"What's wrong with this bracelet? Gosh, I told Paige not to put it on my wrist, but she did it anyway..." Simone tried to swing away from the bracelet to get rid of it. Yet it remained in her wrist and vibrated more and more.

"What's happening here?" some murmurs could be heard from the audience.

Three distorted giants consisting of 'color blobs' burst out of the bracelet. The tallest one--a fuzzy hollow-eyed figure with pink hair and thin tattooed legs picked the smaller ones--two voodoo dolls with floating blonde and brunette hair and oversized heels up--by the head.

"OH...NO!!!"

"What are these things...' Simone stepped back from the color blobs, shaking. "Don't....don't fetch me!"

Beth glanced at the audience stage. Some audiences were appalled by the sudden appearance of the color blobs as well. Inconsistent sounds of whimpering could be heard offstage. Everyone started to panic.

Jade and Paige ran to the runway at once to check on Simone, with Beth following them to get the bracelet. As soon as all three of them were on the runway, Jade leaned toward Beth with a malicious look. Before Beth could even fathom what was entirely going on, she had already grabbed her by the collar, preparing to swing her fist across Beth's face. With Beth hanging in the air and Jade holding hostage to her, all the sights now were shifted towards them.

The audience gasped.

"Beth Clementine. You appear everywhere with us, and I know there's no good with you! You are just as weird as your little bracelet." Jade hissed. Then she started yelling at Beth, attempting to choke her in the meantime. " What's happening here? What's wrong with the bracelet? Why does it attack Simone? YOU ARE THE OWNER, AND YOU EXPLAIN THIS!! Explain!"

Little did Jade know that by the time she finished her words, the large distorted giant had already been standing behind her with her unsteady thin legs. The giant unknowingly released Beth from Jade. Then, it gripped her and Paige in its gigantic hands, lifting them to mid-air. With both of them in mid-air, facing the blob directly, Beth saw that it resembled Simone in her appearance.

"Set us free, you STUPID BLOB!"

"Paige, Jade, do you guys want to be my friends, or are you just using me because I am cool and fashionable? Do you care about me?" The blob began to speak to them with an uncannily low voice.

"I care about you, Simone! Why do you think we don't care about you?"

"You two ignorant people! All you care about is using my identity to win the competition!" It dived in and opened its mouth towards Paige and Jade. "If you guys were never here, this would not even happen!"

"Simone, is this what you think about us from your heart?" Paige shouted to Simone across the runway stage.

"I never said something like that, Paige!" Simone answered.

"You monsters! Keep away from Paige and Jade!" Beth picked up the bracelet from the floor and promptly tugged it on her wrist. She was trying for the bracelet to do something.

"Come on...you stupid bracelet...please give my magic back to me!"

Jules. Simone. Nora and Owen. 'AmaBirdie'. Bianca. Thinking about every one of her important people, a strength to move on came to her. The bracelet stopped squeaking and started shining once again, lightening up everything around her. All of her outfits came back to her--her white dress, boots, and the giant pen.

"Beth Clementine is to the rescue!" She gave the pen a strong wave in the air, drawing multicolored lines and dots that were pushed towards the color blobs.

✨

Julianna was the only person who had not been exposed to the situation until now. She was always slower to be aware of what was happening around her.

"When will Beth be back? I mean...I think it's about time that we show up together. With all this chaos going, do we still have a chance to present our work?"

"Julianna, we are currently not continuing the runway because there is some chaos on the runway scene. And I think your partner is there as well." A volunteer suddenly appeared in front of the room door.

"Oh gosh, I need to check on what is happening." Julianna quickly rushed out of the room.

She was instantly greeted with chaos: weirdly distorted giants composed of color blobs forcefully swinging Paige and Jade around in the air, Simone standing still in a corner in fright, everyone offstage groaning and sticking together. Beth was the only different one--she was not fearful of the situation. Standing in front of the blobs by herself, in a white dress and boots, she concentrated on fighting over them with emitted strokes from her pen.

"Is that the magic that she meant? I should have believed her." Julianna's eyes sparkled in awe.

