Darren smiled and said, "You can design your locker in your style! But first, you should place your items."
Annie took some school supplies out of her backpack, including a pen, notebooks, folders, scissors, glue, and tape. She was relieved to have brought her own lock, a special one that her mom had made. The password was simply 0000. As Annie finished arranging her things, Darren returned with a unicorn-shaped chocolate in his hand and handed it to her.
"Here! I'll show you to your class. To some of them, at least," Darren said with a grin.
Annie smiled back, appreciating the gesture. She secured her locker with the unique lock, feeling a bit more at ease in the new school. Darren's kindness was already making her first day better. She took the unicorn chocolate and followed Darren, eager to see what her new classes would be like.
As they passed through some pretty interesting hallways adorned with colorful murals and vibrant student artwork, Darren led Annie to a group of three people. The first boy had hair that looked like a fluffy cloud, its texture appearing soft and light.
"Hey, guys!" Darren called out, waving at the group. "This is Annie. She's new here."
The first boy had fluffy cloud hair that probably had the texture of a soft woolly sheep. The second person was a girl with a long ponytail, almost as tall as Darren, wearing a checkered dress that made her look elegant and almost too perfect. The third person looked like a TikTok dancer, their outfit trendy and full of energy.
"Yo, Darren, what's up? Who's the new kid?" the boy with the cloud-like hair asked as he inspected Annie closely. His intense scrutiny, even down to her hair, made Annie feel a bit uncomfortable. He continued to judge her style and face, his expression serious and analytical.
Before Annie could react, the TikTok dancer-looking girl softly punched the boy on the shoulder. "What was that for, Bri?!" he exclaimed, rubbing his cheek.
Darren and the perfect-looking girl burst into laughter while Annie stared at them, unimpressed and serious.
"Okay, anyway... everyone, say hi to Annie, your new classmate," Darren announced with a smile.
Annie sighed inwardly. "Great, I'm in a class of kids... yet again," she thought, her hopes about the school sinking.
Darren noticed Annie's disappointment and quickly introduced the group. "Alright, that cloud boy is Cloud. He has a cloud as his divine spirit! The girl who looks like a dancer is Bri, short for Briana. Her power is to attack with dance moves and cringy comebacks, so she uses martial arts magic! And the perfect-looking girl holding a book is Grace! She's the top student in the class and uses wand magic!"
Her power is to attack with dance moves and cringy comebacks, so she uses martial arts magic! And the perfect-looking girl holding a book is Grace! She's the top student in the class and uses wand magic!" [https://img.wattpad.com/6b611916dffa578893c33982482fcb72ee2a3209/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6a5a6634654c45514f48582d79673d3d2d313436333031333632362e313765333863396431343936316233643937313838393337383138342e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
image [https://img.wattpad.com/0f99cec2528d7626d979205dc85c57d60e0724ec/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f75524b786b557a484c46595a47773d3d2d313436333031333632362e313765333863643265376664626661313836323331313939303837302e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Annie found herself intrigued by their names, especially Cloud's [https://img.wattpad.com/4d18944caf1d69ee4ada2f7fca19cb11da4a57ff/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f73794c70426f37657046645a77513d3d2d313436333031333632362e313765333864363834313430663137613139383036363130323430362e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Annie found herself intrigued by their names, especially Cloud's. She wondered if his sister or mother might be named Sky. Briana looked skinny but seemed capable of cool fights, and Grace, despite her perfection, didn't seem so intimidating anymore.
Annie said to herself, "This is going to be an interesting adventure!" Darren dragged her once more as the group waved them goodbye. He led her to another hallway near her classroom, where only two people were present. The two girls outside were dancing and recording, and it seemed the girl with glasses and straight hair could control phones.
"Hey guys! Meet your classmate! Come on, introduce yourselves!" Darren called out, nudging Annie's shoulder.
Annie sighed but knew she had to introduce herself. "Hello, young ladies. I'm Annie, your new classmate in the sixth grade, and I'm honored to be here," she said seriously and respectfully.
The two girls looked at Annie oddly for a moment before squealing like best friends. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" the straight-haired girl exclaimed.
Darren quickly intervened, "Girls, calm down. I hear Ms. Mell's voice!"
The students in the hallway started to panic. Some ran the other way, while others walked politely, leaving the hall silent.
Annie's mind raced. "Geez, is that old principal really that scary? Honestly... I'm really in a school of children."
The two girls looked scared and pretended to clean up their mess while Darren helped them sweetly. "Annie! Do something! Don't just stand there!" he urged.
Annie shrugged, but then Ms. Mell came walking toward them. She stood up straight and addressed her. "Hello, Ms. Mell. I don't believe we've caused any trouble, have we?"
Ms. Mell patted Annie's head, catching her off guard. "What? She patted me? Nicely?!" Annie thought, feeling a soft warmth from the gesture, reminiscent of her mother's gentle pats.
"Good job for interacting," Ms. Mell said, smiling impressively at Annie before walking away.
Darren was shocked. "What was that? There are only a few people that the principal head pats!"
"It's no big deal, honestly," Annie replied, though inwardly she was thrilled. "She said I can make friends... Am I really going to have friends?" This thought made Annie smile.
"Look, you're happy!" Darren exclaimed.
Annie nudged him slightly. "Anyway... back to our conversation..."
The straight-haired girl introduced herself. "Oh, yeah! I'm Lia Silver. I love online shopping!" she said with a grin.
"And I'm Eysha. I like boys, okay?" the other girl added, smiling brightly.
Annie felt warmth in her heart. For the first time, she felt like she was talking to someone nicely. "I'm a divine user. How about you guys?" she asked politely, softening her tone.
Lia's eyes sparkled. "My magic is controlling cellphones! That's why I have so many discounts! If you need something internet or phone-related, come to me and I'll handle it," she said proudly.
"And I can manipulate sound waves with my voice," Eysha added. "It comes in handy for a lot of things, especially dancing and singing."
Annie felt a sense of belonging starting to form. "This really is going to be an interesting adventure," she thought, looking forward to what lay ahead.
"This really is going to be an interesting adventure," she thought, looking forward to what lay ahead [https://img.wattpad.com/f1374fa0339a353b6f4576689c9ccce5ffcfa17b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4e344742415a39636967547970673d3d2d313436333031333632362e313765333864643436386236646264663435353532313438353334372e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
image [https://img.wattpad.com/e1f847610451e2946a94f5fffd379144d3f3e309/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4d6371736d433963526f6e7a61413d3d2d313436333031333632362e313765333865323464356665353830343836343737353630393436382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]