It was still a little dark outside--the city was covered with a thin blue mist, with a subtle splash of orange across the sky. A tint of light passed through the window and shined on Beth's sleepy face. An alarm clock stood on the nightstand next to Beth's bed.

7:00 AM. The clock suddenly started buzzing and ringing.

'Breakfast is ready! Hurry up! You don't want to miss your plane to Laurel!'

Beth yawned as she tried to reach the alarm clock. Being still half asleep, she recognized her parents calling her from downstairs, yet she couldn't completely open her eyes. 7:00 AM is not late! There's simply no need for worrying! She grunted and thought to herself. Notifications started popping out on her phone. Today will be sunny with a 25°C degrees of temperature. Here are your subscriptions for the Fashionista magazine. You have 30 unread messages from the 'Laurel Prep Class of 2019'.

Upon seeing the last notification, Beth decided to enter the group chat and see how her prospective classmates have been doing. Some of her classmates had already arrived in Laurel; they were posting pictures of them posing in front of the school in the chat group. Looking at their photos, Beth could not help but fantasize about her school life as well. What awaits me in my new semester? I need to wear something pretty to give myself a lucky headstart.

In the corner of Beth's room, there was a suitcase she had already fully packed. It was mostly her clothes and favorite art books collected over the years, but there were some particular items as well. The afternoon Beth got all her essentials packed, she paced over and over again in her room, feeling as if she still lacked some important things to take with her. That was when she locked eyes with a small ceramic blue bowl she obtained when antiquing one time. It was a bowl with a crooked edge and a black spot amidst blending shades of blue. However, she didn't mind the spot — instead, she found it looking like a small spaceship sailing in the clear waters. With the bowl wrapped comfortably, she went on to take her journal, a photo album from her art camp, a poster that writes 'girl boss', and eventually, a cute but worn bear wearing ribbons she sew as a child.

Next to the corner was Beth's wardrobe. A yellow dress with sunflower patterns hung inside the wardrobe, with a purple cardigan on top of it. The dress had a vibrant color but a very basic design. Beth looked inside the wardrobe. She knew that they were nowhere stylish, but they were indeed the best-looking clothing that she could find for now. To go with the dress, she decided to put on her white sandals and yellow dot socks.

She didn't look bad in the mirror. However, she still wanted to look more 'funky,' like one of the models she saw in her magazines. There was this irresistible urge to be beautiful that lingers around her heart that couldn't go away, followed by a feeling of unfairness that she couldn't do that due to being trapped in her 'stupid' small town.

After breakfast, Luke and Madison drove to send her to the airport.

"Are you sure you wanna dress like this, Bethany? It's going to be chilly in Laurel. Here, take this jacket with you." Madison asked with concern.

"Ay, mom! There's no need for the jacket!"

"But just in case you feel cold..." Madison added.

Beth shook her head and answered impatiently. 'I will think about that when I arrive there, okay? Don't worry about me that much, mom!'

"Beth, you know, me and your mom are gonna miss you so much when you go to school," Luke said.

"Yea. Oh, by the way, Beth, don't be silly when you arrive at Laurel! Be polite to the host family, and be proactive. Don't make unnecessary troubles at their house."

"I am not gonna be rude to everyone! I make sure that I don't play my music too loud..."

"Yea? Look at you. You throw your clothing around your room and forget to put your stuff in their original places.' Madison raised her voice, 'And school! Remember, you tried getting the school principal fired and almost got yourself suspended. Don't ever do that again. Colleges don't want to see something like that on your record."

"But mom, that was for good! The school principal was corrupt, and someone has to speak that up. People supported my actions, too! It was not all failure!"

Madison sighed.

"Do you even know how the world works? It's none of your business to care about those things. Not a lot of people who showed up became your friends anyway."

Gosh. Did she even listen to what I have said?

"Mom!" Beth started getting all worked up.

"Mads, don't be too hard on Beth! She is doing good enough." Luke looked at Madison.

Then he turned to Beth.

"Beth, please promise us not to do that to ourselves again. We can't handle getting you expelled if that happens. Laurel Prep is a good school, and we don't have enough resources to place you elsewhere."

