New Year’s was stellar. Calista virtually visited Las Vegas with her family and watched the light show countdown in Digit Square, surrounded by professional dancers flying through the air, and digital fireworks bursting in the sky. She could feel 2350 smiling down at her, promising her a great future as a Versus fighter.


    She and her mother were still at odds, treating each other more like acquaintances than family, but during the midnight celebration, Jennifer finally let herself smile and even had a couple of drinks. Calista could see that her father wanted to loosen his wife up a bit, offering her a sort of strong champagne so she could forget her anxieties and be her old self.


    While Calista enjoyed seeing her mother so joyful again, her mood was dampened once the night was over. Was that how she would be able to spend time with her mother and genuinely enjoy it? By getting her drunk enough that she wouldn’t be thinking about her fans all the time?


    After a couple of weeks, the winter break was over, and Calista had to return to the academy and leave her family again. She could hardly wait to see them again at the preliminaries. They would arrive at the arena a little after she would.


    Calista met Belinda and Cam on the Air-Bus after teleporting back to D.C. She remembered the first time she’d gone to the academy with her family, getting panic attacks from the impending fight with Lílitha. Then, she was alone, going to a new school where everyone looked down on her.


    Now, she had friends, even more than she thought she had. Surprisingly, there were a lot of people that congratulated her on the way back to Fistborn.


    The academy seemed so empty without the other students. The rest of Fistborn would be returning after the team left for the preliminaries on Friday. The Versus Arena was in LA, California. This year, USA was given hosting rights for the preliminary rounds, thanks to Harrison getting the highest honor on the Earth team last Versus Games. At least his accomplishments were properly recognized somehow.


    At the moment, the team would take some refresher courses and training at the school, then head to the TelePort for California. Calista never really traveled much during her time as a Socializer, so the notion was exciting. She always wanted to physically visit California.


    “I would love to see the ruins,” she gushed. “Like Stellar Studios, or Fantasia Land? You know those?”


    “Yeah, it would be interesting. But the prelims only last a week,” said Belinda. “I don’t know if we’ll have time to go sightseeing after the games.”


    “If we don’t get on the planet team, we might,” said Cam. “If we do, forget it. We’ll be training 24/7.”


    The 150 contenders headed to the Auditorium, which was now full of classroom seats rising to the back of the room. Calista smiled brightly and waved enthusiastically at Harrison, who sat in the front row with the other Student Coaches. He smiled and returned the gesture with a calmer wave and a nod. He’s so handsome… Calista sighed internally.


    She sat in the second row with the Favorites that got on the team, next to Lílitha. The small woman smiled, albeit tightly, and whispered a, “Congrats.” Definitely an improvement.


    Lisa and Gina White entered the Auditorium, silencing the students. They stepped onto the stage, Gina standing behind her cousin.


    “Welcome, Versus fighters,” said Lisa, her voice resounding throughout the room. “Congratulations to all of you. You are all the best students in this school. The chosen ones to not only represent our proud academy, but our entire country. Welcome to the preliminaries, United States Combat Team.” She applauded, the students following with some excited whoops and cheers.


    “Now, some of you may have already experienced the preliminaries. Others have experienced the main Versus Games. And there are others who are new to the Games. Whatever experience you’ve had, I expect your utmost attention. I don’t want to see any distracted eyes, anyone talking to each other, nothing like that. All eyes on me, even if you’ve taken this course before. Understood?” Everyone nodded and murmured their assent. “Make sure you take notes on your AIDA bands.” She turned, activating the HARP-ED. Calista rushed to set her AIDA band so it could record the important information she said.


    “The Versus preliminary rounds, as you know, are hosted on each participating planet. In our preliminaries, 32 countries— including us— will be participating this year. We have the same amount of students per team, so…” She shrugged, wincing a bit. “There’s almost 5,000 competitors in the prelims alone.”


    Calista blinked. 5,000? How would they cut off so many players in a week? She didn’t remember much from the prelims when she was little.


    “The prelims are just a series of games,” Gina supported. “No one-on-one rounds; no this fighter vs. that fighter. They have the same groups; solo, pair, and team, but they all focus on different qualities of fighters. The Solo rounds will focus on Strength, Strategy, and Endurance.” The HARP-ED screen showed the different icons representing the qualities. “The Pairs focus on Unity, Trust, and Delegation. And lastly, the Team rounds focus on Cohesion, Loyalty, and Communication. These are all important qualities all of you must have as fighters, and the prelims test you.”


