My apologies for the late update. The holidays messed with my routine and I got behind on a lot of life stuff that I needed to catch up on before I could write this chapter.

The face that stared back at Hadley was a mirror of her own, redness coloring her eyes, lips dry and chapped. She could feel the tiredness in her core. She had not slept.

A knock on the roof shook her surroundings, and while the sound was muted, she knew Evangeline was waiting for her. She looked back to the mirror, brown eyes blinking as she tried to focus. “You have got this, girl,” she voiced, frowning at the lack of conviction. She ran fingers through her hair, pulling it off of her sweating neck, before she smoothed her outfit. “Whatever, it is not like anyone could see my wrinkles anyway,” she quipped, chuckling at her own joke.

She made her way to the panel that opened the roof, smiling sheepishly up at Evangeline when it was fully open. “You ready yet,” she jokingly asked her large friend.

“You have the gall to ask me that on the one day I am ready before you?” She faux-glared down at Hadley, who shrugged her shoulders. Evangeline’s expression shifted to one of concern. “But seriously, are you alright? I am never ready before you.”

Hadley waved her hand, dismissively. “Of course. I was born for this,” she said her recent catchphrase, but found that it did not feel as empowering as it had in the past.

Evangeline’s eyes narrowed. “Do you really think I do not know you well enough to notice that you are not on the ball?”

Hadley threw her hands up with an exasperated exclamation. “You are no fun,” she sniped.

“Am I supposed to be?” Evangeline’s hand descended into Hadley’s space, waiting a moment for Hadley to lift her arms away from her midsection, before strong fingers curled around her. Evangeline lifted Hadley up so that they were eye to eye.

“I would certainly prefer it,” Hadley grumbled.

“That is unfortunate,” Evangeline returned. “So, would you like to talk?”

“Not really,” Hadley said and Evangeline nodded in understanding. “But, I am afraid.”

Evangeline frowned, her concern deepening the furrow of her brow. “Of?”

Hadley sighed, resting her arms on her friend’s thumb. “What if I am no good at this? This is all I have ever wanted, to be a part of Class Law, but what if they realize- what if I realize that it is not for me? What if I am no good?”

“I know I have not gotten around to introducing you to my friend Hadley, but let me tell you a bit about her,” Evangeline began. “She is beyond brilliant and very passionate about the rights of everyone, particularly the ones who have less than others. She has personal experience that drives her and she is a hero of people.”

“You really should get around to introducing us,” Hadley chuckled.

“I do not know if I could handle so much awesome in one room,” Evangeline added with a wink.

“Alright, stop,” Hadley pleaded. “I cannot handle this ego boost,” she laughed.

“So, are you ready to knock them dead?”

“Ready,” Hadley confirmed. Evangeline brought them downstairs, where Ambrose bid them luck, adding that Jazeera also sent them luck.

They called their thanks as they exited and Evangeline walked them to the Class Law Division office, where they ran into Sydney, pacing outside. “Hey, Sydney,” Evangeline called her attention.

“You doing alright,” Hadley asked when they were closer.

“Just nervous,” she squeaked.

“You and me both,” Hadley assured. “Would you mind giving me a lift inside, when you are ready?” Sydney nodded and Evangeline deposited Hadley within her hands. Hadley waved as Evangeline departed. Turning her attention to Sydney, she noted the quake of the other girl’s hands. “Hey, you are going to do great,” she called to Sydney.

“You think?” Hadley wondered if the girl had received any encouragement, like Hadley had from Evangeline. She did not know much of Sydney’s home life or even the friendships she held.

“Yes, of course,” she chirped, smiling encouragingly. “We will get through this together.”

“Is that not the sweetest thing?” Hadley closed her eyes, sighing at the sound of Isabelle jut behind her. “Have you finished your pep-talk?”

“I had forgotten why I enjoyed the holiday vacation. Thank you for reminding me, Isabelle.”

“Glad to do my part,” she snipped. She made her way into the building and Sydney followed after.

The building was a two story office building. A lobby welcomed guests, ushering them towards the front desk. Isabelle asked for direction and was pointed down the hall on the first floor by a cheery secretary. Sydney followed after her, keeping close, hugging Hadley near her chest.

