Sky girl

own at her had stung more than ever. It wasn't just the insult itself-it was the way Rita seemed to be able to strip away every layer of confidenc

or Carmen but today she didn't feel like it . She needed a break-a place where she could escape the noise and the judgments, wher

her mind. As she neared the beach, the familiar sound of waves crashing against the shore seemed to wash over her, pulling the tension from her sh

, she stretched her arms above her head, feeling the soft grains of sand slipping between her fingers. The s

the world that had begun to press down on her so heavily. Her eyes traced the shapes of the clouds, letting her imagination roam free.

agination feeding her a false sense of comfort. But the images in the sky grew clearer, sharper-more vivid than anything she had

he buzz of other students. But there was something else in the image, something that immediately drew her attention. She saw herself talking to a classmate-Liam, who had always been a bit of a

e future. She had no idea why she was seeing this, but the clarity of the vision made her blood run cold. Sh

of it? Was this just her mind's desperate attempt to escape reality? She looked back up at the sky, hop

ing about the way she was standing, holding a textbook, her expression unreadable. It was as if something important was about to happen-a test, maybe, or a meeting with a teacher-but Julia

he universe trying to tell her something? Was this the big thing she had been waiting for ? Questions kept swarmin

had taken root in her mind. What did it all mean? Could she really see the future in the clouds? And more i

ft orange glow across the sky. The events of the day-the bullying, the visions-felt overwhelming

ful, but Juliana's mind was still reeling from her experience at the beach. She wasn't sure where to start, how

ering a small, knowing smile. "You ok

y. "Carmen... I think something weird happened yesterday. I mean, really weird.

rn flashing across her face. "W

na said, her voice low. "I sa

ure of skepticism and confusion. "The fut

d then, suddenly, I saw Liam-he was holding his test results, and he had an F. Like, it was right there in front of me." She held her hands out, as if trying to explain the w

ed her friend. "Okay," she said slowly, her voice cautious. "But... how do you know it was

ere was something about Carmen's tone-something skeptical-that stung. "No, Carmen, I'm telling you,

"Okay, okay. I'll take your word for it. But how do you even know that Liam's going to

na said with determination. "What if I can really see the

e looked at her friend. "Alr

pletely. "We'll start small. I'll tell you something I saw, so

e clouds, and Carmen would be the one to help her test w

watch on Liam. As the class settled in, she saw him-just as she had in her vision-taking a s

ges. And just as Juliana had predicted, when the test results were handed

r chest. This was real. The c

uestion remained: