The school day had been a blast. Chloe sat in class, giggling with her four closest friends—Mia, Ethan, Lily, and Zack—as they passed silly notes and whispered jokes. At one point, Mia tried to stifle her laughter so hard that she snorted, sending the whole group into a silent fit of hysterics. The teacher, completely oblivious, continued droning about the importance of ancient trade routes, while Chloe doodled a tiny camel wearing sunglasses in the margins of her notebook.
"You think this camel looks cool enough to survive history class?" Chloe whispered to Mia.
Mia wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "Only if it comes with air conditioning and a Netflix subscription."
"Nah," Zack added, smirking. "It needs a VIP pass to escape this boredom."
"Or a magic carpet," Ethan chimed in. "This class feels like it's been going on for centuries."
Lily shook her head, grinning. "And yet, none of you are actually taking notes."
Chloe was about to reply when the lunch bell rang, and the class erupted into cheers. They grabbed their food and headed to the playground, basking in the warmth of the sun while making ridiculous bets on who could eat their sandwich the fastest. Chloe had just taken a massive bite of her own when a commotion near the school gate caught her attention.
A group of older kids—definitely not students from their school—had barged onto the grounds. They surrounded a younger boy, no older than ten, shoving him back and forth. His books were scattered across the ground, and he looked terrified. One of the bullies grabbed his collar, lifting him slightly off the ground.
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"Hey!" Chloe’s voice came out before she even thought about it. Her friends turned, concern flashing in their eyes. But the bullies ignored her, laughing cruelly as the boy gasped for air.
Chloe’s hands clenched into fists. A fire burned inside her chest. If only I were strong enough to teach these idiots a lesson…
Suddenly, something inside her shifted.
Before she even realized what was happening, her feet moved on their own. She stormed toward the bullies, her vision narrowing. The moment she reached them, her hands shot out, grabbing the leader by the wrist and twisting it effortlessly. He yelped in pain, releasing the boy. Chloe didn’t stop—she spun, kicking another bully in the stomach so hard that he flew backward, crashing into the others like bowling pins.
Her friends stood frozen in shock. So did the crowd of students gathering around.
One of the bullies scrambled to his feet, his face contorted with anger. "You little—"
Chloe didn't even think. Her body reacted. She grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder like he weighed nothing. He hit the ground with a loud thud, groaning in pain.
Silence. Absolute silence.
The bullies, now terrified, scrambled to their feet and ran, shouting curses over their shoulders.
Chloe stood there, chest heaving. What… was that?! Her hands trembled. She looked down at them as if they didn’t belong to her. She had never taken a self-defense class in her life. How had she just moved like that? As if… as if she had done it a thousand times before?
Her heart pounded. The whispers around her grew louder. Without saying a word, she turned on her heel and bolted to the bathroom, locking herself inside a stall.
"Nope. Nope. Nope. That did NOT just happen," she whispered, gripping her head. Magic isn’t real. Magic isn’t real. Magic isn’t real…
But the memory of her own body moving with unnatural power said otherwise.
By the time school ended, Chloe had barely spoken a word. She met Brian at the gate, still shaken, but trying to act normal.
"You good?" Brian asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"I—uh—just tired," Chloe muttered, forcing a weak smile.
Brian shrugged. "Alright. But if you start floating or something, let me know."
Chloe let out a nervous laugh, but deep inside, she knew her life had just changed forever.