They were beckoned into an office by an S class woman who reminded Hadley of Jazeera. She held a commanding aura. “Welcome. My name is Selene Gale.” She held up a hand to stop Isabelle and Sydney from taking seats. “You need not sit. We will not be here long,” she explained.

“Where are we going,” Isabelle’s sharp question came.

“Off-site.” The woman eyed Isabelle, challenging her. Hadley had to keep from laughing as she felt Isabelle tense, resisting a snide comment that came so naturally. “Today is a day for getting acclimated, to your positions and each other, as from this moment, you are a team.”

“And why can we not do that here?”

“Although you may not be aware,” Selene humored her by responding, “not all that we do happens in this building.” Hadley coughed to hide her laugh. She liked Selene. She felt Isabelle’s glare on her and directed a shrug at the other girl. The woman continued as if there was no exchange. “You all signed the consent forms, I am glad to see, but you will be given opportunities throughout this day to change your mind.”

Hadley shifted in Sydney’s hand, a little unsettled by the words. She felt Sydney look down at her and was further unsettled that she was not Evangeline, a person she would love to have at her back. “I do not think any of us will be scared away by your offer to back out,” Isabelle stated.

Selene smiled softly. “Then follow me,” she beckoned.

She led the way to the building entrance and then a short way down the street to a medical building. “This is where they kill us,” Hadley heard Isabelle grumble and giggled, uncertain whether the girl had meant for it to be a joke.

They were shown into a small office with medical posters lining the walls. “You will all be undergoing a physical, while we are here.” All three girls stared at her in question. “Working in Class Law is stressful, undeniably. We like to make sure our employee’s health is considered. This is not a place where we overwork our staff for profit.”

“Would be rather hard as a non-profit,” Isabelle quipped.

“Quite,” Selene agreed. “Are you all willing to go through a physical examination?” Each girl hesitated a moment, but finally each agreed. Hadley could not help but think of her previous experiences with medical attention. “Hadley,” Selene singled her out, “unfortunately, the medical equipment used on Ms. Dunn and Ms. White will not work for you,” she took pause and Hadley got the feeling she was trying to be delicate about the class differences, “so, would you be willing to accompany me?”

Hadley nodded and walked between Sydney’s hand and hers. “You two will be joined momentarily,” Selene announced. When they were outside of the room, Selene addressed Hadley once more. “You need not worry about the medical staff here. They will treat you well,” she assured, seeming to know Hadley’s fear. “It is a common fear,” she explained, making Hadley shake her head at the way she seemed to be responding to each of Hadley’s thoughts. “We are very aware of the malpractice of many doctors that treat F class citizens. It is one of the major battlegrounds in our fight for equality.”

Selene brought Hadley to a small ledge situated about half way up a wall, next to an S class door. There was an F class door in the wall. “I cannot follow past this point,” Selene indicated. “Through that door Ethan will take care of you.”

“Thank you,” Hadley called up to her. She entered the small door, finding herself in an examination room size to her. Inside, a young man in scrubs looked over a clipboard.

“Ah, Hadley!” he chirped, waving her forward. “Hello!” He wore a jovial smile and had eyes filled with light. “I will be taking care of your preliminary examination today!”

“You are F class,” she blurted.

“Yes! Born and raised,” he smile did not falter.

“And you are a doctor here? You seem young.”

“Oh no,” he chuckled. “I am interning here so that they might pay my way through med school.”

“I am interning as well, but for law,” Hadley informed him.

“Oh yes! That is exciting! Your first day?”

“Yes. You as well?”

Ethan shook his head with a throaty laugh. “Oh no, I am half way through mine. Medical interns work for a year.”

“Huh,” Hadley intoned. “I was not aware. And you are enjoying yourself so far?”

“Very much so! This is a great place to work!” His grin was contagious and Hadley found herself filling with excited energy. “They do not appreciate half-assery, but they are understanding and push people to be their best. Plus, they have a noble and necessary goal.”

“It has been my dream to work here for my whole life,” Hadley admitted.

