Layla Smith stood up and at the edge of her bed dreading the next few hours. Layla stood up and walked towards her bathroom. As stands before the mirror, her dark black skin glistening in the soft light. Her bright blue eyes reflect a sense of cautious optimism, as if she’s wary of task at that, awaited her. A shy smile plays across her lips, giving a hint of her gentle nature. She’s petite but strong, with a sturdy frame that belies her small stature. Her thick hair cascades down her back in waves, and the silver streaks running through it shimmer in the light. Her narrow hips and toned arms attest to her strength of will, while her kind heart shines through in the way she carries herself. Despite her typical teenage struggles, Layla exudes a quiet confidence and grace that makes her stand out from the crowd. Layla gazed upon her reflection reflected. in her expression, even as she stands on her tippy toes, her feet boasting the perfect arches of years of ballet training. I told Dad this mirror was too high, she thought herself. But he said perfectly still on the tips of her toes as she felt the greasiness of her hair and the itchiness on her scalp. Layla looked at her watch and cursed under her breath. 5:30 PM already. She had started later than she intended, and now the sun was starting to set, another sigh school will be starting soon. She quickened her pace, knowing she needed to get started. She headed to the bathroom and stands in front of the mirror, taking a good look at herself. Her hair is a beautiful jet black with a silver streak that runs through it was now soaked in, deep condition, while she twisted her hair into neat sections. Layla sighed and picked up her bottle of detangling spray, spraying it generously throughout her hair before grabbing her wide-tooth comb. As Layla parted her hair into sections, she could feel the weight of the task ahead. She picked up her comb and began to work out the tangles in each section, wincing as she hit a particularly stubborn knot. As she twisted each section into a bantu knot, her arms began to ache from holding them up for so long. The itch on her scalp was becoming unbearable.
Layla was in the middle of parting her hair when the phone rang, grateful for the interruption from her routine. She glanced over to see Sasha’s name on the screen. She let out a deep sigh and glanced at the ringing phone on her dresser. She knew it was Sasha, her best friend who always had a knack for calling at the most inconvenient times. She couldn’t pick up the phone and risked getting deep-conditioner all over it. With a sigh bracing herself for the usual overzealous excitement. “Hey Jinx, answer,” she called out to her phone, grateful for the hands-free option that had finally been introduced to the non-magical world by Neutrals. Just then, she heard Sasha’s voice on the other end, bursting with excitement. “Hey Layla, you won’t believe it! The new family that just moved in down the street is magical!” Sasha exclaimed.
As Layla listened to Sasha’s excited voice, her hands moved in a well-practiced routine. She parted her hair and began to comb out the tangles, trying her best to keep her focus on the conversation. Sasha was always quick to jump to conclusions about people being magical, and Layla couldn’t help but feel a twinge of skepticism in her voice as she responded to her friend’s excitement. “They have a daughter about our age, she has red hair, definitely as Spanish I think,” Sasha persisted. “That’s not exactly common, is it?” “Ugh huh” Layla responded. “I haven’t heard anything about it. Your mom, Priya, might know more. After all, she’s the queen of community outreach,” Layla said. “ You’re so right, I’ll call her when I get off the phone with you, How’s wash day going?” Sasha asked, interrupting her own chatter. Layla let out a deep sigh, feeling the weight of the task ahead of her. “It’s going, girl it’s going,” she replied, her voice heavy with the dread of the bi-weekly ritual. As she worked through each section of her hair, Layla couldn’t help but think of her mother’s refusal to use their powers to make things easier. She muttered under her breath, “I wish my mom would let us use our powers for stuff like this,” but she knew it was a lost cause. Andrea Smith was set in her ways, and Layla would just have to soldier through wash day the old-fashioned way.”I hear you, Layla,” Sasha said, sensing her friend’s distant thoughts. “But you know your mom won’t budge on this. She’s always been a stickler for tradition.”
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Layla sighed in agreement, “I know, but it’s just so frustrating. I mean, I could make this wash day a breeze with just a wave of my hand.”
Sasha chuckled on the other end, “I hear you, girl. But think of it this way, maybe it’s character building or something.”
Layla rolled her eyes, “Or maybe it’s just torture.”
They both laughed, but Layla couldn’t help but wonder if her mother would ever come around and let them use their powers for the mundane tasks. “You won’t believe what Dylan did!!” Layla took a deep breath before continuing her story to Sasha. “So, Dylan decided it would be funny to set off the fire alarm in the Roberts lab during class. And get this, he did it by manipulating the Bunsen burners with his powers. The flames just kept growing until the whole room was filled with smoke and the sprinklers went off, ruining everyone’s experiments. Professor Roberts, was furious, and he ended up having made vines sprouted from the hanging ivy, encircled the flames, creating a protective barrier, not before Mrs. Robert’s try to get everyone out of the classroom, and we all had to evacuate the building. It was chaos.”
Layla shook her head, still in disbelief. “I mean, I get it. Pyrokinesis can be a cool power, but he’s not exactly using it for good. And now the whole school has to suffer the consequences of his prank. It’s just not right.” Sasha listened intently, her eyes widening at the details of the prank. “Wow, that’s crazy. I hope he gets what’s coming to him at the council meeting.”
Sasha sighed agreement. “Yeah, me too. It’s one thing to have powers, but it’s another thing to use them recklessly like that.” “Anyway, what else is new?” Sasha asked to change the subject, “Well, have you heard about the new history teacher? She apparently has reality-warping powers just like you, Sasha!”
As Layla started talking about everything she knew about Ms. Martinez. Sasha suddenly went quiet. “Hello earth to Sasha, what universe are you in?” Layla said, trying to bring Sasha back to the conversation.
Sasha suddenly went quiet as Layla started talking about everything she knew about Ms. Martinez. Her eyes widened as she stared off into the distance, lost in thought. Layla waved her hand in front of Sasha’s face. “Hello earth to Sasha, what universe are you in?” she said, trying to bring Sasha back to the conversation. But Sasha remained unresponsive, leaving Layla to wonder what was going.