Shoes pounded on pavement as Pip raced for the mailbox, the early spring wind nipping at her bare arms.

Skidding to a halt, she threw the mailbox door open and deflated.

Nothing.

She slammed the door shut and looked back up at the house. Maybe someone had picked the mail up already?

Pip raced to the front door and inside, hopping from one foot to another as she tore off her shoes before racing into the kitchen. The counter was clean, no mail or other junk waiting on the tile surface. She spun toward the dining room table. Empty.

Where was the mail?

"Did anyone get the mail?" Pip shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify the noise.

Theo stepped out of the stairwell, clutching his little black book of strategies in one hand, drawstring bag in the other. He'd already changed into the decided uniform, black gym shorts and an orange shirt with the Laymont school logo and the name L.O.S.E.R.S printed across the back. Probably not a good idea, but Pip still chuckled at the design.

"Still haven't gotten your acceptance letter?" he asked, dropping his stuff on the kitchen floor beside the island.

"No," Pip said. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her shorts, hiding shaking fingers. Everyone else she knew had already received their acceptance letter, confirmation that they were absolutely going to the hero program in June. While there were technically a few months left for admission, it just didn't make sense. It was already March, she'd submitted her application back in December, and she needed an answer. Today. Yesterday, if possible.

Theo shrugged. "You could always have Mom ask about it."

Pip jerked her chin down in a nod, even as she dismissed the idea. She couldn't put Athena in that position. Especially if she hadn't actually been admitted. She had the pedigree, she had the skills, but on a surface level, what good could her power do? And her essay.

She groaned, the sound coming unbidden to her mouth. "I'm going to go get my stuff."

Pip darted off before the fear could get the better of her. She jogged up the stairs and into her room, bouncing up and down as she glanced around the bedroom, any idea of what she was looking for scattered. She shouldn't have been this jittery. It was just a dumb competition, and it didn't even affect her. She'd be leaving in June.

Unless she didn't.

I can't keep thinking like this.

She pulled out her phone as she walked around the room, picking through piles of clothes that needed to be washed to find the shoes she was planning on wearing to the competition. Her lucky shoes.

The phone rang dully in her ear, the whirring growing tiring as she waited for Khione to pick up.

"Yes?"

Pip let out a sigh of relief, straightening as she turned her full attention on her girlfriend. They hadn't gotten to spend much time together outside of school the past several weeks, with Pip heavily focusing on her training while Khione worked and studied like a good student. "Are you coming to the competition today?"

"Uh…" The line went dead for a moment, nothing but static as disappointment began its slow trek to pool in her stomach. "I don't know."

"Oh. Okay." Pip sunk slowly to the floor, nausea sweeping through her body. It wasn't fair; she'd never gotten nervous before a fight before. Excited, yeah. Not nervous.

She tucked her knees to her chest, back pressed hard against the wooden leg of her bed, thick comforter offering little padding. Wind drifted in quietly through the open window, jangling the cords of glass beads strung above her bed.

She was a badass. She'd won every fight she'd ever landed herself in, just about. Her power was not only cool; she was good with it too. She could make glass that wouldn't melt, wouldn't break. She knew how to fight, with her brains as much as her fists, or a blade, or a bow. There was no reason she wouldn't get into the hero training program.

She already had too much skin in the game.

"You'll do good, okay, Pip?" Khione's voice had dropped, a soothing ice pack over a throbbing wound.

"Yeah." Pip swallowed, forcing down the lump in her throat. She would worry about the hero program another day. Today, the focus was on the gym competition and the Losers. "Thanks."

"I have to go, but, uh, good luck."

"Thanks—" The line went dead before she had a chance to finish.

She dropped her phone, the piece of tech landing lightly in her lap before she stood up.

"Enough moping around," she told herself. "We have a competition to win."

She left her phone on the bed, scooping up her shoes and a light jacket to wear over the T-shirt she'd chopped the sleeves off of, and joined the others downstairs.

