A giggle rose up my throat as the entrance exam was placed on my desk. I choked it back with a cough. This was so silly. I was given a pencil and eraser and told to start.

Since there was no real way to escape from here (though the man who'd dragged me here looked like he was asleep, I didn't want to risk being on the receiving end of his scrutiny again), I distracted myself by actually taking the test. The general school stuff wasn't too bad, like any other test, and I had the advantage of avoiding my usual test stress since this had no stakes. I guessed more than a few when it came to hero-specific knowledge, like the purpose of the ranking system and the history of quirks. But the hypothetical scenarios with open answers were fun to spend time on.

When I finished and looked up, I realized I was the last one in the classroom. Whoops. I checked the clock; still ten minutes left. I checked all my answers, wrote my name at the top and stood, walking to the front and placing it on the desk face down. After a respectful nod to that terrifying test administrator, which he reciprocated, I walked out.

My sneaky ambitions seemed promising when we were told to step outside. It was sunny and a lot of people had changed into exercise clothes already. I hadn't brought anything else, so I stayed as I was, not that I would change in the first place; it was time to go. I'd just have to keep my head low and scour the nooks and crannies no one seemed to notice.

This courtyard, however, seemed like a dead end, leading only to the big gates of the practical exam, so I tried a door to go back inside, but it was locked. I walked in the group, slowly, scanning the area. I was starting to get more worried. Maybe I should have asked that teacher if he'd heard about a lost child. There was just this instinct in me to resolve the situation myself; if anyone here caught on to my ruse, I'd likely get in trouble, and worse, kicked off the premises. No, I had to do this alone.

I calmed myself by reasoning that either Moe was hiding or a teacher had found him already. Either way, he was safe. Unless, of course, someone other than a teacher had found him. Or he hadn't made it in here at all…

No, of course he had. This was Moe. Where else would he go?

"Juniper!" Midorya ran over to me with a big smile, "Hey, how'd you do?"

"It was fun." I told him honestly, though I felt guilty for enjoying myself, "How did you feel?"

"Pretty good! It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, but that's no guarantee with such a small acceptance rate."

"True that."

We walked for a little longer, following the crowd of students, and I kept looking.

No sign of him. Decided, I made up my mind to break away as soon as we reached the testing site. I had no intention of attempting a practical test when surrounded with potential heroes anyway.

We stopped in front of a pair of giant steel gates. I look around for who I'd have to hide from this time.

"Hey, Midorya, where are the proctors and teachers?" He looked at me, temporarily snapping himself out of his own fright. I had the feeling he was more nervous about the test than he was letting on.

"All inside, I'd say." He said, "I hear the testing ground is as big as a whole town, so they can only really watch us through cameras. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Is something wrong?" It was the big brother type from earlier. He recognized me too. "Ah, it's you. I neglected to introduce myself. I'm Tenya Ida."

"Juniper." I responded, no longer smiling. There weren't any doors other than the one we'd taken. I'd have to jog all the way back, then inevitably be stopped again. Maybe a window would be more effective. Though distracted, I half-heartedly kept up the act, "And I was just hoping to speak to an adult."

"Ah, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the end of the test, unless you want to miss it." Ida told me sympathetically, "What seems to be the matter?" I'd never be able to reach those high windows! What now? Where next?

"I don't care about missing the test." I said, exasperated, "I'm looking for my little brother. I think he snuck in here and I can't find him anywhere."

"What?!" Midorya gave a whispered exclaim, while Ida seemed absolutely speechless, "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Because I knew they'd kick me out, and I thought I'd be able to sneak off to look. I should have found him by now." A rumbling caught our attention. The test would start soon.

"I suppose you can wait out here." Ida proposed finally, "I'm sure they'll notice you and check to see what's happening. You certainly don't want to go in there if you're not here to test."

A knot of dread settled in my stomach as a particularly pessimistic thought occurred to me.

"What exactly is in there?" I whispered.

"Weren't you listening earlier?" Ida reprimanded.

"A model town." My green haired friend provided, "Well, more like a section of a model city. It's totally empty but that's where the robots are. And Ida is right; they're really dangerous, so you shouldn't go in there if you don't want to fight."

"Can't they tell who's a candidate and who isn't?" I asked urgently.

"I don't know."

"Shit!"

The doors opened and I ran right past them and into the heroes practical test, praying that Moe hadn't chosen this seemingly peaceful and isolated area to hide in.

I wasn't the only one running; we were on a clock. Each robot was worth some amount of points and I guess you had to get as many as you could. Quirks were bursting all around me and I might've gawked if I weren't panicking; checking the alleys and windowsills. None of the buildings were accessible, so at least I didn't have to check inside.

"HEY IDIOT!"

Something hard and metallic collided with my back and I was flung harshly forward. I shielded my face and landed on the asphalt, wincing as my arms were scraped. I looked behind me to see one of the scrawnier robots revving up, only to have an angry boy blow it up. He paused only briefly to shoot me a glare and yell,

"If you're not going to fight, get the hell out of the way!" Then, he was off.

I sat up and grimaced at my now-bleeding palms. This place was too big and too dangerous. And I was too slow and harmless.

This time, it was worth the risk of missing some time. If Moe was in here, I had to find him immediately.

So I inhaled slowly, watching my surroundings through narrowed eyes.

Everything slowed until it sat still.

I went back to my search, a bit more fervent this time. I also took a moment to look at some of the robots and figure out how they worked. A good few cables yanked out the back of their necks, and they would probably power down. I did that to a few that seemed to be about to hurt some people, or that I feared might roam toward potential hiding spots, but left most alone, since lots of kids seemed to be enjoying fighting them, and I certainly didn't want them to lose points if someone noticed what'd done.

I reached the corner of the model city and began my jog, sweeping block my block, searching every crevice. He definitely was not here. Though obviously relieved, I gave a rueful grimace. No way I'd stay on my feet for much longer, so I sought a place where I wouldn't get accidentally hit.

There was a garden. It had about five robots, or maybe just two, it was honestly a blur as I quickly disabled them and then sat on a bench, officially exhausted.

I exhaled heavily.

Sound flooded in and robot parts flew. I flinched, eyes already closed.