Chapter 4 To be yourself

Leona‘s Pov If I could make a wish on my first day at my new school, it would be simple. To be invisible. To be inconspicuous. To be unobtrusive. To be quiet enough not to cause trouble. To be detached enough not to…lose control again. But fate clearly didn't want that. I stepped into the gymnasium, and it was already buzzing with excitement—sweat, adrenaline, and the palpable competitive energy that made the air crackle. An entire wall was covered in champion banners, and trophy cabinets stood in neat rows like soldiers. As I got closer, I noticed that more than half of the medals bore the same name: Ariel and Atwood. "Good morning, everyone," the gym teacher's booming voice rang out. "Today is the opening ceremony of Wolf Moon High School. As always, we uphold the traditions of this small town—the pursuit of speed, strength, and excellence. Now, please welcome our student representatives, Ariel and Atwood." The twins' names echoed throughout the gymnasium, followed by deafening applause. Some students even held up homemade banners with their photos on them. The girls screamed as if the twins were on a world tour. Suddenly, I understood what Lulu meant by "superstars." It wasn't just their unbelievable good looks, but also the incredible speed and power everyone here admired. The noise grew louder, and I couldn't hear their speech at all. But honestly, it didn't matter. Whatever they said would be taken as gospel. Would I be one of those cheering for them someday? The thought had barely formed when a familiar aroma—warm almond cake—wafted towards me like a punch. It was him. "Leona!" Atwood waved with a beaming smile, as if we were old friends. My heart pounded in my chest, violently and relentlessly. My body instinctively leaned towards him, betraying me. Damn it. I forced myself to turn away, forcing a polite, distant smile. "Good morning," I said. Ariel nodded at me. “Good morning.” Great. Perfect. My face stiffened like a cracked plaster mask, a rush of heat to my neck. The girls around me weren't so reserved—their gazes were sharp enough to pierce my skin. I could almost hear their thoughts: What makes her so special? Does she think she can compete with us? Maybe someone should teach her a lesson. Every instinct screamed at me to run. But it was too late—Atwood was already walking towards me. “Nervous?” he asked. “Why?” I stammered, “The physical fitness test. It’s important here.” He gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll do well.” His confidence was completely misplaced. I had no intention of doing well. I just wanted to blend in—no more breaking things, no more displaying extraordinary strength, no more drawing attention. “I’ll…do my best,” I whispered. “Good luck,” Ariel’s voice was gentler than I’d expected. The girls glared at me immediately, as if they wanted to burn me to ashes. This is terrible. This is the last thing I wanted. The first test was a sprint. “Name?” the coach asked. “Leona.” He raised an eyebrow. “New? Okay. Lane three. Let me see what you’re capable of.” I took my position, palms sweating, heart pounding. Slow down, I reminded myself. Blend in. Behave like an ordinary person. Stay small. The whistle blew. My body betrayed me. The instant my feet left the ground—perhaps even 0.01 seconds earlier—my muscles exploded, and I sprinted forward. The world blurred into streaks of color, the wind whistling past my ears. Before I could even react, it was all over. The gym was silent. Coach Buck stared at the timer, then at me, then back at the timer. "This…this breaks the school record." Oh, no. Whispers filled the gym. "She broke the record?" "Impossible." "She definitely cheated." "What kind of freak can run that fast?" My stomach churned. I took a step back, discreetly observing everyone's expressions. Shock was written on every face, including the twins'. Perhaps this was a moment of glory for many, but for me, it was a torment. The whispers felt like two giant hands gripping my neck. I just wanted to slip away, but Atwood spotted me. "Wait—" But I didn't stop; instead, I walked in the opposite direction. In the next test, I forced myself to underperform. Intentionally missed catches. Slipped. Tripped. I did everything clumsily. It worked. While I was resting and getting some water, three girls—who had been staring at me ever since the twins greeted me—strutting over. Their ponytails swung like weapons. One of them nudged my shoulder with her elbow, the force making me stumble. "Where's your record-breaking speed, new girl?" Another girl leaned in with a mocking smile. "Trying to curry favor with the twins? How cute." "I didn't—" Before I could finish, I was shoved aside and fell heavily onto the mat. My palm scraped against the mat, stinging. The tallest girl squatted down beside me and grabbed my collar. "Listen up. Ariel and Atwood aren't for you. Stay away from them. Got it?" The scent of her perfume made me dizzy. "Let go of me," I hissed. She didn't seem to care about my anger. "Looks like you don't understand the rules here. Power and authority decide everything. Look at you, I bet you're nothing but a fast runner." I could feel my blood rushing to my head, and that uncontrollable force within me began to surge again. Just as I was about to lose control, Lulu's voice came, "What do you think you're doing? Let her go, she's my friend." Lulu stood before them, hands on her hips, protecting me like a warrior. "Thank you..." I said, bowing my head, not wanting to frighten her with my bloodshot eyes. Lulu winked at me. "Don't worry, everything will be alright. I'll take you to the beach later, it's my favorite place, and I promise you'll like it too." Although Aunt Elysee's warning about the return time flashed through my mind, my mouth uttered "yes" before I did. The beach. “You don’t need to worry about your strength or speed.” Lulu’s voice reached my ears as I stepped barefoot onto the soft sand. I turned to look at her; the setting sun’s rays filtered through her hair, making her look as if she were bathed in honey. “What?” I clearly didn’t understand why she was offering such sudden comfort. Lulu stood in front of me, tilting her head slightly to look at me, her expression serious. “There are some special things in Weremoon. We don’t require women to be gentle and petite. Here, girls can be strong and powerful too.” I blinked. She continued, “You might experience many different things, but I just want you to know that here, you can confidently be yourself, without having to hide anything. My father always told us that the best gift God gives a person is the ability to see their entire soul.” I tried to smile, but found I couldn’t. No one had ever told me I could be myself. I looked down at my palms. The scrapes I’d gotten that morning had healed. So, could I, like this, still be myself?