Theo, Galen, and Amalia were already waiting, along with Athena, who Pip hadn't expected to see. Her heart leapt up in her chest, and she rushed to her mother, throwing herself against the hero's side.

"Oh," Athena let out a little laugh and caught Pip, wrapping an arm around her. "That was enthusiastic."

"Sorry." Pip stepped back, ears burning as she stared down at her feet. "I didn't realize you were coming."

"Of course I'm coming," Athena said, her voice booming. It was the hero's tenor, a tone she rarely ever took around the house. Bravado and pride mixed together as one, a voice that made criminals stop in their tracks and think twice about their actions. "You think I wouldn't come watch my kids kick ass?"

"You won't get to see, if you all just keep standing around," Mai chided. She walked into the room with her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl on her face that couldn't fool Pip. She'd been around long enough to know when her mum was angry, and when she was just putting on an act. "Get in the car, all of you. We're going to be late."

They piled into the car with minimal jostling, conversation budding and dying out as they drove across town to the gym. Pip had never actually seen Let's Get Meta before, but the building was just as impressive as she'd imagined. Tall enough to be three stories, it looked like an old-fashioned fire house with huge garage doors on the front, both open to the cold weather. Peering through them as they drove past to the parking lot, Pip caught a glimpse of the geer they had inside. Boxing rings, a large protected arena commonly used for training, a climbing tower. More, off to the side in rooms she couldn't spot as they moved.

Graffiti covered the wall facing the parking lot, not graphic or crude. In bright colors that popped even in the gloomy spring day, depicting giant, fate defying heroes, supers who'd defined the world since the emergence of powers. Not just superheroes, but healers, actors, artists. In the center, a large yellow circle containing their city's very own heroes. Athena, Odysseus, Rogue Moon, and many others.

Athena reached back, pushing Pip back into her seat as she leaned into the front, staring wide eyed at the mural.

"How did I not know about this before?" she asked in wonder.

"Because you don't pay attention," Mai chided. "Now out, I think I see the rest of the kids over there."

Stumbling out of the car, Pip couldn't quite pull her eyes away from the painting as she followed the others toward the front door.

One day, she'd be up there too.

Sure enough, the rest of the losers were waiting outside the double garage doors, lingering in the cold as they waited for Mai. She made her way up to the folding table set up just inside, whipping out packets of paperwork signed by everyone's parents and handing them over. Pip waited with her mom, shifting slightly from foot to foot while Mai checked them in.

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The gym was full of people. Teams of all ages grouped together throughout the main floor, while to the side, bleachers had been erected and were filling with people. A camera crew set up behind the admittance table. God, were they filming this?

"This looks fun," Athena commented. Even in mundane dress, she was obtrusive, people cutting a wide berth around her. Jeans and a hoodie might be enough to make her look like a normal if unusually tall woman, but that didn't take away the aura of power and authority that radiated off of her.

"Did you ever do anything like this as a kid?" Pip asked, twisting to look up at her face.

"Not officially." Athena chuckled, shaking her head. "I did have a few good knock down, drag out brawls though. All in good fun, of course."

"Of course," Pip said, unable to keep from smiling. "And you were definitely allowed to have those brawls."

"Sure."

"All right." Mai hurried back over, a brand new packet of papers in one hand and a collection of orange ribbons in the other. "We're all signed up for the qualifying round. After you pass that—and you will pass it, because I didn't go through all the trouble of getting everyone's parents' signatures for you to lose—then we'll be able to sign everyone up for the individual categories. Sound good?"

"What's the qualifying round?" Amalia asked.

"It's a group game," Mai said, holding out the ribbons. Pip stepped up and took the ribbons, beginning to distribute them throughout the group. "You'll be competing against the other teams in a game of capture the flag, basically. You all have flags," she motioned to the ribbons. "The goal is to hold onto your flags and steal flags from the other teams. They're going to pick winners from both the teams with the most of their own flags, and the most of the other team's flags."

