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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LJxhAERyj
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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."32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9ta72hSKZ
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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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPCSAreNKi
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"Hey! Watch it!" I muttered as someone bumped into me.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83QFK5xrgR
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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."32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicLgbZc5Dr
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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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF71c5yT9EF
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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?"32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvsjgo3Xnj
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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?"32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAHHEqYkDo
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The Cafeteria Revelation32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWcEqpW56Y
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By lunchtime, my head was spinning. But the surprises weren't over.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoFJ6tObau
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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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tewKFNGVo
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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?"32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrjvgS2aun
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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."32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZf4MQiH2ot
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"Leon?" I whispered. "You go here too?"32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIre3nqOhH
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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!"32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRixELWBVAF
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"Yo, are we having a V-Team meeting without me? That’s cold, guys. Real cold."32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwlYljFCt6
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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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ajQ7LmRMh
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Avan.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcvcgwPDcz
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"Avan! Turn that off!" I grabbed his hand, feeling a tiny jolt. "People will see!"32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6bhBBoBwV
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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."32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tCwpjMzKo
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The Reality Check32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFp6lIMzxRr
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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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2msIOcSGc
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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."32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPutdVzW3Lb
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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?"32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFLTCmbGK0
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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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdRJDfm2tA
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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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXq3ludr1A4
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"To the boring stuff," Avan said, raising his juice box.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEcLOeQYVp
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"To the boring stuff," we all echoed.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXfzqYGnRt
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1234 copyright protection28ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKuwRp2TS3 尼32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPYU6MJAoN