"It is our responsibility to ensure you have what you need to grow into the best that you can be. You Miss Holden are The One. The bedrock on which this generation is to stand on.”

  Sam shook her head and then looked into Porter's hands to ensure he wasn't carrying a small tin box that held a red pill and a blue pill.

  “Are you sure that's not Paul? He looks a lot more like Neo than I do.”

  Porter just looked at Sam, clearly missing the point entirely, she shook her head.

  “So mixed rooms?”

  “Ah yes! Indeed, well we thought long and hard about the best ways to help. We saw despite your undeniable power you er.. cked a certain connection with ah.. anyone else.

  "Other than your parents you seem to have much trouble developing retionships. Ah indeed, that way lies disaster. ah.. yes a dark path. Oh my, potentially very bad. Very bad indeed.”

  “So you put me with people to stop me going rogue?”

  Porter gave her a scrunched up face and hunched his shoulders as he angled his wide spread hand wiggling it slowly.

  “Eh...maybe? Rather we are trying to help you blossom. Have a happy, healthy, productive, successful life, With friends, a family.. maybe of your own. Think of their potential.”

  Sam squinted at Porter.

  “You put me in with Paul and Edward as potential mates? As in for babies?”

  Panic filled Porter's eyes as he saw the look on Sam's face.

  “No! Not at all! Dear me Miss Holden we aren't that Machiavellian.

  "Edward is strong, intelligent, loyal. A perfect person to have your back.

  "Paul is all those things but he is the joker in the pack, the one to lighten an otherwise difficult situation, a moderator. When something hits the fan, he's there to step in and calm the situation down.

  "And whilst Rae is less physically powerful she is reason, patience, the one with a deep conscience, the bosom against which you can rest your weary head, she will always be there for you. Not because we told her too, but because that's just who she is.

  "In fact no one knows any of this but um.. you. ah.. yes indeed, perhaps a mite too early, but you Miss Holden are a phenomenon!

  "One which we have barely been able to understand and therefore help, but we are here. And we want to help, if that means living apart as you become accustomed to your growing powers then so be it, but please, give it some time before you commit to anything too hastily.”

  Sam sighed. She was pretty sure he was suggesting “Mates.”

  Their need for potentially great Magi from her made her queasy. But nobody was forcing her to do anything like that! If she one day decided to have sex it would be with protection. Fuck the council and their dirty little plots.

  “OK Porter I get you. So what now?”

  “Now Miss Holden, you go get your new bracelet. Ah yes indeed, much effort has gone in making it avaible to your year. Hmm.. much effort indeed."

  “Oh lord! I'm not sure I can cope with this expectation Porter.”

  “Ah indeed it was suggested we not tell you any of this...hmm indeed if we could keep this between us hmm... maybe that would be for the best?”

  Sam noted a light glean of sweat on Porter's forehead and nodded.

  “You bending the rules for me Porter?”

  “Ah hmm.. indeed less bending and more putting through the shredder and using the paper as bedding for the rabbits I think.

  "Yes indeed a certain circumspection on your part would be most appreciated hmm.. yes indeed. Much rides on this conversation.”

  Sam sighed again and nodded. “You got it Porter, thanks for giving me the info. It's more than a little terrifying, but I'm happier knowing than not.”

  “Ah yes! Indeed. Then my gamble has hopefully been a success. Just try and be calm miss Holden. Just take one step at a time, let the magic guide you.”

  Sam nodded and got up. She needed to find Rae, there were a few bridges to be rebuilt. This “you are the one” crap was a total mind fuck though, but porter's one step at a time was probably the best advice she could take right now.

  Sam made her way back through the byrinthine corridors to the assembly hall. She glimpsed a young man with tussled brown hair. He looked up and smiled in her direction when he spotted her walking towards him.

  “You wouldn't be Miss Holden would by any chance?”

  “Yeppers, and you are?”

  “Ah yes! My name is Carmichael, Luke Carmichael. Techno Magi.

  I helped put together the bracelet. It's quite a thing I assure you. I thought for a moment I wouldn't be able to finish the job! You disappeared with out a trace.”

  “Sorry did I mess up your _tag the pupils so they can't escape_ pn did I?”

  The man's smile wavered slightly. “Erm...”

  Sam stuck out her arm. “C'mon guy. The bracelet? It's a phone! It's a tablet! It's a pass card it's a tracking device.”

  The man bnched.

  “Actually it's a fair bit more than that, even your phone tracks you. this is connected specifically to you. If someone were to take it from you though it would have nothing in it and it would be completely dead.

  It gets it power directly from your body. It's also linked to your magical aura and will help you focus your magic.

  In time you shouldn't need to use the screen at all as the longer you wear it, the more it will become intrinsically link to you.”

  Luke looked at her anxiously.

  Sam sighed and put out her arm. The young man smiled and clipped what looked like an slim, shiny, bck onyx bracelet covered with runes on her left wrist.

  It was no more than a couple of centimetres wide and about 2mm thick. She looked down at it as the man pulled away, it fit perfectly. She felt a tingling sensation run up her arm and her hand went numb.

  “There might be a vague tingling sensation for the initial set up, but that should only st a second.” He assured her.

  “And the numb hand?”

  She could still feel the tingling. The man's face became ashen.

  “Numb? Miss?”

  Sam nodded.

  “I can still feel the tingling sensation and let me tell you it ain't vague. And my left hand is totally numb. I can't feel a thing.”

  “Ah” the man nodded. “Well I guess if there was going to be an anomaly it would be with you...”

  He looked pensive and then tapped his own bracelet and a small ft holographic screen about 12cm by 10cm blinked into view.

  Sam saw the screen appeared to be filled with technical data with what looked like a download chart running along the bottom and it's colour had gone from green to amber as she watched it progress.

  The man tapped on the screen with his right hand was furiously changing the settings.

  The amber light was progressing rapidly towards Red and she felt the tingle turn into an electric spike running up her arm and her numb hand began to ache.

  “That's not helping!” She hissed. “In fact it just got way worse.”

  The man nodded and put his right hand up gesturing for her to hold.

  “Almost there!”

  Sam could see the anxious look on the guys face as he focused on the screen. Then the screen blinked. “Download complete” and Sam's hand and arm instantly returned to normal.