Chapter 2 Maya arrival

Chapter 2 Maya arrival

While immersed in the thoughts of others, Elara noticed an unusual thought that stood out. She was near the teacher's office when she detected it—a new student's thought, repeating anxiously, *"My name is Maya, my name is Maya."* Curious, Elara peeked into the teacher's room to catch a glimpse of Maya's thoughts more clearly. They were louder and more intense than any she had ever encountered.

Suddenly, a teacher approached the office door, and Elara quickly stepped aside. The teacher, Mr. Brandon, who taught geography, walked in. Elara followed him discreetly as he entered his office. Coincidentally, the office next to Mr. Brandon's belonged to Ms. Thalaya, the teacher in charge of new student affairs, who was also Maya's mother. Maya was still present in the office, her thoughts a whirlwind of anxiety.

Mr. Brandon noticed Elara lingering and asked, "Little Elara, can I help you?"

Elara smiled and sent a thought directly to Mr. Brandon, *"No, I'm fine. I just want to know more about the new student."*

Mr. Brandon responded aloud, "Oh, you mean Maya? You can ask Teacher Thalaya, who is also her mother. But be careful, Teacher Thalaya can be a bit… intense."

Elara glanced at Teacher Thalaya, who was already looking back at her. Their thoughts intersected briefly before Teacher Thalaya spoke, "What are you looking at?"

Elara just smiled. She was tempted to touch Maya, but as she reached out, Maya suddenly levitated backwards, avoiding her touch. Elara exclaimed, "Wow, she can fly?" But this was only in her imagination. In reality, she was just standing there, lost in her own thoughts and the future she envisioned.

Reality snapped back when she heard her name being called repeatedly. Mr. Brandon was asking, "Are you sure you are alright?"

Elara smiled and sent another telepathic message to Mr. Brandon, *"I'm fine, just go ahead."* This time, she didn't go into the teacher's office. Instead, she went directly to her classroom. As soon as she reached the door, her usually noisy classmates fell silent and well-behaved, as they always did when she was around. She wondered why.

Sitting at her corner desk, she noticed it was super clean and shiny, unlike her classmates' desks, which were shabby and marked with scribbles. She looked out the window, her mind tuning into random thoughts. Yet, her classmates' minds were oddly silent, their thoughts hidden. *Peculiar,* she thought.

Then, suddenly, a loud thought broke through the silence, *"Please don't think, please don't think, please don't think… All of our classmates are planning to separate Elara because of her known Arcanian heritage and her ability. Please don't think, please don't think… That is not my classmates' plan. Please, don't THINK!"* The thought rang in her ears, but Elara dismissed it, treating it like background music.

As the clock ticked towards 10:00 am, the classroom door opened, revealing a new student. Dressed entirely in black—black hair, black dress, black school bag, and black water bottle—she even had black eyeliner. Elara wondered if the eyeliner was natural.

Teacher Merinkle addressed the class, "Welcome to the new school year, dear students. I hope you all had a great holiday. We have a new student joining us." Turning to Maya, she added, "Please introduce yourself, Maya."

Maya nodded, clasping her hands tightly, and wrote her name on the whiteboard. Then, she said loudly, "My name is Maya, my name is Maya, my name is Maya."

A boy interrupted, "Don't repeat your name. It's annoying."

Maya's eyes shifted from black to blue as she glared at the boy. From her corner, Elara watched, intrigued. Maya raised her hand, and the boy was lifted to the ceiling. Teacher Merinkle shook her head and gently lowered Maya's hand, bringing the boy back to the ground. "Maya, don't get mad just because someone comments on your name," she said.

Maya nodded, her eyes turning black again, but her water bottle changed to a blue color. Coincidentally, Maya's seat was right next to Elara's. Elara felt a thrill of excitement. She was eager to uncover Maya's secrets and perhaps reveal them to everyone. A silent smile played on Elara's lips as she listened to the myriad of thoughts around her.