Taking a deep breath, Summer’s mood lifted like the break of dawn, the sullen shadows on her face retreating. She screenshotted herpetition results with a decisive click and crafted a tweet she promptly sent to the Twitterverse.


    After posting, she stashed her phone in a desk drawer and mulled things over for a few seconds. before turning to Madeline, who was engrossed in her own phone.


    Though it was just a minorpetition, Summer had no desire to endure the smugness <b>of </b>certain people any longer.


    Mirabe once again scored a perfect score and clinched first ce in thepetition. To most students, this was no longer surprising: after all, she was in a league of her own, a legend among mere mortals who could do little more than look up to her with a mix of awe and envy.


    As thest ss of the afternoon ended, Mirabe nned to join Jenna and visit Jake at the hospital to check on his condition.


    Stepping out of the ssroom, Mirabe looked up and spotted a familiar silhouette leaning nonchntly against the railing. It was a clear–cut profile she recognized. shing through her memory, she recalled the boy who had bizarrely thrown down the gauntlet in the restroom after the city–levelpetition.


    “That’s Vincent from the Prodigy ss,” Jenna whispered from beside her. Instinct told her that Vincent, the former top dog of their grade, now hanging outside the honors ssroom, was most likely here for ‘Queen Mira.”


    When kings sh, sparks fly. Jenna’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. Mirabe arched an eyebrow and nced at Jenna. “So your doom and gloom prediction actually came true?”


    Caught off–guard and feeling med, Jenna could only gasp in surprise. She had only casually mentioned that someone might see Mirabe as a rival!


    Mirabe casually adjusted her backpack strap and coolly looked away, continuing forward as ifpletely unaware of the impending confrontation.


    Jenna gave a silent thumbs–up from behind. That was ‘Queen Mira,‘ unshakeable even in the face of a formidable foe. She was treating him like he was thin air.


    As Mirabe approached, the previouslynguid Vincent moved, stepping into the center of the hallway and effectively blocking her path.


    The eighteen–year–old boy had the arrogance <b>of </b>youth, especially as one of the school’s prodigies, his pride almost palpable.


    Mirabe stopped in her tracks, crossed her arms, and slowly lifted her head to meet Vincent’s gaze, not a hint of disturbance in her expression.


    11:36


    The rest of the ss trickled out, and upon seeing the standoff between the two top performers. of the grade, they all paused.


    “OMG, is this going to turn into a fight?”


    “It sure looks like it. Ever since Mirabe transferred into Parkside High School, she’s been taking all the top spots that used to belong to our genius.”


    “If I were him. I’d hold a grudge against anyone who stole my thunder and plot my revenge.”


    “With both of their auras so charged, I can’t help but get excited. I wonder who would win.”


    “Idiot, when gods wage war, it’s the mortals who suffer. Better stand back.”


    And so, the onlookers discreetly stepped back, including Jenna, who, like a mouse, inched towards a safer spot, afraid of coteral damage.


    For a moment, an eerie silence hung in the air.


    The students, eager for a spectacle, dared not even breathe too loudly as they awaited the showdown between the two titans.