Madison stopped speaking grudgingly, and Beth reluctantly agreed with Luke.

"We can't handle you getting expelled. Do you even know how the world works?" As they reached the airport, Beth couldn't help but think about those words again and again. Are these how my parents see me as a daughter? On her way to Laurel, she was baffled. She thought that her parents were fixated on rules and authority, and she didn't understand why.

I mean...someone has to speak about corrupt things, right? Some people have to make a change in this world. There's nothing wrong with that. Can't they look at a person more by their inner qualities instead of judging the person by arbitrary outer metrics, like their grades or how many friends they have?

✨

Beth knew that the school principal incident was no tiny conflict between students and teacher. Something was WRONG with the school principal.

It was the last year of middle school, a year supposed to be filled with graduation delights. Instead, a disturbance started spreading among the juniors regarding the sudden leaving of a beloved teacher in the last year of middle school. At first, some intermittent rumors were exchanged between murmuring seniors around the corner. Soon, the murmuring escalated into public conversations.

"Have you heard that Ms. Green is leaving soon?"

"What? She never told us about it. Why?"

"Some seniors got the news that the headmaster was not very pleased with some administration ideology differences between her and Ms.Green. Ms. Green wanted to lead the school in a direction that the headmaster disapproves of. None of the teachers were speaking about the issue to not disturb the harmony and morale of the seniors as they prepare for high school."

"Honestly, What the hell! Ms. Green is such a kind person inside and out. I remember her teaching honors psychology and patiently explaining all the concepts I was confused about. I hope this rumor is not true."

"Right? I agree with you so much! However, I just saw her leaving the headmaster's office at the end of school yesterday. There might be something going on between them.'

"Anyways, there is going to be a rally next week by students about the leaving of Ms.Green. They will try to send a form with everyone's signature to prevent her from leaving."

"I'm joining."

"Me too!"

Beth decided that she had to do something. During the drawing club meeting after school, she brought up this same conversation with her friends in the club.

"Hey, friends! I heard that Ms.Green will be discharged soon from the school due to the headmaster not liking her. Ms. Green is such a kind person; it's quite unreasonable that she will go. I am planning to join the rally and sign my name on the document. Who wants to go with me?"

All hands from the club were raised.

"I agree with you. We should let them know that our teachers are valuable in this school!"

"Absolutely!"

"More people equal more power!"

"Then it's all set. Let's get ready for the rally!"

After a couple of days, Beth signed her name on the form and went to the rally as everyone else.

However, things started to go wrong from the rally. It turned out that the rally was much smaller than what everyone had been anticipating. There were only a couple groups of people, awkwardly standing in the school playground, listening to the shaky voice of a speaker through a microphone in the wind. For the whole time of the rally, Beth was holding up the colorful sign she made, while constantly looking around, anticipating her friends from the drawing club to show up as they had promised. Ten minutes; no signs of appearance from any of her friends. Thirty minutes; people started heading out of the campus.

Eventually, Beth became one of the only few people dispersed in the playground.

Some teachers quickly discovered the rally and angrily demanded everyone to class immediately. Students who didn't follow the instructions were awarded detention hours. The form was received by the headmaster, who was clearly not pleased. The rest of the incident was chaotic: a warning from the principal was received, Madison was called to the school, some conversations happened behind closed doors at the principal's office, and some disappointed words came from Madison. Originally, the headmaster wanted to record the incident in the recommendation letter and official transcript. Later, the headmaster changed the record to be exclusive to the unofficial transcript. Maybe Madison told the principal something. Maybe something came out of the meeting that changed the principal's mind.

Beth couldn't remember that much. However, one thing Madison said stuck in her mind, and it came out again in the morning conversation.

"No one is as stupid and naive as you, regarding people that you merely hang out with as 'friends'. Not a lot of people were your friends anyways."

✨

Everything had already happened and it doesn't matter anymore. I need to stop thinking about it. I am a Laurel Prep student now. It's my time to start anew and be me.

