PERIWINKLE POV

Chapter Seven: The Nexus

"BEX STOLE MY STUFFED ANIMAL!"

"AWWW, ARE YOU CRYING FOR MOMMY, LEX?"

"LEX IS STANDING NEAR MY BED, MOM!"

"DAD, REX JUST SHOVED ME."

"DEX, COME HERE BEFORE WE GO RUIN YOUR ROOM!"

I wince from the noise above as as I scoop in my breakfast, watching as my mother shakes her head and mutters under her breath about how she should get to trying to buy noise blocking headphones. She looks up at me after a moment, sighing at Lex, Bex, and Rex's screaming. "How far are you from getting your nexus off?"

I groan. "Well, I certainly am not improving with all that noise." But I check for her anyways. When I do, I see that the meter has already hit halfway. My gasp rings through the air and my mother rushes to check what it is.

"You're halfway? Dex, that's amazing!" She exclaims, and I stare at the small meter on my plain blue nexus. My mother suggested I get something more fancy, considering I'd be wearing it full time, but I decided on the simple one. I bought it at a place that she brought me to the moment I was old enough, and out of all ones - jeweled ones, ones with runes, ones with shimmering ripples that go through it whenever you tap it - the light blue one caught my eye. It's simple, doesn't scream for attention or anything.

"Maybe I can get mine off before Wonderboy got his," I say quietly. It isn't really for my mother to hear, but she shoots me a sympathetic look the moment the words leave my mouth. I don't get why, so I just push away my bowl and rise to my feet. I flash her a smile. "Soon enough, my nexus will be off completely."

She laughs. "I'm sure it will." 

At that, I take my bowl and bring it to the kitchen island, which is positioned right by the Leapmaster 250. For a moment, I think about how Sophie is allowed to have the Leapmaster 500, which has twice as many places. How it isn't fair that we are only allowed to have 250. But I shake my head. That isn't how I should be acting right now. So I do nothing but shout, "Foxfire!" and step into the light.

"Good morning, prodigies," Dame Alina calls during orientation, smoothing her caramel-colored hair with her hand, delicately running a hand through it. She flashes a dazzling smile, then tries to get people pumped up. "Everyone ready fr another exciting day?"

"Het, check it out," I whisper to Sophie. I point toward the meter on my nexus. I can't stop looking at it. The meter has passed the halfway point, and once you're there, the rest of the road is easy enough. She looks over. "I finally passed the halfway point."

"Really?" I hear a tinge of jealousy in her voice as she glances at hers. It's obviously an old one and rather beat up, with a teal diamond in the middle. I check the middle and try not to say anything as I see that hers hasn't yet reached the third way point. Still, she shoots me a smile to tell me that she's fine and that she's happy for me.

"Yep. Not much further till I can have my own Pathfinder. Maybe I'll even get my nexus off younger than Fitz - man, that'd be awesome! I'd love to see Wonderboy's face is a Dizznee broke is precious record." I shift my eyes toward the ceiling dreamily. Maybe that would also stop Sophie from acting all idiotic when we see him, if he isn't the record-winning kid anymore.

Sophie opens her mouth to whisper something back, but she stops mid word, her eyes drifting toward Dame Alina. I decide to listen, too - it must be important, if Sophie is that interested in it. "We are now four weeks away from midterms. For those worried you won't be able to score the required seventy-five percent to pass, I recommend seeing Lady Nissa in the Tutoring Center."