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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8xPFaDBU1
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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."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD2VN86pIO
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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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrncDzlknF
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"Hey! Watch it!" I muttered as someone bumped into me.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsu6b9ambPc
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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."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidNzyEIBFx
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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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1VaKwOlck
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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?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExJ2UqnA00
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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?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUre7gHjkWW
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The Cafeteria Revelation58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37WJqrdmG0
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By lunchtime, my head was spinning. But the surprises weren't over.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPa9HlQKtzs
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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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Nx94sB46R
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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?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUfBUpMytz
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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."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMQBxU1qJP
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"Leon?" I whispered. "You go here too?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutRSPFsRe8
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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!"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdw8XcVbTq
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"Yo, are we having a V-Team meeting without me? That’s cold, guys. Real cold."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUU48ZEUzkN
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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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbr14lGNRE
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Avan.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIuJzaTJ8W
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"Avan! Turn that off!" I grabbed his hand, feeling a tiny jolt. "People will see!"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowwm27QRdz
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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."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSPB6Xnz3R
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The Reality Check58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnUd0EP2l0
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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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2jLi9ONCo
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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."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9X5ygHbcp
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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?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZOOWjG7Y1
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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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaf8yiwJQq
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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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUWtvN77zQ
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"To the boring stuff," Avan said, raising his juice box.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReojvP64wU
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"To the boring stuff," we all echoed.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh70wF0qWPY
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1234 copyright protection54ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6csaTkNvK 尼58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4OFpbAzJK