After the last bell had rung, Tabitha and Ashley brought their books to their lockers, leisurely waiting until the students rushing to make their buses had cleared away. “You’re sure you don’t have a problem telling Ms. Edwards that I’m ‘sick?’” Ashley asked.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’d lied for you.” Tabitha giggled. “I told you, I’m going to help you with this hero business. Now, go get some information!”

“Thanks again, Tabi.” Ashley pulled her spare clothing from her backpack, leaving the bag behind in her locker. She didn’t want Sarah identifying her based on it. “Meet you in the lobby after practice?”

“Sounds good.” Tabitha replied before leaving for the music room. Ashley was left to get changed in one of the (disgusting) school bathrooms. Hopefully jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie wouldn’t give anything away about her identity. Escaping from the bathroom without being seen, however, was quite stressful. She wandered over to the clubroom for the newspaper club, finding Edwin walking from the other direction, wearing one of her unwanted turtlenecks and leggings.

“Fancy meeting you here.” Edwin smirked.

“Let’s hope this goes well.” Ashley replied. They entered the classroom together, finding it bustling with activity once again. Sarah was leaning over one of the sixth graders on a laptop, pointing at something on the screen.

A girl searching through a filing cabinet near the door looked up after seeing the two enter from her peripheral vision. “Sarah, the magic duo is here again!” she yelled over to the other girl. Sarah turned back to see them, a little surprised. She navigated through the mess of people and desks, leading the duo back to the same office.

“Thanks for coming! I think I have some things you’d like to know.” Sarah shut the door behind them, and the three returned to their seats from the previous day. “First things first: there are other magical heroes like you. I’ve been part of an online group documenting them since they first showed up in September.”

“You mean there are people tracking us?” Ashley almost yelled. She had paid attention in net safety in elementary school, and knew this was a case of serious stranger danger.

Sarah laughed off the outburst. “It’s just a Facebook group of a few local students. We don’t know much, either. But we’re trying! Anyway, the first two ‘heroes’ are high school students at Peterson, and they’re really forthcoming with info.”

Sarah turned to the desktop on the teacher’s desk, pulling up an image of two people in abnormal costumes posing for the camera. “This is Onyx Darkness.” Sarah pointed to the guy dressed in almost a butler uniform, with short black hair curling at the ends to defy gravity. “Apparently they met with this fox from another world and the fox took them to his home world. Monsters are coming through the barrier between worlds, so the fox is looking for chosen people to fight and defend the Earth. Onyx was the first, and then they got a guy named Drake involved as Diamond Light.” Sarah gestured to the girl Onyx was leaning against in the picture. Her white hair was pulled into tightly curled pigtails, contrasting against her dark skin. She wore something like a Victorian dress and a grimace on her face. “They were the only two until mid-October, and they apparently got two more people involved.”

Sarah pulled up another photo, much blurrier than the one before. Ashley and Edwin couldn’t make out any details beyond two human shapes against a brick wall. “These two are much more secretive, but we know the one has super speed and the other can slow down monsters. All four of them have been seen fighting together.”

“So, you think these people are like us?” Ashley asked.

“It’s… difficult. While people fighting monsters with magic isn’t normal, there are some interesting differences. You two don’t seem to know anything about any others, while the other four are a team. Your stories about the monsters are also different, but you both are getting information from a fox. And the monsters are different. The other group fights things that look a bit more… demonic.” Sarah shrugged. “We don’t have a lot to go on here.”

“Thank you so much for doing this research. It’s a lot to take in.” Edwin awkwardly smiled.

“It’s no problem! If you find out more and want to do a follow-up article, you know where I am.” Sarah laughed. Ashley and Edwin stood to leave, when Sarah grabbed Ashley’s wrist. “Oh, Ruby? Could you stay behind a second?”

“Uh, sure?” Ashley looked to Edwin, silently asking him for a second opinion. Edwin just shrugged, leaving the office by himself. “What do you need?”

“I’m really grateful for your help on this article. Maybe we can even get some readers from outside the school!” Sarah pushed her hair behind her ear, smiling. “And I was wondering if you were doing anything on Friday.”

“Uh… no, I’m free.” Ashley was nervous about revealing too much about her schedule, in case Sarah would look into it. “Do you want to talk more?”

“Yeah! But not for like, school newspaper stuff. Just to hang out.” Sarah stood up to meet Ashley. “Magic Park, the little amusement park half an hour away, is having a student special this weekend for the end of the season. I have an extra ticket from a group deal, and I want to repay you for helping me out. It’ll be fun!”

“Oh, that’s really kind of you!” Ashley was genuinely surprised by Sarah’s proposition. “I love amusement parks!”

“Then, you’ll come?”

“Sure. It sounds really fun.”

“Great! Can I get some way to contact you?”

“Oh, let me give you my phone number.” Ashley pulled out her cell phone and the two exchanged numbers. Ashley knew it was a little risky, but Sarah shouldn’t have her number from any other source.

“I’ll text you to work out the details later. Guess I’ll see you Friday, unless I run into you again?”

“Sounds like a plan!” Ashley smiled at Sarah before leaving the office. She hadn’t been to an amusement park in years, and she absolutely loved them. Preoccupied by thoughts of rides and cotton candy, Ashley didn’t notice how the rest of the yearbook and newspaper clubs had gone silent, watching as she left. As soon as Ashley left the room, they exploded into chatter.