Henry had been in public school since he was of the age to do so. However, he went to the same elementary school all his life with mostly the same people in New Mexico. Today, he approached a new building in a new state with Dad Reginald and Uncle Right. The Nevada sun blazed bright and hot over them. The building before them, surrounded on two sides by parking lots clustered with cars and yellow buses, beaconed them with an air-conditioned chill.

Henry followed his adopted father and uncle, gripping the straps of his backpack tight with hands he could barely stop from shaking. As they entered the double set of double glass doors, Henry took a hold of Dad Reginald's sleeve and stuck between him and Uncle Right. He didn't look up, not even when he grabbed Dad Reginald's attention through the small action.

Henry inwardly cursed himself, summoning into his imagination some of the colorful words he overheard from other adults both in his past and in his present. Stop being stupid! You're supposed to be brave! You're smart and skilled and you're Henry Stickmin, recruit in the Toppat Clan! You'll earn your hat in a few years, but right now you still have to learn and grow. You need to be at school to learn so buck up and stop being such a coward!

Still, he couldn't help it. He couldn't help his racing heart or his tense muscles pulling him into himself like a turtle. Henry had faced down plenty of things, but this… this giant building swarming with kids his age or within a few years, under the authority of people he didn't know and who could abuse their power however they wish. A place where he was alone, vulnerable.

Henry swallowed and took a deep breath. No, no. He wasn't in school right now. He was with Dad Reginald and Uncle Right preparing for school. That meant last minute checks of paperwork and then a printed schedule.

A teenage girl walked out from behind the desk with a paper in hand. "Hello, sirs! Hello… Henry! I'm Alyssa. I'll show you around the school and teach you a bit about it. You're new, right?"

Henry nodded.

"Okay. Well, I don't know how your old school worked, but here all students get to shine and be their best. Also, we don't keep our personal things with us. You will have a locker with a lock assigned to you where you will put your things. You can access your locker before the first bell, before and after lunch, and after school. You will keep your backpack, books, lunch box, and other personal stuff there. The teachers don't want students tripping over backpacks. Also, if you have any electronics on you, they should always be turned off and put away. Come on! I'll show you to the cafeteria."

Although they followed the girl, Henry still stuck close to Dad Reginald and, when her back was turned, narrowed his eyes at her in a distrustful glare. Whenever she turned to look at him, Henry immediately lost the look. However, he would regain it when she stopped looking at him.

The school was weirdly organized despite being sprawling and, at first glance, a little confusing to Henry. All the halls were quite similar, as were most of the doors to most of the rooms. When he got to his tip-toes to peek through one of the tall, thin windows showing the inside of the classroom, he found most of them empty but prepared as if ready for class to start at any second.

"This is the cafeteria," Alyssa said, stopping and gesturing to the large empty room. Large, circular tables were folded and set up against the walls. In the front wall, there were a few doors that were closed, but marked as being for food lines. The left walls were mostly gone, replaced by some half walls and guard rails for descending stairs. "The tables are folded up most of the day, except breakfast and lunch. The lunch line starts in there. But if you already have lunch, you can sit down. All students are expected to stay at their tables unless grabbing food, dumping trays, or going to the bathroom until the bell rings."

With that, she led them around to the other end of the building, to a set of double doors. "This is the bus stop. You'll get your bus number from the Office, as all the buses have different routes. At the end of the day, you'll gather here or preferably outside. If you're not going on the bus but getting picked up, you can go through these doors and down the sidewalk. There's a place for parents or guardians to pick up their kids. So, sirs, you'll need to talk to the office and get to know some of the teachers so that someone on duty can recognize your car. We don't want any students getting into the wrong cars! Also, you can park your bike or something over there if you have one." She looked down at her paper. "Okay, let's look for your classes."

Henry had six different classes in total he needed to attend throughout the day: English, Reading, Math, PE, Science, and an elective of his choice, which turned out to be a Russian language class. The day prior, when looking at the school and the classes that it offered, Henry had chosen a language course. At first, he thought band would be great, but he realized he would need to go on a lot of trips and preform, and that would take a lot of time. But Russian sounded like a good language to learn.

Finally, thankfully, the tour came to an end and they were again at the office. Alyssa handed him his paper and went back to doing whatever she was doing behind the desk.

Henry didn't realize how tense he had been until they were again outside. His hands hurt from gripping the strap on his backpack and Dad Reginald's sleeve so tightly.

"Henry, boy," Dad Reginald said as they made their way back to their car. "Relax."

"Sorry," Henry mumbled and let go.

"Is… something wrong with the school?" Dad Reginald shot a glance back at the building.

Henry shook his head. "No." His eyes darted around, spotting multiple children and parents or guardians in the parking lot, entering or exiting vehicles or the building. Just let them get back to the airship.

So, they did. They had no other business in the town. Henry had all the books and notebooks and pencils and school supplies he would need. There was nothing Dad Reginald or Uncle Right needed from town, either. But, as they left the school ground, Henry relaxed again and gained his old smile. School was scary, and it would continue to be scary. But as long as he was with Dad Reginald and Uncle Right, he had nothing to fear.

"Ya look spooked."

Henry looked up from his lap, his legs swinging under him on his bed. "Huh?"

Howie hung up his hat and plopped down on his bed opposite of Henry. "School troubles already?"

Henry grimaced and looked at his lap again. "Yeah."

"Hey, chin up, man! It's not that bad!" Howie gave him a bright smile. "You'll be the best and brightest and most popular kid in school in no time. No one'll have the guts ta mess with ya."

Henry chuckled at this. "W-well, thanks. That didn't happen before, though." His faint, nervous smile left him.

Howie's smile faded as well. "Hey, little buddy. Look at me."

Henry reluctantly raised his eyes. His bright blue ones met Howie's brown ones.

"Yer the brightest kid Ah know. You'll be jus' fine." He glanced around as if there could be anyone hiding in their room and leaned forward. "But if they do, just tell me who they are an' Ah'll make sure they never try it again."

Henry chuckled, though the noise had no amusement in it. "Thanks, but I need to learn to take care of my own problems. I can't let kids push me around anymore. But… I just…" he scrubbed his face with his sleeve, cursing the dampness he now felt on his forearm.

Howie got up and set both hands on Henry's shoulders. "Yer days at the orph'nage are over, Henry. Remember that. You're stronger than ya think, much more than ya were a few months ago. You're not alone, either."

Henry hiccupped and nodded. "Y-yeah. Thanks, Howie."

Howie smiled and cocked his head. "Any time, little buddy. Wanna play some games on ma Gameboy?"

Henry perked up. "Sure!"