.3.

Classes were basic.

I walked in, sat down, took notes, asked three questions, answered two with detailed precision then repeated this until I got a break to eat food.

The system the school uses is the same as a regular public school. We have classes, a break for breakfast, classes, a break for lunch, classes and in our case we get a break for dinner before our daily exam, then the school day is over. Three days a week, we don't have any classes, one day we have classes until lunch and then we get tasks, but every single day we get an exam.

Some things are compulsory, yet I get to bend the rules.

"Geo, what is that?" I looked over at his plate to see a black slab of meat with a teeth outline on the end and some green buns.

"Don't know, but sure tastes good." Geo responded as Rowan sat down.

"What is that?" Rowan asked his cousin before glancing slightly at my plate. "If you don't eat those lims, pass them over."

I raised my plate and slid all of my yellow-green beans to his plate. He ate without any further acknowledgement of the meal.

"Any ideas since last night?" Geo leaned over the table, standing and his face right between myself and Rowan. Rowan placed his right hand over his cousin's head and gently pushed him back into his seat.

"I slept last night and had classes all day until now. The only thing I've planned is eating. Eating with my mouth full." Rowan waved his spoon at him before he filled it and shove food into his mouth.

"Not you." Geo waved him off. "Oskar." He ate some food too, less than his cousin but more dramatically.

"Nothing." I told him.

"So, Señor Secor?" Geo asked and I nodded.

We ate all the weird meals presented for breakfast and sped through lunch before we tracked down the Señor.

The middle aged man stood bent over a wooden box that had two painted black lines around it and a loose lid at the top.

The man set the lid and latched it shut before looking up and calling us into the room. "About time you three came in. I've been waiting for you." The room was bare except for the stool with the box. "Hurry up, boys, come in! Come in!" He smiled.

Rowan and I turned to Geo who stood between us. He noticed immediately, shaking his head as he tried to duck away. We each took a grip behind his shoulders and shoved him forward. Not too hard but not too easy either. "We have a question." Geo announced, stumbling inside, his mouth functional.

"A question?" The man clasped his hands. "Care to come in before making me guess what it is?" He waited.

Rowan and I didn't need to look at each other. We stepped in and took our places beside Geo with our arms folded.

"What would you need to give us a location?" I asked.

"Darkness still flows from you, boy." He nodded and I didn't respond. "Maybe bring me something opposite and I'll shine a light for you?" Señor Secor rubbed his hands together as he waited for us to come closer.

We did as he wanted and stood around his stool. "What would you have us do?" I asked him as Rowan and Geo stood nudging each other's shoulders. "Behave." I mumbled and they stopped for a minute before they started whispering to each other. "Señor?"

"Glad you asked, Dark child." He placed his hands to the lid. "Hand in the box and pull out your favorite mortal treat." He opened the lid to reveal total darkness inside.

I knew what would happen when I placed my hand in but did as I was told to appease the man. The box's magic didn't work. I placed my hand in, imagined what I wanted, pulled my hand out and found wisps of black smoke that solidified slowly in the dim room.

"Nothing?" Señor Secor asked. "That wasn't supposed to happen." He looked inside before he made Rowan try. Row pulled out a macron. Geo pulled out a cupcake with blue and white frosting that held a green and pink core. "You go again, boy." Señor Secor motioned for me to place my hand in the box again. "It's supposed to work once for every kid in the school. Just one item each, but every kid. Just, go again, will yah?"

I did, again and came up with the same results. "It's not broken. Maybe it just doesn't work with me." I shrugged, to which he scratched his head in confusion.

I had wanted chocolate. It's simple and sweet and doesn't need any thinking.

"Sure." Señor Secor nodded. He still took up the wooden object and turned it over.

To my surprise, as well as everyone else, chocolate fell out. Not the one bar I'd wanted but dozens.

He quickly righted the box.

"Well, that explains it." He nodded now like it all made sense. "Let's walk out of the room now before you break it." He walked around the stool and toward the door so quickly that we had to chase after him.

"Light." He said behind him. "Bring me light and I'll find anything you need finding." Señor Secor looked back at us quickly. "It ain't something for a girl is it? I'll have you know that I don't do favors for lovers. Broken hearts is your business." We shook our heads. "Good. Now, go find that light and come see me when you're done." He opened a door to his left and vanished inside.

We stood in the hallway sweating and breathing frosty air, now realizing that we'd followed the man into a part of the school we'd never seen before.

We looked at each other as realization hit, then at the door.

There was none.