CHAPTER EIGHT - RIVALRY RIBBLES!
822 Words
The academy courtyard had finally grown quiet.
The cheers from the training grounds had faded, replaced by the gentle rustling of leaves in the evening breeze.
Mia sat alone beneath the academy's marble pavilion, absently stirring the untouched cup of tea in front of her.
Her thoughts refused to settle.
She replayed the scene from earlier.
Omar.
Wyatt.
The way the air had changed the moment they faced each other.
The way even Professor Kael had looked... concerned.
She had seen them compete before.
But this...
This had been different.
It wasn't a sparring match.
It felt like a warning.
She sighed.
"One day..."
"One of them is going to kill the other."
The thought sent a chill through her body.
Footsteps echoed across the courtyard.
A group of first-year students walked past, laughing loudly.
"...Did you see the new girl today?"
"The one with the fire?"
"I heard she nearly burned half the classroom."
Another laughed.
"And Owen still managed to make an even bigger fool of himself."
Their voices faded into the distance.
Mia's fingers tightened around her teacup.
The new girl.
Olivia.
Again.
Ever since Olivia arrived...
That name seemed to follow her everywhere.
At breakfast.
In class.
During combat training.
Even Asher had asked about her.
Mia frowned.
"She's just another student..."
"So why does everyone keep talking about her?"
She closed her eyes.
Images flashed through her mind.
Olivia standing in front of the class, struggling to control her fire.
Olivia helping Owen after everyone laughed at him.
Omar watching Olivia from across the training grounds.
Asher looking back at Olivia before walking away.
Something didn't feel right.
Mia couldn't explain it.
But she felt it.
The academy had changed the moment Olivia arrived.
She stood and looked toward the girls' dormitory.
Far in the distance...
Olivia was laughing softly with Becca.
Such an ordinary sight.
Yet something about it unsettled her.
Mia whispered to herself,
"Who are you...?"
The wind carried her words away.
She turned and walked into the fading light.
Behind her...
A tiny patch of frost spread across the stone where she'd been standing.
She hadn't even realized she'd used her powers.
The next morning, Valoria Academy was already alive with activity.
Students hurried through the hallways, books tucked under their arms as they rushed to their first lessons.
Olivia had one destination in mind.
The library.
She needed a book on Pyrokinesis before her first practical lesson. After yesterday's embarrassment, she wasn't about to lose control of her fire again.
With her attention buried in the academy map, she hurried around a corner.
Thud!
Her books flew into the air.
"So-sorry!" Olivia exclaimed as she stumbled backwards.
A hand reached out and caught her before she could fall.
"You okay?"
She looked up.
It was Asher.
His usual confident smile softened when he noticed how embarrassed she looked.
"I wasn't looking where I was going," Olivia admitted.
Asher chuckled.
"Neither was I."
He bent down and started picking up the scattered books.
One of them caught his eye.
Fundamentals of Pyrokinesis.
He looked back at Olivia.
"So... you're serious about getting better."
Olivia nodded.
"I have to be."
There was a brief silence.
Then she quietly added,
"I'm tired of being afraid of my own power."
The smile on Asher's face disappeared.
For the first time...
He understood that yesterday's accident wasn't just embarrassing for her.
It was terrifying.
He handed the book back.
"You know..."
"The strongest people in this academy didn't start out perfect."
Olivia looked doubtful.
"Really?"
Asher laughed.
"I once ran so fast during training that I couldn't stop."
She blinked.
"What happened?"
"I crashed through the Headmaster's greenhouse."
Olivia burst into laughter.
"You did not!"
"I did."
"They banned me from running near flowers for three months."
She laughed even harder.
Students walking past couldn't help but glance at them.
It was the first genuine smile anyone had seen on Olivia's face since she'd arrived.
As they continued toward the library together, neither of them noticed someone watching from the second-floor balcony.
Mia.
She wasn't angry.
Not yet.
She simply watched Asher making the new girl laugh.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the railing.
"...Interesting."
She turned and walked away.
- Writer
