《The Ring of light.》


 First day

    Sophie Parker tugged at the straps of her backpack as she walked up the steps of her new school, her mind a little on edge as she frantically looked around at her surroundings to ensure her uniform matched that of the other kids. The familiar scent of freshly polished floors and the distant chatter of students filled the air as she stepped inside, taking a deep breath to steady herself while she navigated the hallway. This was high school, after all, and her parents, along with all those shows she watched, kind of made her feel... weary. Groups of students huddled together, laughing and chatting about teenage things as she clutched the schedule in her hand, her fingers tightening around the slightly crumpled paper.


    Today was her first day back after moving to a new town, and she wasn''t sure what to expect. Would she make friends easily, or would she spend lunch alone, awkwardly poking at her food? Would the teachers be kind, or would they call on her before she had a chance to learn how to carry herself around the class? Would she be bullied? She didn''t know.


    Taking a deep breath, she made her way to her locker, her fingers fumbling with the combination lock. She twisted the dial, her heart hammering in her chest as she struggled to remember the numbers she had just checked a moment ago on her schedule. Her mind was all over the place, so much so that she had forgotten them and was afraid of looking down and standing out, since all the other kids just opened their lockers without even looking at the schedule.


    ¡°32¡­ 14¡­ was it 7 or 17?¡± were the thoughts that ran through her head. With a frustrated sigh, she tried both, and almost magically, the lock clicked open. She exhaled in relief, quickly shoving her books inside before grabbing what she needed for her first class. As she finally got it open, a voice beside her almost made her jump in surprise.


    ¡°Hey, you must be new here. I¡¯m Mia.¡±


    Sophie turned to see a girl with dark curls and a bright smile looking at her. She was a bit taller than she was, and her skin was oddly pale, which kind of made her seem beautiful. Hesitating for a moment, she debated whether or not to say anything until her better conscience took over, and she decided to speak up just to avoid looking awkward, at the very least. "Yeah, I just moved here. I''m Sophie.¡±


    ¡°Well, welcome to Westfield! Need help finding your classes?¡± Mia asked kindly, extending a hand to Sophie, her dark eyes glinting with curiosity. Nodding, she shifted her books in her arms before accepting the offered hand. "Thank you, that would be great, actually. I think my first class is... English?¡± She glanced down at her crumpled schedule, double-checking to make sure she got it right.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Odd¡­ her hands felt very cold." It was only after her hand departed from Mia''s own that she realized it, but she decided not to Fester on it.


    Mia leaned over to peek at the paper and grinned. "Oh, you''re in Ms. Caldwell''s class. She is funny but can be a bit annoying at times. But, since you''re new, I don''t think you have to really worry about anything.¡±


    At least someone was nice to her on the first day, which was always a good start. She followed Mia down the hallway, weaving through the crowd of students as they made their way to class. "So, where did you move from?" Mia asked, glancing at Sophie as they turned the corner. "Uh, just a small town upstate," Sophie replied, not really sure how much information to give. "It¡¯s a lot quieter than here, but I never really liked it that much.¡±


    Mia tilted her head slightly. "Well, Westfield isn¡¯t too bad. You just have to know where to look for the fun," she said with a smirk and an almost cartoonish wink, her dark eyes twinkling with something Sophie couldn¡¯t quite place.


    Either way, she just nodded, though she wasn¡¯t sure what Mia meant. Was she implying something about the school, the town, or just making small talk? Either way, Sophie appreciated the company, especially when most of the students around them barely gave her a second glance.


    OR DID THEY???!!!


    As they reached the classroom, Mia pushed open the door, gesturing for Sophie to step inside first. "Here we are. Good luck," she said with a smile before slipping inside and taking a seat near the window. Sophie hesitated only briefly before stepping in, her eyes scanning the room for an empty seat.


    ¡°Sophie Parker!¡± Sophie¡¯s head snapped up at the sound of her name. A woman with short, graying hair and sharp eyes peered over her glasses at her from the front of the room. Ms. Caldwell, she assumed. She was short and had a perpetual scowl on her face, which she again assumed was most likely due to the years of experience of being shorter than everyone around her, though she wouldn''t say that out loud.


    Short people did seem to be the angriest.


    Ms. Caldwell squinted at her over the rim of her glasses before flipping through the pages on her clipboard. "New student, correct?"


    Sophie nodded quickly.


    "Right. Take a seat anywhere for now. And try to keep up.¡±


    Sophie hurried toward an open desk near the middle of the classroom, sliding into the chair as quietly as possible. Around her, a few of the students gave her a few stares, some of them with mild curiosity, while the others barely registered her presence at all. Mia, however, had already settled into her seat by the window, idly tapping a pencil against her desk.


    With that, nothing else really happened, and the whole class just continued onward after she had to stand up and introduce herself to everyone. Other than that, she was a bit annoyed with one of the students when her drawings suddenly started to move around on their own, messing up her writing that she was doing to keep up with the class. She glared at him, and it took less than a second for him to stop when he realized that she could see his mana and what he was doing with it.


    And other than that nothing else happened.