It was no use for Beth to ruminate on if the mark affected her high school acceptances. After boarding the plane, she leaned against the airplane window and looked out into the dark, trying to take her mind off the unhappy memories from middle school. In a few hours, her life was about to start anew. There would be no constant NOs and DON'Ts from Madison, no boredom during the weekends, no laughing along with family friends for topics not funny at all. The beautiful image of Laurel City she imagined started to unravel before her eyes. The fascinating pop culture. The laughter and jokes that lit up every corner of the city. And the people that would eventually understand her aspirations.

Fortunately, Laurel did not disappoint Beth when she formed her first impression of the city.

As Beth stepped out of her flight, she was immediately immersed in Laurel's night. The dark sky wrapped up the whole city like a canvas, and the many night lights were like diamonds on the canvas. Up outside the airport, Beth's host parents, Nora and Owen, had been waiting for her.

"Here you are! How are you today, Beth?" Nora gave Beth a warm smile as Owen helped Beth with her luggage.

"I am great! Wow. I am so impressed with the vibrant night of Laurel. I can't wait to explore more of this city!"

"Right? I think you will definitely enjoy Laurel. Also, congratulations on getting into Laurel Prep! It's quite an achievement!" Owen said.

"Need any help with the orientation? We had been hosting Laurel students for several years. If you have any questions, please just ask," Nora said.

"Hmmm, lemme see. How's the student life at Laurel Prep?"

"Laurel Prep is an interesting place. Laurel students are very proactive, and each of them is unique in their own way. There are quite a few active clubs like innovation club, debate society, GSA, and...ah, what are you interested in, Beth?"

"Fashion! Fashion design!" Beth shouted out.

"We had a student that just graduated last year called Bianca who was interested in art stuff as well. I think she is currently at Lisette University's art program." Owen said.

Beth gasped and felt her heart racing.

Wait? Lisette University Art? No way!

That is my secret dream. All the best artists I admired went there.

"Can you tell me more about Bianca? I wanna know more!"

"Ah, she's a little complicated. We are a little out-of-loop about things happening in her life now. However, there's one thing I want to mention to you. Laurel can be a very stressful place. Students work hard on everything, especially their academics and passions. But high stress leads to seeing particular things."

Seeing particular things? What even is that?

"'There's a rumor surrounding Laurel that students report seeing unusual colors and shapes around them, as well as boys and girls performing magic with fancy clothing,' Owen said. 'They said that those colors look like things that they have in their dreams...Bianca told us all these. I think she drew those magical girls and boys in her portfolio for universities."

"Magical girls and boys? Unusual shapes? Are you even being serious? I have been told that magic was not real since I was young."

"We don't know. If you are curious, maybe the best course for you to do is to check Bianca's portfolio. See what you get from there."

"Okay! That seems a good start."

"Anyways, Beth, do you know why people tend to be religious during difficult times?" Nora asked.

"Because they need spiritual support?"

"Yep, that's it. Those stressed teenagers need to cling to something that makes them comfortable. Anyways...if you ever feel stressed out at Laurel Prep, just let us know!"

Though both Nora and Owen assured her that they would help Beth if she ever felt stressed out, Beth could not sleep for the night. She put up a banner of Lisette University School of Art in her room, just like in her old home in the small town. An urge to know if what Owen said about magical Laurel Prep students was true emerged in her mind. Grabbing her laptop, she typed 'Bianca' and 'Lisette School of Art' into her search bar. Then she pressed 'enter.'

"Bianca Knight Art" appeared on top of the page. Clicking into the site, a purple, oil-painting-ish background jumped out immediately. Then, illustrations started emerging in the background. Young people out of proportions fusing. A decaying skeleton with flowers growing inside it. An empty, multicolored plain with two ghosts wandering around. On the right of the site was an icon leading to the introduction page.

"Hi, my name is Bianca. I graduated from Laurel Preparatory in 2018, and now I am a freshman at Lisette School of Art studying illustration..."

Yes, that's it. Let me see what Bianca had made for her projects.

"Magical (2018)"

Huh?

Could this one be the project about that magic?

