The cold, wet floor scuffed Sora's palms as she scampered toward the corner. She pulled her knees to her chest and tilted her chin upward, eyeing the looming figure above her. The woman who grinned down at Sora was not her mother. No mother should treat her children this way, Sora's big sister said once. Sora hadn't seen Asiaq in a few days. She could only imagine what kind of horrors their mother inflicted upon Asiaq.

"Now, now, little Sora," said Vortex, her teeth glinting when they caught the light, "there's no need to be afraid."

But Sora knew that tone. She shrank away. "Mom, please… I don't want to do this. It's too scary!"

"You need to get over it," snapped Vortex. "You have an incredible Quirk, and it is your duty to use it!"

"I don't like it," Sora whimpered.

A sharp smack across Sora's face caused her to emit a cry. She cradled the ache in her cheek and squeezed her eyes shut. Hot tears flooded her cheeks. Vortex's breath fanned across her face. Sora refused to open her eyes, refused to look into her mother's terrifying white eyes—

"I don't care what you like," Vortex seethed. "I created you to rip the sky apart, and that's what you'll do!"

Sora sobbed and shrank further away. "Momma, please, I don't want to—"

Thunder rumbled like a low growl in a hungry wolf's throat. It shook the building, and the walls vibrated against Sora's body. She covered her ears. When the shaking stopped, Sora braved a glance at her mother, who towered over her. Her eyes glowed a smokey grey, and lightning crackled at her fingertips. The skin of her fingers blackened the more the lightning arced around her body.

"Get up, you stupid girl," Vortex spat. Her voice sounded like thunder. "You are a storm with skin, and you will stop sniveling like your pathetic father!"

Black smoke curled from her mouth and choked Sora's throat. Sora clawed at it, but couldn't free herself. She was dying, suffocating in her mother's grip—

"Get up!"

"Sora, get up!"

"Come on, Sora, we could be late!"

Sora forced her eyes open. Her warm bed was a stark difference from the cold, wet floor of her dream. Her nightmare. Well, not even a nightmare. A memory mixed with nightmares. Or nightmares mixed with memories.

Her father leaned over her; his brown eyes soft. His glasses slipped to the end of his sharp nose, but he didn't bother pushing them back up. He relaxed when Sora opened her eyes. "This is an important meeting. We can't be late."

Sora's stomach flopped. Of course. The meeting with UA was today. Her extenuating circumstances kept her from taking the entrance exam and getting in based on recommendations. But UA was their last hope for safety—and for Sora gaining more control of her Quirk—so she couldn't miss this meeting.

Sora kicked the covers off and jumped to her feet. "I can be ready in ten minutes!"

Sora's father dipped his head. "Asiaq's made you some toast. You can grab it on the way out."

Sora waited for her father to exit the room before getting dressed. Normally, she opted for her oversized sweaters and her paint-splattered jeans, but today, she put on more professional clothes. She braided her hair, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. She stepped out of her room and entered the cramped kitchen of their apartment. Her stomach continued its flips and flops. As much as she appreciated Asiaq making toast for her, Sora was much too nervous to eat.

UA was her last hope. They'd tried Shiketsu High, and other schools in the area, but no one wanted to take her.

No one wanted to risk accepting the daughter of a villain—a powerful one—from America.

Asiaq beamed when Sora entered the room. "You look very nice!"

"You say that like I never do."

"Well, I see how you look on a daily basis," Asiaq said with a smile.

Sora scowled, but couldn't help the tiny twitch of her lips. Their father entered, scrambling to smooth the wrinkles out of his shirt. He patted Sora's shoulder.

"Ready to go?"

"You haven't eaten," added Asiaq.

"Too nervous," said Sora, rubbing her palms on her pants. Asiaq's brow puckered.

"Well… We should get going. We don't want to be late."

"Agreed." Their father led the way out of the apartment and locked the door.

During the whole train ride toward UA, Sora fiddled with the end of her braid to avoid meeting the worried gazes of her sister and father. Japan boasted some of the best hero academies in the world. Some of the best pro heroes worked in Japan—Vortex would be insane to try and snatch Sora out of UA. If she got in, and if Vortex discovered where Sora even was.

Suppressing a shudder, Sora pushed the thought of Vortex finding her out of her mind. The train reached their stop, and they trekked the rest of the way to UA. The climb uphill nearly left Sora out of breath. When they reached the massive gates to the school, Sora's heart trembled.

A man waited for them at the gates. He looked like a cowboy. When he spoke, his voice sounded almost metallic behind his mask: "You must be the Asa family."

Sora's father paused in his stride. "I am Asa Tadashi, yes. This is my daughter, Sora."

