Rising Shards

Ovie marched down the halls of Wildfire Hearts, fresh out of another meeting with the Exile. Their words echoed in her mind like her steps in the lonely corner of the school she found herself in.

“Consider yourself lucky you speak to me and not him.”

The Exile had some nerve, claiming there could be anyone scarier than them. Even the headmaster couldn’t be that scary. It’s not like he summoned people to a room of shadows just to speak with him. She paused for a second, looking behind her. She felt like she was being watched, but no one was nearby. It could’ve been the Exile following her still in the shadows, or just her nerves getting to her.

“Assemble your team by the end of the week. Then your search for Dusk, the start of your redemption for your actions, will begin.”

The end of the hall split into paths that looped around overlooking the cafeteria. It was lunchtime, so most seats were filled. Ovie leaned on the balcony and scanned the students.

If she was going to build a team, there weren’t enough people to have a group made up entirely of those she trusted. She’d have to select a few others. She had Chellsi and Mikeila-Keila for sure, who needed all the guidance they could now that they were at Wildfire Hearts. She thought about the other recent pick-ups from Rising Shards. Would any of them be of any use? She spotted a few of them in the cafeteria.

That airhead Nikki? Not a chance, unless Ovie was forced to bring her along. She’d just listen to music the whole time. She wasn’t cut out for a mission like this. She’d rarely spoken to Elisa Burwell, the dragon Kanibari obsessed with that pop singer. She’d have to investigate if her powers could make up for her personality.

Aira and Laenie were eating quietly together in a corner. Just by their body language Ovie could tell they’d be targeted by others. New students from Rising Shards, and complete pushovers? Ovie could “rescue” them from the incoming bullies as a potential bargaining chip. Laenie’s Exa power could prove very useful. Aira’s teleporting as well. But would they follow her?

Who was missing? There was another that was raided, wasn’t there? Was it the deer Kanibari Rain Adagio? Having royalty could help. But Rain had only made one appearance at Wildfire Hearts before being taken by her royal aides, who brought immediate legal questioning to Wildfire Hearts’ student selection method.

None of them were ideal, Ovie knew. But she had to start somewhere. She stopped before a nearby stairwell that went down to the cafeteria. A student blocked her path, a girl Ovie wished she didn’t have to speak to at any point. Narkissa.

“Ovie Chirhart,” she said.

Ovie didn’t acknowledge her, instead checking her wristband for any class notifications on its projeciton. She was a snake, who was constantly collecting dirt on everyone she spoke to and constantly plotting, her words potentially more acidic than Ovie’s actual acid power.

“You look lost,” Narkissa said.

Ovie shut off her wristband display and clenched her fists. Narkissa constantly tried this; to worm her way into people’s heads. Ovie speculated she had some innate Cani gift of pissing everyone off. She knew she could turn around and leave, but she didn't want Narkissa following her. The walls of the stairwell had bright silver plates on them, unlike the obsidian walls elsewhere in the building.

“Shame you won’t have any idea where to go now, without her to follow around.” Narkissa said. She leaned in close to Ovie. “Like an eager puppy, so desperate for her Jeanette to give her anything. Just an ounce of affe—"

Ovie grabbed the back of the Narkissa’s head and slammed her into the nearest wall, just above the banister. She screamed as she did it again, and again, denting the metal plating, until Narkissa slumped to the ground, moaning in pain. Ovie kicked her in the ribs before attempting to compose herself, her breath ragged and her messy hair in her eyes. Narkissa writhed on the ground as Ovie stepped over her and descended the stairs, having far more important people to deal with.

* * *

Amara nearly dropped her phone when she received a call from KJ. Normally a call from KJ wouldn’t be worth noting, or really picking the phone up for, but what she had to say made it different. She stood outside an arts and crafts store in Sky Clay, getting the latest volume of Yarn Animals: Critter Configurations to Make With Your Hands to feel better after losing Rain to Wildfire Hearts. She hadn’t been able to contact Rain at all since then.

“Start over.” Amara said. “So I can hear it again.”

“Right, sure.” KJ said. “So apparently, going by the Novu news site I’m running through a translator, Rain was only at Wildfire Hearts for a day before she was pulled. And now Novu is pressing charges against the school!”

“So Rain’s not at Wildfire Hearts? We’re going to get her back?” Amara squealed.

“She’s back at Novu now,” KJ said. “Or she’s currently flying there, Novu translates kinda weird to our language.”

“Right, right.” Amara said, plotting in that moment to learn Novu better than KJ so she and Rain could share secrets that KJ wouldn’t be able to keep up with. “So it really is a royal vacation like she said. Do you think she knew? Rain is a genius, after all.”

“Just like a royal vacation…” KJ trailed off, her voice growing suddenly dour.

“Don’t do what you did the last time she was on an extended leave for Novu royal business.” Amara warned. “You have just gifted me a shred of hope in this week of misery, don’t take it from me, you dunce.”

“Right…” KJ said. “I’m just…thinking about how school’s going to be without Rain. We don’t know…it could…all go bad…”

Amara sighed. She exaggerated it greatly to prove she was better at handling her emotions than KJ, who was about to probably have a stupid meltdown again, but she couldn’t deny her own anxiousness as well. Rain very well could end up back at Wildfire Hearts. Or just stuck at Novu forever. Amara didn’t want to dwell on it like she knew KJ was about to, so she hung up on her before she could start talking again and thought of ways to keep her mind occupied.

