She’s a walking snowstorm of chaos!

The sound of footsteps grew louder, each one echoing through the entrance like a heartbeat. My chest tightened as I waited, my eyes glued to the hallway. When Nyla finally appeared, my stomach did a somersault. 

Her hair was frozen literally frozen, strands of her normally flowing locks stiff and glittering with ice.

The icicles catching the light were almost beautiful, if not for the irritated scowl plastered across her face. 

"Mom!" Nyla groaned, throwing her arms in the air. "Xyra froze my hair again! Do you know how long it's going to take to fix this?" She stomped toward us, her boots thudding against the wooden floor. "I look like some kind of frosty bird nest!" 

I couldn't help it a small laugh escaped me. Nyla turned her glare on me, but it softened almost immediately when she saw me standing there. 

"Ren!" Her eyes lit up, her irritation momentarily forgotten as she ran over to hug me. "You're here! What are you doing here?" 

Before I could answer, her mother chimed in, her voice dripping with dry amusement. "Well, I'm here because I'm suppose to come take you, and Ren is here because she misses her best friend, obviously."

She raised an eyebrow at Nyla's frozen hair. "And by the looks of it, you've been having another spat with Xyra." 

Nyla groaned dramatically, dropping her arms. "It wasn't a spat. She just decided to be her usual obnoxious self and dumped ice magic on me while I wasn't looking!" 

Her mother's eyes twinkled with amusement as she crossed her arms. "Sounds like you need a better strategy, sweetheart." 

I stepped forward, still holding back a laugh as I raised one hand. "Here, let me help." 

My red flames flickered to life in my palm, warm and familiar. Nyla's eyes widened slightly, and she leaned back cautiously. 

"Uh, you're not going to set my hair on fire, are you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. 

"Do you trust me or not?" I teased, letting the fire swirl and stretch into delicate tendrils.

She huffed but stood still. Carefully, I directed the flames toward her frozen hair, letting the warmth melt the ice without even singeing a strand. Steam rose in gentle wisps, and within moments, her hair was back to its usual flowy self. 

"There," I said, stepping back and extinguishing the flames. "Good as new." 

Nyla touched her hair cautiously, running her fingers through the damp strands. "You're amazing," she said, grinning. "Xyra has nothing on you." 

As if on cue, some people approached the entrance, and the temperature in the air seemed to drop by ten degrees.

A gust of cold air swept through, and there she was Xyra, standing in the doorway like she owned the place. Her platinum blond hair glinted in the light, and her piercing gaze scanned the room before landing on me. 

Behind her, a group of equally confident-looking students followed, each of them radiating a different kind of energy. It was like they had stepped out of a dramatic, magical showdown scene. 

"Ren," Xyra said, her voice as sharp and cold as her magic. "Didn't expect to see you here." 

Despite her frosty demeanor, something about seeing Xyra made my heart do a strange little leap. She was just as angry-looking and intimidating as ever, but she carried herself with a kind of effortless coolness that was hard to ignore. She look so cool.

"Xyra," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "Still freezing people for fun, I see." 

Her lips curved into a smirk. "Only the ones who deserve it." 

"Hey!" Nyla shouted, stepping in front of me. "I didn't deserve anything! You're just a bully." 

Xyra shrugged, brushing a strand of her icy blue hair behind her ear. "Maybe don't be so easy to provoke next time." 

"Easy to provoke? You dumped ice water on me while I was literally just standing there!"

I couldn't help but snort, and Nyla turned to glare at me. "Whose side are you on?" 

"Yours," I said quickly, raising my hands in surrender. "Always yours." 

Xyra stepped further into the room, her group fanning out behind her. One of her friends, a tall boy with flaming orange hair and a cocky grin, leaned casually against the wall.

Another, a girl with sleek black hair and a predatory smile, eyed me like I was some kind of puzzle she wanted to solve. 

"You've been making quite the name for yourself at the high school," Xyra said, her tone casual but her gaze intense. "Heard about your little fight with Mirra." 

The mention of Mirra made me stiffen slightly, and Xyra's smirk widened like she'd noticed. 

"She wasn't much of a challenge," I said, keeping my voice steady. 

"Oh, I'm sure," Xyra said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "But don't let it get to your head. There are bigger fish in the sea." 

Nyla stepped closer to me, her protective instincts kicking in. "Leave her alone, Xyra. She doesn't need your drama." 

"Drama?" Xyra said, feigning innocence. "I'm just here to say hello." 

Her gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before she turned and made her way toward the portal, her group trailing behind her like a pack of wolves. 

"See you around, Ren," she said over her shoulder, her voice laced with a challenge. 

As they finally left, the temperature seemed to return to normal, and Nyla let out a loud groan. 

"Ugh, she's the worst," she said, flopping onto the couch. "How do you deal with her?" 

I didn't answer immediately, my thoughts still lingering on Xyra's piercing gaze and the strange, almost electrifying energy she brought with her. 

"Practice," I said finally, sitting down beside her. 

"Practice," Nyla repeated, rolling her eyes. "More like a miracle." 

Her mother chuckled from the kitchen, where she was rummaging through a cabinet. "You two are quite the pair," she said, glancing back at us. "But I'll give Xyra this she keeps things interesting." 

"Interesting?" Nyla said, sitting up. "She's a walking snowstorm of chaos!" 

"True," her mother said, grinning. "But you've got to admit, life would be pretty boring without her." 

Nyla huffed, crossing her arms. "I could do with a little less chaos, thank you very much."

I leaned back, letting the warmth of the room and the familiar banter wash over me.

Despite the chaos, despite the tension, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of contentment. For the first time in a while, things felt... right.