"So, what powers do you have?" Mia questioned curiously, sitting on the plush sofa in the dormroom, playing with a Rubik's Cube she found on a bench somewhere in the halls.

"Chlorokinesis. It's basically just manipulating plants and such," Ellie answered, laying flat on her stomach with her legs in the air, chewing on some creamy strawberry batch gummi candy as she watched this movie called Seventeen Again, which was about a girl whose grandparents became seventeen years old again after her brother's lab experiment went haywire. Some gummies fell on the bed and she picked them up and put them in her mouth.

"That's dope!" Mia exclaimed, imagining if she had those powers.

"What about you? What are your powers?" Ellie asked. Mia paused, going silent for a second, looking down at the Rubik's cube. "Can I confess something?"

Ellie looked taken aback that someone who she had only known for a couple hours was willing to confess something to her. "Wow, okay, sure. What is it?" she questioned, sitting up and crossing her legs.

Mia went silent again, pondering on whether to tell her new friend the truth. Ellie waited patiently, furrowing her brows in confusion when she didn't say a word.

Taking a deep breath, Mia said, "I'm not a witch," and let out a breath after. "Nor am I anything, I'm just....normal," she continued, frowning, her eyes lingering down on her lap.

Ellie looked at her in sympathy. "It's okay, Mia. I have some norm-brid friends back home as well who felt left out because they didn't have powers. Powers are not what make you special, you're already special."

Mia gave her a slight smile, her eyes still looking at her lap as she was now fiddling with her fingers. "Thanks, but umm.....I'm not a norm-blood either. Whatever that means."

Ellie, even more confused, tilted her head to the side. "I'm lost. You don't know what a norm-brid is?" Mia shook her head in response. "And what do you mean you aren't that either?"

"I mean—" she let out a frustrated sigh and said, "I mean I was not born a witch, I was not born a magical creature, I am not a norm-brid, I'm just human like you, except without any magical powers," she finished rambling.

Ellie processed her words for a moment, mouth slightly gaped before realization hit. "Are you saying you broke into the school?"

Mia, not being able to lie at that moment, nodded her head. "Oh, my god—" Ellie drew out in disbelief, hopping off the bed in a rush.

Mia stood up, stopping her in her tracks. "But it wasn't really breaking in, I just sort of, you know.....snuck in by lying on my application and forged my parents' signatures," she clarified, giving a sideways smile and awkwardly scratching the back of her neck.

Ellie gave her a look. "So basically, still breaking in, just with consent?" Mia twisted her lips, looking anywhere but Ellie's eyes.

"Well, when you say it like that—" she cut herself off, laughing nervously.

Ellie face palmed, shaking her head in disapproval. "Why? Would you do this? Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll be in if the teachers found out!?"

"I know, okay! I just really wanted to come to this school and prove to my parents that this place was real! That magic was real," she explained, turning away slowly and sitting back down on the sofa.

"What do you mean you wanted to prove to your parents that magic is real if you aren't magical?" Ellie questioned with curiosity, taking a seat on the edge of the bed as she awaited an answer.

"I saw this school a year ago when walking my dog, Zoey. The school was and is right across the dog park, so when I saw those students outside doing magic and being taught by their professor, I was very confused, because it was like no one noticed or was seeing it. But I saw it! It was there! But my parents wouldn't believe me when I told them after I came home. They thought I was crazy. Even my brother Matt called me a schizo. It really hurt me. They threatened to put me in a psychiatric hospital because I kept bringing it up and trying to convince them. I just really wanted them to believe me," her voice went soft at the end, her lips quivering.

Ellie gave her another sympathetic look, but now it was for the right reason. "I understand, I really do. But this isn't the way to do it. I won't tell anyone, but eventually you will have to come clean," Mia nodded in understanding.

"Where do they think you are?" Ellie asked, realizing they must believe she's anywhere but the school.

"Summer Camp. They signed me up in order for me to 'get my senses together,' she answered in an irritated and mocking tone.

"How is everyone gonna believe I have magic? What am I gonna do?" she questioned rhetorically. Ellie thought for a moment until an idea came to her mind.

"I've got it!"

Four hours later.

