"So long as there have been humans there have been others, and with this co-existence has come unions between us. The offspring of these many possible unions are collectively called 'demi-human'. Half Human; Half Something Else."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1784, The First Sentence of "The First Edition of the Complete History of Demihumans."
Evaluation Day
The sun had reached the midpoint of its rising over the mass of young freshmen gathered around the courtyard of West Progress High School. They chattered among themselves. Some boasting about their strength, power, and skills and why it made them the best there. Some didn't mingle with the crowd but rather stood off in smaller cliques whispering their own gossip and telling jokes of the boasters. Further off still, hidden in the shadow of a tree trying to not be noticed was a small girl with a crown of plain flowers braided in her hair.
Gwendolyn Bell sat dreading the day. She didn't want to be here, but she didn't want to be anywhere. Gwen tried to remain unnoticed as other students tried to show themselves off. She saw them summoning power and conjuring forces. They tossed balls of fire between their hands, shot sparks of lightning around, and simply struck one another in the games of mercy. They were like beasts finally allowed out of their cage. Finally allow to roam. Their games ended when a whistle cut through the chatter.
"Alright, listen up." An average-looking man called for silence from a platform. Looking over a clipboard he addressed the crowd, "My name is Simon Mirmen. You can call me Mr Mirmen, Mr Simon, or Sir. Anything else is detention. Now today we'll be testing and gauging your physical and mental potential as well as assessing the nature of your demitypes. The test will start with physical traits, gauging speed and strength, followed by mental traits, your knowledge and intelligence, and then independent interviews for special traits. Any questions?"
Simon Mirmen was sharp, firm, and quick with his words. One young man towered over the others around him as he stepped forward and started to ask "Do we really hav-"
"No, you don't have to take our evaluation. You can leave and never return, Mr" Simon checked his clipboard, "Robert... Tartar. Like the fish sauce?" Simon raised an eyebrow.
"It is pronounced tar-tar. It's a proud name from-" Robert started to boast but was cut off.
"Okay, Mr Tar-tar. No, you're not forced to be here. You can leave whenever you want, but if you want to attend this school you'll do the evaluation without complaint. Understood?"
Robert huffed but nodded quietly before taking a step back into the crowd.
"Now, we'll begin with a simple foot race. Everyone will be lined up and set to make their way to the next test site." Simon explained as he stepped down and headed around the school, "Come along everyone."
They headed to the side of the main building. Its towering frame casting a shadow over them even so close to noon. Stepping out of the shadow and back into the sun they arrived at a large field just behind the school. Further still there was a large fenced area housing a huge forest. Simon walked up to a large sign that held a map of the school grounds, "Okay, pay attention, the test is simple. Make your best time around the forested area and return to the field. And don't even try to cut through the forest to skip the track. We have an automated check-in station on the other side. Now I'll be picking people at random to begin and I'll be sending you on a steady stream. As soon as you make it around you'll be tested on strength. Now, it should be impossible to get lost, but we've learned there's no such thing as impossible, so check the map and don't lollygag. You'll only be hurting yourself."
The students walked around in a disorganized fashion. Gwen had managed to remain unnoticed standing in the shadow of the school. Hoping if she could just keep it up until the physical test was over she would manage to go the whole day unnoticed. Several students were studying the simple map of the school's field. An abnormally short boy of African descent with what seemed to be a metal backpack was examining it.
YOU ARE READING
World of Demi-Humans: Freshmen Orientation(w/audiobook)
General FictionEven the mightiest of warriors were once children, and all children eventually grow into teenagers. Here are a few stories of a few more than mere mortal teenagers as they go through the trials of high school. In a timeline where all the myths of hu...
