Rising Shards

As we pulled up in the very vast parking lot at ColaBLU World, nestled in one of the suburbs of Litus Empirica that didn’t take too terribly long to get to, I tried to think of the last time I even got to enjoy a theme park.

I had been a few times chaperoning field trips for class, but we only got to go on one ride per trip, and even that I sometimes didn’t end up doing, whether I missed out on the ride I wanted to get on, or my coworkers unanimously decided I’d be too much of a weenie to go on the Monster Coaster Deluxe 3 so I had to sit at the bench.

I wasn’t sure how this group would be, but I assumed it’d go better? I mean, my girlfriend was there and she defended me, so maybe this time I’d really get to ride that dang death-defying looping dealie.

Kitty, Caya, Berin, and Reit Kilander were along as well, so that was kind of weird.

When we got our tickets, we passed through the gate and passed by someone in a ColaBLU mascot suit getting pictures with a family. Kitty decided to go up to the family for some reason.

”Want a picture with me?” Kitty asked, waving her hands around. ”Huh? Do ya? Come on, Kitty Kilander right here!”

The kids shook their heads in unison as their parents gently but quickly guided them away from her.

Kitty scoffed as Pippi and I approached, the rest of the Kilanders either ignoring that or too embarrassed to acknowledge it.

”I swear, it is like everybody forgot about me,” Kitty said.

”It might be more you approaching a family asking if they wanted to take your picture,” I said. ”A lesson I learned the hard way at that beam chasers game.”

”Kay, you can’t just leave it there or people are gonna think you’re creepier than you are,” Kitty said.

”Alix isn’t creepy,” Pippi said, quickly coming to my defense. ”She just...says the first thing on her mind a lot.”

”I’m not saying she is! I’m like...I’m just saying!” Kitty crossed her arms. ”Trying to...protect her from her own idiocy or whatever.”

”Ah,” Pippi said. ”Well, that’s kinda sweet.”

”It’s not sweet, I’m just saying! I got all embarrassed about that family, so I jumped on what Corinani was saying, but also in a like ’seriously don’t do this, you’re gonna sound weird and you are weird, but you’re not that weird.’ Or like, good weird! Or like...tolerable weird, I don’t wanna say Corinani is like good or anything.”

”The more you talk, the cuter it gets, honestly,” Pippi said.

”Oh, whatever,” Kitty said.

I wasn’t really sure what to say. Kitty wasn’t really being nice, but she also kinda was? Pippi just winked at me.

Kitty pretended none of that happened when we reunited with the others.

”Isn’t it weird that nobody recognizes us already?” Kitty asked. ”Nobody recognizes me? Am I cursed? Are we cursed?”

”Maybe it’s a good thing?” Berin said, with the body language of someone already regretting inviting someone else along, I knew that look well.

”For you maybe,” Kitty said. She turned to Pippi and I and pointed at us. ”And listen, before you two start arguing, I know I was just talking about the fame thing and how there are pros and cons to not being famous anymore and comparing it to my current job. I know!”

”Wow,” Berin said.

”What?” Kitty snapped back.

”You haven’t even talked about much of any of that with us yet,” Berin said.

”Yeah, well, you’re a dork, shut up,” Kitty said. She rolled her eyes at me. ”Let’s just get on a ride already!”

I was one for rolling with the punches the best I could, but I had to admit I was barely able to keep up with Kitty acting like this. I mean, Pippi’s awesome enough that maybe she broke through Kitty’s defenses that easily, that was entirely possible. But it was still surprising to see it in action if that was the case.