Sherwood City looked different from the sky. Usually, it was a grid of lights and possibilities. Now, as I walked toward the front gates of Sherwood High, it just looked like a place where I had to pretend to be a normal sixteen-year-old girl who didn't just save an underwater civilization.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFxESFezCC
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My father had dropped me off, his eyes lingering on me a little longer than usual. "Try to just be a student today, Vic," he’d said. "No portals. No energy blades. Just... history and math."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhL2RXVjZUW
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I adjusted my backpack, the heavy silver Watch hidden under the sleeve of my oversized hoodie. I walked into the crowded hallway, the smell of floor wax and locker dust hitting me like a physical force.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgR6mdgepN
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"Hey! Watch it!" I muttered as someone bumped into me.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhbUOJetdz
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"Maybe if you weren't standing in the middle of the hallway like a statue, you wouldn't get hit, Vega."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjwXcUIYPr
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I froze. I knew that sharp, icy tone. I turned around to see Elizabeth West. She wasn't wearing her tactical Nightshadow gear. She was wearing a perfectly pressed school blazer, her hair in a tight ponytail, carrying a stack of advanced calculus books.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMcOlvWDuS
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"Elizabeth?" I hissed, pulling her into an alcove by the gym. "What are you doing here? You're a... you're a student?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDnC9jX3XK
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"My father insists on a 'well-rounded' education," she said, her eyes scanning the hallway with the same intensity she used to scout for Wraiths. "And don't call me Elizabeth here. It’s Liz. And we don't know each other. Understood?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvYQpeRvZT
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The Cafeteria Revelation97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOUevIlJUM
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By lunchtime, my head was spinning. But the surprises weren't over.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBSXQbAqhh
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I sat down at a corner table with a tray of questionable mystery meat when a tall, muscular guy with a varsity jacket sat down across from me. He was laughing with a group of swimmers.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeU5Mo0jtfl
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"I’m telling you guys, the current in the pool was weird today," he said, winking. He looked at me and froze. "Victoria?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ316EFP9DHY
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It was Leon. Without his Atlantean armor, he just looked like the star of the swim team. His iridescent skin was less noticeable under the harsh fluorescent lights of the gym, looking more like a "healthy glow."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdoCTIyOlq
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"Leon?" I whispered. "You go here too?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPkYsku10d
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"Since freshman year," he laughed, leaning in. "Where do you think West finds his 'interns'? He scouts the local schools for kids who... stand out. I thought you went to that private academy across town!"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9tky0hcuL
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"Yo, are we having a V-Team meeting without me? That’s cold, guys. Real cold."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV2ilfdAMx
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A boy with messy blonde hair slid into the seat next to me, his sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. He was wearing headphones around his neck, and tiny blue sparks were literally jumping from his earbuds to his ears.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlrPFRiDqI
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Avan.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlVYrTtflK
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"Avan! Turn that off!" I grabbed his hand, feeling a tiny jolt. "People will see!"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmXPBZEnF7
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"Relax, Vic," Avan grinned, stealing a tater tot from my plate. "Everyone just thinks I’m 'statically prone.' Besides, nobody at Sherwood High pays attention to anything but their own phones."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQV0mQOlZe
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The Reality Check97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIIZubMBma
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We sat there for a moment—the Last Daughter, the Atlantean Prince, the Lightning Bolt, and the Assassin—surrounded by kids complaining about the WiFi and upcoming prom dates.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnf6SKLQN73
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"It’s weird, isn't it?" I asked, looking at my friends. "Last night we were fighting a Kraken. Now we have a Chemistry test in ten minutes."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hce5FeBpc
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"It’s the most important mission we have," Elizabeth said, her voice softening just a fraction. "If we can't protect this—the boring stuff, the normal stuff—then what are we even fighting for?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uVjW6uidm
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My phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from my dad: Found a lead on that 'Subject Zero' thing you mentioned. Be home for dinner. Love you.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXRcIp3qWe
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I looked at the Watch under my sleeve. It was quiet, but I knew the peace wouldn't last. Doctor Science was still out there. Subject Zero was coming. And Dementra was watching.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0rdi03Y0r
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"To the boring stuff," Avan said, raising his juice box.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEE84Cpdala
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"To the boring stuff," we all echoed.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTA40AHZTam
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