❝You have ice powers?❞ Adam asked shocked.
Taelyn turned around, laughing as she looked back at her hand. She looked at him, confused. ❝What? You've never seen a girl with ice powers before?❞
Leo is an ordinary teenager who has moved into a high...
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They hurried Taelyn out of her room, urging her not to make them late for school.
"Hurry up, Taelyn, the bell isn't going to wait for you," Steven teased, leaning against the doorway.
"Oh, let's not forget—her majesty needs extra time to brush her invisible crown," Mimi added, grinning.
"I'm shocked we made it this far. I thought we'd have to carry her out like royalty," Bree chimed in, rolling her eyes.
Taelyn groaned, tugging on her shoes. "You guys are so dramatic. I'm coming!"
"You'd better," Adam said sarcastically. "Otherwise, we'll have to leave without you. Imagine the horror."
"Honestly, we should have left five minutes ago," Chase muttered, tapping his watch.
Leo, adjusting his backpack, gave a small wave. "I'll catch up with you guys. Go ahead."
As the others filed out, Leo headed toward the cupboard in the hallway. Before he could open it, Tasha stepped in front of him, her hand resting casually on the door handle.
"Uh-uh, Leo," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Nothing in there but some boring old stuff. You don't need to see it."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought I saw something wrapped like a present in there earlier. What's up with that?"
Tasha laughed, a little too quickly. "Oh, just some things I'm sorting out. No big deal."
Leo hesitated, sensing something wasn't right. "I don't know, Tasha... You're being kind of weird."
"Trust me, Leo," Tasha said firmly. "You don't want to get involved. Go on, you'll be late. We'll talk later, okay?"
Leo gave her a skeptical look but eventually nodded. "Alright, I'll meet up with the others then. But... we're talking later." He shot her a look before walking away, leaving Tasha standing by the cupboard, relieved but tense. She couldn't let him know—not yet.
☆
They finally arrived at school, still buzzing with energy from the wild morning. As they passed through the gates, the loudspeaker crackled to life.
"Attention, students!" Perry's voice boomed, sending a collective groan through the hallways. "As of today, there will be random locker checks throughout the day. So if you're hiding anything you're not supposed to, now would be a good time to panic."
The announcement echoed ominously as a couple of students exchanged nervous glances. Steven and Adam, who were always pushing the limits, immediately started whispering.
"Random locker checks?" Steven said, eyes wide. "Dude, we're so busted."
Adam shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back against the wall. "Nah, I'm good. I already hid everything in Bree's locker."
