"With this power, I can now handle Bran with ease," Dex muttered, Ethan's house coming into view.
Nia arrived at her house and walked into her depressing, cramped room. Clothes were scattered everywhere, and there were more letters on the floor. She picked them up, and when she noticed they were from her dad, her hands trembled before she threw them in the trash.
She tossed her white backpack onto the bed and slumped at her desk, counting the crumpled bills from their latest "earnings". She took a deep sigh, and her shoulders sagged.
"Not enough…and I still owe Chloe her cut. Fuck," she hissed.
She stood up, staring at the ceiling, a tired expression etched on her face. She peeled off her uniform, the fabric clinging to her skin like a second layer of exhaustion, leaving her in a bra and underwear. She threw on her pajamas, snatched her uniform from the bed, and grabbed a bucket from the corner of her room. She marched outside to the tap on the right side of the house.
"How was school, Nia?" called her mother's late friend from the porch. The woman had offered Nia a room to rent after her father's crime left her orphaned, charity laced with pity. After what her father did, most people whispered, gossiped, and tried their best to avoid Nia.
"It was okay," Nia said flatly.
The woman added, "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"
Nia just nodded.
"Uh-huh," knowing the concern wasn't genuine and she was only saying that to be nice.
She cranked the tap on, and water sloshed into her bucket. She poured a handful of washing powder and started scrubbing her uniform.
"Sigh, this sucks. Hopefully, this power can help me change things. Men are so pathetic, I hate them."
At Chloe's house, Chloe pushed her bed and wedged it against the door, dumping her heaviest bags on top. She headed for her window, opened it, and jumped out. She straightened her skirt and headed to the front of the house toward the gate.
"Mom! I'm going out for a bit!" she shouted, walking.
"Chloe, come in here! I need to borrow some cash! I promise I'll give it back!"
"I'm broke!" Chloe lied, turning her phone on to call Nia.
"Hey, Nia! I'm on my way to your place. Wait for me!"
After a few minutes, Chloe arrived at Nia's place and headed to the back of the house. She found Nia finishing putting her clothes on the line.
"Hey, Chlo. Thanks for coming. I really need your help cleaning my room, it's a mess. And here—" she said, reaching for her pocket. She pulled out a few bills rolled together and handed the cash to Chloe.
They walked into Nia's room and started cleaning while listening to music to make it fun. After they were done, they sat on the bed and started chatting.
"How come a few guys at school are suddenly dreaming about you these days?" Chloe asked, the atmosphere around them changing. She continued,
"What did you wish for from the Orb? Can you enter people's dreams or something?"
Nia was lying on the right side of the bed with Chloe on the left.
"Maybe. And what about you? What did you wish for?" Nia answered, diverting the conversation away from the fact that she was making the guys at school dream about her.
"I wished to be the luckiest person in the world," Chloe replied, getting up from the bed and sitting at the edge.
"So, you're making the guys think that you're the number one beauty of the school, huh?"
Nia's eyes narrowed, and she stared at Chloe, tension in the air.
"I didn't make anyone do anything, Chloe." She paused for a few seconds. "I'm just trying to make us a bit more money. You know our situations are similar, we need the money."
Chloe didn't press the issue, but she was conflicted. She stood up and decided to leave, saying her goodbyes to Nia.
Nighttime came. Nia was now in her nightdress. She got into her blankets.
"Time to work," she whispered before closing her eyes. A few seconds later, she was floating above a sleeping man. She turned into a white strand of energy and entered his forehead.
"Hey, handsome. Did you miss me?" she asked.
She was now lying next to the man, the string holding her nightdress up dropping from her shoulder, revealing a glimpse of her voluptuous bosom.
"My queen, you're finally here! I've been waiting for a while," the man said excitedly, his eyes lingering all over her body. He continued,
"The money you wanted is almost ready, my queen. What reward do you have for me?"
Nia sneered. "Rewards come after the given task is completed, big boy," she teased, touching the man's chin. The man lunged at her excitedly, but she turned to smoke and vanished.
