“Silver Rose, do ease up on the gas,” her home economics teacher, Mrs. Full Pot, said, swooping beside her and turning the stove dial down. “You don’t want to be the next student to cause a school explosion.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Pot,” she scratched at her head. “I’ll try next time.”
“Yes, please do,” her teacher put her arms behind her back and moved off. “Now, when you’re done, please add your butter.”
Silver got back to examining the portable stove before her when she heard a slight whisper, coming from two tables down.
“If it’s one thing, Silver Rose stinks at cooking,” Sugarcoat told Sunny Flare, who was one stove down. “Just imagine if the gas had gotten everywhere.”
“I wish,” Sunny scoffed. “That would get rid of her.”
Silver clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, but she resisted the urge to flip the stove off her table.
“Woah, calm down,” Jet Set, the boy next to her raised both palms up. “It’s a simple task. No need to get so worked up.”
He’s right, Silver thought, taking a deep breath. A changeling must be above reproach, if one is to successfully hunt.
Jet Set watched her from the left, unamused. “You are this unfamiliar with cooking, Silver Rose?”
“Umm… Well…” she rubbed the back of a hand.
“I suppose being in a rich family with people to care for you would mean that you don’t do much cooking, do you?”
“Ehehe, you could say that…” Silver looked away as her cheeks turned red.
“Hmm…” Jet Set pulled off his glasses and wiped them with his blazer sleeve, which he hung over his shoulders. “Do not fret, I am the same way, as are many of the students here, did you know that?”
Silver shook her head no.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn how to cook, right? I mean, one day we’ll be out on our own. Parents can’t take care of us forever, you know?”
“I suppose not…” Silver agreed, though for her case, it was the other way around. She wasn’t going to be around forever for her mother to protect, seeing as she was just half-changeling. “So, you’re taking this class to be more independent, Jet Set?”
Silver finally managed to get the fire going. She placed a stick of butter on her pan and spread it around, watching as the fire made it sizzle.
“Me? You could say that…” Jet Set looked around before leaning in closer. “You see, I’m doing this so I can impress someone.”
Silver Rose felt a strand of love leave the dark haired boy and float around her. The love wasn’t being directed to her, but it tasted nice.
“Impress someone?” Silver smiled and tried to find where the love strand was going. “So who’s this someone?”
“Well, you seem nice enough, but please, don’t tell anyone else, at least not yet.”
“Sure. I promise,” Silver lifted a hand as she reached for an egg in a green basket between their stoves.
Jet Set meekly pointed a thumb to the back, where a girl with white and purple hair was standing, already busy with frying her egg.
“Who’s she?” Silver asked as she placed a hand over the stove. It didn’t feel hot, but then that might just have been because she was heatproof.
“That’s Upper Crust,” Jet Set smiled, but quickly looked away when she looked up from her work. “Phew… She’s absolutely gorgeous, don’t you agree?”
“By the looks of it, you haven’t tried talking to her, have you? At least, about your feelings? I mean, if you want her to notice you…”
“Oh, I’ve tried,” the boy sighed as he began his egg-frying process. “I mean, we’re friends and all, but I just can’t seem to tell her how I feel about her.”
“How are your grades? Maybe she’ll be impressed by that? I know that’s kind of a thing here at CPA.”
“Psssh, grades?” Jet Set waved a hand dismissively. “She has me beaten on that, I’m afraid.”
“Well, you should try, nonetheless. You’ll get nowhere if you don’t… Hmm...” Silver thought as she cracked her egg into her pan. She still couldn’t tell if it was hot enough, so she picked out a thermometer from the rack and stuck it in. It read three hundred degrees. “Hey, do you know if three hundred degrees is hot enough to cook an egg?”
“Three hundred?” Jet Set’s glasses almost fell off his nose. He reached to Silver’s side and turned down the dial for the heat. “That’s way too- ouch!” he drew back his arm, accidentally touching it to the heated pan. “Hot! You-you could’ve burnt yourself badly with that level of heat.”
