, not the law.”
          “You say that like it’s okay!” Cataline said.
          “Would you rather I deny it?
          “There are reports from demons who have heard you talk about going up there alone!”
Cataline said.
          “Reports are just words, and words are just sounds, and sounds are not evidence,” I said.
          “Are you actually denying it?” my father asked.
          “Yes, and it doesn’t matter. I’m right, and I have no obligation to testify against myself
regardless.”
          “This is not a human courtroom,” my father said.
          “That’s true. If I were in a human courtroom, I would never be charged with any offense based on verbal reports alone.”
          “You shouldn’t know this much about the human world!” Cataline said.
          “That was in the curriculum you created, Cat,” I said.
          “Don’t you dare disrespect me,” Cataline said.
          “Is stating fact considered disrespect now?” I asked.
          “Speaking to your superiors in a condescending manner is disrespectful, and I will not tell you to mind your manners again,” Cataline said.
          “Respect is mutual. Expect it when you give it.”
          “DEMI!” my father yelled.
          “You brought me in here to accuse me of something based on the stories of people who don’t like me and are willing to make things up to get me kicked out of school,” I said. “You are taking their word for it because you have nothing else.”
          “You are my daughter,” my dad said.
          “And we’re back to stating irrelevant facts,” I said.
          “Step out, Demi,” Nikolai said.
          I got up and left the room. There were no seats in the hall, so I sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. I lit a ball of fire and started bouncing it off the wall and catching it. The depictions of snakes and ghouls that were soldered into the wall moved to chase the ball every time I threw it. Elias sat next to me and ignited a fireball that turned into a net and wrapped itself around mine. It exploded into a thousand tiny flames and fell to the floor.
          “Trying to prove you actually belong with the Koa?” I asked.
          “I do belong with the Koa,” he said.
          “Yes, because that sunny demeanor is very common of warriors,” I said.
          Despite being chosen to train in combat, Elias had a sunny disposition that could be extremely annoying when people around him weren’t in a particularly sunny mood. His trademark grin was almost as permanent as the red mark on his forearm that he was absolutely not meant to have.
          The Koa were not inherently aggressive or violent, but they were quick to go up in arms and were very sensitive when they felt like they were being verbally or physically attacked. Most
Koa took on every opportunity to fight that they were presented with, and they made it their business to intervene when they thought there was any kind of danger, big or small. They often
inserted themselves even when their intervention was unwelcome, stating that it was their job to protect everyone regardless of whether they had been asked for help. Their intention was
generally good, but not always appreciated.
          Elias was extremely intelligent and talented, but he had no interest in fighting or inserting himself in battles he had nothing to do with. He was laid back all of the time and defaulted to humor, even when someone was being unkind to him. He was rarely fazed by the behavior or
opinion of others, and made no attempts to change anyone’s mind. He was only helpful when he was asked for help. He was not meant to be a Koa, and there was no rational explanation as to why he had been placed among them.
          The Koa also did not particularly like me. Many of them had told me to my face that they were angry that I was going to be shoved down their throats because I was Vaughn Griffin’s daughter. I was not one of them. In fact, I had no right to train in any of the disciplines. I had not
been chosen, the way the rest of them were. I was more than fine with being left out. I had no interest in school anyway.
          The door opened, and I went in. I sat back down, but no one said anything. All I could hear were the scratches of the Scribe’s furious note taking. I glanced at him and briefly wondered what he could have possibly still been writing, but I didn’t voice the thought. I turned my
attention to the table and waited. My father and Nikolai looked at Cataline, and she leaned forward on the table.
          “It is clear to us that while we have our own beliefs regarding the question of your innocence, we have no evidence to prove or disprove the suggested crime,” she said.
          I almost rolled my eyes at the hyperbole, but I held it together. She continued.
“Therefore, we cannot punish you for it. You will serve detention for one week as a reprimand for leaving school.”
          I didn’t say anything. She had more in her chamber. We stared each other down for a few moments, and then she went on.
          “However, we all see you going down a bad path, and so we have no choice but to intervene in order to keep you safe.”
          My heart dropped. “By doing what?”
          “You have exactly two weeks to decide whether you would like to train as Eir, Koa, or Ptah.”
          “Two weeks?”
          “Yes.”
          “That’s not enough time!”
          “You have been given plenty of time, Demi. On your sixteenth birthday, I expect an answer. Is that clear, or do you need me to explain it to you like the insolent, immature child that you are?”
          “And I’m disrespectful?” I asked.
          “Do you understand what I am saying to you?” she asked.
          “That isn’t long enough.”
          “If you do not choose, one will be chosen for you. Your detentions will start on Sunday, and you will serve them with Rhodes,” she said.
          She took her scribe and left, and Nikolai followed her. My dad did not get up.
          “Do you need help making a decision?” he asked.
          “You are going to push me into being a Koa, like you,” I said.
          “It’s a prestigious path, to defend your people,” he said.
          “I am my people, and I am not a fighter, Dad.”
          “Your constant pushing back paints a much different picture, Demi.”
          “The Koa don’t even want me to train with them!” I said.
          “It isn’t up to them,” he said.
          He walked out before I could respond. I hung back to give him a decent head start, and then walked out. I found Elias lying on a bench outside. He turned his head to me and smiled.
“You look less than pleased.”
          I left him there and started to make my way back to my orb tiredly. The Headmistress’ office was at the very end of the campus. My feet were sore from the marathon I had run to still
be late to the hearing. I made it halfway to the Enclaves, and then gave up and collapsed next to the Nymph fountain in the courtyard. I took some of the lava in the fountain and splashed it onto
my face.
          “That lava is dirty,” Elias said.
          “I need a shower anyway. I’ll see you later.”
