Chapter 6
Two days. Two days without stepping out of her bedroom. That’s how long it had been since the mall and the revelation of the foolish little club run by those three paltry siblings of the Rainbooms. Adagio smirked as she finally stepped out of her room and strode sensually across the hallway. As a siren she couldn’t stride any other way, despite numerous attempts of those in power to prevent it.
“Aria.”
Aria Blaze glanced up from where she was sitting with a disinterested expression. “Speaking again, I see.”
“Rebelling as always, dear sister.” Adagio smirked and strode into the room.
Aria blinked in surprise. “Damn it, Dagi! Would it kill you to put on some clothes?”
“I am not the least bit ashamed of my body; besides, Sonata hasn’t done the laundry yet.”
Aria blinked in surprise at that. “Wait, really?”
Adagio waved her hand dismissively. “She’s probably still sulking because we haven’t gone out for tacos. My plan is ready and I just knew you’d be dying to hear it.”
Aria rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me laugh. You’ll probably just screw it up like you did with our voices!”
Adagio grit her teeth and glared angrily at her fellow siren, but she let it slide, this time; she had bigger fish to fry. “We will be crashing the next party. Did that amusingly hair-obsessed boy reveal when it happens?”
“Tomorrow night.” Aria turned away so she didn’t have to keep looking at the disturbing image of a yet-to-be-bathed Adagio Dazzle. Her sister seriously needed to take better care of her body during her planning sessions.
“Perfect!” Adagio smirked as she padded across the room to stare out the window at the world outside. “We’ll crash their little party. And we’ll expose them to the local authorities.”
Aria rolled her eyes yet again, but chose not to comment on the plan. As plans went it was obvious, straightforward and pretty much sounding like a typical Adagio plan.
“There’ll be fines for some of the students, of course, but as for the rest… it will positively crush them!” Adagio mused.
Aria let out a silent sigh of disinterest. “Could you go gloat somewhere else? I have a dance class to be at in another hour.”
Adagio had whirled around as soon as she had spotted movement in the room’s reflection, her expression darkening into a glare. She was also giving the peepers outside a glorious view of her shapely behind… or at least she would have been if her unkempt hair wasn’t covering most of it as well as her entire back.
“You still insist on attending those stupid classes? Honestly, Aria. You will never able to recapture the majesty of our voices through the art of dance.”
Aria jumped to her feet and threw an empty take-out container at Adagio’s head. “Fuck you!”
Adagio smirked. “Ah, that could certainly be arranged~”
Aria flipped Adagio the bird and marched towards the closet. “Get the fuck out of my room, Adagio! I’m not in the mood for your bullshit!”
“And here I thought I finally broke you of the signing habit.” Adagio laughed, bemused at her sibling’s antics.
“You’re the one who insisted we only speak through sign language, since you could no longer bear to hear your voice lacking the beauty of song. Now piss off before I chuck something heavier than an empty take-out container.” Aria’s fingers danced in rapid succession. She opened the door to her closet once she finished her silent rant and vanished into its depths.
Adagio rolled her eyes. Sadness overtook the siren as she recalled that she could no longer produce the music of her people. Or any songs for that matter. But her revenge would be complete once she brought Canterlot High such scandal that it would be forced to give in to her demands.
That portal to Equestria was located somewhere on the campus grounds, and even if it took her another year, she would escape from this pathetic world. Even if she never retrieved her voice, at least she could live the rest of her years in peace in the ocean depths away from the disgusting creatures that called themselves humans.
Sonata ducked out of sight as she got off the bus. Her eyes darted back and forth from behind her shades as she examined the area carefully for any snoops. Nobody was around. Smiling briefly, she dashed across the street and slipped into the building.
It was still early in the morning. Very few students had arrived yet, which was good, because technically she was probably still not allowed back here for the part she played in the Battle of the Bands. Heading through the halls, she came to the familiar entrance to the room. Glancing in briefly, she looked around; nobody seemed to be there yet, so she was likely right on time.