Yeah, I don’t think so, Silver thought, but out loud, she smiled and patted Jet Set’s arm. “Thanks for the warning. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Just then, Upper Crust and her partner had come over, looking at Jet Set’s arm. “Jet Set, are you okay? You burnt yourself.”
“Yeah,” the other girl, who had purple curly hair, said. “To think that you’re one of the more careful students.”
The boy suddenly stood straight and pushed his specs back up, hiding his burnt arm behind his back. From his expression, Silver could tell he was trying very hard to keep it from showing. “Upper Crust! Suri! Umm… uh, this is nothing, I-I’ve had worse.”
The one called Suri didn’t seem remotely interested, but Upper Crust seemed very concerned, pulling out the boy’s arm from behind his back to have a closer look.
Silver smiled to herself. This might be a lot easier than she had first thought it’d be.
Mrs. Pot, hearing the commotion, came over and saw Jet Set’s now red arm. “Mr. Set, what did I say about safety? Never put your appendages close to the fire.”
“I apologize, Mrs. Pot,” the bespectacled boy rubbed his arm, then quickly removed it, likely because it was a bad idea. “I was just… I was just careless. It will not happen again.”
“No, Mrs. Pot, it’s not his fault,” Silver spoke up. “I had turned my stove temperature too high and Jet Set was just trying to help me turn it back down for safety reasons.”
“Hmm… then you are the one I should be lecturing, Ms. Rose,” her teacher clucked her tongue. “Please, do ensure you do not endanger your fellow classmates in the future.”
Silver nodded and looked at Jet Set’s arm. “Yes, Mrs. Pot. I’ll be more careful.”
The teacher nodded her head and turned to walk back to the front of the class.
Silver heard a few snickers from the front, but she couldn’t blame them.
“I’m sorry, Jet Set,” Silver rubbed at her head. “I didn’t know about the correct temperature. Maybe I can get something from the infirmary for you?”
“There’s no need, Silver Rose,” Jet Set raised his good hand. “I shall go after class. I can manage.”
Silver nodded, then grinned as an idea formed in her mind. “Umm… Upper Crust, maybe you’d like to accompany him? To make sure he’s okay?”
“Well, I… I suppose I could…” Upper Crust said, half to herself. “Yes. I think I will.”
Jet Set looked incredibly nervous, but didn’t say anything to refuse her help. Silver gave him a wink and a thumbs up, before getting back to her cooking. To her dismay, the egg on the pan had turned black.
“Oh, come on…”
Silver Rose tried her best to listen carefully in calculus class, but most of the equations still eluded her mind. She knew she was never good with numbers, which made her question her choice to pick calculus as one of her subjects.
When the bell finally rang, Silver’s heart skipped a beat, glad to be done for the day.
“You seem to be struggling, Silver Rose,” Sound Wave said as he slipped his blue headphones on.
“I’ve never been good at math equations,” the pink haired girl wiped a hand down her face. “It’s like they were made just to torture you.”
“Can’t argue with you there,” Sound Wave replied, flipping through his phone, looking for some music to listen to. “Well, you seem to be adjusting well. Has everything been solid?”
“Not as I would like,” Silver contemplated the question. “Sunny Flare, she’s been giving me some trouble. She seems to hate me.”
Sound Wave shrugged and shoved his phone into his pocket. “Sunny Flare has a problem with just about everyone, Silver Rose. She has a problem with playing nice.”
“Yeah, the other Shadowbolts seem okay. Well, most of them. Lemon Zest seems to be the nicest of the lot.”
“Oh, Lemon? Yup, she’s a fun one,” Sound Wave tapped on his headphones. “She helps me out with the music sometimes. She really likes to rock it out, though… some of her music choices are questionable.”
“Questionable?” Silver didn’t understand. “How so? Not rock enough for you?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain to non-musical folks. But let’s just say Lemon and I agree to disagree on what exactly ‘music’ is.”
