Hand in hand, Moe and I walked up to UA High, where the gates were open and many prospective students and families and curious onlookers stepped inside for the chance to explore; from what I overheard, it was rare for anyone but students and staff to be let inside, so many were eager for the opportunity to snoop. Most buildings were closed, so it was more of an outdoor tour, but people seemed most interested in the big billboard erected in the center of the quad. I imagined it showed test results and couldn't help but marvel at the speed of grading. There had been hundreds of applicants!

Avoiding the crowd, I showed Moe where I had entered, exited, and then led him to the big iron doors that had led to the practical exam. We gawked a the sheer magnitude for a minute or two. We sneaked around the back and peeked through windows at classrooms, hallways, a huge cafeteria.

"Alright, we should head out soon." I told him, pulling him onto my shoulders so he could rest his legs, "We've got two hours until the train departs and we should eat something before then. Any cravings?"

Instead, he patted my head to get my attention, then pointed to the bulk of the crowd. It had thinned considerably since earlier, but we'd still have to get close. Well, this was his trip after all, so I took him there.

Most people didn't push, instead leaned back and whispered. Some snapped a picture of the board and backed away for simplicity's sake. It was divided into three big categories, with each having two subcategories. General, Support, and Hero, then Written and Practical. Moe clearly wanted to see the hero board, so that's where we stood. As he scoured it, I noticed for the first time a plastic table with a smiling woman and a pile of envelopes. A box beside her told me there had been a lot more of those earlier.

A thought occurred to me, and I checked to see if my buddy Midorya had made it in.

I found him quickly; third on the list. He'd gotten sixty points on the practical exam, just rescue, no battle, and a ninety on the written.

I heard a sound that I'd only heard once.

Moe laughed.

I pulled him off my shoulders and into my arms, bewildered and smiling.

"What am I missing here?" I asked, "You happy to be here, buddy?" Wordlessly, he pointed back to the board.

Sitting at eighth place out of thirty was Juniper Manderly. Forty points on the practical exam; evenly split between rescue and battle. A ninety-nine on the written test.

"But… I didn't even sign up!" I sputtered, blinking to make sure I wasn't seeing things, "I just showed up. I…" My voice softened, "I wasn't even… trying to…" How come I had never considered the possibility that I might actually pass?

My existential crisis was interrupted by a cheerful voice to my left.

"Oh, did you see your name?" The woman at the desk asked, "Congratulations! Come over here." I numbly did as she asked, "Name, please?"

"…Juniper Manderly."

She checked the envelopes and sure enough, one had my name printed on it. Could there be someone else with my exact name?

"Could I see your ID please?" I showed it to her, "Alright! This is for you." She handed me the envelope, "It has everything you need to know before school starts. You should be very proud!"

I thanked her, then walked around to the back of the school and sat on some steps, looking at the iron gates. Moe climbed off my lap, looking at me but saying nothing.

Though a bit of giddiness hit me when I fist saw my name, a wave of something heavier washed over me now. I resisted the urge to put my head in my hands. Biting my tongue and shoving back the feeling, I turned to Moe with a smile, handing him the envelope.

"Why don't you keep it? Consider it a preparation for your future. Think about it, if I could pass this test, you'll make it no problem!"

He took the envelope like it was made of gold.

I couldn't help but stare at my name, written atop it. The J was fancy and curved in a way I'd never seen. I laid on my back.

"I'm okay!" I lied, "Keep looking! Just sleepy. Tell me if you see anything fun."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Obviously, I couldn't attend. It was out of the question. I had a little bit of money saved from tutoring and odd jobs, but nowhere near enough to move. This city was dangerous and stressful. I'd have to find a school for Moe in the area, pay rent, not to mention all this would mean I'd do terribly. And what a waste that would be, to give something like this anything but one's best effort.

It'd be cheating too, disrespectful, since I didn't even mean to take the test in the first place.

No… no, I'd have to say no. And I had a feeling Moe might never forgive me for it.

"Oh. It's just you." I sat up quickly. No one else but Endeavor himself was standing before us. Sitting as I was on the ground, he seemed to have tripled in height. He glanced at Moe, "Ah, so you found the boy."

"Yes, sir." I confirmed with a happy smile, grateful for the reminder that today was much less dire than yesterday, "He gave me a fright, but Hawks spotted him in the end." I cleared my throat, "Thanks for hearing me out yesterday, I know I was in a panic."

"Don't thank me. I hardly would have been helpful if I tried." He dismissed, "I'm the one looking for someone now, actually. Have you seen a boy your age with white and red hair?"

I stood up, holding Moe's hand.

"Not that I can recall, no. We only have about an hour before our train leaves, but we can take a look, right Moe?" Moe nodded, "Where should I direct him if I see him?"

"Here should be fine." Moe passed the envelope back to me, focus now on the man on fire, "You passed?"

"Oh!" I felt weirdly embarrassed, "Um, yes."

"Hero track?"

"Yes, but…"

"I never would have guessed you were halfway competent." He said bluntly, "Don't interrupt your celebrations to try and find my son, I imagine that one had you searching enough." He turned his back and started walking away. Something in me made me speak up,

"Ah, it's no trouble. It's flattering but I can't attend."

Why did I say that?

Moe yanked suddenly on my arm, and I jerked to look at him, startled. He looked furious.

Endeavor stopped walking. Didn't turn.

"Then why did you take the test?" Why didn't I keep my mouth shut?

"It's a long story." I prayed he'd just leave it there and walk away. A hero like this had better things to do than interrogate me, surely.

"I didn't take you for strong, but I also didn't take you for a coward. Wrong twice now." I was taken aback at the sudden insult. And in front of Moe too. Indignation bubbled up, covering up any intimidation I may have felt moments before.

"Excuse me?!" He had no idea why I was rejecting my spot. None at all.

"You walked into a room full of the top three heroes, seem to have accidentally taken one of the most difficult tests in the country and passed, but when faced with an opportunity to do something incredible of your own volition, you're shying away."

"I live in another town, it's not as easy as it sounds." I no longer cared that he was four times my size or that he was on fire. I felt ready to fight him.

"You haven't even opened the envelope to see if the school would provide accommodations."

"Well there's more than just myself to think about!" I exclaimed. I regretted my words instantly.

"Careful." Said Endeavor, "Or that boy may grow believing he was the reason you never made anything of yourself, when it was your own fear that held you down." With that, Endeavor walked away. The only evidence of his presence were singed footprints and burning tension.

I stood frozen for a few seconds, shaking. Then I snapped to my priority list.

"…I'm sorry, Moe." I kneeled down and hugged him, "That must have been scary. And I shouldn't have said… I'm sorry." Tears welled up in my eyes. I sniffled and leaned back, "Ah crap, I hate crying in front of you. Just gimme a second."

Moe took my wrists to stop me from wiping my face.

"You get bad grades."

That shocked the weeping right out of me.

"Excuse me?" How did he know about my grades?

"You're smart but you get bad grades."

"Okay, ouch. Yes."

"You help me study." My shoulders slumped. I sat fully down on the dirt.

"I can see where this is going. I hear you."

"You ask me what I want to do when I grow up."

"You want to come to UA and join the Support course, right? Make gadgets and keep heroes safe. You said something about how no one worries about heroes. That you want to be that person." He nodded. His next words weren't full of emotion, or loud, or anything more than monotone, but they hit me like a slap in the face;

"What do you want?"