The silence of the White estate was shattered by the rhythmic thwack-crack of a custom carbon-fiber tennis racket meeting a ball at speeds that defied physics. In the grand foyer, a priceless 17th-century Ming vase didn't stand a chance. It exploded into white ceramic dust as Lucy White executed a perfect follow-through, her school uniform tie loosened and a bored smirk playing on her lips.
"Bullseye," Lucy hummed, spinning the racket like a baton.
"LUCILLE WHITE!"
The roar came from the top of the marble staircase. Olivia White, dressed in a sharp power suit that screamed corporate authority, marched down the steps. Her face was a mask of restrained fury as she gestured to the wreckage. "That was an heirloom! Do you have any idea what the insurance claim alone will look like?"
"Relax, Mother," Lucy chirped, leaning nonchalantly against a fluted pillar. "It was tacky. I'm doing the interior design a favor. Besides, I broke the school record for serve velocity today. You should be proud your daughter is a prodigy of kinetics."
"You are a prodigy of property damage!" Olivia snapped. "Last week it was the chemistry lab, yesterday you 'accidentally' drove a golf cart into the faculty fountain—"
"In my defense, the fountain was in my way," Lucy interrupted with a flippant wave of her hand.
"Now, now, Olivia," a calm, gravelly voice intervened. Richard White, the family patriarch, stepped out from the library, leaning on a cane tipped with an ornate silver wolf's head. He looked at the shattered vase and then at his granddaughter, a glint of pride in his aging eyes. "The girl has spirit. She's a White. We were never meant to sit still and look at dusty pots. Go easy on her."
******
Dinner was a formal affair, served on a mahogany table that could seat twenty. The atmosphere was thick with Olivia's lingering disapproval.
"I have an announcement," Lucy said, stabbing a piece of wagyu beef with her fork. "The school is hosting a senior trip next week. Five days at the Azure Heights Mountain Resort. Hot springs, skiing, and—most importantly—no mother."
Richard beamed, clapping his hands together. "Azure Heights! Splendid. The air there is crisp. A little freedom will do you good, Lucy. You've earned a break from... well, from breaking things here."
Olivia, however, didn't share the enthusiasm. Her fork hovered in mid-air. "A resort? In the mountains? Lucy, you can't even stay in a classroom for an hour without causing a scene. What's to stop you from leading a rebellion against the resort staff?"
"The fact that I'll be too busy enjoying the VIP suite?" Lucy offered a sugary, mocking smile. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be a perfect angel."
"I don't like it," Olivia muttered, her gaze drifting toward the darkened window. "There's been talk of... odd occurrences in those mountains lately. Hikers going missing. It's not safe."
"Nonsense," Richard said firmly, though his grip on his cane tightened slightly. "The girl can take care of herself. Can't you, Lucy?"
Lucy leaned back, her chair balancing on two legs, a reckless spark in her eyes. "Please. If anything shows up to ruin my vacation, I'll just make it regret being born."
******
The luxury coach bus smelled of expensive leather and teenage rebellion. While the other students sat in their assigned seats, Lucy was currently standing in the aisle, using a $500 silk scarf as a makeshift net to play "trashcan basketball" with crumpled soda cans from the back of the bus.
"And that's ten in a row! Who's next?" Lucy cheered, her feet braced against the seat frames as the bus swerved around a mountain bend.
"Do it again, Lucy! Go for the overhead!" a group of boys in the back row shouted, holding up their phones to record the 'White Prodigy' in her natural habitat. To them, she wasn't just a classmate; she was a celebrity who didn't care about the rules they all had to follow.
"Five bucks says she hits the driver's coffee," one girl whispered, leaning out into the aisle with a grin.
"Lucy! For the love of all that is holy, sit down!" Mr. Henderson, the history teacher, shouted from the front. He looked like he hadn't slept since the trip was announced. "This is a moving vehicle, not a gymnasium!"
"Relax, Henderson! I've got better balance than a mountain goat," Lucy retorted, tossing a can behind her back without looking. It sailed perfectly into the small bin at the front of the bus. The students erupted in cheers and rhythmic clapping.
"She's going to be the death of me," Henderson muttered to the math teacher, Ms. Lane, who was busy rubbing her temples.
"The White family's donation to the new wing is the only reason she hasn't been expelled," Ms. Lane sighed, checking her watch for the tenth time. "Three more hours of this. Just three more hours."
Lucy caught the teachers' annoyed glares and simply blew them a kiss before vaulting over a seat to sit next to her best friend, Amy.
"You're terrible," Amy giggled, though she looked at Lucy with genuine admiration. "Your mom is going to have a stroke when she hears about this trip."
"My mom needs a hobby that isn't 'monitoring my heart rate,'" Lucy said, staring out the window as the lush green forests began to grow denser, the trees turning a strangely dark, sickly shade of violet in the shadows. "Besides, I have a feeling this trip is going to be... unforgettable."
As the bus climbed higher into the Azure Heights mountains, the temperature outside dropped sharply. The sun began to dip behind the jagged peaks, casting long, claw-like shadows across the road.
Lucy's fingers suddenly twitched. A strange, cold sensation—like an electric hum—vibrated in her marrow. She looked at her palm, confused by a sudden, fleeting image of a black vortex reflecting in her own eyes.
"You okay, Luce?" Amy asked, noticing her friend had gone quiet.
"Yeah," Lucy whispered, shaking off the chill and regaining her flippant smirk. "Just thinking about which hot spring I'm going to colonize first."