    “The games played are usually run-and-guns, races, and survival Chaos Rounds,” said Lisa. “At the start of each round, the randomizer wheel is spun to choose what game you will play, so there’s no way of knowing what to prepare for in the map. That tests a quality of fighting that’s not mentioned; Improvisation.”


    That made sense. But if they were so chaotic… Calista shivered. She could easily be eliminated by whatever crazy cache would happen in the games.


    “You’ve all played these kinds of games during the training period here at Fistborn. Red Light, Green Light; Crash Landing; Minesweeper; you should have experience with ‘chaotic’ games like those from your Teamwork or Combat courses.”


    Ah, yes, the various games that humiliated Calista throughout the semester. She didn’t do as well in the run-and-gun games. She worked better when she was directly confronting an opponent, especially if she had a team with her.


    She would have to do what she was bad at first? Dread filled her stomach. If she didn’t improve enough, she’d be eliminated right off the bat.


    As Lisa and Gina continued, Calista’s self-confidence grew worse and worse. The games they mentioned sounded unbelievably scary. She wished she could recall a prelim round from when she was young, but she’d paid more attention to the interplanetary tournament.


    Once the lecture was over, they were excused to their lunch period. With the academy so empty, the Mess Hall seemed a lot bigger than before. The Student Coaches stayed at their table, with no one missing from their group. The Guilds were very small now, even missing a lot of Favorites. They wound up joining together, occupying about a table and a half. The rest of the non-Guild members sat together at other tables, separating into groups of friends.


    Calista naturally gravitated to the table where Belinda and Cam were sitting. Lílitha sat at the end of the table, keeping to herself as she ate. Rosalina, Bark, and Hillary were seated at the other table.


    She was pretty worried that the ‘enemies’ she’d made in Fistborn would specifically target her during the rounds. No doubt, they’d be looking to get her out of the competition and prove she was a ‘fraud’ after all. Maybe she could study them so she could know how to fight them if she had to.


    She was excited about confronting them at first, but with the explanation, her outlook had completely changed. She would be too overwhelmed for a grudge match.


    “You excited, Cali?” Camelithia asked her.


    “Excited and nervous.”


    “I know it all sounds scary, but it’s not as bad. The first time is always quite jarring, even so.” She took a bite of her lunch. “I remember last Versus, the first prelim game was Earthquake. I was glitching traumatized. They started us off with a 7.5 mag quake, so everything was chaos, buildings collapsing and everything. I didn’t know what to do. All I practiced went out the window.”


    “My first round was Kidnap,” a Paeseoan girl chimed in. Everyone groaned at the mention of the game.


    “What’s Kidnap?” Calista asked.


    “It’s a Hajjian children’s game. Pretty messed up. You go around a dark, creepy maze and try to find your way out. If you make it out, you’re safe. But along the way, there’s a group of fighters assigned to ‘kidnap’ you and lock you in an elimination cell. The ones with more than 5 victims pass, and the rest are cut.”


    “That sounds creepy.”


    “It’s very creepy.” The girl glanced behind her and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “That’s Hajjian kids for you.”


    “I heard that,” Rosalina called from the other table. She didn’t look the least bit upset.


    “All of you better pray we don’t get that game this year,” the girl continued.


    “I got it my first Versus— in 2338,” a man spoke up. He was older than most of them, noticeably experienced. “It was in the pair rounds. My teammate and I were separated midway, then I heard him screaming for help. I tried to find him, but I got caught. Thankfully, I escaped and made it out, but he was cut out of the games.”


    “I got it last time, but I was one of the seekers. I’m sorry to say this, but being a seeker… it’s fun.” The Seeyastearthian boy speaking chuckled. “I actually got some revenge on some cache-hole that was messing with me before the games started. Guy was screaming his throats out when I caught him. All I did was grab his arm.” He laughed. “He never bothered me again.”


    Calista highly doubted she’d get to be on the other side of the code. If she had to play that game, and Rosalina or Hillary were seeking…


    “I’m hoping for Wipeout Tower,” Belinda said, changing the subject. “I always loved that game.”


