"The faucet’s broken again."

"What? Again?"

"Yes, maybe it's time to admit that plumbing isn’t your thing and call a professional."

"Don’t be ridiculous. I’m good at this stuff. This faucet’s just really stubborn. I’ll take care of it."

As Marcus walked to the kitchen, Serena sighed and followed him, deciding not to waste her energy trying to convince him otherwise, knowing how stubborn he was. Lucian headed straight to his room, while Evelyn was lost in thought, trying to figure out how to bring up her issue. Just then, the twins nudged her arm gently, and Noah looked at her with a determined gaze.

"Now’s your chance, Sis. They’re both in the kitchen."

Noticing Evelyn’s surprised look, Nora explained, "Did you forget, Sis? We have telepathy. Sorry for reading your mind without permission, but it’s just too fun, so we all do it from time to time."

Evelyn chuckled softly. "Oh, I see. Well, I guess I’ll go talk to them, then."

"Good luck! Oh, and by the way, the Evelyn we know always finds the right way in situations like these."

Motivated by the twins' words, Evelyn got up and walked toward the kitchen. She was still trying to figure out how to start the conversation when her thoughts were interrupted by Marcus and Serena's bickering.

"Why are you being so stubborn? You just can’t fix it!"

"Of course I can’t if you keep nagging me! You’re breaking my concentration!"

"Well, you’ve completely broken the faucet. The house is going to flood because of you."

"Oh, come on, don’t exaggerate."

As Evelyn saw water gushing from the faucet and Marcus completely drenched, she burst out laughing. Marcus and Serena noticed her and smiled, and the tension between them faded. Marcus sighed and froze the faucet using his powers.

"That ice will eventually melt, you know."

"I know. We’ll call a plumber."

Evelyn stopped laughing and looked at them seriously.

"I need to ask you something."

Marcus and Serena looked at her, noticing the serious tone in her voice.

"What happened? Did something go wrong at school?"

Marcus asked in a concerned voice.

"No, I don’t have any problems. It’s just…a friend of mine is being bullied, and I don’t know what to do."

Marcus and Serena both grew serious and looked at each other.

"Tell us the details."

"My friend’s name is Kate. She’s new in town, and the popular girls at school are bullying her because she refused to join their group."

Serena and Marcus listened intently. Serena asked, "Did your friend ask for your help?"

"No, she didn’t. They just moved here from the city, and I think she’s still getting used to things here."

"I see…do you want to help her?"

"Yes, I do. But I don’t know what I can do. What difference could I possibly make?"

Marcus sighed. He understood what Evelyn meant. He knew all too well what it felt like to feel powerless, and it made him angry that his little sister was experiencing it too. Serena placed a hand on Marcus’s shoulder and looked at Evelyn.

"Evelyn, do you really think standing up to those girls would be pointless?"

"...yes…everyone at school is on their side."

"Or maybe that’s just what you think."

"What do you mean?"

Marcus interjected, "Listen, Evelyn, people fear those with power. And it’s you—the students—who give them that power. By not standing up to them, you’re only making them stronger."

"He's right, Evelyn," Serena added. "And from what I understand, your friend already took the first step. Just rejecting their group alone is a blow to their popularity. That’s why they’re so upset. If you join her, their power will weaken, and slowly others who are scared of them might start joining you. It’s called a snowball effect."

Evelyn thought about it. They had a point. Maybe facing her fears was better than staying silent.

"But we’re not saying you should just march in there and openly declare war on them."

Marcus smiled. "If you want to weaken their power, then find proof of what they’re doing to your friend."

"Proof?"

"Yes. They probably think no one will report them, so I’m sure they’re being careless. Use that against them."

As Marcus said this, a lightbulb went off in Evelyn’s mind. Finding proof wouldn’t be too hard, especially since they often used other students to do their dirty work. A plan started forming in Evelyn’s mind, and she looked at them with determination.

"I know what to do now. Thank you."

As Evelyn excitedly left the kitchen, Marcus and Serena watched her go with pride.

The next morning, Evelyn arrived at school early to meet Alice.

"Good morning, Evelyn. This is the first time you’ve come to school this early; there’s still half an hour until class starts."