Mia observed Ellie cautiously, wondering what she was doing now after all the waiting. "Not to interrupt, but uhhh....are you done?" Mia asked, watching as Ellie shook a tiny glass bottle in her hand. She then rose the glass a few inches toward her face and quietly, but softly, said, "Isolaro Focuectum!"

The bottle turned purple within a second, making Mia's eyes widen in amazement. Ellie turned to her and said, "Drink up," she replied, and pushed the bottle toward her, Mia staring at it confusingly. "What is it?"

"It's a kind of elixir that can grant anyone a magic ability. Any magic powers or abilities you think of, it'll give you it," Ellie explained. "But remember, you can't fool it. It's a very smart potion. If you manipulate whatever power you truly want, it could get erratic. The consequences are always different, but just be careful and really think about that one magic power you've always wanted before you saw the school that day," she added.

Mia nodded, staring at the bottle in her hand, debating if she should drink it or not. "I guess," she sighed, and chugged the whole bottle down.

Ellie's eyes widen, quickly grabbing the bottle from her hand. Mia looked at her, perplexed. "What? You told me to drink it!"

"Not the entire bottle!"

"You didn't say not to drink the entire bottle now, did you?"

Ellie let out a frustrated sigh, her hand on her head. "What's gonna happen to me? Am I gonna turn to dust? Will I grow snake hair like Medusa?" Mia panicky questioned.

"No, and calm down, okay? The potion only last 24 hours—"

"24 hours? I thought it was a potion to grant anyone magic powers?"

"It is. For 24 hours. These elixirs have a time limit. Some are 12 hours, some are 10 hours. Just depends on the type of elixir it is and its magic," Ellie explained, crawling back onto her bed and resumed eating her gummies.

Mia frowned, feeling like she had just lost an opportunity to become what she's always wanted to be; a witch. "Hey, cheer up! Besides, the side effects will wear off before you know it."

"Gee, thanks. That makes it sound so much better," Mia replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"On the bright side, you will still get to see what having powers is like. Give it some time to work. It's adjusting to your body," Ellie tried to reassure, popping a piece of gummy in her mouth.

"I guess," she replied, finally feeling at ease. There was a sudden knock on the door, interrupting their conversation. "Who is that?" Mia asked, wondering who could be knocking at the door since they didn't know anyone else but each other.

"Must be my mom. She just got off work," Answered Ellie as she walked toward the door and opened it.

A middle-aged woman appeared, her skin fair and eyes green. "Mom!" Ellie exclaimed excitedly, tackling her in a hug, causing her to nearly drop the luggage bags in her hands.

She said something to her that Mia didn't understand, and Ellie replied saying, "Вибач," (Sorry).

They continued speaking in what she assumed was a European language as the woman helped her unpack. Mia sat there awkwardly, not knowing if she should interrupt or not.

Ellie noticed, almost forgetting she was there. "Oh! Mom, this is Mia, my friend. We just met today."

The woman gave her a warm, welcoming smile. "Hello, I'm Nadiya. It's nice to meet you," she greeted, shaking her hand. Nadiya's voice had a distinct Slovak accent that immediately caught her attention. "Sorry to ask you this, but where are you from?"

"Ah! I knew you would ask that. I'm from Ukraine. Lived there until I was sixteen after my family moved to America for a better life," she answered.

"I've never met a Ukrainian before. How have you enjoyed American so far? If you don't mind me asking," Mia questioned, trying to make small talk.

"Oh, it has been lovely! Nice people, nice clothes. But my! The food, I just can't eat. Too much oil, not healthy. I can't eat it," she said, laughing at the end.

"That's true," Mia agreed, laughing along with her. Ellie too.

"My English isn't so great. Please forgive me if I may have some delay," Nadiya informed, laughing lightly.

"Not at all! Your English is perfect," Mia replied, trying to boost her confidence.

"I've been told it's not. I know I said the people are nice, but not all people. They still call us Russians, you know? After Ukraine became independent, people still refuse to separate us from Russia. It's been difficult, even growing up during a Cold War. They mock my accent, call me all sorts of things besides my name. Just being unkind. But I still manage to get through the day to provide for my four beautiful children," Nadiya finished, squeezing Ellie's cheeks and kissing them.

"Мамо, припини! Не перед моїм другом!" (Mom, stop! Not in front of my friend!), Ellie whined, trying to move her face away from the kiss.