Slipping inside the music room, Sonata took a seat in the corner. Leaning with her back against the wall she wrapped her legs with her arms and lowered her head. It didn’t take long for her friend to arrive.
“I want to see you smile, smile, smile!” Pinkie giggled as she danced into the music room with a pair of headphones on. When she noticed Sonata in the corner of the room she instantly seemed to deflate. “Oh! Hey, Sonata! Were we meeting here today?”
Sonata leapt to her feet and rushed forward. “Pinkie!” She surprised the pink Rainboom by wrapping her in a sudden embrace.
“Ummm…you’re talking, talking!” Pinkie grinned. “That’s great, Sonata!”
“I don’t know what to do!” Sonata exclaimed as she buried her face into Pinkie’s shoulder. “Adagio’s been plotting non-stop for two days straight! She’s in her room still plotting. She knows and it’s totally my fault!”
Pinkie frowned for the briefest of moments before patting Sonata on the shoulder. “There, there, tell your Aunty Pinkie what’s wrong.”
Sonata glared up at Pinkie. “But… I’m way older than you.”
Pinkie sighed. “Everybody always tells me that.” Chuckling briefly she rubbed Sonata on the back. “So, what’s Adagio know?”
“There’s this kid, Scarlet Scribe; he has to crash the NLAC party for Diamond Tiara… or something like that. I was paying more attention to Aria’s story about the boy who inhaled one of her ponytails and caressed it like some kind of twisted lover.
“But she mentioned the club and I kind of accidentally blabbed about what it was, and now Adagio is plotting because she totally wants to get you all in trouble. Like big time. She’s still plotting revenge against you for the BoB.”
Pinkie blinked. “BoB?”
“Battle of the Bands!” Sonata snapped.
“So, Scarlet Scribe is going to crash this week’s party? I didn’t realize that Diamond Tiara was so desperate. Oh well! I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Pinkie grinned. “And now I know to make a special treat for Scribey.”
Sonata stared in disbelief at Pinkie. She’d gotten used to the strange girl’s antics, but to be so flippant and dismissive of the threat Adagio represented was naive. To be fair, though, she didn’t know Adagio as well as Sonata did.
“Don’t you understand?” she shouted, “Adagio wants to get you all thrown in jail for indecent exposure!”
Pinkie clapped her hand over Sonata’s mouth and glanced around to make sure nobody had accidentally heard her. “Sonata, don’t worry. I’m sure we can stop Adagio’s plan. It won’t be that hard. I mean, we blasted her with a rainbow beam. How hard could stopping her from siccing the cops on us possibly be?” Smiling at her friend, she waited for Sonata to smile as well.
Groaning, Sonata pushed herself away from the other girl and turned around, wrapping her arms around her torso in the process to stave off a chill. “Pinkie, if you don’t take this seriously I’m going to have to do something that goes against every fiber of my being as a siren. Do you have any concept of how we do things?”
Pinkie cocked her head curiously in thought, and then shook it. “Noperooni.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “You’re sounding a lot less like your usual self.”
“Duh!” Sonata spun around and glared at Pinkie. “I’m totally over a thousand years old, probably two thousand for all I know; I stopped counting birthdays after I hit five hundred and two because it wasn’t any fun anymore. I can be just as serious as Adagio or Aria if I want to be, I just hardly ever want to be because I don’t like to do the thinking.”
“I hear you there, sister.” Pinkie smiled again and raised her hand up for a high-five.
Sonata rolled her eyes. “Pinkie. You’re the first person to treat me like a… f-friend! There, I said it!”
Pinkie clapped her hands and produced a cinnamon roll from her hair. “Yay!”
Sonata took the treat, but didn’t immediately bite into it. “I can’t let Adagio hurt you. But if I try to do something against her, I’ll be branded as a traitor. That’s the worst thing for any siren to ever hear like in forever. It’s way worse than being blasted by a rainbow death ray and losing my voice.”
