Page 18 of Class Studies
I jerked, suddenly noticing the packed room of students. Usually, someone would have tried to steal my stuff or throw something at me. But not today.
Derek’s hug hit me with the force of a train, knocking my worry away. I awkwardly hugged him back. His friends moved my stuff and surrounded us, taking their seats.
Derek released me. “I thought you were getting a new schedule.”
“Ah, I did.” I pulled it out and handed it to him.
He looked it over. “It’s not much different.” He scanned the room. “Where’s Ashe?”
I bit my lower lip. “Ashe is with his fellow MA agents.”
Derek brightened before trying to hide it with a fake frown. “That’s too bad.”
I shook my head. “You’re really, really bad at lying.”
Derek gave me an apologetic grin before collapsing into Ashe’s usual seat. He pulled up a picture he’d taken of his most recent potion disaster before pointing to one of his friend’s yellow fingers. The two hues of honey matched perfectly. I smiled and listened to his story until the teacher got the class’s attention.
“We’re very fortunate today,” he began in his dry voice. “To have Teddy Tederwinkle, a recruiter for Global Tech, visiting. He’s offered to guest lecture for us.”
Teddy stepped forward from where he stood next to the teacher’s desk.
“Thank you for having me,” Tederwinkle said. “Contracting! Contracting, micro-transactions, and gigs. It is how the world’s run these days, and I’m here to explain it all.”
“Boring.” Derek leaned close to me. “My dad works for the government, and he says all these contractors are the same. Big heads with big wallets. They’re even worse if they’re on the magical side.” Derek scrunched up his face. “Which I guess I am now.”
I patted my friend on the back. When he first arrived, he hated his magic. He accidentally killed three people with it. Even if he’d gotten a chance to go home, his magic-hating family wouldn’t have accepted him, given, as far as I could tell, he loved his magic now he gained control of it.
Tederwinkle rubbed a spot on his chest, his eyes moving across the room as he spoke. “A good way to think of contractors is old-fashioned mercenaries—men and women whose loyalty is to the highest bidder. But unlike old-fashioned mercenaries, contractors do everything. From simple non-magical janitorial jobs to classified research on mythical technological assimilation.”
Tederwinkle’s gaze locked onto mine, freezing me in place. Just as fast, he looked away. Blinking, I tried to figure out if I imagined it.
“So, what does this mean for you?” Tederwinkle continued. “In this gig economy, contractors have the most stable jobs, second only to those working for the government itself….”
A folded piece of paper poked my hand before sliding in between two of my fingers. I glanced at Derek’s eager face before unfolding the note.
He’s not saying it, but they always recruit contractors. As far as I know, there’s never been a recruiter at the Institute before. My dad always said Rimmed Mages were a pox on the system, anyway. I don’t understand why this guy’s here.
I wrote him back. You, we, are not a pox on the system. I know it started rough, but you’re having fun with your magic now, right?
After reading it, he gave me a timid smile. We both returned our attention to the front.
Tederwinkle explained different types of work and passed around an example contract. I must have imagined his first comment because he didn’t mention it again or pay me any special attention. He ended a few minutes before the tritone of freedom, and the class immediately burst into conversation.
“It sounds like he’s recruiting from here!” One of Derek’s friends exclaimed.
“There’s no way,” Derek answered. “Rimmed Mages are unstable. Getting put in here’s a black mark for life.” He studied his hands.
“Look.” I gripped his shoulder. “I don’t know shit, as Ashe would say, but I do know you. You’re a better person and more in control than most people outside of this cage.”
“You’ve only met one person outside of here,” Derek mumbled, still looking at his hands. “Two, if Ashe counts.”
I bristled and removed my grip. “Painfully blunt there. But you’re still better than both of them.”
Derek ducked and blushed. His friends gave him a pat on the back as we stood, heading to our next class. I inspected my bag for pranks, but I didn’t find any. Like all new things, the excitement of hazing the new student had eased off over the last month. But not one spitball the entire class?
Something wasn’t right.
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