Chapter 8
The fact that badminton became a struggle did not help Sophie calm herself down. According to Radiance, her emotions changed the amount of control over her powers, but her powers also affected her emotions, so if you were to draw a diagram to show the linkage between her emotions and powers, it would form a cycle.
She swung her racket as the shuttle flew across the net, before Regina swung her racket and lifted it across, giving Sophie access to a smash.
Sophie jumped and lifted off the ground, aiming for a smash. Just as she was about to smack the shuttle downwards, she felt a pulse of anxiousness flood through her. Her racket missed and she tumbled to the ground, unsure of what to do the moment she sat up. Regina covered her mouth as her eyes creased into slits. Malicious chortles formed as she choked it back, leaving Sophie with a scorching hot and red face.
How did you... it was right there.
"Radiance, if you haven't noticed, I am not as confident as you," she whispered as she scrambled to her feet.
And why do you doubt yourself?
"That's nothing you need to know about," she snapped and Radiance remained silent. Sophie paused, hoping she didn't hurt the fiery bird's feelings. Yes, Radiance was arrogant, but he certainly still had emotions brewing underneath his alter ego.
She shuffled back into the court with her racket and suppressed the awful twisting feeling that was forming again.
Thankfully, Radiance wasn't mad.
Oh just swing the racket the next time you can. Trust me on that.
Regina served the shuttle over and she whacked it back, and Regina did the same. The shuttle flew up high into the hair as Sophie skipped backwards, her eyes focusing onto the shuttle as she repeated her previous course of action.
Just hit.
Sophie followed her gut, which was burning intensely, as she swung her racket down, her wrist flicking downwards sharply. It made contact and went hurtling towards the other court. Regina dived for the shuttle but missed as Sophie landed back down.
Told you.
Regina shrieked as she threw her racket on the ground, demanding a reserve. However, not even the umpire could save her. She missed and that was the end of it. The rest of training was rather mundane, and so training ended in the blink of an eye.
Sophie pulled her bag over shoulder, feeling stares lay on her back again. She smirked and turned around, giving some of the staring students a few seconds of eye contact. She felt the same burning sensation form inside her again, but it was much calmer and even made her feel warm and cosy.
"I get that I'm attractive, but there's no need to stare," she stated smugly. A new burst of confidence flowed through her as she strode out of the hall, ignoring the childish whispers from behind.
What was that?
"I don't know what overcame me. Just felt like saying it. I think I've been holding in such statements since I first joined this ridiculous school."
Radiance burst out laughing while Sophie decided to jog home.
When she entered the lift, a strange and ominous feeling washed over her, but she shook it off, hoping that nothing was going to pounce on her. She entered the lift, shut the door and tapped her foot while the lift slowly creaked its way up to level 9. After poking her head out and cautiously scanning the sides of the corridor leading to her house, she scampered down the corridor and unlocked the door, slamming it heavily behind her.
"Oi! Watch it!" Isaac yelled. "Sorry!" she yelped as she peeked through the peephole of the door. Nothing. Then why was she running?
After showering, she decided to sleep instantly, but the class group chat wasn't going to allow it.
Jarrett: What do I pack for tomorrow? We're going through that portal again
Kelvin: Insect repellant?
Hanlu: I don't think any bug will approach us when we have two bird-like creatures with us
Felicia: I'm rather excited
Kelvin: Course you are, an escape from Sensei
Felicia: Not wrong
Sumedha: So do we bring food?
Jarrett: I'm bringing a lot so you will eat
Sumedha: I do eat!
Hanlu: Liar
Sumedha: Are yall ganging up on me?
Sophie: It's for your health
Sumedha: Oh noes, not u too
Paul: Do I bring a hat?
Felicia: I guess?
Kelvin: Pebbul
Jarrett: Get help
Sophie: Gn, I need my sleep
Andrew: Gn
Kelvin: Sleep is for the weak
Xin Ming: Gn
Sophie: I'm sleeping so that I can avoid your annoying chatter
Hanlu: Bruh, I'm insulted haha
Jarrett: Aight bye
Sophie grunted as she connected her phone to the charger and slowly sank into the dream world.