Pinkie deflated as Sonata spoke. Her hair lost some of its bounce and her skin seemed to dull in tone. Although, Sonata didn’t seem to notice. Pinkie offered a half-hearted smile and put her hand on Sonata’s shoulder. “I don’t want or need to ask you to go against Adagio. Sunset and the girls can handle her.”
“No you can’t!” Sonata pushed Pinkie’s hand away and turned around again to hide her fear and her sudden tears. “Pinkie, I know Adagio. She’s as tenacious as a shark that’s bitten into a Bunyip’s tail to get a big meal.
“Her grasp is as suffocating as a kraken’s tentacles and her sting is worse than any jellyfish. She’s the ultimate predator of the deep and once she has an idea, she won’t let it go if she thinks she can get what she wants out of it. I’ve warned you, but I see now I have to take matters into my own hands.”
Pinkie gasped. “No! Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Sonata nodded. Whirling around, she grabbed Pinkie’s hands in hers. “Pinkie, I swear that I will do everything I can to save you. I have no idea how I’m going to do it, but I will keep you from Adagio’s grasp.”
Pinkie smiled and instantly regained all of her colour. “Awwwww. Even if Adagio and Aria brand you a traitor?”
Sonata flinched at that. “Well, I clearly need to think about this a bit more….”
“You’ve got two whole days to figure it out. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing, Sonata. I mean, we’re friends now, right?” Pinkie’s voice cracked slightly with hope.
“Are you kidding? You give me endless tacos!” Sonata broke into a huge smile and wrapped her arms around Pinkie in a tight hug. “That’s, like, way more than friends. What do you call someone who treats you to your favorite dish all the time?”
Pinkie giggled. “I still call them friend.”
Sonata shook her head. “I’ve seen humans doing that sort of thing for centuries. I think it’s like a mom? No, that can’t be right…”
“Yeah, we can’t be family. But you have two sisters already and I’ve got way more, silly.” Pinkie made a boop sound as she pressed her finger on Sonata’s nose.
Sonata’s eyes widened as she realized exactly what this was. Grinning she wrapped Pinkie up in a tight embrace and spun her around. “We’re GFs!”
Pinkie froze mid-smile. Her brain had run into a really big problem and needed to reboot.
Sonata laughed happily. “You always give me my favorite food! You talk to me and want to spend time with me no matter what. And I always want to make sure that you’re happy. Or, like, as happy as anyone can be in this messed up world without magic or a decent place to swim.
“I mean, seriously, I’m not going to hang out with Sunset Shimmer just so I can go skinny dipping. But that’s not important.” Grinning proudly she leaned in and gently pressed her lips against Pinkie’s.
Pinkie barely registered what was happening; she was still trying to process what Sonata said.
“I’ll—ah—see you Friday night at the party, girlfriend.” Sonata shot Pinkie a sultry wink before rushing for the exit. “And don’t worry. Adagio won’t succeed. I have no idea how I’m going to stop her yet, but I promise that you won’t be forced to go to jail for strutting around naked or becoming someone’s bitch.”
Sonata paused as she held the door to the music room open. “Because you’re all mine, and I don’t like sharing~”
After Sonata had left Pinkie finally snapped out of her frozen state. “What… just happened?”
“That crazy siren just decided you were her girlfriend.” Pinkamena stated in her mind.
“I don’t—I’m not—do I even swing that way?” Pinkie exclaimed nervously.
Pinkamena gave a non-existent shrug. “Don’t ask me, I’m just a representation of your subconscious. Just play it by ear, see how it goes. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like being with Sonata.”
“Well she is kind of nice. Totally random though, and coming from me that’s saying something. Actually, she wasn’t nearly random enough… kind of scary, actually. Ok, so, I guess I better get back to class. Yeah, I’ll just pretend everything’s normal, that’ll work! Err… right, Pinkamena?”
Only silence answered Pinkie’s question.
