Rising Shards

Amara winced as another volley of laser blasts had been deflected by Caeda’s power.

It was a stalemate. It shouldn’t have been. Amara knew she was stronger than this girl. She’d known her powers and was able to use them maybe a decade before this girl had her fangs come in. But every attack she attempted to land was blocked, and she hated to admit it, blocked easily. She wouldn’t give up, but neither would this girl.

”I think it might be best to call it here,” Caeda said. ”We don’t want to be here all day!”

”I have plenty of time,” Amara said, but her ragged breaths said otherwise. Even her powers were feeling weaker, her lasers fainter with each shot. She needed time to recharge.

If I hadn’t already started practicing when she showed up, maybe I would have won by now.

”I’d be down for a rematch when we’re ready,” Caeda said. ”Seems like we’ll need one.”

”Apparently,” Amara said.

Amara decided that Caeda went on her enemies list, along with most of the faculty and some of the students at Wildfire Hearts, Chumbler, Z.O.K., Latte Bein, the Haven weather broadcast system, and anyone else who threatened Rain and KJ. This girl was annoying in personality and infuriating with her abilities. Amara had failed her gambit in trying to get Caeda to leave her alone as well, as the lilac tailed girl sat down cross legged beside her as Amara caught her breath.

”Oof, that’s cold,” Caeda said.

”What is your power exactly?” Amara asked.

Each time Amara tried to attack Caeda, rectangular prisms rose up from the ground. Most made out of the basic energy all Cani could conjure, others made out of material she pulled from the earth. Some had a side open so when Amara fired, her blasts just ricocheted around in Caeda’s conjured boxes.

Caeda just smiled. She snapped her fingers, and another conjured prism lifted her up of the ground. She sat smirking, looking down on Amara for a moment before bringing herself back down.

”My power lifts me up,” Caeda smiled. ”Elevates things. So far I can only make those boxes, but that’s alright. I could call it elevator conjuring, huh?”

”That would be an incredibly silly name,” Amara said.

”I’m not sure how else to describe it,” Caeda said.

”Hm,” Amara said.

”Can I tell you something kind of important?” Caeda asked.

”What is it?” Amara asked.

”Something is coming very soon, and I’ll be at the center of it,” Caeda said. ”No one will be able to ignore me after this.”

That sounded incredibly ominous. Amara would likely be reporting this to a prefect and then again to faculty soon after.

”That sounds...a bit terrifying, Caeda,” Amara said.

”It isn’t, sorry!” Caeda said. ”It’s just, all my life I feel like I was supposed to do something important. And now I have a shot. It’ll be really cool, nothing scary, I promise!”

”You sure talk a lot,” Amara said.

”I like talking, sue me!” Caeda said. ”It’s just...hm?”

Caeda tilted her head as she looked past Amara. There was a woman standing a bit further down the beach.

Almost a ghostly figure, her long coat flowed in the wind. Her features were somewhat hidden by her beret and large sunglasses, but Amara could see that she had short, blonde hair.

”Sorry, I have to go,” Caeda said, taking off.

Amara knew she could let this go. Assume Caeda was just being strange, and this woman wasn’t an issue, and she should just let it go and be grateful the awkwardness had passed. But her gut told her that if she did nothing, she’d regret it. She got up and followed Caeda.