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    A Mercearthian girl near her scoffed. “You need to get over that game.”


    “I’m just saying it’s my favorite.”


    “Yes, but you’re singling yourself to one game. You need to expand.”


    “I’m not singling, I’m just saying. Like your favorite game’s Capture the Flag.”


    Calista glanced between Belinda and her Guild-mate. She noticed Belinda wasn’t sitting that close to the other Gamma members on the team.


    “I like Capture the Dragon better than Capture the Flag,” a boy interjected.


    Calista nodded in agreement. “Same. It’s so stellar. I remember it from when I watched the Versus. There was this guy there… I was too young back then to realize it, but now that I remember, he was GP. He was like the prince from…”


    She trailed off, realizing the looks she was getting. She quieted down and focused on her food. While she’d learned how to fight, she still retained her old personality. She wanted to kick herself.


    “The prince from Astrana,” said a human girl named Charlotte, breaking the awkward wall of silence. She was the only Gamma that Belinda was sitting with. She was a pretty, small girl with almond skin and wild, curly hair in a short afro.


    Calista looked up, surprised. “You watch it, too?”


    “I love that show.” Charlotte seemed to ignore the looks she was getting from the other Gammas.


    “I need to watch this show,” Camelithia supported. “Calista’s told me a few episodes. They sound quite interesting.”


    “I agree,” said Belinda.


    “Of course you do.” Her Mercearthian Guild-mate scoffed.


    For the first time, Calista could see the Mearthian girl growing angry. She wasn’t one to lose her temper. “Was I talking to you, Alesha?”


    The girl looked a bit shocked at her tone. “You don’t have to be glitchy.”


    “Oh, I’m being glitchy?”


    “Belinda, you’re overreacting,” said the Seeyastearthian next to Alesha.


    “I don’t recall talking to you, either, Neka.”


    The lunch period ended before the argument could escalate. Belinda stood and stormed out of the cafeteria before anyone could follow her. “Bel, wait!” Alesha ran after her. Calista stared at the door, wondering what got her so upset. Did she have a fight with her Guild-mates?


    Charlotte approached Calista, her wild, untamed curls bouncing. Calista could already imagine her former friends mocking the girl’s hairstyle. In truth, it suited her. She had the perfect face and bone structure that made messy hair look great. “Hey, during free time, you want to watch Astrana?” she said.


    “Yeah, that sounds fun.”


    “Count me in,” Cam said as she left.


    Maybe Harrison could also come… maybe not. He wouldn’t like it.


    Despite the positive note, Calista still wished she would’ve shut up. She had to stop acting so much like a Socializer.


    ===


    Without their regular classes, the 150 students had a lot more free time to relax before the stress of the competition would come to haunt them. Naturally, with Calista’s birthday falling on the day before they headed to LA, the girls wanted to make the most out of it and take her out to D.C.


    Calista had never done much traveling; usually, it was a virtual tour of exotic places, nothing close to the real thing. She was quite excited to spend her 18^th birthday sightseeing the country’s capital city. There was a plethora of museums, national monuments, and hangout spots they could choose from.


    Camelithia had gone around D.C. quite a few times during her time in the academy, so she led the little tour group that consisted of herself, Calista, Belinda, Charlotte from the Gamma Guild, Harrison, a reluctant Lílitha that agreed to go after Harrison’s persuasion, a Martian guy named Elmer that Belinda invited, and an Iota girl Cam had invited named Beatrice Bustamante, who had grown up in Latin America.


    They spent their time walking around the festively-decorated city of Washington D.C. Naturally, being the home of one of the best fighting schools in the world, there were a lot of hardcore Versus Games fans that decked their homes and streets out in red, white, and blue. Freeze shots of some of the famous Fistborn fighters like Reilly Campbell or Disaris Okione were projected all over.


    Calista smiled at the many projections that counted down the days, down to even seconds, that were left before the preliminaries would begin. The residents did a great job of promoting an exciting atmosphere. Digital confetti rained down in many places, melting the second it touched the floor, and music played in stores and malls to attract customers, the shops full of Versus Games merchandise.


