With a resigned sigh, Mia hauled herself off the bed and grabbed her backpack. It was time to face the music - or in her case, the rainbow.
"Alright, let's see what kind of Technicolor nightmare we can create today," she muttered, unzipping the bag. It was still a neutral black - for now. Mia knew better than to hope it would stay that way.
She reached for her math textbook, bracing herself for the inevitable. The moment her fingers brushed the cover, a wave of canary yellow spread across it like a sunburst. "Great. Nothing says 'take me seriously' like solving equations from a book that looks like Big Bird's cousin."
Next came her notebook. As she picked it up, it shifted from plain white to a vibrant orange that would make traffic cones jealous. "Well, at least I'll never lose it in a crowd," Mia quipped, shoving it into her bag.
Her pens weren't spared either. Blue ink? Nope, now housed in a hot pink casing. Black ballpoint? Congratulations, you're now neon green. "It's like my backpack is hosting its own rave," Mia grumbled.
As she continued packing, her mind wandered to her future classmates. What kinds of powers would they have? Surely, they couldn't all be as frustratingly useless as hers. She imagined a kid who can detect the scent of fruits from great distances, but only fruits, or can summon any small, inconvenient item like a paperclip or a single sock.
But what if they weren't useless at all? What if everyone else had cool, actually helpful powers? The thought made Mia's stomach churn. "Great, I'll be the freak among the freaks. The girl who can't even control her own Crayola curse."
She paused, holding a purple-turned-teal folder. "Come on, Harper. Focus. You can do this." Mia stared intently at the folder, willing it to change back to purple. She imagined the color seeping back, like reversing a spilled paint can.
For a fleeting moment, a flicker of purple appeared at the edges. Mia's heart leapt - and then promptly sank as the folder stubbornly remained teal. "Fan-freaking-tastic," she groaned. "A for effort, F for execution. Story of my life."
Finally, with her bag packed and looking like a kaleidoscope had exploded inside it, Mia turned to face her full-length mirror. The girl staring back at her looked equal parts terrified and defiant, her messy brown hair a stark contrast to the riot of colors surrounding her.
"Alright, you," Mia said to her reflection, pointing an accusatory finger. "Time for a little pep talk. You've got this. You're unique. Special. One of a kind." She paused, then snorted. "Yeah, one of a kind freak who can't touch anything without turning it into a Skittles commercial."
She leaned closer to the mirror, noting the worry lines creasing her forehead. "Okay, serious face now. You are Mia Harper. You might not be able to fly or shoot lasers from your eyes, but you can make the world a more colorful place. Literally. That's... something, right?"
Mia touched her cheeks, concentrating hard. A soft pink blush spread across them, perfectly even and natural-looking. "See? Control. You've got this. Kind of. Maybe. Oh god, who am I kidding?"
She practiced her smile, trying different variations. The wide, friendly grin felt fake. The cool, aloof smirk made her look constipated. She settled on a small, slightly crooked smile that she hoped said "I'm approachable but also mysterious and definitely not freaking out inside."
"Right. Smile: check. Outfit that hopefully won't spontaneously change colors: check. Backpack full of rainbow chaos: unfortunately, check." Mia took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "Time to face the music, Harper. Evergreen Academy, here comes your newest walking, talking art project."
As she stared at her reflection one last time, a tiny spark of excitement flickered beneath all the anxiety. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be a total disaster. Maybe she'd find her people - other teens with weird, frustrating powers who were just trying to figure out their place in the world.
"Or maybe I'll accidentally turn the entire school neon pink and get expelled on day one," Mia muttered. "Either way, it's gonna be one hell of a colorful adventure."