“Pinkamena? Pinkamena!” Pinkie spun around to try and find a mirror to examine her reflection in a nervous jittery rush.
“What? Oh, I’m sorry Pinkie. I was just wondering what Sonata must look like after she gets done skinny dipping. Think we can convince her to join us at Sunset’s when Sunset isn’t around? I’ll bet she’s irresistible all dripping wet with her nip—” Pinkamena giggled.
Pinkie blushed heavily at the reflection in the window and shook her head. “Haaa—sexy thoughts later! It’s time to panic!”
“You’re such a party pooper.”
“You take that back!” Pinkie shouted. “I have never pooped a party, ever! Well… at least not accidently!”
“Alright, alright. Can we get back to class already?” Pinkamena brushed her non-existent hand through her very straight non-existent hair.
Pinkie sighed. “Ok, but we’re not finished discussing the fact you accused me of pooping parties!” Pinkie pulled open the door to the music room and marched off with a serious expression on her face.
Aria wasn’t as comfortable with being a human as her sisters were. She missed being able to feel the water rushing over her scales, and being able to experience the thrill of propelling herself through the depths with strong flicks of her immaculate tail. But after over a thousand years of being in this crappy world, she begrudgingly accepted the limitations of a human teenager’s body.
While their song magic may have been taken away from them, the fact remained: a siren was still a siren. They all had lived for a very long time. Very few pod members ever went away, unless they ran afoul of a Leviathan or one of the Kraken hunters that enjoyed feasting on siren flesh. Magic could sustain her kind indefinitely, and once absorbed, it infused every fiber of their being.
When the Rainbooms defeated them at the Battle of the Bands, they stripped away the source of their feeding ability, but they hadn’t removed the core essence of their being. Oh, they had damaged it. Mutilated it. Changed it so they could never sing their sweet songs ever again. But to render them mortal was impossible.
Dressed in her dance school uniform, which consisted of a one piece outfit that allowed her skin to breathe but wasn’t exactly called a unitard, Aria made her way up the steps of Canterlot’s School of the Arts. She’d enrolled not long after the Battle of the Bands just to get away from her sisters.
It was strangely terrifying how much they all wanted to be away from each other. Adagio tended to mope around the house in her birthday suit, unless she had to go out for food or something. The eldest siren figured that if she couldn’t stir up the people of Canterlot anymore with her voice, she’d get her thrills by letting the neighbors sneak a peek at her nude body from every uncovered window in the house.
Sonata went off to do her own thing. Apparently, that included hanging out with the pink hyperactive drummer. Who knew Sonata could even tolerate being anywhere near the Rainbooms? Aria chose to tap into her long-ignored choreography talent. Adagio preferred to engineer most of the moves they’d used when they could sing, but it was Aria who truly excelled at choreography. Be it Siren form or Human form, she had a highly praised talent. At least, according to her instructor.
Aria grinned briefly as she entered the classroom. The school taught more than just dance; it taught just about everything related to the arts. Aria had signed up for dancing and a few other courses, but remained adamant in her refusal to join the students for singing lessons. She would never recover her voice. And since she only used sign language while at the school, they all assumed she couldn’t speak anyway.
Taking up her usual stance at the bar to begin stretching, she watched as the other students slowly filed in. She didn’t know all of their names, but one of them had gotten her to open up enough to at least be cordial.
At least as cordial as she ever allowed herself to be with humans. Something about Coloratura’s look when she first came to class reminded her of a siren. It was probably the hair extensions she wore for her dance numbers. They reminded Aria of the luxuriant fin-like manes that sirens had.
Coloratura smiled when she spotted Aria at the bar. “Hey!” she greeted her with a friendly wave and joined her in stretching. “Did you hear about the talent recital they’re organizing?”
Aria shrugged. Truth be told, she could care less about any talent shows, for obvious reasons.
“Apparently, Angel Mist is trying to get some actual scouts from one of the larger cities.” Coloratura whispered to Aria so the other girls wouldn’t hear them.