"WAKE UP!"
Isaac tugged the pillow from underneath Sophie's head and slammed it onto her head. She let out a choked splutter of surprise and rolled off the bed, crashing with a loud thud.
"Hey! What was that for?" Sophie yelled at her brother. He rolled his eyes and flung the pillow at her, storming out of the room. She struggled to her feet and hurriedly changed into a set of comfortable clothes. She stuffed another few sets of clothes into her bag and chomped down the bowl of cold noodles left on the table.
She then hugged her parents goodbye and scrambled out of the house, literally sprinting to school. Unable to contain the bright smile forming on her face, she jumped up as flames shot outwards from her feet, throwing her higher into the air as she landed.
Did you just use your power in public?
"Relax, there's no one that walks this way except Sumedha and I. I would know, because there are only 9 students in each class," Sophie assured before she ran all the way up to class, barely sweating. With the exhilarating nonsense she's been through, running was no longer a really big issue. The distance between her school and home seemed short and she knew that there were longer roads to trek whenever she entered the Other World.
"You're finally here," groaned Andrew as Sophie exploded into the hall, her contagious smile spreading to the others, except the casually grumpy Andrew of course.
"Kelvin isn't even here. Quit complaining," scolded Felicia. Andrew merely scoffed as his eyes shifted away from them. Sumedha formed a bunch of ice cubes on the ground. She looked up at Sophie, gesturing at the ice cubes.
Sophie paused and looked back at her in confusion, before realising and created a small flame, melting the ice into water. Jarrett then made a motion with his hands and the water slowly flowed up towards his bottle. Kelvin burst into the hall, holding his pebble up high, waving it about proudly. The wind in the room began to stir as Sophie grabbed onto a chain on the ground, praying she wouldn't fly off. Shinso, who she just noticed was snoring away on his chair, jerked away as the wind shoved him off.
He let out a dog like bark and dropped to his hands and legs. A yellow flame engulfed him before a graceful seven tailed Kitsune emerged, baring its fangs at Kelvin, who stupidly didn't notice the Sensei.
Shinso howled before swinging his tails. Three of them shot forward, two wrapping around Kelvin's hands and one grabbing the pebble which tumbled out of Kelvin's grasp. The short boy struggled as hard as he could, kicking his legs outwards and sending blasts of air, barely missing Hanlu, who had crouched behind the weights.
Another yellow flame swallowed Shinso as he straightened, back in his human form. Or half-form, since his tails were still holding on to the writhing Kelvin. "GIVE ME BACK MY PEBBLE!" roared Kelvin. Shinso furrowed his brow, his lips curving downwards. "What are you going to do about it, hm? You can't beat me in a fight, let alone get out of my grasp," he growled, hurling Kelvin across the hall.
"Kelvin!" yelled Paul as Kelvin caught himself with an air cushion. His breathing grew ragged as his muscles tensed. Brunching his legs, he prepared to launch himself at Shinso. "Oh quit the fuss. You would lose. Just take your wasted pebble back," snorted Shinso, throwing it. Kelvin's wings exploded from his back as he dived forward, catching the pebble in his hands, carefully tucking it away in his pocket.
Sophie could feel her jaw hanging open as she quickly shut it, backing off from Shinso. "Off to the Other World. I want nothing to do with you," snarled Shinso, jabbing his 7 tails at each of them.
Sophie was the final one to enter the portal. However, before she entered, she turned around. "Did you really think we wanted to have anything to do with you?" she spat coldly before plunging into the portal. The last thing she heard was Shinso's incredulous gasp.
She paused for a slight moment. How did she manage to speak like that?
(Btw I changed the travelling gypsies to travelling nomads for future chapters because I did some research and found out the gypsies were actually a race of people from South Asia)
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