Nadiya giggled at her daughter's protest. "Перестань нити і поцілуй маму на прощання," (Stop whining and kiss your mom goodbye).

Ellie sighed in embarrassment but obeyed, giving her mom a peck on the cheek. "Прощавай, любий. Люблю тебе," (Goodbye, dear. I love you).

"Я теж тебе люблю, мамо," (I love you too, mom).

"Я повернуся вранці, щоб зробити тобі зачіску," (I'll be back in the morning to do your hair). Before Ellie could object, Nadiya cut her off. "І перш ніж щось сказати, згадай, як ти виглядав до того, як ми прийшли сюди. Мммм. Бувай!" (and before you say anything, remember what you looked like before we came here. Mmm. Bye!).

And at that, her mom left. "You speak Ukrainian pretty good," Mia pointed out, having been eating Ellie's gummies the whole interaction.

She snatched them out of her hand, giving her a side eye while she sat there with an innocent pout on her face. "I should be able to, considering it's my first language," she clarified, climbing back onto the bed.

"Really?" Ellie nodded. "Our mom speaks it around us. Like she said, she doesn't speak English well, so of course, she speaks it in the house and everywhere we go. We learned English in Pre-K magic school. Our dad had to learn it himself just to understand what she and her family are saying. Twenty-six years and twenty years of marriage later and he still doesn't understand a word," she laughed, coughing as she almost choked on a piece of gummy.

"Interesting. I wish I could speak a second language," Mia said, imagining herself speaking Italian like her great-grandfather.

"There is a spell for that, you know?" Ellie told her.

"Really?"

"Yep! But I'm not telling you it."

"Why not?"

Without saying a word, Ellie gestured toward the mirror and pointed, "That's why."

Confused, Mia stood up from the sofa and walked toward the mirror. Prepared, Ellie got out her wired earplugs and put them in just in time to hear her scream.

"WHAT THE FU—?"

___

Thunder rumbled as Erik sat on the couch in the common room, reading a random Hardy Boys novel that his brother, River, abandoned. And because he was bored and decided to steal it from his room.

He had read half of the next chapter when he heard a thud from the nearby window. Startled, he dropped the book on the floor, making him lose the page he was on.

Remaining silent and alert, he waited to hear another sound to confirm his perception. A painful groan was heard, indicating that whoever was outside was hurt. Slowly, he walked toward the window after getting up from the couch, and saw a figure lying there on the ground, but couldn't make out who or what it was because it was pitch black.

Curious, he made his way toward the door and opened it, instantly getting hit with the earthy aroma that filled the air. The rain came down heavily, making it hard for him to want to go outside.

"Hello? Are you alright?" The person groaned louder, his face plastered in the mud. Bearing the rain, leaving him no choice, he stepped outside in the dark, squirming uncomfortably as the rain hit his body. He finally got closer, stopping in his tracks immediately at what he saw.

Wings.

He saw wings.

Large, black wings.

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

Yep, it's real.

"Are you an angel?" When the angel didn't say anything, Erik clumsily slapped his forehead, remembering he was face down in the mud.

He bent down and carefully lifted the angel's head up. It was a boy—that he could tell. He turned him over so that the rain could hit his face and wash away the mud, which it surprisingly did, but only a little.

He stared at the angel's face for a moment, before saying, "Are you okay?" The angel slowly opened his eyes, a pool of gray looking up at him.

"Huh?" was all the angel could mutter. "I said, are you okay?"

Groaning once more, the angel slowly sat himself up, looking around confused. "What happened?" He asked, touching his pounding head.

"You fell. I assume from the sky," Erik answered. "Do you go to school here? Do you need help?"

The angel, without saying a word, nodded his head. Erik stood up, lifting the angel along with him and throwing his arm over his shoulder, being careful not to touch his damaged wings.

He carried him inside, making sure to shut the door tightly and secure the lock. He hurriedly made his way to the nurse's office, grateful that it was still open. Little did he know, a book had slipped from the angel's wings along the way.

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The suspense is near👀
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!.xX
I'm probably gonna edit it some more tomorror because I'm sure there are still mistakes in there, but I promised I would update today, and I am!

Also, I changed the character concept for Ellie because I figured she should have something significant, like a jacket. Check it out! 🤗

Lastly, I made a discord! Link is in my bio.
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