Chapter 2

'You've made it to the second week, that's a victory!' Zara thought, as she left the school with a big smile on her face.It had been two weeks since her first lesson and, although she hadn't made any friends, it sounded incredible to her. The brunette was walking unhurriedly and had a large glass of milkshake in her hands. She'd gotten it with magic and that made her excited, after all, she'd finally gotten a milkshake at the temperature and taste she wanted, a big step forward!She was more used to food and customs, and had certainly found her favorite drink, strawberry milkshake, not as good as Taqsin, but she had always liked strawberries and loved the cold sensation combined with the sweet, almost cloying taste.The first two weeks passed quickly and, although she still hadn't found anyone she could trust to help her with her "problem", Zara was having a lot of fun with school life. There were a few incidents, such as when she ended up dropping a chemical compound on a boy and he ended up in the infirmary with a severe skin rash, but these did nothing to overshadow the joy on Zara's gentle, smiling face.She was so immersed in her personal happiness that she didn't hear the cry for help coming from her right, so a few moments later, a ball hit her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground and get soaked in milkshake. Dizzy and a little disoriented, she had barely managed to respond when a girl entered her field of vision, asking her several questions she didn't understand."I think she hit her head," said another girl, and suddenly there were five around the genius, who still felt her whole world spinning."Girl? Hey? How many fingers do you have here?" asked one of them and, finally, Zahara's vision focused on something."Two..." she replied, sitting down and watching the girls celebrate; a more serious accident would probably have consequences for the women's volleyball team."You're alive, that's great!" A girl who had been sitting next to her spoke up. She had oriental features, small brown eyes, extremely short dark hair that was just above her shoulders, and she was also very, very tall. "I'm Seo Yun, sorry about the ball."The girl flashed a half"hearted smile and looked genuinely sorry, which made the genius crack a small smile too, trying to make her more comfortable despite the pain in her head. Upon taking a closer look at her, Zara noticed that she, like the others, had a great physique and was completely sweaty, her cheeks were red from the effort and, even without grace, she still managed to make the jinn want to cringe, it was too intimidating.They were all wearing a kind of sports uniform in the school colors, green and white, which consisted of a loose, light T-shirt and equally loose shorts, which allowed the players to move around well. In addition, there were no accessories or jewelry, the girls had their hair neatly tied back away from their faces and wore sports shoes."I apologize," she said, standing up and feeling everything spin around her, being supported by another girl. "I should have paid more attention.""Yun!" A short girl with long, unruly red hair shouted, looking genuinely furious. "That's the second time you've hit someone this week!"The oriental girl was embarrassed to be scolded like that in front of everyone and, when she was close enough, the redhead slapped her on the arm, making Yun grumble quietly. The jinn was delighted with the synchrony, albeit opposite, that the two girls exuded: while the redhead was lecturing, the other was trying to remain serious while someone half her height was trying to get her attention."I didn't mean it Eliz..." she tried to justify herself, but Eliz was already at Zara's side, assessing her condition."Are you all right?" she asked, visibly worried. "Your clothes..." Eliz looked genuinely sad when she noticed the state of Zara's clothes, completely soiled by a mixture of strawberry milkshake and grass "Come on, I'll help you clean up, I have an extra blouse I can lend you."Zara was startled. She had never received so much attention, at least not in a positive way, all at once. It paralyzed her and, with her silence, Eliz became even more worried and anxious, believing that the girl was in shock or something. Although she felt like refusing help, the brunette allowed herself to be led into the gym and then to the girls' changing room.As she walked, Zara watched Eliz even more closely in silence. The redhead had a worried expression, but she was so small that, even though she looked angry, she didn't inspire any fear. She was wearing a loose dress with thin straps, flowered in a shade of yellow that created a beautiful contrast, which made the jinn admire her.Inside, Eliz handed her a blouse, checked that it wasn't bruised and made Yun apologize a few more times. Zahara just stared at them, responding shyly every now and then and, while she was putting on Eliz's blouse, she watched the redhead fight again with the taller one, pointing her finger at her and turning completely red. Yun didn't seem to have the courage to fight back or start an argument, he just accepted her complaints and apologized. In the end, Eliz was more upset than the victim herself.Zahara found the way the two of them talked funny and, while all the arguing by Eliz was going on, she occupied herself with looking at the girl who, despite being small, was very angry. She had chubby cheeks and this contributed to her cute, almost harmless appearance. Her eyes were so expressive that Zara was finally able to understand what was meant by the phrase that humans talked about so much: "the eyes are the window to the soul", in her case, they really were, Zara could see the pure, gentle soul that she had."Do you want a ride home?" Eliz asked, approaching again. "I'm Elizabeth, but you call me Eliz.""You don't have to give me a ride, I'll order a cab" Zara replied, smiling at both of them. "I'm Zahara Grant, but call me Zara. Thank you for helping me.""Don't thank me, it was the least I could do." Yun approached, still a little embarrassed about the incident. "You may not accept the ride, but if you want, we can go to the movies together next week, so I can make it up to you?"Zara was ready to refuse, but she looked over and saw Eliz's clear eyes sparkling with excitement and hope, which didn't allow her to muster the courage she needed to deny the invitation."We can watch a superhero movie, you'll love it! " Eliz reinforced, giving her a pouty look. " Come on, please…"Even though she still didn't feel comfortable going out with humans and was afraid of causing a stir, she couldn't refuse the invitation, deep down she didn't want to. She felt a mixture of happiness and nervousness, the girls seemed so excited and committed to convincing her that it made a new and hitherto unknown feeling rise up in the jinn's feet and warm her cheeks.So, with a sigh and a small smile, she accepted:"Okay, I accept the invitation."