My eyes fluttered in irritation as the first rays of early morning sunlight filtered into my room. I groaned, raising a hand to block the glare as I turned around.

I didn't have the chance to grumble for long before the familiar chime of my phone buzzed loudly, and I shuffled around the bed to grab it.

I couldn't help but blink in surprise as the screen lit up with a flurry of notifications and messages.

Strawberry: Heyyyy, we gonna make this a thing? We need to plan this.

Her avatar was a red anime catgirl with oversized ears and a pair of giant cartoonish eyes, but the caricature was unmistakable.

Strawberry: Sheesh, my arms are gonna be killing me for days.

Strawberry: Lmao. Guess I fucked around and found out with the frozen ice queen. TT

Elysia sent a generated chibi sticker depicting herself standing in the middle of a snowstorm, arms wrapped around herself with a hurt, confused expression and a red nose.

My cheeks warmed up as I scrolled through the messages, sighing in disbelief.

They had really taken to me. And me to them.

It was a pleasant feeling, and it was a little weird that I suddenly had friends here. Friends that happened to not know me when I wasn't transformed into a magical girl, for that matter.

Elysia: But yes! Let's make this a thing! I want to see you two improve even more :)

Elysia: If you want, I could show you some pointers and techniques that might make fighting my type of magic easier for you. Maybe close up those openings that Lux and I took advantage of.

Her response was immediately warm and understanding. She was so affable and sweet when she'd become comfortable with us.

Strawberry: Sure! You guys were pretty rough, but I definitely wanna try it again.

Strawberry: And ya, Elysia, mind helping me? I don't wanna be a frozen stick forever!

I snorted as I settled back onto the bed, clutching my phone as I thought about what I wanted to say in the group chat they'd set up. If anything.

Maybe... maybe I could trust them.

No one except Al knew that I was a magical girl, and if I had to be honest, he was the only person in the world I still truly trusted-trusted. Maybe his parents would make the list too, but I didn't exactly want to approach them and tell them I'd become a knight.

This was my chance to make actual friends with peers. Real ones. The kind I never had as Sienna. The kinds of connections I never had as the invisible girl in the baggy hand-me-downs, with her scuffed, worn backpack and her broken lunch pail.

I clutched my phone to my chest, feeling a wave of emotion well up in my throat.

I had to be honest with myself.

Al was a good friend, and he was always there for me when I needed him, but there was only so much he could do.

I'd tried to be strong for so long. I'd barely been on speaking terms with my mother before departing for school, and I couldn't deny that I'd blamed her a little for that.

She hadn't taught me how to be a magical girl. She'd taught me how to avoid people, how to hide, how to never draw attention to myself. How to be unseen, forgotten, and skills to survive on my own.

Becoming a magical girl was, in hindsight, the thing she wanted least for me. Once she'd learned how many hours Al and I had spent studying and how dead set we were at coming here, she'd drunk herself under the table to the point that she flat out stopped coming home. Or to do laundry or feed me.

Now I was on my own.

I looked down at the happy, serene network-generated stickers Elysia and Strawberry were sending each other.

They didn't know me, and I didn't know them.

But it was something. I could try to build something here.

I sighed, trying to push away the sting in my eyes as I sucked in a breath.

Then, I tapped through the settings, looking at the image generator attached to the intranet's chat app. There was a brief instruction to channel mana with the emotion I wanted to portray through the phone to generate the sticker.

I closed my eyes, feeling that well of energy spring up in my core as I poured my heart and soul into the tiny rectangle I held in my hands.

...Creating a picture of a sleepy Harmonia Lux in pajamas, surrounded by fluffy white comforters in bed with three zzz symbols in a thought bubble.

Then I smiled, hitting send.

That would do nicely.

Strawberry: LOL hey there. Looks like you really wore her out, Elysia!

Elysia: Hey there! Good morning, sleepyhead :P

I focused in again, sending a sticker of a tiny chibi Lux with droopy eyes and messy hair, giving the camera a thumbs up with a sleepy smile.

Elysia: Cute!

Feeling a bit less awkward, I finally responded.

Lux: My arms feel like they've been stung by a thousand bees.

Lux: My feet too. Forget mana exhaustion.

Elysia: Just to make sure... are you okay, though, Lux? I might have gone a little hard on you last night.

She sent a blushing, worried sticker of herself looking at the camera with wide, panicked eyes.

Gah, I came off as a little too serious there.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Lux: No, no, it's all good! A little sore is all :p.

It was all good. It really was.

She responded with a simple, relieved sticker of her waving a hand, shaking her head with a smile.

Elysia: Glad to hear it! :3

Then, I felt an aching twinge in my arms and legs, and I groaned.

I'd hoped not to get in any serious fights until I got better acclimated and grew stronger. I'd been outclassed in close range each time I'd had it forced on me this week, and I was only spared by luck, quick thinking, and grit. It could only go so far until it caught up with me.

There was a brief pause in the messages, before Elysia's chat activity popped up on the messenger.

Elysia: Hey... do you girls want to meet up this weekend before classes begin? Hang out? Maybe as ourselves?

Strawberry's bubble popped up for a long moment, like she was typing and deleting it over and over.

Strawberry: My brother and I set a hard rule, unfortunately. Secret identities don't mix with school.

Elysia: Awww :/. I understand.

I frowned, trying to imagine what it would be like to connect with Elysia as just... me. As just Sienna.

What would that even be like? Who was the person underneath?

I figured she was from a rich, well-connected family, judging by her demeanor and behavior, but she seemed genuinely nice enough.