"Snipe," returned the cowboy. "Principal Nezu is waiting."

Snipe led the way across the grounds and into the building. The halls were empty, since the schoolyear had not started yet. Sora imagined them crowded, pushing past one another to get to class. The sun streamed through the many windows and warmed her skin. She liked the building so far. It was bright and warm.

Snipe led them into a conference room. The table inside looked like a giant U, and at the head end sat an animal in a suit. Sora had never seen an animal with a Quirk, though her mother used to speak of powerful animals with powerful Quirks.

Sitting to the right of the animal was a man with long dark hair, wrapped in scarves. He kept his head bowed. The animal looked up, his paws steepled. A scar covered his right eye.

"Thank you, Snipe. Mr. Aizawa and I will handle it from here." The animal's voice was soft and friendly. The tension in Sora's shoulders relaxed a little. Snipe ducked out of the room and shut the door. The animal indicated with a paw for Sora, her father, and Asiaq to sit. They complied. "I am Principle Nezu. Due to the delicateness of this situation, only Mr. Aizawa will be part of this meeting. Should we decide to enroll your daughter, then the rest of the faculty will know, but for now, we will keep it between us."

Tadashi bowed his head. "Thank you, sir."

"You're late applying for this schoolyear," said the dark-haired man—Mr. Aizawa—dryly.

"Truthfully, UA wasn't our first option," said Tadashi. "We tried Shiketsu, but they didn't want to take the risk."

Sora bowed her head. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the Shiketsu High's principle's words: "We can't risk a student who could endanger the entire student body." Frankly, Sora didn't blame them, even if it did scare her.

"This is an odd situation," said Principle Nezu. "We've never encountered anything like it. Sending a letter requesting that we enroll your daughter is not proper procedure."

"I know, I'm sorry. But this situation requires that we take shortcuts," said Tadashi.

"We can't just take shortcuts for one student," said Mr. Aizawa, "otherwise we would have to extend the same privilege to other students."

Sora's heart sank.

"Still, we would like to discuss your letter." Principle Nezu steepled his paws once more and peered at them with his round, glossy black eyes. "Let's begin with the urgency of your letter, Mr. Asa."

"Please," said Sora's father, "call me Tadashi."

"Tadashi," Principle Nezu confirmed with a slight nod, "in your letter, you stressed that your daughter's life is in danger. How so?"

"Her mother—Vortex—abused her as a child," said Tadashi, his eyes flicking to Sora, who kept her head bowed. Her cheeks burned as everyone in the room turned their attention to her. "Vortex was trying to raise Sora—and Asiaq—to be villains, too. Vortex is a madwoman, thinking she can create powerful children through Quirk pairings. For the longest time, I didn't even know I had a daughter. Then, Asiaq and Sora found me in my travels. They'd managed to escape with two of their younger siblings, too. Vortex has been trying to find us ever since."

"Find Sora," corrected Asiaq quietly. "Sora is the one with Vortex's Quirk—and yours—so she's the one Vortex wants. She won't stop until she finds Sora. This isn't just about giving my sister a chance at a normal life. It's to protect her, too. UA has some of the most powerful pro heroes working here. Vortex would be insane to come here, if she found out that's where Sora was."

"Why not put Sora into a normal school and give her a normal life?" questioned Mr. Aizawa. "Change her name, make her identity seem like she's Quirkless. Wouldn't that be the safest route?"

"Because her Quirk is powerful and dangerous," said Tadashi. "She could lose control. I want her to learn to control it."

"Did Vortex not teach her to control it?"

"She wanted Sora to lose control," said Asiaq. "The less control she has, the more powerful she can be."

Mr. Aizawa's brow darkened. "Wouldn't she end up standing out here at UA?"

"There are plenty of exceptional students who would outshine her," said Principle Nezu. The white fur on his forehead crinkled as he frowned. "What about Sora's education leading up to now? If she's behind, then she wouldn't make it at UA, even if we did agree to take her."

"I included her transcripts," said Tadashi.

"Transcripts from homeschooling instructed by Vortex herself," scoffed Mr. Aizawa.

"Vortex isn't an idiot," said Tadashi. "If she were, we wouldn't be so terrified of her."

"Still, I'm not sure we can enroll a student with such an ambiguous upbringing," said Nezu.

"Please!" cried Asiaq, jumping to her feet. She rolled up the sleeve on her left arm, exposing a wicked scar. "This is what Vortex did to me. I had to fight to get my siblings out of there. I did that for nothing if Sora isn't safe!"

