THE WITCH'S REBIRTH

Una didn't stop running until the house was far behind her and the trees swallowed her whole. The book was still clutched tightly to her chest, like it might burn her if she let go. Her breath came in ragged bursts, the argument with Aunt Reina still echoing in her ears.

When she finally slowed down, she found herself at the lake, the small one tucked just beyond the woods behind their house. It was quiet there, almost too quiet, and for a long moment, she just stood there, trying to catch her breath. Then she walked to the edge and sank onto the grass.

The book sat beside her, untouched. She didn't want to open it. Not yet.

Her mind was a storm - confusion, fear, and that strange heaviness in her chest. Aunt Reina's voice still rang sharp in her head: "I don't want that book around here, Una. Throw it out immediately."

Una scoffed softly. "It's just a book," she muttered to no one, hugging her knees.

That's when she noticed it.

The water. It was moving.

At first, it was just a faint ripple, so small she thought she'd imagined it. But then it kept going, circling, shifting almost as if it was alive.

She frowned and glanced around. There was no wind. No stones. Nothing.

"Okay..." she murmured, "that's weird."

She raised her hand slowly, just testing a thought and the water moved again.

Una froze. "Wait. No way."

She looked at her hand, then back at the lake. It was ridiculous. Impossible. She gave a nervous laugh. "Alright. If I'm moving water right now, then I might as well be Katara."

Grinning half in disbelief, she waved her hand dramatically, pretending to bend like in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The lake responded, the water gliding up like a silk ribbon following her command.

Her jaw dropped.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she breathed, half laughing, half terrified.

So she tried again, this time imagining one of Katara's early training scenes. She swirled her wrist, and the water twisted; she lifted her hand, and it rose, shimmering under the afternoon light. It was clumsy and uneven, but it worked.

The absurdity of it made her giggle. She felt like she was dreaming, like she'd slipped into some strange world where her imagination had come alive.

On impulse, she focused on a leaf lying near her foot. "Alright, let's see," she whispered, flicking her fingers. The leaf trembled, lifted, and floated straight into the water.

She gasped, then laughed - an honest, giddy sound.

"Okay, Katara," she whispered to herself, "looks like we've got competition."

Feeling bolder, she shaped her hands, drawing the water into a small, glimmering sphere. It hovered for a second - just long enough for her to think she'd done it - before wobbling and smacking her right in the forehead.

Cold water splashed down her face.

Una yelped and fell backwards into the grass, laughing so hard her stomach hurt. "Alright," she said between giggles, "maybe not a master yet."

The lake quieted again, but it almost felt like it was smiling back at her.

Una couldn't stop laughing as she ran. The air was cold against her wet face, and her hair stuck to her skin, but she didn't care. She had just-what, moved water? Controlled it? Made it dance?

Every few steps she found herself giggling again, half from excitement, half from disbelief. She didn't even think about where she was going until she was standing outside Lana's house, clutching the still-damp book against her chest.

She burst through the door without knocking.

"Lana!"

Her voice rang through the living room, right over the sound of soft music and, well... other noises.

Lana froze on the couch, half-straddling a guy from school, Marco, or maybe Milo, Una wasn't sure. They both turned at once.

"Una?" Lana blinked, her lipstick smudged. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Una stood there, breathing hard, dripping lake water onto the carpet.

Lana squinted. "Wait-are you wet?"

Una didn't answer. She just pointed at the guy. "You. Out."

The guy blinked. "Uh-"

"Now," she said, still catching her breath.

Lana rolled her eyes, waving her hand. "You heard the witch, Marco. Go before she turns you into a frog."

He muttered something and scurried off, adjusting his shirt as he left. The door slammed.

Lana sighed, flopping back on the couch. "Seriously, Una, you have amazing timing. What's next, you gonna crash my shower too?"

But when she finally looked at Una properly, her teasing tone softened. "Hey... what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. And what's that?" She nodded at the book in Una's hand. "That creepy thing you were running out of the library with?"

Una just shook her head, pacing. "Lana, you won't believe me. You literally won't."

"Try me."

Una stopped, staring at her friend with wide, bright eyes. Her voice came out breathless. "I moved water."

Lana snorted. "You what?"

"I...moved...it!" Una said, throwing her arms around for emphasis. "At the lake. It moved, Lana! Like, it listened to me! I didn't even mean to...okay, maybe I did...but it just...happened!"

Lana blinked once. Then twice. Then she burst out laughing.

"God, you're serious!" she said between laughs. "You're serious! Oh my God, Una, this is the best thing I've heard all week."

Una frowned. "I'm not joking!"

"I know you're not," Lana said, still laughing, "and that's what makes it even crazier! Can't believe you're letting Katara get into your head."

She got up and grabbed a towel from the kitchen, tossing it at her. "Here. Dry off before you start floating my furniture."

Una caught it, glaring but then she smiled too. "I mean it, Lana. It's real. The water moved. And I think it was because of this." She lifted the old book slightly, almost reverently.

Lana's laughter quieted a bit. "The creepy witch diary?"

"It's not a diary," Una said, hugging it again. "It's... something else. I don't even know how to explain it. But when I read it, it felt like I knew what it was saying. Like the words were talking to me."

Lana stared at her for a long moment, half skeptical, half curious. Then she sighed and flopped onto the couch again.

"Okay," she said, patting the spot beside her. "Sit. Start from the top. And don't leave anything out. I want the full freaky details."

Una sat, still clutching the book.

As she began to tell Lana everything, the pull to the library, the flickering eyes, the symbols and Aunt Reina's reaction. As Lana listened, her usual humour dimmed little by little.

And by the time Una was done, the laughter had faded from her face completely.

"Okay," Lana said slowly, glancing at the book. "You're right. That's... not normal."

Una exhaled shakily, sinking deeper into the couch. "Yeah. Welcome to my new normal."