“Umm… If you say so, Sound Wave,” Silver shrugged. “But she’s an easy one to be around, huh? She looks like she’s always happy.”
“That’s because she probably is. She likes to do what she likes to do, though, when she wants to. That could be a problem at times, but that’s just who Lemon Zest is.”
“Sounds easy enough to get her on my side…” Silver grinned to herself.
“What was that?” Sound Wave lifted one side of his headphones from his ear.
“Oh, nothing!” Silver turned back to him. “Since class is up, I’ve gotta go find someone. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Sound Wave!”
Silver Rose waved goodbye and picked up her backpack, leaving the classroom in search of Jet Set. She stopped for a second at the row of lockers outside her math class and closed her eyes, focusing on her smell.
She recalled Jet Set’s scent from home ec class and she hoped he hadn’t left school yet. She wanted to know how his progress was with Upper Crust.
Silver eventually found the boy drinking from a water fountain, his school bag hoisted over one shoulder.
“Jet Set!” she tapped on his shoulder and waited for him to turn around.
The grey-skinned boy straightened up and readjusted his glasses. “Oh, hello, Silver Rose. I’m feeling much better, don’t you worry.” He lifted his arm for her to see, which had a long white dressing over the burnt area.
“I knew you were going to be fine. What I wanted to know was…” Silver made sure no one else could hear her. “How did it go with Upper Crust?”
The boy let out a big sigh. “I apologize, Silver Rose, I know you tried your best to help me, but I failed to get anywhere in our relationship. We talked, but about class and getting burnt. I did want to tell her, about my feelings, but… I guess I couldn’t muster the courage to do so.”
Silver tried not to feel too put out by this turn of events.
“What do you mean, couldn’t muster the courage to do so? How hard can it be?”
Jet Set looked around the hall and scratched his cheek. “Now that you put it that way, I don’t see why I couldn’t do it. We talked like good friends do, but in the end, those words still didn’t leave my mouth.”
“Humans…” Silver whispered in frustration.
“Huh?” Jet Set looked at Silver in confusion.
Silver Rose sighed. “Nothing. But in all honesty, you’ve got to work up the courage to tell her sometime, or you’ll be tormenting yourself whenever you see Upper Crust.”
Silver smelt a tinge of fear from the bespectacled boy and it didn’t particularly taste good.
“I know, I know… Perhaps… Perhaps you can help me out? That is-that is if you don’t mind. With the words, I mean.”
“What, you want me to draft an entire speech for confessing to Upper Crust?”
Jet Set blushed slightly. “It-it doesn’t have to be a whole speech… does it?”
Silver sighed and clapped Jet Set on the shoulders. “Jet Set, all you have to do is just… maybe forget telling her how you feel. Why don’t you just ask her out? Simple. Something like, ‘Hey, Upper Crust, you want to hang out? Just the two of us?’ Right? Think you can manage that?”
“Well…” Jet Set pushed up his spectacles. “That does sound awfully easy, doesn’t it, Silver Rose?”
“Because it is. Now come, let’s see if we can’t find Upper Crust. Follow me.”
“Are you sure she hasn’t gone home yet?” Jet Set asked as they went along the polished crystalline corridors.
“Pretty sure.”
The truth was the Silver could easily pick out Upper Crust’s scent and was following it with her nose, just like how she had found him, but she wasn’t about to let this boy figure her out. A few more deliberate wrong turns later, the pair found themselves outside the girls’ locker room.
“Hmm. She must have gym as the last period...” Silver observed.
“Oh, I had forgotten,” Jet Set shook his head. “She has soccer practice today. She must be getting ready for that. We have gym second period. What should we do?”
“Well, unless you want us to march in there, I suppose we don’t have any choice but to wait until she comes out,” Silver flicked a piece of lint off her school blazer.
