Rising Shards

I was feeling better right as we made the jump to the void for our camping trip. Again, I was telling myself that at least. I wasn’t feeling as sleepy as I was earlier in the week, but I was...kinda sweaty?

I blamed it on the heat. We went from brisk not-quite-spring weather at home to kind-of-summer-but-in-another-dimension weather.

We were just meeting on the usual nature park looking place we generally stopped at first, the one with the big field of flowers, some forest-y parts.

This didn’t sound incredibly exciting on paper. Just the usual place we always went to, but we’d be spending the night there. Yawn.

”How are you feeling, Zates?” I said. ”Surprised you’re not a wreck right now, not gonna lie.”

When in doubt, roast Zeta or Oka, that usually makes me feel better.

”Ha ha,” Zeta said. ”I have a bit of the ol’ jitters, but I’m cool.”

”Right on,”

Kitty brought us to one of the trails, megaphone in hand.

”Attention students! Welcome to the camping trip sponsored by Brambler! Today, you are going to follow this here trail, walk a little bit to our campsite, and then we’re gonna get our little ol’ power challenge to see how strong our new devilish devils really are! Don’t worry, I’m sure some of you won’t lose completely embarrassingly.” She made that weird honking noise she always did, was that laughter? ”And for those who do, you can have your stupid camp time after, a night in tents and crap provided by Brambler. Make some s’mores. Whatever. And if Brambler sends you a survey on how I did, make sure to check that I was ’stunning’ on everything, OK?”

So was she doing anything for the other classes or was she just gonna follow us around? I wondered if the other grades would get their own principals with Kitty’s laser focus on us and Caya’s focus on trying to lessen the dumbassery Kitty was putting us through. Speaking of, why wasn’t she shutting Kitty up? Caya pretty much just glared at her as Kitty rambled on and on about Brambler Travel Co., who provided the backpacks we had with our camping equipment in it. We eventually just started walking and tuned her out, taking in nature and chatting.

I had been on this trail a bit. Sometimes we’d fight monsters on this path, sometimes we’d just be analyzing plants or rocks or whatever. The trees were all barren at the start of the trail, with beige grass and bushes looking like they could use some rain. Things got gradually greener the further we walked, with some purple and bluish plants, too. Our gear made sounds with each step, our bloodsabers in their hilts clanging around, and our Brambler backpacks (which were really nice, I hoped we’d get to keep em even if Oka did make some good points about yet another sponsor for our school being gross).

”Are we seriously gonna have to walk like twelve miles lugging all this junk around, and then we do our fight?” Iris asked. ”I knew we were getting our asses kicked by the devils, but it’s gonna be a blowout if I’m this tired.”

”Zates, you can’t be complaining already,” I said.

”Uh...that wasn’t me,” Zeta said.

”Oh, damn,” I said. ”Usually you’re the one getting into anxious whining mode.”

”I know but I’m trying to be cool and relatable this time!” Zeta said.

”Can we not describe it as ’anxious whining’?” Oka chimed in.

”Do we even sound alike?” Iris asked. ”We definitely don’t look alike.”

”I...I’m just sleepy, sorry,” I said, not really having a good excuse. ”It’s making me a bit crabby. And...not observant.”

”Well, cool and relatable Zeta Faleur isn’t gonna get mad at you for being crabby, nor will I for your lack of observational skills,” Zeta said.

Zeta put some sunglasses on, trying very hard to look cool and relatable. I tried very hard not to laugh.

”Did they hear that?” Zeta asked.

”Hear what?” I asked. ”And who?”

Zeta nodded ahead. The devils, with Caeda, P.D., and Chickadee with them, were near the front of our class. Zates hadn’t had much luck with her ’befriend the ones that aren’t Caeda, P.D., or Chickadee’ plan, mainly due to most of our class always wanting to talk to the newbies just as she barely managed to work up the courage to. Right now seemed to be the same, with half the class ignoring Kitty and trying to talk to the cool new folks who beat up the principal and got away with it.

If they knew what I got up to, would I be getting that kind of attention?

Frustratingly, I didn’t get on the news like Aira and Syval did for their Tokickaman heroics. Maybe a side effect of going out in a void storm to a street nobody was at, but I hoped I’d at least get a meme. If I got my new Downside self out there, would I be the new hotness? It’d be kind of cool. I know I told myself I wasn’t doing it for fame or adulation, but some fame and adulation would be pretty sick.

”Hm?” I felt something at my lower back. I thought someone was just jabbing me right above my ass, but there wasn’t anyone right behind me. I instinctively reached back and for a split second I swore I felt something...fuzzy? But when I looked, everything looked normal. Fortunately, nobody saw me do that.

”Hey, Kalei,” Marmalade fidgeted with the cap she had on, a crooked grin on her face. Something about that image with the backdrop of forest was a nice one, good enough to snap me out of worrying about whatever that was.

”What’s up?” I asked.

”When we get to the campsite, you wanna share a tent?” Marmalade laughed, it started sounding a bit forced like she was trying to make a normal question into a joke.

”I wouldn’t be opposed,” I said. ”We’re probably gonna be sorted into our tents by roommates anyway, but yeah.” I winked. I dunno why. ”Something to look forward to.”

Marmalade did that forced laugh again, then played with her cap more. It really would be nice to have something to look forward to on this dumb trip, and a night with Marmalade sounded like just the thing.