Aria openly laughed at this, always mindful not to let her physical laughter out and simply pantomiming her amusement. Taking a vow of silence had been way easier than she’d expected. “I find it really hard to imagine any scouts picking some of these girls for anything.” She finished her stretches and moved on to the warm up movements.
Coloratura sighed. “I know. But a girl can dream, can’t she?”
Aria bit her lip. “Yeah, I guess. Just try not to be too upset when the dream crashes and burns because of somebody more talented than you.” Aria moved from one motion to the next with graceful ease.
Coloratura nodded. “You always look so upset when you say that. Who crushed your dreams, Aria Blaze?”
Aria scowled at her, but didn’t answer her question.
“I’m sorry!” The apology was instant.
Aria waved it off. “Maybe I’ll tell you... someday. But I’m not about to share my feelings with a girl I’ve only known for a couple of months.”
Coloratura sighed dejectedly. She brightened up immediately when Angel Mist stepped into the room. “I hope she’s going to teach us a new move today. I need to perfect my routine if I want to attract the big names.”
Aria nodded sharply and offered a rare smile. “You have one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. Believe me; I know a good voice when I hear one. You’ll do just fine.”
Coloratura grinned broadly. “Thanks, Aria. That means a lot to me.”
Aria stole a glance in the mirror and saw her cheeks darkening with embarrassment. Great, she was starting to root for the naïve little dunce. It had been a while since she’d taken an interest in anybody. Most humans tended to bore her quickly, but Coloratura wasn’t like most humans. She had genuine heart. If she still had her powers, Aria probably wouldn’t have even cared.
Shaking her head she dismissed such wild thoughts. She was a siren. She didn’t need anyone for companionship and her human acquaintance certainly wasn’t about to change that. Besides, knowing Coloratura there was no way she’d even be into girls.
Not even a little. And then there was the matter of Adagio’s newest obsession. Yeah, now was definitely not the time to try rekindling any sort of romantic feelings to compensate for the lack of passion they used to gain from singing.
Tuning back in for today’s lesson, she wondered if Sonata was hiding on purpose from Adagio to avoid hearing about the plan. Well, whatever the little dunce was up to she’d better get the laundry done before Friday. Aria Blaze did not do laundry.
The only thing she pounded were the creeps who happened to look at her the wrong way and sometimes Sonata, if she was being particularly annoying. Something that was proving to be less of an issue now that they didn’t have to talk to one another or listen to each other speak.
Adagio lounged on a beach chair in her backyard. The fence was rather short, so the neighbors were getting a pretty good show, but Adagio didn’t care if they were uncomfortable viewing her bare form. She took great pride in her body. And she lived for making others uncomfortable now that she was unable to use her voice to get what she wanted.
Humans practiced naturism because they believed it promoted healthy living and some other banal garbage that Adagio could care less about. All she knew was because the student body of Canterlot High had embraced such a lifestyle and opened their own little club for it; she could at last have her revenge against the school, the Rainbooms, and everyone else who had robbed her of victory.
Adagio was an expert in the art of exhibitionism. It allowed her to control weak-willed sycophants, though she could only practice it in the comfort of her own home. She didn’t need to spend any more time at the local jail; the police chief was a pain in the ass and his daughter was too. Although, upon further reflection, Zecora was decent enough to hang out with. In small doses.
Adagio rolled over to tan her backside. It was horribly difficult to get done, considering the nature of her hair. Tying it up into a massive ponytail and draping it off one side of the chair so she could get it out of the way took a great deal of time and effort. Sometimes, she wished she knew a decent stylist who could help her out at times. Sometimes.
Smirking, she closed her eyes and let the sun warm her skin. She was going to look her absolute best when she crashed that stupid party on Friday night. She was going to march in and captivate every student with her gorgeous body. Then she would cackle maliciously when the SWAT team busted in and handcuffed the lot of them, carting off those stupid Rainbooms, along with that hussy, Ms. Cheerilee, and those three brats who were always constantly trying to figure out what to do with their lives.