"Do something, Beth!" Paige and Jade shouted. The pink-haired giant moved very fast, and it was very hard to attack it. Beth made the pen change into an arrow to shoot the giant in the heart, but the giant moved away swiftly. The arrow accidentally hit the walls, creating a crack in the wall. Things would crumble into an ugly scene very soon--she had to find a solution.

"Jules!" She turned back and saw Julianna standing behind her.

"Beth! Is this what you meant by magic?"

"Yes! Jules, I am almost defeating this monster: can you carry Paige and Jade away after this and inform everyone to be calm?"

"I will do that!"

Beth promptly changed the arrow back into a pen. With her pen again, she could continue drawing. She doodled a sword and threw the sword into the pink-haired giant. This time, the attack worked. Blood squeezed out of the giant's eyes, and the giant whimpered in pain. The pink hair on the giant started falling and disappearing before it touches the ground. With the giant's power gradually weakened, it started losing balance. Since its thin legs were not able to hold its feeble body anymore, it started dropping down from the back like a softened mesh of sack. Its body was integrated into small colorful particles in the air. The giant no longer held Paige and Jade--Paige and Jade were sitting on the floor instead. They looked at Beth and Simone, with a complex look that combines confusion, disappointment, and thankfulness on their face.

Julianna ran towards Paige and Jade, but they ran away. Simone loosened her breath with relief.

The time for Julianna to step up had come.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I am Julianna, Beth's partner in this runway show." Julianna grabbed a microphone and dominated the center of the runway show. " I know you guys are afraid of what is happening here, but panicking is not enough. Now, everyone, please follow my direction. Protect yourself and exit the runway show quickly."

"Nice job, Jules!" Beth gave Julianna a thumbs up. As she glimpsed over the runway, something caught her eye.

It was Simone. A pink, fuzzy glow danced around her. She waved to the pink mist with her fingertips. The mist didn't go away. Instead, it traced her fingers and flowed towards the direction of their movement.

She threw the bracelet back at Beth, but the mist was still there.

"What's happening, Beth? You have the magic, so you must know."

"Simone, I think it means you may have become magical like me. Before I had my powers, I also saw my monsters. Now you have seen yours, and it will be your turn to conquer it! Give me your hand, Simone!"

Simone nodded, and the two of them exchanged a glance. She reached out her hand to Beth, and the two shared a firm grip. In front of them, a golden mist suddenly appeared, mixing into the pink mist. Space started distorting in front of them. A light holo shirt and a glowy, funky skirt appeared on Simone. Then, a microphone emerged before her eyes. She let go of Beth's hands and held the microphone close to her. As the microphone touched her hands, the glow dispersed away in front of her.

Everything became clear again.

The remaining two giants and other blobs were approaching the audience.

The time was urgent--Simone had to put her magic quickly into use.

Beth grabbed Simone by the wrist, and pulled her towards, shielding her from the approaching color blobs. "Now, let's concentrate on getting rid of all those color-blob monsters."

"Sure thing, Beth, let me just try my weapon first."

Simone took her microphone out and lay it on her palm. The handle of the microphone was painted with vibrant patterns. A golden lining made it even fancier. At the end of the handle, there was a rectangular button. Curious about what that was for, Simone took in a deep breath and pressed it.

The moment that the button was activated, the tip at the end of the microphone popped out, and a string of mist shot out from the tip, blurring Simone's view with dispersed shades in the air. As the mist touched the color blob monsters, some of the blobs changed into darker colors and died down in the air.

"Ah, I know. It changes the properties of those monsters..." Simone muttered to herself.

"Simone, I will be mainly attacking the monsters by drawing things with my pen, and you will be weakening them with your microphone.'

"Yee!"

"Jules! Be careful with yourself, as well."

Julianna nodded, but she didn't run away. Some of the blobs slipped away under her sight and went after audiences. Noticing that the crowds started descending into a muddle, she quickly went offstage to direct people to leave the runway.