“Fair point,” Jet Set leaned against the wall next to the locker room door and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Thank you, Silver Rose. I’ve never told anyone how I feel about Upper Crust, but… you seem nice enough, and you certainly are. Thank you for doing this for me.”
Silver found the trail of gratitude and inhaled deeply, smiling at the taste. “Oh, why not, you know?”
After a few more minutes, Silver could hear the increasing sound of footsteps before the locker room doors were pushed open, with Indigo Zap leading the group, likely going to the field.
Silver nudged Jet Set, who was busy watching the soccer team hit the field.
“Think she looks good in a soccer uniform, hmm?” she teased.
“Hmm?” Jet Set partially turned towards Silver, keeping his eyes on the team, looking out for Upper Crust. “Umm… probably… S-She looks good in anything, really.”
Silver watched the other girls leave, finally spotting Upper Crust at the rear, talking to Suri from before. She felt a surge of love from Jet Set, directed towards the purple and white haired girl.
“There she is,” she nudged Jet Set again. “What are you waiting for?”
The grey-skinned boy gulped. “What, in front of the whole t-team?”
Silver Rose shrugged. “Well, maybe you can get her alone. If not, you could always wait until practice is over?”
“Un-until then?” Jet Set pulled at his collar. “Well… I don’t know… I don’t have anything to do besides homework, but what about yourself, Silver Rose? Surely you have better things to do after school?”
“Hmm…” Silver rubbed at her chin. “That I do… Maybe we can do it like this instead…” The mauve-skinned girl cleared her throat. “Hey, Upper Crust!”
She startled Jet Set, but Upper Crust turned around and saw them, waving to Jet Set. The rest of the soccer team didn’t seem particularly happy that they were interrupted. “Yes?”
“Jet Set needs to tell you something,” Silver grinned at the corner of her mouth.
“Umm… okay.” She turned to her team and waved for them to go on. “I’ll catch up with you girls on the field.”
“If you say so,” Indigo shrugged. “Just don’t blame me if you miss out on some important training.”
After the rest of the girls had cleared off, Silver retreated back a step and gently pushed Jet Set forward. “Go on.”
“You need something, Jet?” Upper Crust smiled and stepped closer.
“Er… well… I…” Jet Set stammered. Silver gave him a nudge in the back. “I was wondering if… you’d like to hang out sometime?” he squeezed out.
Upper Crust squinted at Jet Set, then at Silver Rose who was nodding encouragingly.
“Are… are you asking me out?”
Jet Set squirmed and pulled the sleeves of his blazer, his cheeks glowing ever brighter. “Well, n-no, I mean yes… I mean… maybe. Yeah.”
That works… I hope, Silver thought to herself. She didn’t know why humans found it so hard to convey their feelings. It didn’t look all that difficult. Then again, she had yet to find someone worthy of her affection anyway, family members notwithstanding.
“You are!” Upper Crust’s smile widened. “Yes, Jet. I’ll-I’ll go out with you. I’ve wanted to since middle school, but… you’ve never asked.”
I knew it! Silver cheered for her deductive skills.
“W-What, really?” Jet Set’s eyes grew.
“Really. Here’s my number,” Upper Crust scrawled out her number on a sticky note and passed it to Jet Set. “Call me after practice is over, and we’ll decide on a time and a place. Okay?”
Jet Set’s face was set in a grin of honest joy as he accepted the note. “A-Alright.”
With one last wave, Upper Crust ran off to join her team, leaving Jet Set and Silver Rose looking at the sticky note.
“That wasn’t hard was it?” Silver patted him on the back. “Good work. Now you’ll not regret a thing.”
“I… I… I don’t know how to thank you, Silver Rose,” the boy could barely contain his excitement. “Th-this is… this is… wow… you have my greatest gratitude.”
“Hmm, yes. I know,” Silver said dreamily, finding Jet Set’s gratitude and pulling it in. It tasted so good compared to the general stuffiness of Crystal Prep that the inside of her mouth began to salivate just from the sweet flavor.