Principle Nezu's eyes seemed to quiver as he stared at the scarring that branched up Asiaq's arm. He turned his attention to Sora, who felt that she might vomit at any second. "Child, you've been awfully quiet this entire time. I find myself agreeing with Mr. Aizawa—why not enroll yourself at a normal high school and pretend you're Quirkless? That seems like a real fresh start."

"Because I want to be a hero," cried Sora, snapping out of her daze. She held Nezu's gaze. "My mother is a monster. I've seen her hurt people, and I don't want to be that." Tears welled in her eyes. "I want to give back to the world what she's taken away. I want to be good."

Principle Nezu smiled. "Well, I would hate to stomp on such noble dreams without giving you a chance. We can't enroll you without testing your abilities, of course. You've missed the entrance exams, but you could take placement tests today and tomorrow, and we'll let you know by the end of the week what we decide. Does that seem fair?"

Sora's eyes widened and her heart lifted. It wasn't much, but it was a chance. A chance to prove herself, a chance to redeem herself. A chance to be a light in the darkness. She nodded. "Yes! Thank you, Principle Nezu!"

"This won't be easy," said Mr. Aizawa. "Your case is similar to getting in based on recommendations. So, we'll test you in a similar way. We expect your best."

Sora clenched her teeth, attempting to hide the smile dancing at the corners of her mouth. "I promise to do my best."

"We should begin with an academic placement test," said Principle Nezu. "I'll send in Ms. Midnight with an exam shortly. Tadashi, if you and your other daughter will follow me, we need to discuss more details while Sora tests."

"Oh, Asiaq isn't my daughter," said Tadashi.

Asiaq shot him a glower, but didn't say anything. Nezu blinked but gestured for them to leave the room anyway. Sora waited in awkward silence—Mr. Aizawa ignored her from his seat—until Ms. Midnight entered the room with a thick stack of papers. She was a beautiful woman.

Ms. Midnight placed the papers before Sora. "You'll have a few hours to complete the whole thing. If you need anything, like a break, or to use the restroom, let Mr. Aizawa know."

"Thank you," said Sora. When Ms. Midnight left, Sora got to work on the placement test.

After a few hours of testing, Sora's brain hurt. Fortunately for her, Vortex's homeschooling hadn't put her behind—and neither had her father's Asiaq's—so she didn't feel too insecure about the exam. The only part that she did feel a bit nervous about was the math section. She'd never been too mathematically talented. Competent enough to get by, sure.

No, the real test she feared was the Quirk placement test. She was being tested on the same level as those who got into UA based on recommendations, which meant her test might be worse.

"Well, Principle Nezu and I think we worked out a way to get you enrolled," announced Tadashi at dinner. "Assuming you do well on the exams."

Asiaq's brow furrowed as she turned her attention to Sora. "How do you feel about the academic test?"

"I feel okay about it," said Sora. "I don't think I'm the smartest person they've ever had, but I'm certainly not the dumbest."

Asiaq snorted. "I'm sure you did well."

Sora managed a small smile. "Thanks."

"You better do well," interjected Tadashi, slurping soba, "because your life depends on this."

"Tadashi," hissed Asiaq. "Don't put so much pressure on her. Even if this doesn't work out, we'll find another way. There are schools all over the world."

"You know, Principle Nezu and Aizawa had a point. Why not change our names, move to a new city, start boring lives? Vortex would never expect it and she'd never find you." Tadashi eyed Sora, who scrunched her brow.

The thought was tempting. But there was no guarantee it would work. Vortex was tenacious, and if Sora hid away and did nothing, never trained, never learned to properly control her Quirk… There'd be no stopping Vortex.

Besides, Sora becoming a hero was the best way to undo all the evil Vortex had caused. There were a lot of reasons the crime rate in America was much higher than in Japan, and Vortex was one of those reasons. Sora didn't want her mother's legacy of darkness and blood. She wanted to be good, to be kind. To use her powers to save others, not destroy them. UA was her best hope of that.

"I want to be a hero," said Sora. "I'll get into UA."

Asiaq's mouth slanted with a smile. "Remember that whatever you put your mind to, you can accomplish."

Warmth flooded Sora's chest as she gazed at her sister. Asiaq, despite her clearer memories of the torture they endured with their mother and the scars to prove it, had some of the kindest eyes Sora ever met. Asiaq, who was not more than a child herself, acted more as a mother to Sora than their mother ever had.

Tadashi patted Sora's hand. "Just remember to do your best, and you'll get in."

Outside Sora's window, the city breamed with nightlife. Honking cars, chattering people, and even a toppling trashcan in the alleyway kept her room from being completely silent. Sora's eyes burned as she stared at the ceiling without blinking for several seconds. She hoped it would tire her out eventually.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her attempts to sleep. Propping herself on one elbow, Sora called, "Come in."

