Aira Orbis had a difficult challenge in front of her. She had been assigned a group proje math css, where their teacher Mrs. Poppi had apparently e up with the perfect division of students, at least acc to her. Aira aired with Laenie, so she got that part right at least. But their other partners Rain and Ko Matora weren’t saying anything, and Laenie was getting anxious so she wasn’t talkiher. It to Aira to break the id get this train rolling.

  “Group projects, amirite fels?” Aira asked.

  None of them said anything. If Aira couldn’t get this ship righted soon, Laenie could get quiet for the whole thing, and she really didn’t want that for her best friend.

  “I have an idea,” Aira said. “I don’t know Rain and Ko very well, and I assume you guys don’t know us. So how about we…say some fun facts about each other or something? It’d be better than diving into this project, right?”

  If Aira couldn’t fill the gas of the metaphorical car of this group project with her suggestion, this whole thing may well go up in smoke. Rain cpped her hands and giggled.

  “That sounds delightful!” Rain said. “Who should start?”

  “I say Aira, since she suggested it,” Ko said.

  “Alright, sure,” Aira said. “Hmmm…well, my st name is Orbis. My i power is telep, I throw up on and, and I have an older brother who works at the school!”

  “Whoa, you throw up on and?” Ko asked.

  “Yeah! I don’t want to show it off here obviously, but if you’re ever in a pickle, it help out in a surprising number of situations!”

  Laenie chuckled a bit. The most important thing for Aira was that she get involved. But she didn’t look fortable enough to join in just yet.

  “Alright, I’ll go ,” Ko said. “I’m Ko, I have a twin sister, my i power is stone, I love beam chasers, I'm retly learning a bit more about theater because...and, uh…what else…”

  Ko thought for a moment. “Sometimes I wear this bandage when I’m not even cut or scraped,” she said. “Just so people tell me apart from Kai.”

  “Huh,” Aira said. “Have you thought about like getting a new hairstyle or something?”

  “I keep trying to make her get a new one,” Ko said. “She’s the ohat copies me.”

  “Ah, sibling rivalries be tricky,” Aira said. Thehought about Laenie’s sibling situation and worried that would dissuade her from the versation. “Rain, how about you go !”

  “Oh, me?” Rain asked. “My name is Rain Adagio, my i gift is mind trol, of sorts, if I put my mind to it I expand it further than just mental suggestion, but mind trol is easier to say. Ah, what else, I’d love to be a news broadcaster someday or perhaps an actor if KJ has her way, and speaking of, my best friends are KJ and Amara. I am also one of the seven princesses of Novu, and I absolutely adore the Big Boy at Ultra Taco.”

  “Wait wait wait, you’re legitimate royalty?” Laenie asked.

  Aira internally cheered. Laenie was really getting involved in the versation!

  “Like a for real princess?” Aira asked.

  Rain nodded.

  “I don’t like to make a fuss of it,” Rain said. “I am not first, sed, third, or fourth in line, so it isn’t as though I possess real power with it.”

  “Still!” Ko said. “A real life princess at my school. That’s awesome!”

  “I actually love studying Novu architecture,” Laenie said. “Especially their greenhouses!

  “Oh, do you?” Rain said. “Enough about me, you’re , Laenie!”

  “R-right,” Laenie said. “I’m Laenie, I love flowers and pnts, and as I just said studying Novu architecture, Tower of Hate and Love is the best show ever, and my i power is…well, I’m an Exa i. So my power is…er, that.”

  Rain cpped again. “How thrilling! What a group we’ve assembled here. Perhaps Mrs. Poppi really does have a perfect method?”