Chapter 286: Prepped For Class

LUMINA By the time all three were dressed and their backpacks were packed with notebooks, pencils, and lunch boxes, it was already 7:45. We had fifteen minutes to get breakfast into them and make the drive to school. Breakfast was a quick affair----cereal and fruit, juice for the boys and coffee for Xenois and me. We sat around the kitchen table, discussing plans for the day. Ollie was practically vibrating with excitement about his superhero presentation. Riley and Lake were quieter, clearly nervous about their first official day of school. "You're going to do great," I assured them. "Mrs. Henderson is a wonderful teacher. Very kind and patient." "What if the other kids don't like us?" Lake asked quietly. "They will," Ollie declared with absolute certainty. "Because you're awesome and you know cool stuff about portals and the future. Everyone's going to want to be your friend." Riley looked skeptical, but Lake seemed to take some comfort from Ollie's confidence. They finished eating q