Asiaq entered. "I figured you couldn't sleep."

"Kind of hard to here," Sora said, jabbing her thumb toward the window.

"Once you get into UA, we'll find a better place. A permanent place." A dreaminess thickened Asiaq's voice. She sat on the edge of Sora's bed. "Are you nervous about the practical test tomorrow?"

"A little," Sora admitted, hugging her knees to her chest. "I don't want to use Mom's Quirk."

"I know." Asiaq stared at her hands. "You haven't even used it to defend yourself. Only use what you're comfortable using."

"Yeah," Sora sighed. "Which isn't really any of it."

"Well… I know how much you hate using it. But you need to use it to get into UA. If this is as important to you as I think it is, then you do whatever it takes, okay?"

"Okay." Sora's heart skittered at the thought of using her mother's Quirk. She usually only used her father's. She supposed she was luckier than her sister, who didn't inherit both her parents' Quirks. Just her father's. At least she didn't have to carry around their mother in that way.

"It would be nice to settle down, you know? No running all the time… Just us two."

"The twins won't join us?"

"Eventually," Asiaq promised. "But I think for now, they're safer where they are."

"Yeah, it'll be nice," Sora murmured. "My dad's kind of…"

"Awkward?" Asiaq lifted a brow. In the dim light, Sora returned Asiaq's grin.

"Just a little."

Asiaq sighed. "Maybe I'm being too hard on him. For so long it was just you, me, and the twins. And then we found your dad, and… I don't think he was ready to go from a bachelor to a single dad of four."

"Maybe," said Sora, "but he could be nicer to you, I think."

"He just doesn't like that I'm a better parent than he is," Asiaq nudged Sora with her shoulder. "You'll do great tomorrow, you know? I know UA is the one. I feel it in my gut."

"Thank you. I kind of feel it, too. I want UA more than anything."

"Then you'll get in," said Asiaq. Her smile faltered. "Have you thought about how you're going to handle your identity when you're in?"

"Not really."

"One step at a time, then." Asiaq kissed Sora's forehead. "Get some rest."

The next day, Sora met Mr. Aizawa at a training compound on UA's campus. He faced her, looking bored with the day already. "You'll be taking a combination of the general entrance exam and the recommendation practical. You're not racing anyone, but you'll come across opponents that you'll need to take down. Taking down opponents earns you points, and the more points you earn, the higher your chances of getting into UA. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then prepare yourself. Your exam starts in three… two… one…"

A loud alarm buzzed, and the metal doors before Sora slid open. She ran inside to find a track with an obstacle course. Her direction was pretty obvious, then. But where were the opponents?

Sora sprinted toward the obstacle course. She climbed the first wall quickly, and then used a rope to swing across to the platform opposite of her. As she swung, a metal hand came out of nowhere and smacked her to the ground. The concrete scraped the bare skin of her arms, and the impact of the ground winded her. Staggering to her feet, Sora widened her eyes as she faced the first of her opponents: a large robot.

Energy surged through Sora's body as she activated her mother's Quirk of weather manipulation. The wind picked up around her, swirling in a small, localized gale. Thrusting her hands forward, she shot the gale in the direction of the robot, blasting it clean off its feet. It didn't move again. Sora smiled to herself, and then used the wind to aid in her jump onto the next platform. The next time a robot swung at her, Sora was ready.

Ducking, Sora used the wind to knock the robot out of the way, but this one was bigger than the last and merely stumbled. Sora gritted her teeth. She would need something stronger. This time, she created a small tornado that swept the robot away from her. Panting, she continued through the obstacle course, creating wind to carry her faster. She blasted away smaller robots and at last dropped to the ground.

The finish line was not far; a clean sprint would ensure her success.

Then, a robot bigger than the last two blocked her path. Sora didn't slow her pace, instead charging straight for it. She jumped, and the wind carried her toward its head. Thunder rumbled. Lightning crackled across her skin as if her entire body licked a battery. She directed the lightning from her palms at the robot's head, dismantling it. As it fell toward the ground, Sora used the wind to catch her. Her knees gave out at the harsh impact of her landing. Rolling, Sora forced herself to her feet and jogged to the finish line.

Whether she passed or not, she was finished. She glanced over her shoulder, and her heart plummeted. Cylinders of smoke rose from the destroyed robots. Parts of the terrain had been rent and torn from her miniature tornado. Even restraining herself caused a lot of destruction. Her hands shook, and Sora glanced at them. The skin of her fingers appeared blackened, but the charred look faded quickly. Flexing her fingers, Sora left the training ground. It was up to the powers that be to decide her fate now.