Maya's POV
The pencil snapped in half between my fingers.
I stared at the broken pieces, my heart racing. That was the third pencil I'd broken this week without even trying. Something was happening to me, and I didn't understand what.
"Maya Chen," called Mrs. Peterson from the front of the magical practice classroom. "You're up next."
My stomach dropped like a stone. Around me, twenty-three other students turned to stare. Some looked curious. Others looked mean. All of them knew my story - the girl who fell from the top of Starfall Academy to the bottom of Riverside School.
"I... can I go later?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Mrs. Peterson frowned. "Everyone has to perform the basic light spell today. No exceptions."
I stood up on shaky legs and walked to the front of the room. Behind me, I could hear whispers starting up like a swarm of angry bees.
"This should be good," someone mumbled.
"I bet she can't even make a spark," said another person.
My cheeks burned with shame, but I tried to focus. The basic light magic was something I used to do without even thinking. At Starfall Academy, I could make light bright enough to read by, warm enough to heat my hands on cold days. I could make it dance and change colors and last for hours.
Now I just needed it to glow. Just a tiny bit.
I held out my hand and closed my eyes, reaching deep inside myself for that familiar feeling of magic. For months after leaving Starfall, there had been nothing there - like trying to grab water with my fingers. But lately, I'd been feeling something. A tiny spark, way down deep where I could barely touch it.
"Come on," I whispered to myself. "Please work."
I spoke the magic words that used to flow from my lips like music: "Lux brillare, shine bright, bring forth your gentle light."
For a second - just one beautiful second - I felt it. That warm, tingling feeling of magic flowing through me. My hand started to feel warm, and I opened my eyes hopefully.
A tiny dot of light flickered in my palm. It was no bigger than a firefly, and so dim I could barely see it.
But it was there.
My heart leaped with joy. It was working! My magic was coming back! Maybe everything would be okay after all. Maybe I could prove to everyone that I wasn't a fake.
Then the light started to fade.
"No, no, no," I mumbled desperately, trying to pour more energy into the spell. "Don't go out. Please don't go out."
But it was like trying to hold onto smoke. The tiny light flickered once more and died completely.
The classroom fell silent for about three seconds. Then someone started laughing.
It wasn't mean laughing at first - just a small giggle from somewhere behind me. But then another person joined in. And another. Soon half the class was laughing at me, and the sound felt like knives cutting my heart.
"That was pathetic," said a boy named Derek. "My little brother could do better than that, and he's only eight."
"I told you she was a fake," mumbled a girl loudly enough for everyone to hear. "No wonder Starfall kicked her out."
"Maybe she should try a different career," said another student. "Like selling ice cream or something."
The laughing got louder and meaner. I stood there with my hand still stretched out, feeling smaller and more useless with every second that passed.
Mrs. Peterson tried to help. "That's enough, class. Everyone learns at their own pace."
But her words just made it worse. Everyone learns at their own pace - like I was some little kid who needed extra help with basic math.
I wanted to escape. I wanted to sink through the floor and never come back. Instead, I mumbled "Thank you" to Mrs. Peterson and ran from the classroom.
I could hear the laughter following me down the hallway as I rushed toward the closest bathroom. My eyes were already burning with tears, and I didn't want anyone else to see me cry.
The bathroom was empty, thank goodness. I locked myself in the furthest stall and let the tears come. They poured down my face like a waterfall, carrying all the pain and anger I'd been holding inside for months.
"Why is this happening to me?" I sobbed to the empty bathroom. "What did I do wrong?"
Six months ago, I had been Maya Chen, star student of Starfall Academy. Teachers praised my work. Other kids asked for my help. My parents talked about me to their friends. I felt special, important, like I could do anything.
Now I couldn't even make a light bright enough to read by.
I pulled out my phone and looked at the dark screen, wishing I had someone to call. But who? My old friends from Starfall wouldn't answer - they'd made it clear I was too embarrassing to be around. My parents were probably at work, and they'd just get that sad look in their eyes if I told them about another failure.
I was completely alone.
That's when I heard footsteps in the hallway outside the bathroom. They stopped right outside the door, and I held my breath, hoping whoever it was would just keep going.
Instead, I heard a voice I didn't recognize - deep and serious, like it belonged to a grown-up.
"The girl is weaker than we expected," the voice said quietly. "The sealing spell is working perfectly."
My blood turned to ice. Sealing spell? What closing spell?
Another voice answered, this one higher and sharper: "Good. We can't risk her finding her true power too soon. Keep watching her. If she starts to break through the barriers we've set, we'll need to take stronger action."
"What about the boy?" asked the first person. "Alexander is getting too close to her."
"We're handling that situation. Just make sure Maya Chen stays weak and friendless. The promise must not be fulfilled."
I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. They were talking about me. Someone had put a spell on me - a sealing spell that was stopping my powers. This wasn't my fault. I wasn't useless or broken.
Someone had done this to me on purpose.
The footsteps started moving away, but I caught one last sentence that made my heart stop completely: "If she becomes too much of a threat, we have orders to eliminate her permanently."