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THE BASS GUITAR IS so loud, I swear I feel it rattling my jaw. Alyx begged me to take her to a Regal Crimson concert, and I didn't want to disappoint her, so here we are. Now I'm just trying to get through it.
Yesterday, Jophiel shared an interesting piece of information with me. Apparently, I'm the only student who can successfully warp. According to him, most spirits don't get a handle on it until their thirtieth or fortieth mission. I started warping on my third mission, and I have no idea how I grasped it so quickly. Anyway, because of my newly acquired skill, I was able to take my roommate to the rock concert of her dreams.
The other day, I made an account on Spirit Sanctum, where spirit guides can chat on their LightTabs and make fan pages for popular angels. I stumbled across a message board dedicated to Taishi Nakamura, and I almost wish I hadn't. A few haters seem to think my success is solely because of my instructor. I hated it, but I have to wonder if they're right. As far as I know, Taishi Nakamura is the only instructor with a 9.87 rating. No one else comes close.
After our three successful missions, Taishi's rating went up. His 9.86 is now a 9.87, and I'm sure he's pretty happy about that.
When I glance at Alyx, it looks like her euphoria has reached new heights. Her expression is pure bliss. Try as I might, I can't understand why she's so obsessed with this band. Some of the guitar is catchy, and the lead singer isn't a bad-looking guy, but they're not that great. In fact, Alyx's favorite guy looks a bit stiff. He's barely moving.
“Oh my god, Leigh... isn't this amazing?” Alyx shouts. The music is so loud, shouting is essential.
I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I don't want to seem too interested either. With a shrug, I reply, “Uh... sure.”
“Kerry is soooo hot!” she coos. “I wish I was his spirit guide. Oh my god, that would be amayyy-zing. If I was his guide, it would be, like... my actual job to follow him around.”
“Yeah,” I chuckle. “I'm sure you'd like that.”
“I could go to all of his shows,” Alyx fantasizes. “I'd need a partner a bit cooler than Wilma Dawes, though.”
“Do you have a new instructor yet?” I ask, but Alyx ignores my question. Kerry started wiggling his butt, so I'm probably the furthest thing from her mind right now.
While Regal Crimson is blasting their music, I zone out and start thinking about my sister. Now that I know how to warp, I can visit my family on my own. I went back yesterday and sat with them during dinner. They didn't seem as depressed as they were before—which is good, I guess. I don't want them to be devastated about me for the rest of their lives.
When the concert is over, Alyx screams so loudly, I think she might shatter my ear. As she blows kisses to the lead singer, she yells, “Kerry, I love youuuuu!”
I'm glad she's not looking at me right now. If she was, she would see the most blatant eye roll in the history of eye rolls. As soon as the band walks off, I grab Alyx's wrist and whisk her back to our shared bedroom.
“Awww!” Alyx whines. “I wanted to follow him a little while. I wanted to see what Kerry does backstage. I wanted to see him rip off his t-shirt and wipe the sweat from his body.”
Ugh. Can she spare me? Her love for this rocker guy is killing me a little bit. Maybe I could change the subject and get her talking about something else?
“So... I kissed Jophiel,” I blurt. As expected, she looks stunned.
“Whaaaat? Excuse me?”
“I kissed Archangel Jophiel,” I repeat. “Or I guess you could say... he kissed me. I think he might be my boyfriend now.”
“You're messing with me, right?”
I chuckle at my roommate's disbelief. “No. I'm totally serious. It just happened yesterday. Look.”
I show her a long text from Jophiel, which was sent this morning.
I've been thinking of you. Of our kiss. I know you have class with Amber this afternoon, and it's a shame we're both so busy. If you find time, can you visit me at Archangel Tower tonight? I'm training some recruits, but I should have some time for you as well.
“Holy shit!” Alyx snatches the LightTab from my hand and holds it up to her face. “This looks legit. You aren't kidding, are you?”
I try not to smirk as I shake my head. “Nope.”
“You're dating an Archangel? Damn, girl!” Alyx's arms cross as she collapses into her bed. “You have a hot instructor and a hot boyfriend. I literally hate you right now.”
“No, you don't!” I reclaim my LightTab with a roll of my eyes. “Besides, you got to see your Regal Crimson guy. You should be pretty happy too.”
“Yeah, but I'm not dating him!” Alyx exclaims. “We're not making out!”
“Jophiel and I didn't really make out,” I correct her.
