Nadia, at the age of seventeen, had fought hordes of ravenous beasts, killed other humans for food, and scavenged in dumpsters for resources all while the world burned around her. The apocalypse had been complete and utter hell.

  On the other hand; regressing to the tender age of thirteen and navigating eighth grade again, might’ve tied for a close second.

  From her point of view barely a week ago she fought massive apes that could rip a man in two with little effort. Now however she worried about walking into a middle school classroom. The transition was jarring, like being thrown into cold water after standing in a fire.

  She stepped into the building and an unnatural chaos immediately enveloped her. Kids ran in every direction, pushing each other over in constant cycles of dominance displays. Girls clustered near lockers planning their singing careers, while boys vied for control of their small social packs. Middle School, Nadia realized, operated on the same primal instincts as the end of the world, just with less blood and more drama.

  “Ughh,” she muttered under her breath as she walked to her first class.

  Maeve texted earlier, reminding her to “play it cool” and “try not to flip anyone.” Easy for her to say. Maeve hadn’t accidentally broken a doorknob off yesterday because she forgot her own strength.

  As Nadia placed her books under her desk, a familiar figure approached, black hair swinging with each step.

  “Hey Nadia!” said a tall Filipino girl with a cheeky smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes.

  Nadia froze, time suspended for one heartbeat, then two. The image before her flickered between the living, breathing Darna and the memory of finding her friend’s body during the first wave, her face forever frozen in terror and shock.

  Without thinking, Nadia grabbed Darna in a tight bear hug, tears threatening to spill. “Darna!” she said, squeezing maybe a little too hard. “I missed you so much.”

  Darna patted her back awkwardly, confusion evident in her voice. “You just saw me on Friday! I’m happy to see you too, though.” She pulled back, studying Nadia’s face. “Is everything alright at home? You’ve been acting weird since I texted you yesterday.”

  Nadia released her friend, suddenly aware of the stares from their classmates. “Yeah, sorry. Just had a really intense dream that felt super real. You were gone, and I couldn’t save you.”

  Darna’s expression softened. “Well, I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.” She linked her arm through Nadia’s. “Except maybe to history class, which we’re going to be late for if we don’t hurry.”

  For the first time in what felt like forever, Nadia wasn’t slashing at the exposed weaknesses of monsters or rummaging through trash for sardines. She was just sitting at a lunch table, eating with her best friend, watching Darna make ridiculous faces as she complained about their algebra teacher.

  It was surreal. In Nadia’s memory, Darna hadn’t made it past the initial assault all those years ago. Her father had found Nadia crying over her friend’s body, pulling her away as the monsters closed in.

  “Earth to Nadia!” Darna waved a hand in front of her face. “You keep zoning out. What’s going on with you today?”

  “Sorry. Just tired,” Nadia said, forcing a smile. “Dad’s been making us do extra training.”

  “Your dad’s intense,” Darna said, stabbing at her cafeteria pasta. “But at least you can protect us when the zombie apocalypse happens, right?”

  The irony made Nadia choke on her milk, forcing her friend to laugh even harder.

  As they headed outside for recess, someone roughly grabbed Nadia’s shoulder from behind. Years of drills with Uncle Micah, not to mention the constant attacks from every direction as a Tank class warrior, had made her hyper-vigilant about her personal space.

  Acting on pure instinct, Nadia grabbed the offending hand, twisted into a jiu-jitsu hold, and flipped the person onto the hard concrete with a practiced motion.

  “Ow, what the hell, freak!” shrieked Audrey Rodriguez, the resident mean girl, from her new position on the ground. She scrambled to her feet, her designer jeans now sporting a large tear at the knee. She blew herself up, trying to look menacing as she got in Nadia’s face.

  To Nadia, who had faced down massive dogs with spines growing out of their backs, Audrey looked like a blowfish attempting to scare away a predator. A laugh bubbled up from deep within her chest, startling even her.

  The crowd of kids gathered instantly, sensing conflict like sharks smelling blood in the water. Darna moved protectively closer to Nadia, her usually cheerful face hardened with determination.

  Nadia had dealt with too many life-or-death situations to waste energy on this power play. She stepped directly into Audrey’s space, maintaining unwavering eye contact. Her voice came out calm but direct, loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Step back.”

  Audrey’s eyes widened momentarily before she doubled down. “Who do you think you are, freak! You and your little Chinese friend should mind your own damn business.”

  “I’m Filipino!” Darna interjected, holding her ground beside Nadia.

  Nadia took another step closer, making Audrey flinch at her audacity. Uncle Micah had always said that once you put someone on their back, they’ll think twice about messing with you again.