The man woke up, sheets tangled around his hips, frustration burning hotter than the dream that had already begun to fade. He turned—next to him, his wife was sound asleep.
A few moments later, Nia was now with her next target for the night. Koby was walking in the school hallways.
"Where are you, my love? I'm going to find you!" he yelled.
A girl's laughter echoed a few meters down the hallway.
"There you are!" Koby exclaimed, speeding up. He entered his classroom to find Nia sitting at his desk.
"My queen… the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I missed you so much."
Nia's lips curled into a sly arc as she uncrossed her legs with deliberate languor, the silk of her skirt whispering against her skin. Her right thigh slid over her left in a slow, hypnotic dance, bare inches from Koby's transfixed gaze. He stiffened, the air thickening between them as his throat bobbed, a futile attempt to steady the pulse roaring in his ears.
"How about we go on a date today, handsome?"
Koby's eyes glowed with excitement after hearing her ask. In reality, he was on his bed, sleeping, grinning from ear to ear.
The next day, Dex headed to Ethan's house, grabbed the car, and he and Ethan picked up the rest of the crew. They arrived at the school in style, as usual.
Nia was the talk of the hallway. Everyone, mostly the dudes couldn't stop admiring her.
"Here comes the hottest, most beautiful girl in our school, our number one beauty, Nia!" one of the guys yelled, and the rest clapped their hands.
Chloe was definitely hurt by this. She clutched her fists at her sides and gritted her teeth.
The guys, Dex, Ethan, and Kareem, were following behind the girls, a bit confused by the change in the number one beauty position.
"Chloe will forever be my number one," Dex murmured.
Nia continued walking with a playful grin on her face. She saw two guys standing up front in the hallway. She slipped between them and seized their hands in quick succession, her fingertips grazing their palms in a fleeting, electric squeeze.
The two guys were a bit confused.
"What was that about?" one asked, staring at his hand as if it'd been branded.
His friend lifted his hand to his nose, inhaling sharply. A slow, lopsided grin spread across his face.
"Dude, her perfume is still on me… she smells amazing."
The other hastily sniffed his own palm, eyes widening.
"Mine smells even better. She's totally into me."
"Yours?" the first guy scoffed, shoving him. "She grabbed my hand first as a signal. You were just an afterthought."
"Keep dreaming," the second shoved back harder, sparking a tangle of grabbing fists and hissed insults.
"She wants me!"
"You wish!"
Their scuffle echoed down the corridor, Nia's smile sharpening like a cat's.
Chloe's nails dug into her palms. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking. She gritted her teeth, staring at Nia in front of her, and a pink string slithered from under her foot, attaching itself to a few guys in the hallway.
An image of Chloe flashed in their eyes a few times, and they couldn't help but admire her beauty.
"Chloe will always be the number one beauty! Nothing can change that!" one of the guys declared.
"Things are crazy today, bro!" Kareem exclaimed, talking to Dex and Ethan.
The guys laughed for a bit, enjoying the drama unfolding.
When Nia heard some of the guys, her eyes lingered on Chloe with a flicker of anger. Chloe's anger had cooled to a quiet simmer, but her eyes still flashed like flint when they met Nia's.
The two spent the rest of the day not talking to each other. Dex eyed Marquis a few times and kinda remembered his situation with Bran. He decided to give Marquis a one-day break from getting bullied while he dealt with his emotions.
At lunchtime, Chloe and Nia were together, the tension still there, but Nia acted like nothing had happened. They really needed their punching bag today, but Marquis was nowhere to be seen.
In Miss Chiedza's office,
"My handsome young boy… I love you," Miss Chiedza said, her voice gentle and loving.
Marquis, who was sleeping on her lap, opened his eyes, smiling.
"I love you too, Mom."
"You're my sunshine," Miss Chiedza said, pulling on Marquis's cheek.
"Mom!" Marquis tried to stop her, getting a bit embarrassed.
On her desk was now a picture of Marquis as an eight-year-old boy.