The morning sun had apparently decided it was tired of existing, because it was doing the bare minimum. Lithia couldn't be bothered to care, though. Why would she? It was just more of the same dreary, confusing nonsense that the modern world loved to throw at her.
Sophie, on the other hand, was skipping beside her like someone who had a caffeine IV drip, chirping away like a bird on a sugar high.
"Come on, Lithia! You've gotta come to school with me today! It'll be fun!" Sophie beamed, clearly high on whatever level of delusion she lived in. Her pigtails bounced with the enthusiasm of a toddler that had discovered sugar.
Lithia side-eyed her, as cold as a glacier that was over it. "School is where they lock you in a room full of shouting humans and force you to absorb useless information. And don't even get me started on those cursed devices everyone carries around." She waved her hand dismissively at the glowing rectangles people were obsessed with. "I'd rather gnaw on my own arm than spend another second there."
"Oh, you're so dramatic!" Sophie laughed, oblivious to Lithia's impending doom and disgust. "It's just school. It's not like you have to learn anything real. The cute guy in my class is totally into me—"
"Wonderful," Lithia muttered, already imagining this "cute guy" getting a taste of her icy aura. "Is he also a useless distraction? Because that's the only thing I need right now."
But Sophie didn't notice the sarcasm. She was off, babbling about high school gossip like it was some kind of ancient, sacred ritual.
Lithia wasn't listening. Her attention was drawn to something far more important: a horrible aura. It felt like someone was rubbing broken glass in a wound. It was sharp, nasty, and radiated pure bully energy.
The thing about bullies was that they were predictable. It was like a pattern, a dull ache in the air right before they started wrecking other people's lives for no reason. And guess who was about to ruin someone else's day?
Lithia's blood ran cold—not because she was intimidated, but because she was bored. This was exactly the kind of small, petty nonsense she had no time for. If she were still in her world, she would've just burned this whole school down, but—hey—she was trying to be "nice" (sort of).
"Stay close," Lithia said, with a voice that could turn anyone's spine to stone. Sophie didn't question her. She was too busy texting about whatever irrelevant nonsense occupied her tiny human mind.
They reached the gates of the school. The air was thick with negativity, and just beyond it, Lithia saw the source.
There. A human—a girl, no less—surrounded by a swarm of similarly obnoxious creatures who somehow found this girl's entire personality appealing. It was like watching a pack of rats gather around a piece of cheese.
The girl had a look on her face that screamed "I am the queen of everything," which, honestly, would've been fine if she wasn't so… basic.
Lithia's eyes narrowed. "Perfect," she muttered under her breath. "A delightful little insect to squash."
Sophie noticed her change in posture and frowned. "Are you—"
But Lithia was already moving. It wasn't even a conscious decision—she was just done. She didn't have time for this world's absurd social drama. So, with an air of absolute indifference, she walked right past Sophie, heading straight toward the queen of the rats.
"Hey," Lithia called out to the girl in the middle of her monologue. She sounded almost bored. "I'd advise you to stop."
The bully paused, blinking as if she had never heard such a direct interruption. "Excuse me?"
Lithia took a few steps closer, her presence colder than an industrial freezer. "I said… Stop. Picking on people is beneath me. So if you want to keep living your drama-filled existence, I suggest you turn around and—get lost."
The girl stared, unsure of whether Lithia was serious or just a confused mannequin. But when Lithia's aura shifted—and the temperature dropped by a solid five degrees—it became crystal clear.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" the bully finally sneered, eyes narrowing.
A few seconds of silence followed. And then, Lithia's lips curled into the faintest, most horrifying smile.
"You really want to make this a thing?" she asked, her voice smooth, like a blade being sharpened. "Because I don't know if you've heard, but I'm the kind of person who can make your entire day a living nightmare. I'll have you feeling like you're suffocating on air before you even know what hit you."
At that moment, a breeze picked up, sending the bully's hair flying and whipping it in every direction. The temperature plummeted further, and a frost began creeping across the pavement.
The girl's eyes widened, her bravado evaporating. One of her lackeys muttered, "Uh, maybe we should go?"
"Oh, I think you should go," Lithia said, voice like ice. "Now."
The bully hesitated, caught between running or challenging her, but before she could make a decision, Lithia did what Lithia did best—she left. Without a single word or glance back, she turned, her presence fading like the cold after a storm.
Sophie caught up to her, still staring back at the girl who was now visibly shaking, but proudly shook it off as she approached.
"What just happened?" Sophie asked, completely confused by the icy silence that surrounded Lithia.
"Oh, nothing," Lithia said, her tone sickeningly sweet. "Just… making sure the pests knew where they stood. You're welcome."
Sophie's face scrunched in disbelief. "Lithia, you're messed up."
"Thanks, I know," Lithia responded dryly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's a gift."