They say that life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.

And that's certainly true for me.

One minute, I was just an ordinary high school student starting over in Kaleidoscope City with my childhood best friend. We were excited about our new adventure, eager to explore and discover all the wonders and opportunities this new city had to offer.

The next, well...

Let's get back to that later.

"Siennnaaa ♪" an increasingly familiar sing-song voice came from behind me.

I bristled, my whole body tensing up as I dug my hands into my pockets.

"No makeup for orientation today, girly?" another girl quipped, her tone dripping with mock sympathy.

I forced a tight smile and shrugged, "I guess my kit went up in the fire when the thing happened. Your girl here's had a rough go of it."

Truth be told, I wasn't the type to wear much makeup or care about appearances to begin with.

I was from a neighborhood and culture where people didn't really care about that sort of stuff much. So to say I was going through culture shock was an understatement.

Kaleidoscope Academy was a world-famous magnet school that offered generous scholarships, with over half its students receiving some kind of aid.

However, most of the kids I'd run into in the dorms were from much more privileged backgrounds. Every other kid seemed to have designer clothes, top-notch smartphones and tablets, and from the looks of things, they even spent their weekends at trendy places around town before the Cataclysm.

That definitely wasn't my cut of tea.

My taste in clothes was pretty standard and simple, ranging from comfortable hoodies and joggers to old t-shirts and jeans.

I didn't own a lot of stuff, mostly thrifted or generic homemade clothes I'd sewn with my mother. My best friend Al was the same way, being more laid back and unassuming. He also didn't care for luxury brand names or the latest trends.

"We've got to get you out of those shoes, hun," the first voice said, coming into my field of vision.

It was Madison — a thin, curvy girl from the dorm up the hall with thick eyelashes, green eyes, and straight blonde hair that hung down to her waist. She wore a knee-length pleated skirt and a cropped sweater that accentuated her toned abs. She looked like a model, with a jawline that could cut glass and perfect skin that glowed in the sunlight.

She gave me a faux smile that reeked of condescension, "Those Nikes are sooo last season. We've got to get you a new pair."

Again... I wasn't the type to care about brands or that nonsense.

I had practical white canvas sneakers that had seen better days, but they were comfortable and could survive a trip around the world if necessary. Al had gotten them for me after the trek through the city and our fight for our lives destroyed the pair I came into the city with, and they more than did the job.

Plus, the supply shocks after the cataclysm had also immediately sent prices soaring, making it even harder to find affordable footwear.

Just how out-of-touch and spoiled was this girl?

But instead of explaining all that, I just gave her a simple nod and genuine smile, "Okay! Well... thanks!"

To her, I probably seemed disinterested and oblivious. I heard her snicker to her group of girls, who followed her lead with giggles of their own.

You could say I was used to it. I'd dealt with my fair share of mean girls time to time, and they were all the same at the end of the day. Frustratingly enough, there seemed to be more of them here than at my inner city public school back at home.

I sighed, joining the flow of kids pouring out of the auditorium into the hallways.

The tour of the grounds had already been brief and quick. We didn't get to see much except for the main building, the cafeteria, and the grounds outside. Even two weeks after the incident, everyone was still on edge and on alert, with security measures tightened up considerably all across the city.

Classes didn't seem to be starting anytime soon with the actual school year still on hold for another week or so.

It was no wonder Al and I hadn't had a chance to catch up yet.

His mother had flown over immediately when she'd learned about his injuries, and whisked him away to family friends in the suburbs with a home garden until he healed up.

And so, I was stuck living in the dorms with some entitled airheads while I waited for the city to stabilize enough to have a semblance of a normal life.

Not like my life would ever be really normal again.

I glanced up at a row of television monitors hanging above the main hall, and for a brief moment, I was transfixed.

On the screen, a glowing figure floated over the early evening skyline of an all-too familiar city. She was clad in a black and dark blue outfit with a full cloak that whipped behind her as she confronted a colossal tentacled monster with a twisted human-like face.

