> Setting: College Library. Night. Dim lights. Outside, Tina walks through the empty corridor, frowning at her phone. She's been calling Aahi for 30 minutes. No reply.
Tina walks briskly, checking every corner.
> "She's not in her dorm… not in the garden… not in the cafeteria. Ugh, where are you, drama queen?"
She passes the library doors…
And stops.
A tiny glow flickers behind the frosted glass.
> "Wait…"
She peeks through the crack — and gasps.
> "What the—why is the library locked? Is that… someone inside?!"
She quickly knocks.
> "HELLO?! Is someone there?!"
---
Inside, Aahi jumps up in panic — Chansey floating midair behind her, glowing softly like a golden marshmallow.
> "Someone's here—Chansey, HIDE!"
> "Hide? Where?"
> "Anywhere! You're literally glowing!"
Chansey zips under the nearest table, but her tail is still on fire, poking out slightly from a stack of books.
> "Turn off the tail!"
> "I can't, I'm fire!"
Aahi grabs a blanket from the reading nook and throws it over the table — just as Tina's voice echoes again.
> "Aahi? Are you okay?!"
Aahi runs to the door.
> "Tina! Yes, I'm here! The door's locked!"
Tina rushes off to find the librarian and comes back in a few minutes, huffing. She unlocks the door with a click.
> "Oh my God! You've been stuck in here?! What happened? Are you hurt? Why didn't you answer your phone?!"
> "My phone died," Aahi replies, trying to keep her voice calm. "I didn't even realize I was alone until it was too late."
Tina wraps her arm around her.
> "Why didn't you text someone earlier, you dummy? You scared me!"
> "I just… needed a little time to breathe."
Tina smiles gently.
> "Fair enough. But next time, I'll bring snacks for your emotional exile, okay?"
They laugh lightly.
Behind them, a small fiery sneeze echoes from the table.
> "Achoooo!"
Tina blinks.
> "Did you hear something?"
Aahi freezes.
> "Nope! Definitely not a magical fire sprite allergic to secrets."
Tina stares.
Aahi smiles too fast.
Tina raises an eyebrow.
> "Girl… what are you hiding?"
what were you really doing alone in that library?"
Aahi glances toward her bag where Chansey sleeps silently inside, wrapped in the blanket she used to hide her earlier.
> "Honestly?" she says, stretching a little too casually. "I think I've just been reading… way too many fantasy books lately."
Tina tilts her head.
> "Books?"
Aahi nods quickly, grabbing one from her nightstand and flipping it open dramatically.
> "Yep. I mean, who locks themselves in a library unless they're obsessing over an imaginary world, right?"
Tina raises a skeptical eyebrow.
> "You've been weird ever since the slapbox drama."
Aahi sighs softly, then changes the subject with a twinkle in her eyes.
> "You know what book completely ruined me lately though?"
> "Tell me."
> "Spirit: Rise of Starfire."
Tina blinks.
> "Never heard of it."
Aahi hugs the book to her chest, her voice softening.
> "It's… not just a book. It's like… something awakens inside you when you read it. It's not about fire or magic or war. It's about who you become when you stop hiding your light."
Tina watches her, strangely moved.
> "Wow… okay, that's poetic."
> "It's true," Aahi whispers. "I think… I want to be that kind of person. Brave. Bold. Burning… but not broken."
There's a pause.
Tina smiles, then teases,
> "Girl, you sure this isn't just a book crush on the fire prince?"
Aahi laughs, eyes sparkling.
> "Okay, he is hot."
They both burst out laughing.
> "You're weird," Tina says fondly.
> "Thanks. I needed that."
---
> Inside her bag, Chansey stirs softly, as if smiling.
> Because the girl was finally beginning to believe... in herself.
---