It was going to be deliciously satisfying. She absentmindedly began singing to herself, only to cough violently as her throat became raw. Her voice screeched, and lost any pretense of being in tune. Bitter tears of regret welled in her eyes while she leaned her head up, so she could wipe them away. “Oceans below! I will make them pay! I swear it!”
“You could make me pay anytime, sweetheart.”
Adagio growled as she glanced over the fence at the young male standing there. “Fuck off, Zephyr Breeze!” she snapped in irritation.
“I live here, you know. I can do whatever I want.” he chortled.
“I don’t care; I’m not in mood for an audience right now. Now beat it before I call the cops on your sorry ass.” Adagio picked up an empty suntan lotion bottle and chucked it over the fence at her annoying hipster of a neighbor. Zephyr was quick to beat a hasty retreat.
“Little shit.” Adagio bared her teeth in anger, once again missing the feeling of proper fangs as opposed to the mostly blunt set of teeth her human form possessed. It was the only other downside to being trapped in this otherwise unbelievably gorgeous form.
“When my vengeance is complete, I shall once again be adored by all. I don’t know how, but I’m certain that once I return to Equestria through that portal they’ve kept secret from us, all my powers will return to me.”
Sonata cackled with glee as she walked into Flim and Flam’s shop. The two salesmen watched her with uncertain expressions. Which really wasn’t much of a surprise; Sonata was used to that sort of thing.
Marching through the limited aisles of all the junk the brothers attempted to peddle, she came across the sort of item she knew she was likely to find there. Plucking it off the shelf, she walked up to the counter.
“A fine selection from a fine, young woman.” Flim noted with a friendly smile.
“A fine selection indeed, brother mine.” Flam chuckled and rang up the item for the purchase. Then he took a closer look at it and blinked in surprise. “May I ask what it’s for?”
Sonata shrugged. “To knock out my sister so she doesn’t get my new girlfriend arrested for practicing naturism.” Sonata paid for her purchase with Adagio’s credit card. Adagio had confiscated her own, keeping it under lock and key in the safe because of that one time she spent the entire limit on an all you could eat taco night.
It wasn’t her fault. Honestly, if they were going to advertise all you could eat, they should expect someone to actually be able to eat twelve grand worth of tacos in a single sitting. Sonata giggled. Adagio didn’t keep a close eye on her own credit card, leaving it lying around unprotected in the house since she started spending her days hanging out in the nude, just so she could rile up the neighbors.
Flim and Flam eyed her nervously as she left.
“I say, Flam, should we be worried about the purpose of her purchase?” Flim questioned.
“Not on your life, Flim,” Flam stated. “She paid full asking price.”
“Full asking price indeed!” Flim repeated, a greedy glint appearing in his eyes.
“I almost feel sorry for ripping off such an innocent, young woman.” Flam snickered. “Almost,” he repeated as he pocketed the vendor’s copy of the receipt after giving it an actual kiss.
Sonata held up her prize once outside, almost as if a nameless treasure had been discovered and she was presenting it to the world. “With this I shall protect you, Pinkie Pie. You and all your friends. I guess friends aren’t so bad.” Shrugging a little Sonata hummed a tune off key, not even minding it too much or even flinching once. In her hand was a small bottle of chloroform.
Diamond Tiara sat at her desk in the school newspaper office and rubbed her eyes to stave off her exhaustion. Yawning widely, she glared at the story that had been re-written in order to be printed. It was another problem.
“Snails had to find this to write about.” Diamond grumbled loudly.
“Is something wrong, Di?”
“I thought you were going to quit the paper, Silver Spoon!” Diamond snapped.
Silver Spoon slowly entered the office and approached her desk. “I am. I just needed to pick up a few things from my desk.”
“Well, hurry up!” she barked in an imperious tone.
“Di, you don’t look so good.”