Beth found herself scrolling down an interactive piece on the website that combined comic and animation together. At first, a shy little girl was enclosed in a cocoon where there were only infinite amounts of curves. Some wind chimes could be heard. Zooming in, the girl had no facial expressions: her whole face was a meshing entity of purples, blues, pinks, oranges, and reds. Vague shadows of people and buildings penetrated the fog as the facial expression of the girl became clearer and clearer. The background gradually turned black as hands started emerging from the dark, gripping and grabbing the circle, and ultimately, shattering it.

With an animated shake on the webpage and a dramatic soundtrack in the background, the cocoon broke. The girl inside hid her horrified and whimpering face under her hands while shaking irresistibly. Red threads came sprouting from her body. Under a horrified expression, the girl saw her leg dissolve into continuous threads of red, which dropped and dropped down the webpage. She tried to scream and kick at her surroundings, her tears flying around, but nothing seemed to work. Pieces of skin from her body started falling off her into the dark space. Concerned about the little girl, Beth moved her cursor to pull the pieces back towards the girl. But it was no use; the girl shattered into pieces.

The background turned pitch black, with only a pile of red threads left. The soundtrack stopped. Some white particles were falling off, which looked like snowflakes in the night.

Then, out of nowhere, the dark background broke down. Through the cracks of the background, some rays of colorful lights were leaking out. Something was attacking the dark background from behind. With a new peaceful sound playing, the dark background disappeared, exposing the colorful world behind it. The world was an infinite expansion of the purples, blues, pinks, oranges, and reds seen in the cocoon. A swoosh with the cursor made golden sparkles follow the trace.

The little girl re-appeared in the background, but she looked much stronger this time. With a sword and an aquamarine dress, she stood in the center, with a look full of conviction in her eyes.

Some words came along.

"I was once depressed, then this power came to me. I envisioned myself as my idealized self but unexpectedly transformed into that person. I was in a beautiful dress, and I had a sword to protect me. Like a mad artist, I saw everything like an oil painting floating around me."

"Magic is real. That idealized self of mine made me grow as a person."

✨

Bianca's words were so enthralling that upon reading them, Beth felt a strong wind blowing towards her, painting everything around her with rainbow colors and sparkles. The colors were flowing like liquid paints, blending into each other. There were glass shapes dancing in the colors. Bianca stood in front of her, wearing a golden tiara and long aquamarine silk dress. A breeze passed through her hair.

Bianca turned back, and Beth looked at her with surprise.

Suddenly, a repulsive force pushed Beth away. Strong blobs of colors started sprouting from the center from where Bianca is standing. Numerous hands started growing and fusing from the blobs of colors.

Don't worry; I can get rid of them. Bianca said.

A pair of golden scissors and a roll of bandage appeared out of nowhere. Bianca grabbed these two things immediately and rushed towards the color blobs. A devilish face tried to scare her away from seeing her. However, she was not afraid. She threw the bandage into the hands, trapping them inside a jungle of extended bandage rolls. Then she quickly took out the scissors and cut those hands away.

The color blobs gradually died down with those hands cut off. Everything returned to its normal.

Beth stood there, dumbfounded. The girl that embodied her dreams was just standing near her and protecting her from this 'catastrophe'.

I want to be like her.

✨

Laurel Prep started the next day.

The first thing Beth saw when she woke up was her laptop, which was right next to her. Gosh, did I accidentally fall asleep when viewing Bianca's project last night? With this thought in mind, She grabbed her laptop immediately. Her cursor was sitting on the bottom of the project 'Magical'. The girl in the aquamarine dress was now standing backward to Beth, facing a sunrise that expands across the horizon.

The color blobs! The hands! They should be gone, right? Beth scrolled up again on the website, only to find that only the girl in the aquamarine dress and the sword were present at the ending. There were no extra color blobs floating around in the background, waiting to be squeezed over. There were no new hands coming from the background. There were no scissors and bandages from Bianca to capture the hands and cut them away. Imageries and feelings must have been mixed up when Beth was drowsy.

I must have been so engrossed by all the talks about magic that I started dreaming again. Beth rubbed her eyes and rolled out of her bed. Anyways, it was better to focus on school for the time being.