The Chosen

Chapter Twelve (Great...School)

MAYA STERLING

The smell of sizzling bacon and freshly brewed coffee wafted through the house, a comforting aroma amidst the chaos of the previous night. I trudged down the stairs, my mind still reeling from the events that had unfolded. But as I reached the kitchen, I stopped short, blinking in surprise.

The living room, which had been a war zone just hours before, was now immaculate. The scorched walls were repaired, the broken furniture replaced, and the debris cleared away. I turned to Aunt Elara, who was bustling around the kitchen, and Uncle Felix, who was expertly flipping pancakes.

"Good morning, Maya," Elara said with a warm smile, her hands deftly arranging breakfast items on the table. "Looks like you're just in time for breakfast."

I raised an eyebrow, glancing around in disbelief. "How did you—?"

Felix chuckled, adding a final touch to the stack of pancakes. "The perks of marrying a wizard, dear. It's like nothing ever happened."

Aunt Elara shot him a playful glare, but the smile on her face betrayed her amusement. "Don't go getting too comfortable with it. The next time we have a magical disaster, it might not be so easy to clean up."

Felix nodded, pouring a cup of coffee and grabbing his coat. "Speaking of which, I've got to head to the diner. Someone's got to keep this town fed while we're dealing with all this craziness. I'll see you all later."

As Felix headed out, Ollie came barreling down the stairs, his eyes bleary and a stack of books clutched in his arms. His hair was tousled, and he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed.

"Did someone say breakfast?" he mumbled, barely noticing the pristine state of the room. "I've been up all night reading about elemental powers and Eldermoor's history. My brain is officially fried."

He plopped down at the table, grabbing a piece of my bacon with an enthusiastic grin. "But hey, I think I actually understand a bit more about what's going on now."

I couldn't help but laugh, shaking my head at his chaotic energy. "Good to know someone's been productive. But seriously, Ollie, you might want to take it easy on the bacon...Or get your own bacon instead."

"Priorities, Maya," Ollie said, completely unfazed as he stuffed his face. "Bacon first, world-saving second, and education...third, probably."

Aunt Elara shot him a stern look and smacked the back of his head gently. "Eat properly and make sure Maya's first day back at school isn't a disaster."

After we finished breakfast, Ollie and I headed out to his pickup—a weathered old Ford that had clearly been through its fair share of adventures. The truck was Ollie's pride and joy, despite its rattling engine and the random collection of trinkets that cluttered the dashboard. He cranked the engine, and it roared to life as we started the drive to Evermoor High.

The engine of Ollie's beat-up pickup truck grumbled beneath us as we sped toward Evermoor High. He had the windows down, letting in the early autumn air that tugged at my hair and made my skin prickle. It was hard to focus on anything outside the truck, though. My mind was racing, still trying to process everything that had happened over the last 24 hours.

I stared out at the blur of trees lining the road, trying to make sense of the tangled mess that had become my life. Zayne, Wilder, Nyxie, my parents—the lies, the secrets—it was all spinning in my head. How could Zayne have betrayed us like that? And why had Wilder kept so much from me, from all of us?

"I can't believe Zayne told the Stone Circle about me," I muttered, breaking the silence. "I mean, that's the one thing we agreed on—no one was supposed to know."