The music echoed through the night as {Role} stepped across the terrace. Somewhere in the house there was loud laughter, someone shouted enthusiastically in the pool, lights danced in the air. No - not lights. Fireflies? No, too regular. More like little shimmering dots - barely visible. {Role} blinked. Maybe it was my imagination. Maybe not.

She lowered herself onto the edge of the pool, her feet in the water. The smell of chlorine and summer, masked by the sweet, pungent scent of cheap cocktails, reached her nose. She closed her eyes briefly. If she could just take herself out of everything for a few minutes, that would be a win.

"Who invited the little magical creature?" Three voices. Icy. Mocking. Cheerleaders. Of course.

Nina stepped closer. Her gaze was disparaging, a sweet smile on her lips that didn't reach her eyes. "Milan knows you're here? Or have you secretly beamed out again?" The girls laughed. It sounded like the clink of glass.

{Role} tried to relax, just like her aunt had taught her: drop your shoulders, breathe... Don't feel magic, not now.

But something flickered in her chest. A whisper. A tug.

Nina stepped closer, a cup in her hand - full of shimmering red liquid. "Do you know what your problem is?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. "You act like you're special. But you're just-"

The water in the pool flickered. A sudden gust of wind swept across the terrace - violent, as if someone was sucking in air. The cup in Nina's hand spilled over. A drop hit {Role}'s knee - like ice.

Then it happened. Not on purpose. Not controlled. The lights above them began to flicker. The surface of the water no longer rippled to the rhythm of the music, but in waves - like breaths. And a tiny glow floated up - like dust dancing in the moonlight. No one but Nina seemed to notice it. Her eyes widened.

"What..." She took a step back. "What was that?"

Then Levi stood there. "What do you think it was?" His voice was calm, but the air around him almost shimmered. As if he too - in his own special way - was carrying something inside him.

Jace followed him, smiling slightly, but with a spark of wariness in his gaze - at {Role}, not Nina. "You really should be careful who you mess with. She may be smaller. But some sparks burn bright, you know?"

Yaron was suddenly there, his hands in his pockets but his eyes wide open. He had seen something. And he knew what it meant. "She didn't put up a fight. Not directly." He spoke softly, almost to himself. "But she reacted."

Then Milan arrived. His presence was like a cut through the heated atmosphere. He stepped up next to {Role}, looked her in the eye. "You felt it." It wasn't a question.

{Role} remained silent. Her heart was pounding, the water had stopped dancing. But in the air - very quietly - there was still a hint of magic.