          He grabbed my sleeve and dragged me behind him. He pulled me back in the direction of Cataline’s office. He stopped in front of the biggest statue on campus. It depicted three male demons carrying a large placard that read Thárros Secondary Training School for Demons.
          Elias started to climb it, but I lit a violet flame and touched it. I was sucked into it, and then appeared at the top of the statue, leisurely sitting on the placard. Elias finally made it all the way up and sat next to me.
          “You could have helped me up,” he said.
          “What fun would that be?” I asked.
          “I’d rather make it on my own merit anyway,” he said.
          “Yes, because climbing a statue is quite an accomplishment,” I said.
          “You couldn’t do it if you tried,” he said.
          “I am not accomplished,” I said.
          He bumped my shoulder lightly with his and said, “Look around. This place is incredible
from up here. Isn’t it?”
          I looked out onto the school grounds. It was the largest institution in all of Terra, and the only one that existed in Orus, the third layer of the earth, just above the Core. It was comprised
of four large hollow orbs. Three of them were dedicated to training Eir, Koa, and Ptah, and their outer walls had been constructed from blue, red, and orange fires, respectively. They stood about
five hundred feet tall and had no windows or doors. There were five access points that could not be seen from the outside, and only two of them were clearly marked for visitors. The third access point could only be entered by staff and students, and the fourth and fifth only by the Headmistress and the High Council. There were no doors. Demons entered simply by walking
through the fire, placing them inside a circular room.
          On the left end of the school grounds was the Enclaves, where the students slept. It was a forest of massive trees, and every tree had seven branches. On each branch, there were seven orbs of orange fire that were big enough to hold a bed, a desk, a dresser, and a small shower. Each housed only one demon, and it was possible to see out of them, but not in. A lazy stream of lava flowed through them, separating the east and west wings. There was a clearing in the center that had random plants and flowers growing in odd places, and the entire forest was surrounded with blue fire to protect it from burning or dying because of Terra’s extreme heat.
          On the left edge of the school limits was a small orb that was engulfed in orange fire. This was the Headmistress’ orb. She was formerly a Ptah before she had been selected to run Thárros. I knew Cataline’s office intimately, as I had been summoned there seven times in just
eight months of schooling. I was told that I had been called for a disciplinary hearing more times than any other demon who had attended this school.
          And I wore that title like a badge of honor.
          “It’s overwhelming,” I said.
          “All of the best things are,” Elias said.
          I laughed a little. “Are you coming?”
          “Dare I not, and let you get yourself killed?” Elias asked.
          “That’s a bit dramatic,” I said.
          “But completely accurate,” he said.
          “Your invitation to come with me has been rescinded, Elias.”
          “I require no invitation. Light up, my little purple pariah.”
          I lit a violet ball of fire in the palm of my hand. He touched it, and we were both sucked into it. My skin momentarily felt as though it was submerged in ice water, and then we were spit out onto the middle of a sidewalk above the surface. No one around us was affected by the little violet ball that suddenly turned into two teenagers in the middle of the day. Everyone was too engrossed in their own lives to notice. Elias was in a twisted heap on the ground, but I had made
it on two feet.
          “Stuck the landing,” I said.
          He got up and dusted himself off. “Little less aggressive next time.”
          I laughed. “I don’t have any control over how poorly your body reacts to being consumed with violet fire.”
          “I do not believe you,” he said.
          “You’re very bad at fire travel, Elias.”
          “One day, I’ll be able to do this,” he said.
          “Good, because I’m tired of being your ride,” I said.
          “Don’t say that too loud,” he said and walked away from me.
          I looked at the cross streets, and then grabbed his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction. It had taken me several tries to manage to get us to the exact location I was aiming for. I still wasn’t exactly accurate, but I always ended up in the general vicinity of where I was trying to go in the human world. I came to this little hamlet so often that I had nearly perfected my arrival.
          It was still the middle of the day, and the hot Florida sun felt good on my skin. It was the most comfortable place I had been in above the surface. It was almost always hot, even when it rained. The humidity did not negatively affect us the way it did humans; it was simply added warmth that my body relished. I loved the sun.
          Though all of the layers of Terra mirrored the earth’s sky, it was impossible to feel its heat from so far away. It was one of the things that had brought me to visit the human world to begin with, before Elias and I met Leilani. At home, the sun was a bright annoyance. Here, it was something to interact with, to be felt and consumed. Many demons chose to move to the human world for this reason.
          We crossed the road and walked down the block to a house on the corner. It was smaller than the houses around it, and it was usually empty. Its inhabitants were a teenage girl and her aunt, and the aunt was rarely present. I had only met the aunt three times, and she was so
overworked that she never remembered my name or noticed her niece’s absence. She was a lovely person, but she spent most of her time at work, leaving the girl who lived with her to do whatever she wanted.
          I knocked on the front door, and a curly-haired girl with flawless golden brown skin opened it. She leaned on the frame and smiled.
          “Welcome, weary travelers,” the girl said, and then added, “You look like a decrepit fallen angel, Elias.”
          “Nice to see you, too, Leilani,” Elias said.
          “It’s always lovely to make my acquaintance, I know,” Leilani said.
          “No arguments here,” I said.
          “Is your aunt home?” Elias asked.
          “Nope. Shall I invite you in, or are you kidnapping me again?” Leilani asked.
          I waved my hand, and violet flames twisted themselves around Leilani. The fire encircled her body for a few seconds, and then slowly faded into a little violet heart on her chest. She had described this feeling to me as being surrounded by an intense gust of wind that felt warm on her
skin.
          “Hope you aren’t too busy for us, human,” Demi said.
          “Oh, never that, love,” Leilani said. “Never that.”
          I lit another flame, and the three of us were immediately dragged into it before we could say another word.