I sank into the soft leather seat of María's sports car and tried not to think about how much it cost. The interior smelled like expensive perfume and genuine leather—not the synthetic crap they used in public transit vehicles. Eliza slid into the backseat while María took the driver's position.
"So, where to?" María asked, starting the engine with a low purr that vibrated through the chassis.
I hesitated. Even if these two women had bailed me out, even if one of them owed me her life, I wasn't about to give my actual address to strangers. Call it street smarts, call it paranoia—either way, I'd survived this long by being cautious.
"Rusty's Burger Joint on Seventh and Meridian Lower," I said instead. "They're open late, and I'm starving."
María caught my eye, one silver eyebrow slightly raised.
"Smart boy," she said, echoing her words from outside the precinct. "Never give your address to people you just met, even if they did just bail you out of jail, ¿verdad?"
The car pulled away from the curb with a smooth acceleration that pressed me back into my seat. The neon signs of The Foundation level blurred past the windows, bathing the interior in alternating flashes of blue, pink, and green.
"So," I said, trying to sound casual, "are we going to talk about why you two sprung me from lockup, or is this just a really elaborate kidnapping?"
María laughed, a warm, rich sound that filled the car. "Kidnapping? Please, if I wanted to take you somewhere against your will, I wouldn't need all this." She gestured around the car.
I blinked. "That's... reassuring?"
"She's joking," Eliza said from the backseat, her voice flat. "Mostly."
Spanish music suddenly filled the car, a vibrant melody with rapid percussion. María turned it down slightly but left it playing in the background.
"You like Nuevo Flamenco?" she asked, glancing at me sideways.
"Never heard it before," I admitted. The rhythm was actually pretty good—infectious, with a driving beat that made me want to move. "But it's not bad."
"See, Eliza? I told you he had good taste," María said, flashing a teasing smile at her cousin through the rearview mirror.
Eliza made a dismissive sound in the back of her throat. I twisted in my seat to look at her. She sat with perfect posture, her arms crossed under her chest, staring out the window. The black geometric tattoos on her arms seemed to absorb the passing neon lights rather than reflect them.
"So," I ventured, "how are you feeling? Last I saw you, you were pretty out of it."
Her golden eyes flicked to mine, then away again. "I'm fine."
"She means 'thank you for saving my life,'" María translated cheerfully. "My cousin isn't great with gratitude."
"María," Eliza warned, her voice dropping an octave.
"It's fine. I'm not great with gratitude either. People keep thanking me for things I did entirely out of self-interest."
"Is that why you dragged an unconscious woman out of a collapsing gate instead of leaving her behind?" Eliza asked, finally looking directly at me.
I shrugged, turning back around in my seat. "Maybe I just didn't want the death of a C-rank Emitter on my conscience."
"Ah, so you already knew her rank and Essentia type?" María asked, her tone innocent but her eyes sharp in the mirror.
"She was throwing around black fire like it was nothing. Doesn't take a genius to figure out she's not some D-rank nobody."
María hummed noncommittally as she navigated a tight turn. "Speaking of ranks, that's actually what we wanted to discuss with you."
The car pulled into the crowded parking lot of Rusty's, a 24-hour burger joint that catered to night shift workers and the perpetually hungry youth of The Foundation. The neon sign flickered, missing the 'y' so it just read "RUST'S."
María found a spot and killed the engine. Instead of getting out, she turned to face me fully.
"Have you ever heard of Catalyst Academy?" she asked.
I snorted. "The Zero Academy?"
Eliza's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Zero Academy?" María repeated, her tone still light but with an edge to it.
"That's what people call it, right? Because the probability of a top 100 hunter coming from there is zero percent."
"And yet," María said, her smile never faltering, "here I am, an A-rank hunter who chose to teach there."
That caught me off guard. I studied her more carefully. If she was A-rank, she was one of only about 800 people in the entire world with that classification. And she was choosing to teach at what was essentially the laughingstock of hunter academies?
"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Because Catalyst believes in potential, not pedigree," she answered simply. "And after what Eliza told me about your performance in that gate, I think you have potential in spades."
I looked between them, realization dawning. "Wait. Are you offering me a spot at your academy?"
María nodded. "The first semester starts next week. Full scholarship."
"With what happened at the Cathedral gate, you're likely blacklisted from porter work," Eliza added, leaning forward slightly. "And with your 'perfectly legal license' confiscated, I doubt any expedition will take you on, even as a bag carrier."
