Maria had always considered herself difficult to surprise.
Growing up poor, working illegal jobs before she was old enough to legally work at all, clawing her way into Solaris Academy on scholarship alone—she had seen too much of the world's ugliness to be easily shocked.
And her years as Mika's closest friend had only reinforced that.
When you spent your days beside a boy who routinely did impossible things before breakfast, you learned to take the extraordinary in stride.
So when she peeked around Mika's shoulder to catch her first glimpse of the infamous 'little sister' she thought she knew what to expect.
Small. Adorable. Maybe fluffy around the edges.
The way the sisters had talked about her—"She's like a puppy." "She's got maybe two brain cells." "She's the family mascot"—had painted a very specific picture in Maria's mind.
Something like a golden retriever in human form. Or perhaps a Pomeranian that wouldn't stop yapping. Cute. Chaotic. Manageably sized.