    Many of the wandering residents recognized Harrison, Camelithia, and Lílitha’s faces in the tour group, since they were the most famous. Fans pointed, gawked, and jumped excitedly at the sight. Harrison was as arrogant as ever, flashing his handsome smile at fangirls and waving occasionally. Cam was as friendly as ever, waving at anyone who noticed them. Lílitha was the one who was completely indifferent, pretending not to see the excited onlookers.


    “Alright, that’s all the national monuments I know of,” Camelithia said as they left the White House ruins. “Where do you want to go next, Cali?”


    “I don’t know… what do you want to do?”


    “It’s your birthday, you’re the boss!”


    “We can get something to eat. It’s just about lunchtime.”


    “Ooh, I know a great place here!” Cam said excitedly. “Have any of you been to Starway Pub?”


    The group went to a restaurant bar a few blocks away from the travel tube leading back to school. Camelithia got a small Earthian whiskey; Seeyastians were a bit weaker towards Earth alcohol than humans. Lílitha stared at her with envy.


    “Why don’t you order some, Li?” Harrison asked her.


    “Everything here is too strong for me.”


    “Can’t you do your… stretchy thing? Y’know, to absorb it?” Elmer asked.


    “It’s exhausting. I’m not sitting like that for hours.”


    “Calista, you want some?” Cam offered.


    “I’m 18, not 21,” Calista joked.


    “A sip won’t hurt.” As Cam held her mug out towards Calista, a barrier blocked her.


    “Patrons must be 21 Earthian years of age or older to consume alcoholic drinks,” said the AIDA.


    “Can’t argue with that,” Beatrice sniggered.


    “Ugh, whatever. It was just a taste.” Cam pouted childishly and sipped her drink.


    Calista looked at the menu on her AIDA band. “AIDA, give me the mixed berry smoothie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.” The drink appeared before her.


    “Of course, the most pink drink you can get,” Lílitha said.


    “That actually sounds so good,” said Charlotte. “I’d like the same.” She received the drink and took a sip. “Not bad. A bit sweet, but good.”


    “You always have the prettiest-looking drinks,” Beatrice commented as everyone ordered their meals.


    “Force of habit. Everything has to look good, you know; even our food,” Calista remarked, a bit bitterly. “We have to eat quickly, but politely. No crumbs, no smudges, no stains. I’d like a… Cheese Delight club sandwich.” The meal generated on her plate.


    “Cam wouldn’t survive a day as a Socializer, in that case,” said Beatrice.


    “Hey!” Cam said, her mouth full of steak. “I could pull it off!”


    Belinda nearly spit out her drink, laughing. “Case in point.”


    “That doesn’t count!” Cam swallowed so she could speak properly. “I’m polite!” She wiped her mouth with her absorbent napkin and sat up straight, daintily cutting a piece of her steak and eating it. “How’s that?”


    “I should give you some classes,” Calista answered, bringing laughter to the table.


    “Imagine that,” said Harrison. “Calista’s Etiquette class.”


    “They have that at the Socializer school I was gonna go to.”


    “Maybe Camelithia can spend a semester there,” said Lílitha, followed by more laughter.


    “You’re all so mean.” Cam speared a piece of her steak and shoved it in her mouth, deliberately chewing with her mouth open so everyone could see. They all groaned and looked away.


    Calista was surprised with a birthday cake after they finished their lunches. It was exactly how she liked it; a pink strawberry-chocolate cheesecake with sugar glaze spread on top. Her picture was projected over the cake, acting as the cake shield, which would only open when she blew out the digital candle.


    The group sang the birthday song as AIDA projected, ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALISTA’ over their table, bringing Calista some mild embarrassment. Wishing for a successful preliminary competition, she blew out the candle so everyone could get their slice of cake.


    “They make the best pastries here,” said Cam.


    “Lílitha, aren’t you having some?” Belinda asked.


    “No, thanks. More for you.”


    “You want to do anything else after we eat, Cali?”


    Before Calista could answer, everyone’s gazes turned to something behind her. Turning around, she found a young human woman, probably a few years older than her, standing and staring at her with wide eyes. She cleared her throat and said, “I’m sorry… are you Calista Medley?”


    “Uh, yeah.” Calista glanced at the others, but it was clear this woman was a stranger to all of them.


    “Oh, I… I just wanted… I’m a huge fan of yours!” the woman squealed.