She could stand to be a bit less coy with her power. Literally and figuratively. She'd visibly held back at points, which made sense since we were just a bunch of trainees kicking each other's asses. But she clearly had a lot of fun with it and even healed us up and offered to give us pointers without making it condescending.

Still...

I was a bit of a hood rat from a second tier city, and like with Madison up the hall, we were from two completely different worlds.

I didn't need to be ashamed of it. Neither did Al. But it was still a stark difference that I couldn't ignore.

I hovered my thumbs over the keyboard, trying to think of something to say.

Before I could, I saw Elysia's typing bubble.

Elysia: Forget it. Maybe someday! I know trust is a two-way street. I'll do my best to earn it from you two.

Strawberry: Yeah... This scene can be nuts.

Trust.

It was a sticky, complicated word.

I frowned, staring up at the ceiling.

What was trust, anyway?

It seemed like a necessity in... basically any kind of relationship. You couldn't survive without it. You couldn't even live on your own without trusting others, whether it was to deliver mail, utilities, or even basic necessities like food or water.

Trust was everything.

But it was tricky.

What was this school like for her?

She did seem well... connected, but she did say she wasn't really connected to anyone here. She was shy and supposedly alone here.

Another knight here without a team. Just like me.

Which was... strange.

I hadn't seen everyone in our incoming class of course, but she was only sixteen and felt like she was only a single 'weight class' beneath the Bravehearts, the Gemstones, and the Garden Dreamers. Three teams from the upperclassmens' roster who had come far ahead of the pack.

She was fast, powerful, outclassed a close-combat specialist like Strawberry in martial arts. And from our brief clash, probably had one hell of a high natural magic affinity. That was for sure.

She seemed capable of just about anything, and she had a subtle, almost innocent confidence that I envied a little.

Which made me suspicious.

Elysia was almost too good to just be another student without a team here. Albert had gone out of the way to verify she actually existed and her alias was officially registered here when I recounted our sparring match to him.

What would I do without him? He really thought about and prepared for everything. It wasn't always apparent, but he paid attention to details and context in a way that set him apart.

But something was definitely up with her.

At the same time, her behavior was just too... genuine?

I got the feeling she was just as lost as me. She was really just trying to make friends.

Maybe she didn't have anything to hide when it came to that.

Lux: Anyways, what can we do on the weekends here, other than go crazy on the internet and play video games?

Elysia sent a sticker of her jumping and dunking a basketball with big googly eyes.

I giggled and rolled my eyes with a grin.

Ok.

Maybe there was more to her than met the eye, but maybe... whatever it was, it would be fine.

She didn't seem that bad at all.

Elysia: Anyway... Plenty of things actually! The academy has tons of extracurriculars and group exercises in the training grounds, plus events and stuff throughout the city and on campus!

Elysia: Maybe we can chat and figure out something to do together once the semester starts.

Strawberry: Yo hold that thought. Gonna BRB for a bit. My mom just barged into my dorm going crazy about school clothes and getting my magitech claws tuned up. She barely lets me have a second to breathe.

I snorted. Her mom sounded a little intense.

Lux: Sure thing! Np. Take care!

Elysia: Understood! Yikes. Seems like a handful, not gonna lie.

This elicited a string of heart emojis and a sweating cat emoji from Strawberry as her avatar went dark.

That left the two of us, and I stared at the screen, trying to think of something to ask her. Something we could connect on.

Both our chat bubbles started at once as I began to type, and I felt myself tense up as I thumbed over a couple of letters.

A trickle of tension seemed to flow between us.

She was probably uncertain too. Maybe even a little anxious. I could relate.

We had very different backgrounds. Different stories. There was so much we didn't know about each other.

So, I waited. I wasn't good at conversations. She could take the lead.

Her bubble remained on the screen.

Then, after a moment, it disappeared.

All that was left was a simple text message:

Elysia: Talk later then?

I smiled softly, both relieved and a bit disappointed to see her sign off, and let my hands fall back to my chest.

Elysia was... nice. A little intense, maybe.

She was probably something to watch out for.

...But as annoying as it was, that would have to wait.

There was a lot of other stuff to worry about first.

Lux: Mmhm! Gonna go grab some breakfast and check out the campus. See you! :)

I slid out of bed, ignoring the ache in my arms and legs as I moved over to the mirror to put on a loose pair of burgundy sweat pants and a black tank top. It was a bit frumpy, but my legs felt like jello, and I didn't feel up to walking around campus in anything else.

Maybe I'd see if Al wanted to hang out or something. I hadn't made plans with him yet. And it would be fun to see the dorms and campus without feeling rushed or freaked out.

I sat up in bed, rolling my shoulders as I gathered my thoughts.

First, a hot shower. Then, I'd try to have a good, honest day with my best friend in the whole world.

...Only the gods knew when we'd get another.

I rolled out of bed, heading to the bathroom as I frowned at my messy dark-brown hair.

Then, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket as I noticed a new message from Elysia.

Elysia: Have a good weekend, Lux. If you need any help with settling in or anything else, I'm here. Text me anytime.

She'd obviously written it hesitantly, but there was an unmistakable warmth and earnestness in her words.

...What could have happened to make her so guarded and self-conscious?

She was far too careful and diplomatic for her own good, but that wasn't a crime.

Either way, I was intrigued.

I wanted to learn more about her, but I had to tread carefully.

There was too much about her that just didn't add up.

"Have a good weekend, Elysia. Thanks for yesterday," I responded, meaning every word.

I was ready for a fresh start. A new future. Whatever that might be.

I grabbed a scrunchy, frowning again at my chin-length mane of bed hair.

Why did it just refuse to cooperate?

Whatever. It didn't matter.

First hygiene. Then breakfast.