Rising Shards

Caeda tried to stop the shaking in her hands as she waited backstage, looking out at the stage. Her classmates filling the seats, with no idea of what was about to happen.

Tene Tadjukes tipped her cowboy hat to the crowd after she finished a square dancing routine, jogging off stage to a good reception.

Before Caeda could go out next, Penteldtam took the stage once more. He had decided he was in charge of the whole shindig and had been offering his brand of entertainment between every other student’s performance.

”Alright, looks like there’s...” Penteldtam squinted at his clipboard. ”One more student going on this talent show! Hasn’t this been fantastic? Should I do another song? Ha ha, just kidding, you need something to look forward to for next time! So, anyways, without further ado, here’s...Caeda Firae! Do I know her? Don’t think I’ve met her. I try to meet all my students.”

Caeda patted her big poofy squirrel tail, then checked to make sure it didn’t look out of sorts. She took a deep breath, and walked forward.

The crowd didn’t cheer when she approached the microphone.

”Miss Caeda Firae,” Penteldtam said. ”You are performing...” More clipboard squinting. ”A spoken word performance-y deal? So a speech? Of some kind?”

”Yes,” Caeda said, then repeated it closer to the mic stand.

”You can just take this, hold on,” Penteldtam fidgeted with the mic, wrangling it off of the stand and handing it to Caeda, the feedback loud in the auditorium.

”Thanks,” Caeda said.

”It’s been kind of fussy today, if you want me to stay nearby to provide tech support I most certainly can!”

Caeda had seen plenty of Penteldtam’s attempts to offer ’tech support,’ from tangling and untangling the cord to shouting at the mic when it wasn’t working. Still, it would be best if he stayed nearby.

”Would you mind staying on stage?” Caeda asked. ”Just a few steps back is fine.”

”Golly, I sure can!” Penteldtam said.

”Thank you, sir,” Caeda said. It was finally time. ”Ever since I was little, I wanted to be someone important. I knew in my heart of hearts, that I would stand among the legends of the world. I thought when I got my fangs, and this tail, that it would finally be time. I was wrong. Each and every one of you didn’t recognize how important I could be, but that’s not your fault. After today, where I finally take the center stage, no one will be able to forget me.”

The audience was quiet. Some of them looked bored, others confused. Caeda used their disinterest to fuel her.

”A few months ago, I got in touch with a scientist. A really nice lady. She’s been helping me, and I’m so excited to finally show off the fruits of her hard work. Because through her experiments, a major breakthrough in Cani kind has occurred. To me, and to my new friends. Could I ask that my new friends join me?”

Some confused murmurs and chatter spread through the students. Only one approached at first, Chickadee Girliepop stretching as she sauntered to the stage. Then the bright helmet of P.D. signified her arrival as well.

”Would you two like to say anything, or shall we get this show on the road?” Caeda smiled, her heart racing.

P.D. declined to speak, but Chickadee asked for the microphone.

”Just want to say that it’s a relief that you’ll be able to see the real me,” Chickadee said. She handed the mic back to Caeda.

”Terrific,” Caeda said. She put the mic back on its stand. She gestured for Penteldtam to step forward.

”Is that all?” Penteldtam said, powerwalking back to the mic. ”That sure was...something! Not sure what...well, I did want to get a few more words in before we wrap up...”

As Penteldtam rambled on, Caeda nodded at Chickadee and P.D. The trio looked to the back of the stage.

A wisp of energy formed and began spinning around in an oval, sparkling and changing colors as it grew. The black emptiness within it remained still until five figures formed within it and stepped out, one by one.

Principal Penteldtam didn’t even notice, even as students leaned around to try and get a better look at the visitors.

First came a girl with sky blue hair, followed by another with shorter hair that looked to be her sibling. Then a girl with darker skin and emerald hair. Past her was a person with purple-ish hair and bright green eyes. Rounding out this group was a girl with red skin and glasses. Everyone in the group had horns and pointed tails.

”Um, guys?” Penteldtam said. ”It’s really rude to talk while your principal is telling you about the time everyone made fun of me for my collection of stamps with old men on them.”

With Caeda’s group assembled, it was time for the grand finale, and also the start of something much bigger. She reached into her tail, peeling off the frying pan she had taped to it and hidden.

”They were just stamps! You shouldn’t make fun of a guy with stamps!” Penteldtam said. ”That’s so rude! It stuck with me forever! It was like—”

Caeda clubbed Penteldtam as hard as she could in the back of his head with her pan.

The crack of metal against skull made a horrible noise, and the principal crumpled immediately. Shocked gasps and shouts came from the audience, but everyone was too stunned to make an immediate move.

Caeda’s friends closed in on Penteldtam, waiting a single beat before they started stomping on him.

Chickadee moved behind him, a shimmer of light over her as she shut off her illusion powers, showing her new self. Her skin red like the girl with glasses near her, and matching horns and tail to the others. Chickadee put a single foot on Penteldtam and rolled him off the stage.

The fall jostled Penteldtam awake, but he could barely move.

”Wh-what? You can’t...” Penteldtam groaned. ”You can’t hit the principal...”

”Actually, they can,”

Kitty Kilander approached now, her voice loud enough to carry even without a microphone. Penteldtam reached out to her for help, but she offered him none. Berin rushed over to his brother, looking on in stunned confusion.

”They can hit you because you’re not the principal anymore,” Kitty grinned. ”Sorry Penty!” She casually stepped over him and joined Caeda and the others on stage.

”Don’t try that on me, I’m on your side,” Kitty said. Caeda, Chickadee, and the others looked ready to strike but didn’t.

”I just got a call from the school board and the superintendent!” Kitty said. ”There are going to be some changes around this school, ones that have been a long time coming. First up, as you’ve just seen, our dear Principal Penteldtam’s term of duty is over. There’s some crap with the Taramin labs needing to do some testing on these lovely Cani y’see here and some others on the way. I’m sure they’ll explain it more but the gist is this. They’re really, really strong. Like me! And that strength needs to be honed, shaped, grown, all that jazz. And who better to manage the training of super strong Cani than a super strong and super famous and super amazing Cani like me? That’s right, effective immediately, your new principal is the sexy, stupendous, superfluous...whatever other word that starts with S! Kitty Kilander!”

About half the students were standing now, everyone still in various states of shock.

”So my little devils, I hate to not get the last word in, but I think this one is your moment, too,” Kitty said. ”Well, I’ll keep talking after this. So I guess I can let you have this one.”

Caeda proudly approached the front again, holding the microphone like it held all her hopes and dreams.

“This school is ours now,” she said.