“Mine, too,” Ethan exclaimed. “Well, today is a big day, so we best get to it,” he said with a wide grin.

“So, we will be taking your height, weight, pulse, blood pressure, hearing and vision tests, and a whole ton of other tests. The full list is here,” he said as he handed Hadley a sheet. “Please initial next to each of the exams you consent to.” She accepted a pen from him and quickly jotted her initials next to each of the listed tests.

“We will start with height,” he informed her. She stood against a measure and Ethan brought his eyes close to the mark. He was taller than her, likely verging on four and a half inches. “Four and an eighth,” he announced her height. “You are quite tall,” he noted.

Hadley exhaled a disgruntled huff. “That phrase seems dampened by everyone who says it,” she argued. “Look at you,” she held her palm level with the top of his head, over her own head. “Then there is Eva, who is six-“

“Six inches tall!?”

Hadley giggled, “no, silly, six feet. And some inches.”

“Wow, you know S class people?”

“Don’t you? You work with a few, do you not?”

“Yeah, but I get really shy around them,” he admitted.

Hadley giggled. “You really do not need to be. I can introduce you to Eva. She is very gentle. Although, I swear she is shy as well. It took me forever to get her to talk to me of her own volition.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yeah, I could introduce you to Sydney as well. She will be working with me here,” Hadley added. “You can forget about Isabelle, though.”

“Oh, I am sure I will meet them,” he mused.

They went through the rest of the tests and then Ethan led Hadley through a door on the other side of the room from the one where she had entered and asked her to sit at the table. He placed a glass of water in front of her. “This is the point where you are given the opportunity to turn back. The next stage of events will be an introduction into your lessons,” he informed her.

“I will not back down,” she stated firmly.

“The next test is not specified,” he intoned. “Please sign this,” he placed another sheet in front of her. It was titled Consent to begin Understanding Through Immersion. There were two lines, one for her printed name and the other for her signature. She scrawled her name and signature, anticipation rising.

“You will want to drink that all before the next procedure,” he indicated, with a soft smile. “Someone will be in to speak with you when you are ready. Good luck,” he granted her.

She stared at the glass of water. “They are probably just trying to scare me about a urine drug test,” she grumbled. She chugged the water, detecting an odd taste to it. And then she was waiting, lying her head down on her arms on the table. At first her anxiety spiked her heart rate, but soon she felt calm wash over her.

~*~

Hadley jerked upward, realizing she had fallen asleep. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes. She looked about the room for a clock, but there was none in sight. She had left her phone in the examination room and sighed. On the table, the glass of water had been replaced with a metal box the she estimated to be half an inch by an inch, and half an inch tall. She was unsettled by the fact that she had not woken when someone entered the room.

The box read ‘Do Not Touch’, which seemed like a cruel joke. Was this her next test? Fortunately for her, she did not have long to wait. She heard a soft click and a watched a panel on the right side of the box open outward. She leaned slightly to get a better view.

“-just sit there and then asked us to leave. How fucking pointless! I fell asleep waiting!” She registered the words, soft but audible, but did not piece together what they were until she saw two small bodies emerge from the opening, which she was beginning to recognize as a door. Hadley dared not move and held her breath as she watched tiny versions of Isabelle and Sydney walked out onto the table. “Where the fuck are we?”

Sydney looked towards Hadley and she watched the other girl’s eyes climb until they were locked with Hadley’s. “Um, Isabelle,” she squeaked, backing away from Hadley, who resisted protesting. Behind Isabelle, Sydney turned Isabelle’s shoulders, rotating the other girl to face Hadley.

Isabelle’s eyes comically mimicked the same path as Sydney’s. “Oh, fuck me,” she breathed, nearly too softly for Hadley to catch.

“Are you guys really tiny and on the table in front of me?” Hadley asked dumbly.

“You are astute as ever,” Isabelle snipped.

“Hey,” Hadley started, leaning forward, but when both smaller girls clapped hands over their ears, her response died on her lips. She sighed, settling back in her seat. “So this is what they meant by immersion,” she said, much more softly.

“Seems like you got the better end of this,” Isabelle shot.