"I made a decision."

Alice looked at her in surprise.

"About what?"

"I’m going to stand up to Jane and her group. This time, I’ll protect Kate from them."

Alice was surprised, but when she saw the determination in Evelyn’s eyes, she realized Evelyn was serious.

"How are you going to do that?"

"I’ll find evidence of their bullying and expose them to the entire school."

"Hmm…it won’t be easy. They always have other students do their dirty work. I don’t think anyone would confess."

"Will you help me?"

Alice smiled. "I said it won’t be easy, not impossible. Leave it to me. So, what’s the plan?"

Evelyn and Alice divided the tasks and timed everything carefully. By the end of the first period, Jane and her friends had surrounded Kate again.

"Are you ready, Evelyn?"

"Yes. I’m completely ready. This time, I won’t just watch."

Kate looked tiredly at Jane and the others.

"Oh? Look at that face. I guess she still hasn’t learned her lesson."

One of the girls sneered. Jane gave her a condescending look.

"This is your last chance, sweetie. I don’t usually give second chances, but since you’re new here, I’m cutting you some slack."

Just as Kate opened her mouth to respond, Evelyn stepped in and stood in front of her.

"No, she won’t! She’s not joining you, so just forget it."

Kate looked at Evelyn in shock; she hadn’t expected her to intervene. To Kate, Evelyn had always seemed timid. Jane gave her a disdainful look.

"And who are you?"

"Oh, isn’t this that weird girl from our class? What’s her name again?"

One of the girls smirked. Jane rolled her eyes.

"Trying to play hero, are you? Here’s your chance to back off."

Kate intervened with a stern tone.

"This is my business. Stay out of it! I don’t need your help."

This time, Evelyn raised her voice so everyone could hear.

"It’s not just your problem; it’s everyone’s problem. Everyone’s tired of you girls."

The other students paused, shocked by her words. No one had ever spoken to Jane this way, so they were curious to see what would happen next.

The girls were visibly uncomfortable with the growing attention. Jane narrowed her eyes and glared at the crowd.

"What are you all staring at? Move along!"

"No, no one’s going anywhere!"

"And who exactly do you think you are, weird girl?"

"My name is Evelyn. And today, it’s time for you to stop."

Jane laughed.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"I’m not the one who’s going to stop you. It’s the students you’ve bullied."

"That’s right!"

Alice approached with another student, Kevin, who had been one of Jane’s former targets. He’d been coerced into harassing Kate repeatedly by pouring juice on her. Alice held up a complaint form in front of Jane.

"This paper has Kevin’s confession of everything you made him do to Kate. And it’s going straight to the principal’s office."

Jane glared at Kevin in fury.

"How could you?! You’ll pay for this—all of you! A single piece of paper won’t hurt me!"

Evelyn interrupted.

"True, maybe one paper won’t. But it won’t be the only one going to the principal’s office. Kate will file her complaint too, and I’ll be a witness."

Evelyn looked around.

"I know Jane has hurt many of you in different ways. Now’s the time to stand together. If we all protect each other, Jane won’t have any power left. We’re the ones who gave her that power, and now we’re taking it back!"

As soon as Evelyn finished, cheers of support erupted. Under the pressure of the crowd, Jane had no choice but to back off.

A few days later, despite all the complaints, Jane only received a warning from the principal, thanks to her father’s influence. But it didn’t matter. Every time Jane tried to bully someone, Evelyn, Alice, and Kate intervened, and soon the rest of the students started standing up for each other too. Overwhelmed by the backlash, Jane began to keep a low profile. 

Kate gradually became more accustomed to the school and the town, and she and Evelyn grew closer as friends. Although it wasn’t a large group, Evelyn finally had the friend group she had always wanted. Thanks to her stand against Jane, Evelyn had even gained a bit of popularity at school.

  Evelyn felt proud, not just for helping Kate but for finding her own strength and voice. Serena and Marcus were equally proud, knowing that Evelyn had taken her first big step toward standing up for what was right. The experience had taught Evelyn that sometimes, all it took was one person willing to make a stand to inspire others to do the same.