  “Step back or be put down,” Nadia said, her voice low and steady. “Last warning.”

  At that moment, no one in the world existed except Audrey and her. Nadia had been trained by martial artists and defensive experts in a time of war; this child and her petty intimidation tactics were laughable in comparison.

  She understood that everyone was struggling with their memories from the other timeline, but her secret, the one she hadn’t even shared with her parents, was that she had truly enjoyed parts of that life. The constant striving to become powerful, the clear line between right and wrong, the singular purpose of survival; it had all made sense in a way that middle school politics never could.

  Audrey seemed to register the shift in Nadia’s demeanor. Something in her eyes, suddenly much older and bolder, made her hesitate.

  “Whatever, freaks,” she muttered, backing away. “You two aren’t even worth my time.” She turned to leave, her small group of followers trailing behind her.

  “That’s what I thought,” Nadia said, loud enough for Audrey to hear. “Keep walking!”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Darna grabbed Nadia’s arm once Audrey was out of earshot. “That was incredible! What’s gotten into you, Nadi? Yesterday you would’ve just ignored her.” She grinned, bouncing on her toes. “Whatever it is, I want some!”

  Nadia smiled, feeling a strange mix of pride and sadness. She wished she could tell Darna the truth; that she was preparing for a war that would claim most of humanity, including possibly Darna herself.

  Instead, she just said, “Let’s say I had an epiphany about not wasting time on people like her.”

  In this world, when her mother asked how school was, Nadia could simply say “fine” instead of reporting casualties and when her father kissed her goodnight, she didn’t need to worry if it would be their last moment together. That mattered.

  Yet part of her missed the clarity of that other life, the unambiguous purpose, the knowledge that her actions directly impacted survival. She had been the first of her family to die, but she had died with honor, protecting others. The stories shared and the memories she had witnessed made it clear that she needed to approach this lifetime differently. She needed to become an unstoppable force while maintaining the ability to adapt to any challenge.

  The memory surfaced clearly, a vivid flashback to the life she had lived in the other timeline. She and Uncle Micah were in the courtyard of the hospital they had used as a base of operations after The Fall. The smell of antiseptic still lingered in the air, mixing with the earthy scent of the training mats they’d scavenged from an abandoned gym.

  “You ready, Nadia?” asked Micah, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the courtyard. Despite his intimidating size, his eyes held a gentleness that belied his strength.

  “Ready, sir,” she replied, tightening the scrubs they’d repurposed as training clothes.

  “I told you a thousand times, sir isn’t needed. Micah is fine.” He rolled his shoulders, loosening his muscles.

  “No, sir. You’re instructing me, and that makes you my teacher. The title deserves respect.” Nadia settled into her stance, feet shoulder-width apart, weight balanced on the balls of her feet.

  Micah nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. “Alright then. Today we’re focusing on using an opponent’s strength against them. Remember, you’ll often be outmatched in size and raw power. Your advantage is speed and technique.”

  “And my other skills,” Nadia added with a grin.

  “Which you’re not allowed to use today,” Micah reminded her. “No mana usage, pure technique only. We need to make sure you can handle yourself even when your reserves run low.”

  Nadia nodded, her expression turning serious. Without warning, she exploded forward, attempting to catch Micah off guard with a shoulder takedown. Despite his size, Micah moved with surprising agility, sidestepping her attack with practiced ease.

  As Nadia’s momentum carried her forward, Micah caught her arm, using her own speed against her. In one fluid motion, he redirected her trajectory, sending her tumbling across the mat.

  Nadia rolled with the fall, springing back to her feet with catlike grace. “Almost had you,” she taunted, circling him warily.

  “Not even close,” Micah replied, but there was approval in his eyes. “You’re telegraphing your moves. Before you attack, your left shoulder tenses. Watch that tell.”

  “Yes sir!” she shouted back, acknowledging the lesson.

  This time, Micah initiated the attack, charging forward with controlled aggression. His size and strength would have intimidated most opponents, but Nadia had learned long ago that fear was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

  As Micah closed in, Nadia dropped low, using her smaller stature to her advantage. She feinted left, then pivoted right, attempting to catch him in an ankle sweep. Micah anticipated the move, jumping over her extended leg, but Nadia had expected this. As he landed, she was already in motion, targeting his momentarily unbalanced stance.

  Grabbing his arm, she used his own weight as leverage, executing a textbook hip throw that sent Micah crashing to the mat with surprising force.

  For a moment, silence hung between them. Then Micah let out a laugh that echoed across the courtyard. “Now that’s more like it!”

  As Micah rose to his feet, his expression turned serious again. “Let’s up the ante. Real world scenario; multiple attackers, limited space.”

