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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qTjQqygb0
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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."122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGz4do4Mzf
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhwuVJThEQ
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"Hey! Watch it!" I muttered as someone bumped into me.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ieC95SNQ3
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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."122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqncL567DVG
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIn7rctSnq
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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?"122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ079VLjbeLf
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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?"122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP6cZU0YH2
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The Cafeteria Revelation122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMWsRfbziB
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By lunchtime, my head was spinning. But the surprises weren't over.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRscUfClrv
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHj08cPMOPm
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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?"122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt99kHvGYAF
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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."122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AYT5zCruu
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"Leon?" I whispered. "You go here too?"122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPA6eIgU1zW
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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!"122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVumdCMjyc
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"Yo, are we having a V-Team meeting without me? That’s cold, guys. Real cold."122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpP6c8P4doE
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeRNeF5iW8
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Avan.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOf70Bmzrt
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"Avan! Turn that off!" I grabbed his hand, feeling a tiny jolt. "People will see!"122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVOfCCItYt
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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."122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTd7fIBBv4m
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The Reality Check122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60BpLtPU6m
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBaHORpjry
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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."122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXqX9gjm3w
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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?"122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmyBsGsQbW
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADQqpstjV1
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjC9O5LRPb
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"To the boring stuff," Avan said, raising his juice box.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzR7taMtxfq
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"To the boring stuff," we all echoed.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iQM4NJfJ5
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1234 copyright protection118ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhDGoeFwCw 尼122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPULHFyy5S