"Sounds simple enough," Pip said. Her nerves drifted away into the background as the prospect of a fight loomed in front of her. She set her feet, planting her hands on her hips. "All right, gather up. Here's the plan."

"Wait!" Theo cried out before Pip could start talking. "I have strategies." He tapped the notebook with his finger urgently.

She stared at him before letting out a sigh. He had prepared, she supposed. "Fine. Theo, tell them the plan."

Theo took over as Pip tied the orange ribbon to her wrist, adjusting the fabric from side to side as she listened. Athena excused herself after a few moments, joining the rest of the attending crowd on the bleachers. Pip found herself scanning the crowd as Theo spoke, going over the different plans he'd devised and the ideas he had for once they got into individual categories.

Pip sank onto her heels as she finished scanning the crowd, trying to keep the disappointment from her face. Khione hadn't come.

Well, that was fine. Pip would still win anyway.

One of the gym employees walked over to their group, leading them away to the back of the gym. There, they joined the other groups waiting for the event to begin. Pip settled into a crouch as they waited and began to watch. With no one using their powers, it was hard to tell from the outside just how good they'd be, but she wanted to observe them nonetheless. Anything could be useful later.

Theo crouched down beside her. "What do you think?"

She swept her gaze over the gathered teams again as a crooked smile came to her face. "I think we have this one in the bag."

By the time the gym's owner stepped forward to call the competition to start, a good three dozen teams had gathered in the gym. They split them up into groups of six, leading them downstairs to a secret arena, cameras set up all around and connecting to large projectors around the room. The top two teams from each group would move onto the next round, where individual fights began. From there, judges would tally up individual wins for each team. At the end of the event, the team with the most points would win the open spot at Let's Get Meta.

To Pip's disappointment, they weren't in the first group to be brought below for the first event. She sat back, watching the projector as it lit up, giving them their first look at the training room below. She expected it to look sophisticated, like the training rooms in the Tower. Instead, it looked much like their highschool cafeteria.

Tile floors, grainy florescent lighting, obstacles set up all throughout it. They split the six teams up throughout the room, giving them each their own quadrant. A section in the middle had been taped off in painter's tape and titled No Man's Land in the same blue tape.

The loudspeaker crackled, popping and hissing before the voice smoothed out. "Sorry 'bout that, folks," said the announcer. "Let's get into it. As you can see here, we have our first group of competitors down below. Thank you to everyone for coming out and joining in our little competition! This is more sign ups than we've ever had before. Anyway, in case you didn't know the rules, I'll give you a quick run down. Each team has their own colored flags, which each member has attached to their body or clothing. The object is to protect your own flags and steal flags from the other teams. The only use of powers we have prohibited is those that would cause abject harm to the competitors. Remember, this is all in good fun! We're here to have a good time, not broken bones."

They laughed awkwardly, trailing off into silence as Pip shot Theo a look. Did that mean they'd had broken bones in the past?

It wasn't surprising, but also wasn't reassuring. Did that mean they didn't have the proper protective equipment here?

"In case of injuries, we do have a healer here today who's graciously volunteered their time," the announcer continued. "Now, if everybody's ready, let's get started."

As the first match began, Pip pulled Theo close and they worked together to jot down the powers they saw at play. Even if only two of the teams would eventually make it to individual rounds, it was better to have all the information at hand.

After half an hour, they called the first match, naming the cerulean team and the pink team winners.

This time, they were in the group heading down. Pip led the team with pep in her step, the entire group moving far too slowly for her tastes. They hit the lower floor and Pip immediately took off, claiming the far north corner as theirs to start.

"I feel sick," August complained, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Stop it," Amalia said without missing a beat. "We don't have time for you to feel sick."

"Mean," Lilly said, sticking out her tongue at Pip's younger sister.

"I'm not wrong!" Amalia threw up her hands, the minor barb enough to flare her into anger. Was everyone as stressed out as she had been?

She should have seen it sooner.

