Mom’s candies are special. No one else makes anything like them. It’s her secret recipe, just ours. She always said they were meant to cheer me up when things went wrong or give me energy when I was tired. But now I don’t have them because… Philip took them.

I remember exactly how it happened. Right before the final stage of the exam, I was sitting with Maya in the common room, waiting for the results to be announced. I was so stressed that I pulled out a bag of candies and started munching on them, one after another. Maya raised an eyebrow at me.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the bag.

“Mom’s sour candies. Want to try one?” I offered, but before she could answer, a shadow loomed over us.

I looked up and saw Philip. He stood there, arms behind his back, staring at me with that cold, piercing gaze of his.

“Are you seriously eating unauthorized snacks during the exam?” he asked in a calm but firm tone.

“They’re just candies!” I protested, trying to hide the bag behind my back.

“I’m confiscating them,” he said without a hint of hesitation, holding out his hand.

“But… they’re just…” I began, but his look silenced me. Words fled my brain. I handed over the bag, and he walked away without even glancing back.

And now, here I am. This isn’t just a regular bag of candies. It’s a piece of home, something Mom made just for me. I can’t lose them. Philip doesn’t understand how important they are.

I’m standing outside the principal’s office, trying to look like someone who is definitely not planning to sneak inside. I lean against the wall, humming quietly, and glance around. No one’s here… Just a little longer, and I can start.

But then I hear footsteps. Before I can hide, I see Isaac and Cornelius coming out of the boys’ bathroom. Cornelius immediately averts his gaze, like he doesn’t want to get involved, but Isaac spots me right away.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, frowning.

“Nothing!” I reply quickly. Maybe too quickly, because he steps closer.

“You look like you’re up to something,” he says, suspicious. Cornelius sighs but stays.

I look at them and realize I can’t do this alone. Taking a deep breath, I decide to tell the truth.

“Philip… I mean, the principal… confiscated something that belongs to me!” I say dramatically. “It’s important!”

“Confiscated?” Isaac raises an eyebrow. “What did he take?”

“Something my mom gave me. I can’t wait any longer. I have to get it back!” I say, clenching my fist to show how serious this is.

“I always knew Philip was a tyrant,” Isaac says, a spark of determination in his eyes. “Alright, I’ll help you.”

“What?” Cornelius looks at him like he’s lost his mind. “If you want to get involved, go ahead. I’ll… stand guard, I guess.”

“Perfect!” I say with a grin.

A few minutes later, when the principal leaves his office, Cornelius actually stays on lookout while Isaac and I sneak inside. The office looks like a classic villain’s lair – elegant, organized, yet filled with an ominous vibe.

“So, what do I do?” Isaac asks, closing the door behind us.

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“Search!” I say, opening one of the drawers.

Isaac starts rifling through a filing cabinet while I rummage through the desk drawers. Papers, strange notes… nothing interesting so far.

I start pulling out drawer after drawer, unable to focus because everything here seems suspiciously intriguing. There’s a pen on the desk with a weird symbol – is it enchanted? In one of the drawers, I find a tiny box filled with stamps of various designs. Seriously? Does Philip personalize his own stamps?

Opening another drawer, I find one that looks empty at first glance. But when I tap the bottom, it makes a strange noise. A hidden compartment? Oh, this could be interesting.

I open the secret compartment and find… magazines. Glossy covers, suspiciously cheerful girls in strange poses. I stare at them, intrigued.

“Hey, Isaac, what’s this?” I ask, pulling out one of the magazines. “Secret documents?”

Isaac turns, and in an instant, he rushes over and covers my eyes with his hand.

“NOT for you!” he says quickly, clearly panicked.

“But why? I have to investigate! This could be important!” I protest, trying to push his hand away.

“Trust me, it’s nothing you need to investigate.” His voice is a mix of embarrassment and amusement.

I try to break free, but Isaac quickly shoves the magazines back into the compartment and slams the drawer shut.

“See? Philip really is a villain!” I say with conviction. “I knew he was hiding something.”

“It’s not like that!” Isaac snaps, glancing at me. “It’s just… complicated.”

“Aha, so he is guilty. I knew it,” I say, resuming my search.

“Focus on finding what he took from you,” Isaac says, looking away.

I pout but shrug. If he says it’s unimportant, maybe it is. Still… it looked suspicious.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Isaac asks, glancing at me over a folder.

That’s when I see it. A bag hidden behind some books on a shelf. My heart races as I grab it triumphantly.

“I found it!” I shout.

Isaac looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Those are… candies?”

“Not just any candies!” I say proudly. “These are Mom’s super sour candies! They’re one of a kind!”

Isaac walks over, looks at the bag, then lightly knocks on my head.

“Wait. We risked all this… for candies? I could’ve just bought you some.”

“You don’t understand!” I start, but before I can explain, a voice freezes us in place.

“Interesting theories you’ve got there, kids. Now, what are you doing here?” Philip says, standing in the doorway with a smile that could haunt your dreams.

I turn around slowly. Nowak steps inside and closes the door behind him.

“Let’s just say… breaking into the principal’s office isn’t the best way to start the school year,” he says, almost cheerfully.

Before I can respond, Philip raises his hand, and suddenly an overwhelming force pins me to the ground. Gravity. It has to be his ability. I can’t move. Isaac groans beside me, struggling, but it looks pathetic.

“If you tell anyone about this…” Philip leans down, his voice dripping with menace, “you can kiss your peaceful life goodbye.”

“We understand…” I groan, feeling the pressure intensify.

“Excellent.” Nowak straightens, and the force disappears. But before he leaves, he picks up a book from his desk and hurls it at Isaac with surprising precision.

“Ow!” Isaac yells, clutching his head.

“That’s for breaking in. Next time, follow the rules,” Philip says, leaving the room like he just delivered a graduation speech.

We stumble out moments later, red-faced and defeated. Cornelius leans against the wall, looking thoroughly amused.

“You betrayed us!” Isaac growls, pointing at him. “You were supposed to be on lookout!”

“I said I might stand guard, but I got bored,” Cornelius replies nonchalantly.

“And you!” Isaac turns to me. “This is all because of your stupid candies!”

“They’re not stupid, they’re sour!” I retort, clutching the bag protectively.

We stare at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. But then, we hear footsteps. Nowak reappears in the doorway.

“Oh, I almost forgot. For tomorrow, you’ll each write me a hundred-page essay on the school rules so you can properly learn them,” he announces with a faint smile.

“A hundred pages?!” we shout in unison.

“Cornelius, you’ll write fifty. I know you were involved, though to a lesser extent.”

“But I didn’t do anything!” Cornelius protests, but Philip is already walking away.

We look at each other, stunned.

“I told you, Philip is a villain,” I say solemnly.

We burst into laughter again. Sometimes, it’s better to laugh than cry.