  He whistled, and two more figures emerged from the shadows of the hospital entrance. Xavier, Nadia’s older brother, and Michael, one of the camp’s best fighters, joined them on the training mat.

  “Three on one,” Micah explained. “No mana use from anyone. Nadia, your objective is to last two minutes without being pinned or forced out of the circle.”

  Nadia swallowed hard, eyeing her new opponents. Xavier gave her an encouraging nod, but his eyes held no mercy. This was training for survival, not a sibling squabble.

  “Begin!” Micah shouted.

  The three men converged on her simultaneously, each approaching from a different angle. Nadia’s mind raced, calculating distances and angles with preternatural speed.

  As Xavier lunged for her legs, Nadia leapt upward, using his shoulders as a springboard to vault over Michael’s incoming grab. She landed behind Michael, immediately dropping into a sweeping kick that caught him behind the knees, sending him stumbling forward into Xavier.

  Micah, anticipating her move, was already behind her, massive arms encircling her in what should have been an inescapable bear hug. But Nadia had trained for this exact scenario. She went limp for a fraction of a second, causing Micah to adjust his grip, then explosively arched her back while driving her elbow into his solar plexus.

  The blow wasn’t enough to seriously hurt Micah, but it created the momentary distraction she needed. Slipping from his grasp, Nadia rolled away, positioning herself to keep all three men in her field of vision.

  “Ninety seconds remaining,” Micah called out, his voice betraying a hint of pride despite his professional demeanor.

  The dance continued, Nadia weaving between her opponents with a grace that belied her young age. She used their size and strength against them, turning Xavier’s momentum into a throw that sent him colliding with Michael, using Micah’s reach against him by staying inside his guard where his long arms were less effective.

  By the time Micah called “Time!” Nadia was breathing hard, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead, but she remained undefeated within the circle.

  “You’ve progressed fast,” Micah said, genuine admiration in his voice. “Faster than anyone I’ve trained.”

  “She’s a natural,” Xavier agreed, rubbing his shoulder where he’d hit the mat particularly hard.

  “Natural talent only gets you so far,” Micah cautioned. “It’s your dedication that sets you apart, Nadia. Your willingness to push beyond your perceived limits.”

  He rested a hand on her shoulder, his expression solemn. “In this new world, that’s what will keep you alive when others fall. Remember that.”

  Nadia nodded, absorbing the weight of his words. “Yes, sir.”

  “Enough formality for today,” Micah said, his serious expression breaking into a grin. “Let’s see if the kitchen managed to scrounge up anything resembling lunch.”

  As they walked back toward the hospital entrance, Micah fell into step beside Nadia. “You know,” he said quietly, “your father would be proud of what I saw today. You’re becoming a formidable fighter, Nadia.”

  The compliment warmed her more than she cared to admit. In a world where survival was never guaranteed, knowing she could hold her own; could protect those she loved meant everything.

  The memory faded as Nadia returned to the present, to the sound of Darna chatting about weekend plans and the latest gossip. Two worlds, two lives, overlapping in ways no one around her could possibly understand.

  In the previous timeline she had died making a choice; stand against a horde of monsters that were targeting her mother and the healers or give her life for the family to survive. She had known she couldn’t take the blow, but it didn’t matter, it never would. She would always stand in the way.

  Everyone knew they didn’t have enough support classes as it stood; if they were lost, everyone would be dead. She had made her decision and stood by it.

  Now, she had a second chance, not just for herself but for everyone she loved. Her father would need someone to help keep her siblings in line. Though they never openly admitted it, each one of them could wreak absolute havoc if left unchecked. Her dad would need a solid defense force, and she had made up her mind.

  She would be his hammer in this new world. No one would dare move against their family unless she allowed it. Looking at Audrey walking away, her little middle school posse trailing behind her, it seemed like a cosmic joke; these petty tyrants who thought themselves powerful, with no idea of the real darkness lurking just years away.

  “Want to come over after school?” Darna asked, pulling Nadia back to the present. “My mom’s making pancit, and she always makes extra for you.”

  Nadia smiled, a genuine one this time. “Yeah, I’d like that.” She linked her arm through Darna’s. “I’d like that a lot.”

  As the girls headed back inside, neither noticed the PE teacher staring curiously at the ground where Nadia had stood confronting Audrey. There, pressed into the concrete, were two small footprints that seemed to have compressed the material like it was soft clay. The man scratched his head, bewildered.

  “Damn kids and their internet pranks,” he muttered, turning away to gather equipment for his next class.

  Behind him, in the indentation left by Nadia’s right foot, a small crack began to spread across the concrete.