“I’ll never forget what you did for me,” Jet Set took her hand and shook it vigorously.
I’m sure you won’t. Silver thought smugly to herself. “I’m glad you’ve finally expressed your feelings, but I’ve got to run, Jet Set. My driver’s probably been waiting for me for a while.”
“As you must, Silver Rose,” Jet Set let go of her hand. “Thank you so much. Know that when you need help, I shall do my best to aid you.”
“Where have you been!?” Ebony Wings yelled at her daughter as soon as she walked through the front doors. Silver’s mother seemed to be in full attack mode, with her fangs extended and each finger hooked, ready to unsheathe a claw.
Silver reflexively took a step back, wincing at the abuse her ears were receiving.
“Do you know how worried I was?” Ebony continued her tirade. “You’re half an hour late! Half an hour! What were you doing?”
“Half an hour is nothing, sister,” Psithyra said from a chair by the side. By the looks of it, she had been waiting for Silver too.
Ebony lifted a hand to silence her sister. “Speak, Silver! Where were you?”
“I was… I was helping a friend, back at school,” Silver explained.
Ebony Wings’ face seemed to freeze, then settle into a less furious expression, though her fingers remained hooked and her fangs stayed out. “Go on.”
“H-He needed help, um, asking a girl out,” Silver continued with as steady of a voice she could utter.
“This girl wasn’t you, was it?” Psithyra added, her own fangs glinting in the afternoon sun.
“No, Aunt Psithyra,” Silver shook her head. “Another girl, her name is Upper Crust.”
“Well, that’s all right then,” Psithyra said brightly, her fangs retracting back up.
“No, it is not bloody well all right,” Ebony groused. “Half an hour, Silver. Do you know how much damage a changeling can do in half an hour? You could have called.”
“I’m sorry, mother…”
“No, don’t be Silver,” Psithyra lifted a hand. “She had a good reason, Ebony. She was helping a friend. She’s learning to hunt. That’s exactly what we wanted her to learn. Isn’t it, sister?”
“I-I-I…” Ebony’s fingers slowly uncurled, and her fangs retracted back into her mouth. “You win this time, sister. Now why don’t we forget this unpleasantness and go wash up for dinner. Since you came back late and all.”
“It’s still three hours to dinner,” Psithyra mentioned.
“Whatever.”
Ebony Wings swept up the skirts of her dress and marched off further into the house, nose held high.
Once she was sure that Ebony Wings was out of earshot, Psithyra gestured for Silver Rose to come closer.
“You really should have called,” the older changeling said quietly. “Your mother gets remarkably high strung when things don’t go according to her plans. Especially when it comes to you.”
“I’m sorry, Aunt Psithyra. I guess… I forgot about the time.”
“Well, just try not to let it happen again. Your mother’s going to wear out the carpet with all the pacing she does these days. Now, on a nicer note, I was browsing CPA’s website earlier and I found some after school activities, or clubs, you might be interested in. There’s journalism, motocross, fencing, even speed skating. How do any of those sound?”
“I’m allowed?” Silver asked incredulously. She didn’t want to risk having her mother blow up like that again for coming home late.
“It’ll give you more opportunities to make some friends, and by extension, improve your hunting prowess. That’s something your mother can’t disagree with,” Psithyra said with a cunning gleam in her eye.
“Thanks for always looking out for me like that, Aunt Psithyra!” Silver softly embraced the wounded changeling. “You’re just the best aunt anyone could have.”
“Hmm. Almost there,” Psithyra muttered with an undertone of glee.
“You’re almost healed, Aunt Psithyra?”
“Not quite,” the older changeling said, index finger raised. “I’ve almost got enough energy to transform, properly this time, and that will heal me much faster than bedrest and soup. Have you ever seen a changeling transform before? It’s quite a sight.”
“I haven’t had the chance, no,” Silver shook her head.
“Maybe I’ll show you, my sweet niece,” Psithyra held Silver’s hand. “That is, if you’re around for it.”