With Simone gaining her magic, the runway show was now Beth and Simone's stage. Now, their utmost emergency became getting rid of the two voodoo dolls with floating blonde and brunette hair. Simone waved and made faces to the blonde doll, grabbing its attention to her, and provoking its anger. Seeing Simone's face, the doll went chasing her, which gave Beth the perfect opportunity to strike it from the back. She quickly doodled some lines that shot out like meteors to the doll. As soon as the lines fell at the doll, some holes appeared on its body, slowing down its movement in front of Simone.

Now I just need to aim for its heart! Beth changed the pen into her arrow again, and shoot her last shot at the doll. Just as she wished for, the arrow pierced through the doll's heart. It stopped in front of Simone and burst into a pile of golden liquid. However, the brunette doll was there. To get rid of the brunette doll, Simone pressed down her button and dashed stripes of mists into it. Within several minutes, it died down on the stage as well. With the two dolls disappearing, many of the other color blobs faded away as well.

Some of the remaining audience raised their head and returned to their seats.

"And now, the GRAND FINALE!"

Both girls gave the remaining the last kick with will all their might and courage. With their joined forces, The last monster squeaks and disappears.

"Phew...I did it." Simone chuckled with a tired expression on her face.

"Simone, you did it! Also, you look great in your dress."

"Thank you, Beth!"

"Beth, is Simone magical now?" Julianna walked toward the two girls.

"Yes, Jules!"

The remaining audiences were still coming to terms with what they had just seen. Some were packing up their things. Some rushed toward the stage, waiting for the host to say something, and settle everyone down.

"I am very sorry about the disturbance today halfway through the show and what it has caused to all of you. Therefore, since the runway show is not resumed, there will be no winners for the show this year." The host walked toward the stage and spread an announcement. "Instead, every participant of the show will get a special opportunity, which I will send to all of you via email this week! I am glad that no one got hurt from the incident and special thanks to Beth, Simone, and Julianna for getting rid of it!"

"Yeah, we did it!"

Happiness burst in the air as Beth, Simone, and Julianna high-five each other, sharing an earnest smile.

✨

Walking out of the stadium, the three girls saw Paige and Jade. They were standing by the crossroads, looking emotionless.

"Beth Clementine, thank you for rescuing us today. But we still don't like you. We are happy that both of us didn't win--you have rigged magic that helped you get a place. Also, what were those monster things?"

"I think they are monsters that represent your deep emotions..."

"Simone, if those monsters reflect what you are thinking, then it's better that we don't hang out with you again." Paige and Jade walked away from Simone. "There's no need for a friend like you. We admired you so much only to find out that you secretly disliked us."

Upon hearing what Paige and Jade said, Simone awkwardly frowned and blinked.

"Simone, maybe it's better not to care about them anymore," Beth said.

"Maybe you are right, Beth. And thanks for helping me with my magic and protecting me."

"Hey, Simone, if you don't mind, would you like to hang out with Jules and me from now on? Jules can come off as tough sometimes, but she is a great friend and an interesting person."

"Thank you, Beth," Julianna said.

"That's great! Beth, you can call me Simmy."

"Cool! Simmy..."

"On the other hand, can I call you Bee?"

"It sounds cutesy. I guess maybe...?"

"Right! Bee, Simmy, and Jules make the best group!" Simone was very excited. "Also, you guys literally look like soulmates, and your outfits match each other so well! you guys are such the embodiment of this theme 'A romantic night out.'"

"You know that I am right, Jules! You are my partner in crime!"

The three girls immersed themselves in happy chatters under this bright Laurel night. Beth looked up at the sky--it was serene and bright. A dozen of stars were visible in the sky despite the countless city lights in Laurel having already illuminated it. Her heart resonated with the stars, as though they were communicating with her through their lively blinking. A mixed feeling of happiness, relief, anger, frustration, and passion arose in her. She thought about her first experiences at Laurel Prep and all her ups and downs during the process of the runway show. Her first encounter with Julianna. Her first taste of magic. Her changing attitude towards Simone. Those memories were still vivid in her mind and became part of her own Laurel journey.

With her eyes closed, she could still hear the lingering heartfelt touches of laughter from Julianna and Simone.

She was ready for new adventures.