    “Really?” Was she an old SociaLights fan? Why would she still like Calista after everything?


    “Yes! I’ve been following the Versus since I was a kid, and I always hid it from everyone because my sister’s a growing Socializer, and I didn’t want any drama, but I always watched your SociaLights channel, and when I heard what you did, well… it was inspiring. I told my sister she could shove it, and now I’m a regular fan, and I got tickets to the prelims, so I’ll be going tomorrow, too! I’m so glad you got on the team!”


    Calista tried her best to follow the girl’s excited rant, confused at her words at first. “Th-thank you! I… You were… inspired… by me?”


    “Yes! All of you are inspiring!” She giggled and looked at the others. “I’m a huge fan of all of you, too. I’m sorry, I’m not ignoring you, it’s just… I never thought someone like you— like me— would go into fighting. I’ll be cheering you on in LA.” She held out her hand for a handshake, hesitated, then grasped Calista’s hand between both of hers. With a shy wave, she scurried off, leaving Calista dumbstruck.


    “Well, look at that. You got a fan for your birthday,” Lílitha said.


    “I guess I did.” Calista smiled bemusedly, still a bit taken aback by the interaction. She didn’t think she’d ever meet someone that supported her that way. As the confusion faded, she was filled with a wonderful elation.


    Calista was further overjoyed by her friends’ birthday gifts. Elmer, Charlotte, and Beatrice, being new friends, had gotten her small gifts, but she appreciated them nonetheless; they were cute accessories like bracelets and hair barrettes that she could wear. Camelithia got Calista a new set of custom ‘uniforms’; while they weren’t official school uniforms, they were adorable. They were pink, green, and sky blue variants of the outfit, except without the official Fistborn emblems.


    Belinda had gotten her one of the best— a wallpaper file of her favorite Astrana characters in a hand-drawn filter. Calista hoped that when she finally got back to her old bedroom at home in Indiana, she could use it. Even Lílitha had gotten her a gift; a strong pair of custom-fitted running sneakers that accommodated her feet so they wouldn’t ache, and that sported Calista’s favorite colors.


    Harrison had hinted that he would save her present for later, which made her both nervous and excited— was it jewelry? Surely not.


    Once curfew started approaching, the gang left the restaurant, taking the travel tubes back to the academy. Calista’s heart was still soaring in a 12,000-mile long flight, the girl’s words echoing over and over again. How many more were like her, but too afraid or embarrassed to say anything? How many more would join after she actually participated in the competition?


    The group parted in the residential section, going to their respective dorm buildings. Before Calista retired to the first-year dorms, Harrison stopped her. “I… want to give you my present now.”


    “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot,” Calista said.


    “I just… thought I should give this to you myself.” He held out his present, which was enclosed in a blue gift box.


    “Thank you, Harrison.” She took the box and tapped the top side to open it, which made the sides fold back and melt away.


    It revealed a large, diamond-shaped figure, with various freeze shots of Calista that changed every few seconds. They varied between her walking the halls in her custom uniforms, to her training in the gym, to her fighting against Hillary. She looked pretty awesome in all of them. There was even one from her test with Lílitha— one that made her look good despite the humiliation she suffered that day.


    On the top, letters hovered above, reading ‘Welcome to Club 18!’ in pink.


    “How’d you get all these?” she asked.


    “The school always takes random freeze shots of people to put on their tours and stuff. I asked the office for the ones you came out in and made this. Thought you’d want a way to remember your first year here. When you graduate, it’ll be a heck of a nostalgia trip.”


    She smiled, impressed and touched. This was ten times better than jewelry. “Wow. Thank you, Harrison, this is… this is beautiful. I love it.”


    “And there’s room for the shots we took today if you want. You can always change them. I got the one with 10 brontobytes, so it’s a good amount of space. I wanted to get one with more, but…”


    “I think 10 brontobytes is enough,” Calista giggled. She hugged him tightly. “Thank you.”


    “You’re welcome.” Harrison smiled. “You want me to walk you to your dorm, or…?”


    “Sure, why not?” They started towards the first-year building at a slow pace.


    “Welcome to 18.”


    “Yeah, adulthood.”


    Harrison shook his head. “Yeah, no. This is not adulthood. I don’t think we’ll feel it until we’re like 30.”