* * *

Stella rehearsed about fifteen times how she’d bring a potentially tough topic to Evy as she carried another box over. She decided just saying it straight up would be easiest, and felt confident in that choice as she opened the door to the apartment’s kitchen. Evy stared at a microwave, likely watching her pizza poppers.

“So, slight problem.” Stella said as she set the box down. That unfortunately wasn’t one of her rehearsed lines and it just kinda came out of her, throwing off her whole thing. “Potentially slight problem. Maybe not a problem? But. A thing.”

“Hit me,” Evy said, rubbing her hands at the sight of the pizza poppers nearing optimal microwaving.

“Zeta really wants to see the place.” Stella said.

Evy nodded as she thought it over. “Well, why can’t she?” She opened the microwave door and pulled out the bowl of pizza poppers.

“Well. We gotta take care of some stuff here, right?”

“Sure.” Evy said. “She does have to see the place eventually. You want some?” She held the bowl out.

“If you’re offering.” Stella said. The two sat down at the couch in the living room, with Stella draping her legs over Evy's lap. “I’m just worried about a lot of things. Can we show the place to her without telling her?”

“Probably,” Evy said, tossing a popper in her mouth, then finding it was too hot, but she muscled through and finished it. She held the bowl out to Stella.

“Is there enough space for her here?” Stella asked. She took a pizza popper and nibbled at its corners. “It’s about the same space as our LE place, but…her room would be right by ours.”

“You know, we could try being quiet. Or obviously not doing it when she’s here?” Evy suggested.

“Shut up,” Stella laughed. “I don’t just mean that. Just. She’s sixteen, she should have more of a space to herself.”

“Well. There is something we could do there.” Evy said. She set the bowl down. “These are way too hot anyways. Come here.”

Evy picked Stella up (there was some straining getting her up as well as yelping Stella's surprise that she'd try, but once Stella wrapped her hands around Evy's neck and shoulders and Evy balanced herself she handled the carrying alright) and brought her to a door in the kitchen that was blocked by an ingredients shelf that had wheels. 

"One sec, Stel," Evy said, setting Stella down. 

"Aw, I could stay like that a lot longer." Stella said.

"Maybe later," Evy said. She moved the shelf thing and opened the door. Stella looked inside to see stairs.

“It’s safe, it’s not my secret murder room,” Evy said. Stella gave her a look. “Or my secret sex dungeon." Stella intensified her look. "You know what, how about I go first?”

Evy led Stella down creaky, wooden stairs. She flipped a light switch.

“Alright, don’t judge the mess,” Evy said, gesturing to the musty boxes and random trinkets strewn about the room. “But she could stay here, if I clean this up. There’s actually a bit of space down here, and it isn’t too musty basement-y. And if we clear it with the landlord.”

Stella gathered her first impressions of the basement. Despite the junk piled up in it, she could see a charm to the basement. It had cheap looking wood panel walls, with a surprisingly nice carpet. Evy showed her a not-too-small room connected to the main area of the basement, that looked like it could work as a bedroom for Zeta.

“How have you not shown me this yet?” Stella asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“Well, it’s a horrific mess, so I didn’t want you to think less of me.” Evy said.

“Evy,” Stella rolled her eyes. “It’d take a lot for me to think less of you.”

“Aw,” Evy said, giving Stella another moment to relish in after making Dr. Diast blush.

“If Zeta gets the basement, she could have her personal space, a lot more space than she has now.” Stella said. “And we could make that room upstairs an office. Or a guest bedroom if we’re not…telling her about us yet."

“Yeah, true. It’d be a lot easier to explain than us sleeping in the same room.” Evy said.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Stella said. “For now, let’s figure this out.”

“We’d have to clean it up a bit…a lot a bit.” Evy said, poking through a box filled with old cartoon magazines. “If you talk to the landlord about letting her have that bedroom, I’ll do whatever you need down there.”

“It’s a deal,” Stella said. She hugged Evy and swayed with her for a bit. Evy kissed the top of her head.

“Alright, we should probably get upstairs.” Evy said, breaking the hug and rushing to the stairs. “Pizza poppers. Cold. Don’t want.”

* * *

Aira watched as Laenie poked at her food. The food at Wildfire Hearts was fine, not great, but not ancient prison gruel like she expected. Laenie had gone to Wildfire Hearts because her brother was there, but in the days after, she hadn’t been allowed to see him, or was able to find him. Talking to her parents about it somehow made things worse. So she’d been even more quiet than normal. Aira didn’t know how to help, but she could at least be there with her as they worked through their new life at their new school.

“Excuse me.”

Aira looked up to see an unfortunately familiar face. Ovie Chirhart, now with her long, scraggly black hair with pink streaks instead of the short cut she had at Rising Shards.

“What do you want?” Aira asked. “Don’t ruin our food.” Aira did mentally acknowledge that Ovie rocked the black robes of Wildfire Hearts well, so she at least wasn’t being all mean to her right away, even if Ovie deserved it.

“I…hate to admit it, but I need your help.” Ovie said. “I have a mission, and it’ll count for class points here. If you'd join me, I would make it worth your time."

“Sorry, no tha—” Aira started.

“I’ll help you.” Laenie said, not looking up from her food.

“Terrific.” Ovie grinned. She turned to Aira. “Well? You follow her wherever she goes, right?”

Aira hated that she was already getting roped into an Ovie Chirhart thing. And that Laenie was in a state that she’d immediately agree to help Ovie Chirhart with an Ovie Chirhart thing. Because of Laenie’s involvement, she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Fine,” Aira said, her sight more focused on the downcast Laenie than Ovie’s smug face. “I’ll help too.”