The caption at the bottom read: "Nightingale Eclipse — A Ghost from the Past?"

A lump formed in my throat, and I suddenly felt like I was six years old again.

The Nightmare of Nox wasn't one of the many things we talked about often growing up. Mortifera Nox and her chief enforcer, the rogue Dark Magical Girl Nightingale Eclipse, had been a story and an infamous symbol of fear and terror to much of the world.

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But my mother had always avoided any questions I had when it came up in school, dancing around the subject.

She always avoided any questions I had like the plague, constantly changing the subject or coming up with excuses to leave.

Now I knew why.

But I couldn't deny my curiosity.

There were hundreds, if not thousands of images of Nightingale Eclipse online, all depicting the legendary fallen hero in battle or locked in combat with the very person who caused her to fall from grace in the first place: Arcadia Vox.

Some of the stories about them were so unbelievable, I couldn't tell what was true and what was exaggerated.

Either way, the image of Nightingale Eclipse as I knew her was shattered in an instant on the day of the Cataclysm.

Suddenly, I understood why my mother had spent so much time passed out at a bar down the street. Why she never spoke about my family history, and why she kept me so close to her side before we started growing apart.

I thought back to our arguments and the last words I'd spoken to her before I left for Kaleidoscope... I wished I could take them back.

I blinked away tears that threatened to fall, turning away from the TV screens as kids streamed past me. I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Albert, the ache in my chest growing as the time stamped below it continued to tick.

Me: Hey Al! Any chance we can meet up for lunch this week?

I paused, typing away before erasing the message and starting over.

Me: Hope you're alright bud. Any chance we can catch up before classes start?

I sent it, before I scrolled to my mother's name in my contacts. She had been gone for over a week now, disappearing... just like the legendary Nightingale Eclipse on the day of the Cataclysm.

I let out a soft sigh, my lips trembling as I reread the last few messages we exchanged before I left.

I hoped that wherever she was, she was safe and sound.

And that maybe someday, we could finally talk about all of this.

Whether it was too late or not, I had to try.

I was her daughter, and I'd be damned if I didn't give her the space to explain herself. Maybe even listen and understand for once.

Or maybe I was being too hopeful and naive.

After all, she had lied to me and kept all of this from me for years. And knowing where she was and what she'd been up to before she had me wasn't even my problem. It didn't involve me.

Yet, here I was, lost and stuck in a tangle of emotions I couldn't quite begin to unravel.

All I could do was wait.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket, shaking my head in frustration. "Ah, fuck it," I mumbled, storming off toward a side hall.

In an ideal world, I wouldn't be the new kid anymore. Everyone else would be the new kid, and I'd just blend in like every other middle schooler at their first sleepover.

But this wasn't an ideal world.

I pulled out a paper map I'd been given by my mentor, Twilight Aster, and headed up a stairwell that led to a secluded wing I'd noticed on the tour.

There were only a few classrooms in the area, and at the end of the hall was a small door leading to a set of stairs that looked like they hadn't been used in years.

I glanced at the paper, then up at the door. There was a curious glow coming from it, like the energy of a forcefield. I'd been told by Twilight Aster that only someone with a map would be able to see it.

So, without hesitation, I stepped forward and opened the door.

The spell was cast, and before I knew it, I was teleported to an entirely different part of the campus. I was in some sort of brightly-lit changing room stall with a fancy mirror on the wall, a sink, and an air filled with a tingle of magic. There was a bag on a bench with the name "Sienna" scrawled on it, which caused me to smile a genuine smile for the first time today.

I stretched my arms and shoulders, feeling my body tingle with anticipation. It was almost like a familiar warmth, like a feeling I'd lost and only just rediscovered.

I briefly checked on my reflection in the mirror, before setting my backpack down on the bench. Then, I grabbed a towel to freshen up a bit by the sink.