Diamond gripped the sides of her desk to prevent herself from leaping across it. “You no longer have the right to call me that!”
Silver Spoon sighed. “I know. I’m sorry our friendship had to end this way.”
“It didn’t end. You chose to side with Sweetie Belle instead of me.” Diamond clenched her jaw in order to force the tears from running down her cheeks. She may have been able to cry on command, but after a few weeks of tossing and turning every night, she was far more vulnerable.
“You… a-abandoned me!” Diamond croaked.
“How is that any different from you stealing my stories?” Silver Spoon demanded. She immediately regretted her confrontational tone and flinched. Reaching up, she grabbed her ponytail and began to twirl it nervously. “I trusted you, Di. I would have done anything you wanted, but you stopped caring about me.”
“What makes you think I ever cared for you?” Diamond snapped. “I have Scarlet Scribe, Snips and Snails. I don’t need you, Silver Spoon. I don’t!” Diamond shut her eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths. “Now, grab your stuff and get out of my sight.” Her tone was calmer now, frigid as ice, and yet it could not remove the concern Silver Spoon had in her eyes. Concern which rapidly turned to anger.
“Damn it, Di!” Silver Spoon marched away from her desk and got into Diamond Tiara’s personal space. “What is your problem? You could at least pretend our friendship meant something! I'm sure it had to be more than just your ego-driven quest to control everything in your life!”
Diamond bared her teeth and glared deeply into Silver Spoon’s eyes. “I see you’ve finally decided to grow a spine. Well, guess what? I don’t need your attitude right now. Whatever relationship we had is over! Get out!”
Silver Spoon slammed the top of Diamond’s desk with her free hand. “Then why are your errand boys tailing me everywhere?”
Diamond recoiled in shock. “So you don’t corrupt the others!”
“What are you talking about?” Silver Spoon tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Snips and Snails are too loyal to corrupt. Well, more like too stupid but they would never fit in with us at the NLAC.”
Diamond got to her feet and shoved Silver Spoon aside. “Sweetie is a perverted, exhibitionist freak! And it doesn’t matter who I worry about you corrupting, when I finally get the proof I need to destroy the lot of you!”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Di.” Silver Spoon’s eyes were watery as she grabbed something out of her old desk and turned to rush off. “But you’re wrong about Sweetie. And if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure you never get the proof you need to destroy the club!” Silver Spoon ran from the room.
Diamond’s entire body slumped down and trembled visibly after she returned to her seat. She refused to show weakness. And yet, somehow, she had shown some vulnerability in front of Silver Spoon of all people. And she almost got Scarlet Scribe ousted before he even had the chance to get into tomorrow’s party.
Snarling in rage, she shoved the paper on her desk aside. She felt an overwhelming need to see her lucky charm at that moment. Pulling open the desk drawer – being editor had its perks – she reached in and slowly stroked the item she kept hidden there. Her eyes widened in delight as she felt all of her pain, sorrow, and frustration practically melt away. It strengthened her. It gave her focus. Though she couldn’t see them, faint wisps of green mist formed and glided from her fingers to the object within the desk.
Smiling contentedly, Diamond Tiara shut the drawer and rose to her feet. Feeling better than before, she held her head high, plucked her bag from beside the desk, and made her way to class. So what if her father proved that he failed to notice the expiration date on the donated snails for the school cafeteria. That was his problem and Diamond was confident he already had a scapegoat on hand to foist it off on.
As far as she was concerned, she had enough to deal with. Scarlet Scribe was going to get her the proof she needed tomorrow. The weeks of lost sleep would be a thing of the past as soon as she exposed the NLAC to the entire school. And to the parents, of course. One couldn’t forget the parents of the students who would, no doubt, be appalled and insist on expelling all three of the instigators who formed that stupid club.
After Diamond left the room, her desk lit up briefly with a very faint red glow, and the whispers of an alien world could almost be made out from within the drawer where she kept her special amulet.