Her words stung because they were true. I'd burned that bridge thoroughly.
"So what, this is charity? Take in the poor slum rat with the fake license?" I crossed my arms.
"This is opportunity," María corrected. "For both sides. We get a student with real-world experience and untapped potential. You get training, credentials, and a path to legitimacy."
I stared out the window at the greasy spoon diner, considering my options. They were depressingly few. Without my license, I couldn't work gates. Without gate work, I couldn't make the kind of money Mom's treatments required.
But Catalyst Academy... it was the runt of the litter among hunter schools. The place Triangle academy washouts and late-Awakened kids went when nowhere else would take them.
『This could be advantageous,』 Minerva's voice whispered in my mind. 『An academy environment would provide resources, stability, and knowledge we could utilize.』
'Yeah, but it's Catalyst,' I thought back. 'Not exactly Vanguard Institute.'
『Perfect. No ties to your brother. No established hierarchy for us to navigate. A clean slate.』
She had a point. My brother had no sway there, even as the #3 ranked hunter in America. If he did I would have already been blacklisted.
"What's the catch?" I asked aloud.
"No catch," María said. "Well, beyond the usual—attend classes, don't burn down the facilities, try not to murder your classmates."
"That last one's negotiable," Eliza muttered, and I couldn't tell if she was joking.
I drummed my fingers on the armrest, thinking it through. "How'd you swing getting me out of FBH custody? That's not exactly within a teacher's pay grade."
María's smile turned a shade mysterious. "Our director called in a favor."
"A big favor," Eliza added.
"Must be nice having friends in high places,"
"It is," María agreed unapologetically. "But those relationships go both ways. Help us, and we help you. That's how Catalyst works."
Three years, I thought. Three years to get strong enough to earn real money, to save Mom. And if I could convince Minerva to make this more of a partnership that actually benefited me...
"What about housing?" I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it.
María's eyes softened. "Full room and board included. We're not one of those fancy Triangle academies with luxury dorms, but it's clean, safe, and warm."
Clean, safe, and warm. Three things my current apartment decidedly was not.
"And if I say no?"
"Then we drop you at Rusty's, and you figure out your next move on your own," María said simply. "No pressure, no hard feelings."
I looked at Eliza, who was watching me with those intense golden eyes. "What do you think? You want me at your school?"
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "I think you have potential that would be wasted otherwise."
It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but coming from her, it felt significant.
"I need to think about it," I said finally. "And I need to eat. I haven't had anything but vending machine crap since before the gate."
María nodded and pushed open her door. "Fair enough. Let's get some food, and you can ask any questions you have."
The three of us piled out of the car and headed into Rusty's. The place was about half-full, mostly night shift workers grabbing a meal before or after their jobs. The fluorescent lighting was harsh after the dim interior of the car, making everyone look slightly sickly.
We slid into a booth, María and Eliza on one side, me on the other. A tired-looking server dropped off menus without a word and shuffled away.
I stared at the laminated menu without really seeing it, my mind racing. Catalyst Academy. The Zero Academy. A joke in the hunter community, but maybe my only shot.
"I have conditions," I said abruptly, looking up from the menu.
María's eyebrows rose slightly. "Such as?"
"I need time off for hospital visits. Non-negotiable."
Something in María's expression shifted, a flash of understanding crossing her features. "Family?"
I nodded once, not willing to elaborate.
"We can arrange that," she said quietly.
"And I need to be able to earn money somehow. I can't just disappear into academy life for two years with nothing to show for it."
"Students are allowed part-time jobs," María explained. "And top performers get stipends."
I tapped my fingers on the table, thinking. "One last thing. I want private training sessions with you."
Eliza's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. María looked surprised, then intrigued.
"Bold request," she said. "Why me specifically?"
"Because you're A-rank," I said simply. "And because if I'm going to do this, I'm not aiming for C-rank or even B-rank. I need to go all the way."
María studied me for a long moment, then slowly smiled. "I think we can work something out."
"Then we have a deal," I said, extending my hand across the table.
As we shook on it, I caught Eliza's gaze. There was something like grudging respect in those golden eyes, mixed with wariness.
Good. She should be wary. Because I wasn't joining Catalyst to make friends or fulfill some dream of becoming a hero. I was joining to get what I needed—power, money, and a future for my mother.
Everything else was secondary.
『This will be interesting,』 Minerva whispered in my mind.
For once, we were in complete agreement.