My face had seen better days, with light freckles on my nose and cheeks. My hair was a a deep dark brown, almost black, and frizzled at the ends from my shower. I ran a brush through it, working out the knots and smoothing it back.

My hazel eyes were still a bit bloodshot, but that was just par for the course after the harrowing hell I'd gone through not too long ago. Thankfully, it wouldn't matter in a minute.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Magic ran through me, humming and pulsing with a familiar strength.

And then, I transformed.

There were no cute kittens or sparkles. No unicorns or rainbows.

Instead, I felt a jolt of energy running through my veins, a fizzling sensation that swept over my body.

In a flash of energy, I changed, my hair turning into a vibrant and luscious strawberry blonde. My eyes took on the color of swirling, molten red and gold, glowing with a fierceness I'd only dreamed of.

Suddenly, I felt stronger, more capable of anything. And I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, who I was.

Cadets of my experience level were incapable of summoning a battle regalia, so my partial transformation still left me in my hoodie and jeans. But that didn't matter. I felt ready to take on the world, and that's all that mattered.

I reached for the bag with my name on it, opening it to find a set of shimmering garments. It was a stunning dress, a sunny orange and orange-gold that complimented my new coloring beautifully.

I took off my hoodie and jeans, barely flinching in the cooler air of the dressing room. I paused for a moment, taking in my now-unblemished skin and full, healthy body. I was still the same height, of course, but my frame had filled out considerably.

My history of malnutrition as a child had definitely been a factor in how thin I'd always been, but the subtle shift in my physical appearance was a welcome change. The face that stared back at me was undeniably me, but unrecognizable with the magic flowing through me.

I slipped on the dress and placed my hoodie and jeans back into my backpack. The, I took a second to admire the craftsmanship.

The skirt ruffled at the knees and fell softly to my feet, with a neckline that hugged my shoulders and dipped gracefully in the back. There were long sheer sleeves that flared out at the wrists, and a small layer of orange-gold ruffles at the bottom of the fabric that gave the dress an ethereal, dreamlike quality.

I giggled with excitement, twirling in the mirror as I tucked a stray strand of strawberry blonde hair behind my ear.

"Wow," I breathed, unable to contain my excitement. "This is really me, isn't it?"

I lingered a moment longer, then glanced up at the clock on the wall.

Twilight Aster was expecting me in the "Conference Center" in two minutes. I hurried out of the stall, and the door locked itself behind me. I turned around, noting the "HL" initials scrawled on my stall. Then, I walked towards the door, passing by a row of changing stalls with similarly marked letters.

The hallway was brilliantly lit with modern neon lights, and I couldn't help but gasp in awe at the grandeur of it all. It was like a scene from a dream, like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Before long, I came to a set of double doors that were opened wide and inviting, with a sign on the front that read "Orientation for Magical Knights: EC".

I gulped, not entirely sure what to expect on the other side.

I wiped the palms of my hands on my skirt, trying to soothe the butterflies in my stomach as I stepped through the entrance.

It was a simple, small lecture hall with about 13 or so students. I looked around nervously, taking in the equally colorful and unique hairstyles and attire.

There was a girl with flowing pink pigtails that drifted to her feet, and a headband of sparkling flowers on her head. Another boy had jet-black hair that fanned out like a sea of spiky onyx, and his outfit was adorned with silver studs and spikes.

Someone else had long, curly red hair that spiraled to her waist, and a striking gold and white Roman-style dress that accentuated her fair features and milky skin.

Their curious eyes turned to me as I made my way inside, and I noticed the smiling face of Twilight Aster up front, giving me a wave.

"Ah, our final student for this cohort has arrived. Care to introduce yourself?"

She motioned to me, and I grinned shyly, stepping forward with my head bowed.

"Hello there!" I managed.

I was nervous as hell, but somehow, I was keenly aware I came off instead as unphased and cool as a cucumber.

"Pleased to meet you all," I said, dipping my head in a slight bow. "My name... is Magical Girl Harmonia Lux. Please call me Lux."