Pip cleared her throat and stepped forward, calling for everyone's attention. "There's no reason to be nervous," she said. Theo snorted, and she shot him a dark look. Now wasn't the time. "We've been training for months. You're better now with your powers than you ever have been. Get out there and do your best."

"Great speech."

"Shut up," Pip snapped, glaring at Galen. "Like we're going to have time for me to come up with some poetic speech? We're losers. Literally. It says so on our shirts. Everyone is going to underestimate us, and we're going to kick ass. That's all that matters."

"And we have a plan," Theo piped up. "Multiple plans, actually."

"This is also the easiest part," Pip said with a shrug. "This is going to be a piece of cake. I almost feel bad for them." She ended the sentence with false bravado. Not that she didn't believe they'd do well, but she wanted the rest of the group to think she thought they'd absolutely smash them. And they should. But not if they were all anxious wrecks.

The announcer began to speak, quieter now that they were underground, but there were still clearly speakers amplifying his voice to them. They didn't have much time.

"Okay, I know we talked over strategies, but I think I know which one we need to start with," Pip said, talking fast now. "Snowball war."

"What? Khione's not even with us." The bitterness was clear in Frog's voice, but they didn't have time to linger on that.

"No, no, we don't need her for this," Pip said. She met Theo's eye, understanding shining through. "What we are going to need, though, is a sacrifice."

She scanned their group, meeting eyes with each one until they landed on August. His blue eyes went wide and he stepped back in alarm, already shaking his head.

"No, no, not me."

"You're the best pick," Pip argued. "You can fly."

"That's it?" His voice jumped an octave.

"Trust me," Theo said, laying his hand on the boy's shoulder and pushing him solidly back to the ground. "You'll be fine."

As the announcer called for the game to begin, Pip called out her final orders, grabbed August, and shoved him toward No Man's Land.

Powers went off all around them. People ran, hers included. Amalia transformed into a whirling dust devil, spinning so fast she became a blur.

A rush of air split past her, hair blowing back from her face. Something tugged sharply on her wrist, then the wind was gone.

She glanced down, biting out a curse. "Motherfucking speedsters."

"What?" August asked, trying to twist around to look at her.

She forced him to keep his head straight and kept walking, practically sprinting now. She needed to cause their distraction so she could hunt down that little speedster bitch.

They reached No Man's Land, entering into a field of chaos. People fought, some with fists, others with powers. The speedster zipped through it all, barely visible to the naked eye. Amalia split off after them. Hopefully she could deal with it.

Stopping in the middle of No Man's Land, Pip summoned a fist of glass around her hand and held it up to August's temple. "Everyone stop," she shouted, projecting her voice as loud and deeply as she could. "Or the kid gets it."

In the moment of confusion that followed her strange declaration, the Losers struck. They surged into No Man's Land from all angles in a choreographed attack, stealing flags and immediately retreating.

All attention immediately turned to the unassuming team. They'd stolen their flags, and suddenly the other five teams all had a target.

Now it was Pip's turn.

She didn't summon her entire suit of armor. Instead, she summoned pieces. A second glass glove around her bare hand. A set of boots over her feet, each step lightened as she activated her control over the glass and lifted herself just slightly from the ground. In her dominant hand, she summoned a short glass pole not unlike a baseball bat.

She didn't want to use a blade, but that didn't mean she would go in without a weapon.

Thank god they have a healer, Pip thought, before cracking someone in the shins with her glass bat.

She tore through the battlefield, tearing attention away from the others on their team long enough for them to get back to the safe zone and hopefully long enough to outlast the competition.

Before she knew it, the announcer was calling for the match to end.

Pip stood in the middle of No Man's Land, panting as she dropped the bat and let it shatter and then vanish into nothing. People stared at her with wide eyes, the man who'd stepped forward shortly before the bell gripping his wrist where she'd struck it, fingers balled up in pain.

She spun around and looked for her team. Time to see if they'd won.

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