He tapped the desk, waiting for the homepage to appear. It was sluggish today for some reason.

“Is there a problem, H-547?” the teacher asked, standing expectantly over his shoulder. He hated when she hung over him like that. He had the impression of a dark vulture perched on a branch above him, waiting to pounce.

“No, ma’am,” he mumbled and pressed the reload button again, trying to get the Ficlets homepage to load faster, wondering what today’s challenge would be.

Ever since the League of Awesomeness had made challenges compulsory for students, students and teachers alike had felt it was a burden. They would never voice this complaint, of course, because to do so would be to leave yourself open to the vitriol of the LoA.

H-547 was perhaps the only one alive who relished the challenges, seeing each one as a chance to mark his individuality and set himself apart from the norm.

Finally, the screen began to flash with words, informing him of the latest challenge. He rubbed his hands together and smiled.