“Which is what you have gotten your whole life,” Hadley reminded her. Isabelle glared up at Hadley, but Hadley just looked to the door, where someone entered.

Selene looked very different when they were the same size, Hadley noted. It was odd to see the whole picture, rather than choice aspects at any one time. “I see you are adjusting somewhat.” A doctor followed, carrying Ethan in her hand. “It seems having you wake with each other was a good decision.” Hadley could not hear out the comment that Isabelle made, but she could certainly guess its general content. “You have now officially begun your semester. Congratulations.”

Ethan was placed on the table and set about asking Isabelle and Sydney questions, while the S class doctor ran through a few with Hadley. When they were done, Selene commanded their attention once more. “You will all remain in the class you are now until the end of the internship. Should you choose to back out of the program, we will reverse the process in a week, when it is medically safe.”

“So, we just acclimate into life as new classes,” Sydney asked.

“Yes. We will help with as much as we can – housing, clothing, transportation, and most of your initial lessons will be about acclimation.”

“This all seems rather expensive,” Isabelle noted, and Hadley had to agree, especially in her case.

“We consider it a necessary expense,” Selene explained. “You will learn more than you ever could from a text book by living what other people live, while learning about our Division and its workings.”

“So, where do we begin,” Isabelle inquired.

“You go to the Heart residence for the night,” Selene replied, “they have agreed to house you until such time as you have determined your own living situations.”

“What time is it?” Hadley asked.

“Just after 6,” Selene answered.

“Where is my phone,” Hadley asked before she realized that it would be too small for her.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Selene produced a new phone, handing it to Hadley. Ethan produced one for each of the smaller girls. “These are programmed with a few numbers you will need and will be your professional cellphone. Please limit the personal communication you use it for, after the adjustment period.”

“I have to call Eva,” Hadley announced, punching in the number that was among the only that she had memorized. “Hey, this is Hadley,” she greeted when Evangeline picked up. “Are you outside?” Evangeline gave affirmation. “Alright, sorry for running late. I will be out shortly.” She ended the call and looked to Selene for dismissal.

“You may go,” she permitted. Selene left them with Ethan, who had moved to take care of the small room on the table.

“Hey, Ethan,” she cooed, enticing him to rejoin them. “You now have an S class friend,” she joked with a shy smile.

“So I do,” he chuckled, but he did not seem to be able to look her in the eyes.

“Let’s move passed the awkward flirtation and get to the part where you manhandle us to the Heart residence.”

Hadley rolled her eyes. “Thank you Isabelle, for being a part of my life.” She placed each of her hands palm up on the table, as Evangeline had done many times for her, and waited for each of the small girls to embark. Sydney hesitantly got into her hand, but Isabelle, for all her big words, stood just before her hand, seemingly unable to move. “Isabelle, are you alright?”

“I am not fucking alright,” she grumbled venomously.  She continued to stare at Hadley’s hand. “I am afraid of heights,” she admitted.

“I see,” Hadley acknowledged. “I was afraid when I was a child,” she offered.

Ethan moved forward, placing a hand on Isabelle’s back. “You need not worry,” he assured. “She will not drop you,” he vouched. “And, if it would be more comfortable, she can grip you around the waist,” he showed her his fist to indicate what he meant.

“And be further manhandled?”

“You should not think of it like that, not when it is Hadley. She will not take advantage of you.”

“I will do whatever make you comfortable,” Hadley asserted.

“Nothing about this is comfortable,” Isabelle spat.

Hadley sighed. “I know. I have been there, which is why you can trust me to respect your boundaries.”

Isabelle stood with arms crossed over her chest for minutes and Hadley was becoming antsy about keeping Evangeline waiting. “Fine. You can grip me around the waist.” Hadley smiled with relief.

“Lift your arms,” she instructed and when Isabelle followed her direction, she slowly brought her fingers around Isabelle, who looked like she was trying to hold back tears. “Let me know if I grip you too tightly,” she said.

As she lifted from her seat, she brought both hands away from the table, stunned by how light the other girls were to her. “Ethan, I am sure I will see you around,” she said her goodbye and exited the room to find Evangeline.