“But you'll probably be making out soon. At least, you should be. If you're not making out with him soon, I'll be so disappointed in you.” Alyx suddenly tosses her pillow at me. “I hate you a little bit, but I'm still rooting for you.”
With a chuckle, I murmur, “Gee, thanks.”
“What's this about class with Amber?” Alyx asks, referring to Jophiel's text. “You have another class without me?”
“Y-yeah.” I'm a bit reluctant to talk about it. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging. “It's a class for the twenty-four percent who successfully completed the first three missions.”
“Pfft. The twenty-four percent are ass kissers. No offense.” I start to lose Alyx's attention to her LightTab. Any time it's on, her eyes are glued to the screen. “But... at least I don't have a zero out of ten anymore, right?”
“Right.” I want to say I'm happy for her, but I'm pretty sure it would sound patronizing, so I don't. “Speaking of class, I should probably head off.”
“Alright. Go away.” Alyx sends me off with a flick of her hand. She's so sweet.
I head to the classroom, where I'm surprised by the number of empty chairs. Very few students are scattered around the room. I look around for familiar faces, but I don't see many.
As soon as Amber enters the room, there's a collective gasp from the entire class. At first, I don't even recognize her. For lack of a better word, she's old. Her curly black hair is gray and braided. Her face, which was once flawless, is covered in cavernous wrinkles. Actually, she's more than old. She's ancient.
“Hello, class.” When Amber greets us, her voice is raspier than usual. Even her voice must have changed with age. “I'm sure you're all wondering about my appearance. Believe it or not, I died when I was eighty-eight years old, and that is the physical age you're seeing right now.”
My mind is blown. If not for her wise, golden eyes, I wouldn't have recognized her in the slightest. This is insane.
“Look around you. There are many wizened faces in this classroom. However, here at Home, aged faces are actually quite rare. Have you ever wondered why? There's a very simple explanation for it. After your fiftieth mission, assuming you can maintain a minimum rating of five out of ten, you can shift,” Amber tells us. “You can alter your physical appearance. You can change your age. For example, if you died when you were very old, like Mr. Carruthers, you might choose to look thirty or forty years old again. Conversely, if you died very young, like Miss Riley, you might want to see what you would have looked like at thirty or forty.” By the end of her speech, Amber looks young again. In the time it takes to bat an eye, her wrinkles vanish, and her hair is back to black. “It's a gift for spirits who perform reasonably well.”
The outspoken Mr. Sood thrusts up an arm. During our last class, he was mad at me for having a skilled instructor. I don't know why he's complaining, though. If he's still here, he must have a good partner too.
“Yes, Mr. Sood?” Amber calls on him with a tremulous, false smile.
“Why didn't you tell us this sooner?” Mr. Sood asks. “My roommate, Dave, hasn't completed a single mission. If he knew he could look twenty again, I'm sure he would've tried harder!”
“That's a very good question, and I'm glad you asked.” Amber sits at her desk and crosses her legs. “We like to give an advantage to spirits who try hard without needing a reason to do so. Spirits like you, Mr. Sood. If you're in this classroom, it's because you genuinely wanted to help. It's not because you wanted to look young again.” Amber's smile grows as she studies her student's face. “Now that you know, you're welcome to share the information with Dave.”
And I'll probably share the information with Alyx, even though I doubt she'd care. Looking seventeen isn't necessarily a bad thing.
“Additionally...” Amber continues, “When you've completed one hundred missions, you can apply to become an instructor. To qualify, you'll need a minimum rating of six out of ten. Of course, you can also continue guidework on your own. Becoming an instructor is certainly not required. The instructors have a bit more clout, but it really boils down to personal preference.”
A woman in the back of the class raises her hand, so Amber addresses her. “Yes. Miss Bjarnesen?”
“If you become an instructor, and your rating slips below six, are you fired?”
“Once again, a very good question!” Amber exclaims. “Unfortunately... yes. Even a 5.99 would make you ineligible to continue. We encourage you to keep your rating as high as possible so more opportunities and perks are presented to you. For example, spirits with high ratings have the freedom to choose their charges.”
Opportunities and perks, huh? Maybe I can use this information to inspire my roommate? If she had a high rating, maybe she could be Regal Crimson guy's spirit guide?
“The ability to choose one's charges applies to guides, not instructors. Student guides' charges are hand-selected by a board of high-ranking angels, of which I am a member. Now... are there any more questions?”
When no one raises a hand, Amber abruptly dismisses us. As soon as I'm free, I head to Archangel Tower to meet my boyfriend.
My boyfriend: The Archangel Jophiel.
I still can't believe it.