Rising Shards

Anastasia groveled on the ground.

”Give her a minute, she’ll be fine,” Zoey said. ”She’s a devil, after all! And she kinda had it coming,” Zoey said. ”So how’s everyone doing tonight?”

The gears in my mind were turning, but the fear was keeping me in place as Zoey continued to speak. I didn’t even notice the rest of my class that ended up here with us, they were probably stunned as well that our dance turned into whatever this was. Well, maybe not, some stupid thing interrupted like everything we tried to do.

The other devils stepped ahead together, blasting shadowy energy at the wall on stage, but their attack couldn’t break the barrier.

”Ah, ah, ah, back away from the stage, I am talking now,” Zoey said. ”And I have a lot to say. We’ve been working on this for a long time now, and I’m not letting anything get in the way of this part.”

She strummed her fingertips on her microphone.

”I’ve been practicing this speech for so long, but now that I’m up here, I’m wondering where I should even start...” Zoey said. ”I guess with a hello. Hi, I’m Zoey Delta, and I’m the strongest person in the world. And you all are...? Heh, just kidding, I already know.”

There was a flash above the energy field Zoey cast around the stage. Aira was teleporting, trying to get in, but she kept bouncing off of the bubble-like dome.

”Yeah, that’s not gonna work,” Zoey said, not even flinching at this. ”Give me a few minutes, I promise we’ll get to the fighting, come on!” She tilted her head down, her smile menacing. ”I’ve been waiting too damn long to say all this, so no more interruptions, they’re not gonna work until I say so.”

She paced around the stage. Anastasia was still down, still rocked from getting hit with that pan, but she was moving at least.

”You’re probably wondering, hey, why’s this gorgeous lady putting us through this at our dance? I don’t know her! Well, you may not, but everyone here is here by design. It all starts with...you.” Zoey stomped on Anastasia’s back again, then leaned in close, her confident voice suddenly shaky with sheer hatred. ”You cast me aside, and now I’m going to burn everything you know down.”

Anastasia was still groggy, but I could read it on her face that she had no clue what Zoey was talking about. Zeta started moving around the stage, frantically looking for a way in to help her sister. I almost tried to stop her, because I could just feel it that this girl was a lot stronger than Zeta, but the last thing she wanted right now as to hear from me. So I just stood there like an idiot, incapable of doing anything, bitterly wondering if that was all I was good at.

”She’s incredibly talented at casting people aside,” Caeda said. ”I was supposed to be team leader of the devils, you know.”

”Well, isn’t that something?” Zoey said, brightening up again. She kind of reminded me of Kitty, except she actually felt like a threat. ”Oh, oh! Let me introduce my ’bandmates,’ yeah? First up is obviously Caeda, my right hand gal.”

Caeda waved excitedly. She always got...weird when she was in front of big crowds, like all the attention needed to be on her. She didn’t seem like the type to plan everything involved with the imps, so I guess this Zoey girl was the one in charge. How long had she been working on this, though?

”I couldn’t have done any of it without you,” Zoey said. ”Caeda’s been one of my sets of eyes on the ground, watching, analyzing, studying, all for this special day. And all the special days to come that we’re gonna share. Yep, ever since you all got on my radar, I’ve been watching you every step of the way. One cannot defeat her foes without research first. And my willing right hand, Caeda, has been invaluable. A wonderful, kind soul, and yet you all ignored her.”

Caeda waved again, like we were supposed to cheer for that. Like always, she got no applause.

”Next...” Zoey pointed at the other masked band member on stage. She took her mask off to reveal Chickadee, in maybe the least surprising unmasking ever. ”Chickadee...is also here! I’ve told her so many times so this is no insult, but she is truly too chaotic to predict, so I kinda let her do her own thing.”

”Why, thank you,” Chickadee said.

I cursed myself for not being able to stop her earlier. For Chickadee besting me by telling me she’d keep my secrets. If I wasn’t such an idiot I would have just told my friends. It really started to sink in that whatever was coming, it was all my fault.

”There are a few others...but they’re not on stage right now, so they’ll have to wait,” Zoey said. ”So, yes, team preparing for this...but what is this? Why you all? Well, I already told you it all starts with dear Anastasia here. Everything I’ve done is rooted in what she did to me. I’ve been connecting dots, line by line building a web that goes from her, and that web includes you all. That explain it?”

It didn’t explain much of anything, but she kept going anyways.

”As for what our beautiful new friendship will be, I need you all,” Zoey said. ”I’m the strongest in the world, yes. But we’re preparing for something stronger, right? They gave you that whole spiel about the devils needing to be strong. I heard that and thought...not that group. Well, Caeda and Chickadee yes, but Taramin Labs pinning their hopes on their little devil power-up project on Anastasia Kathron? No. I refuse. So I’m cutting in line, and doing what they couldn’t. It’s why I started with Caeda’s Frying Pan of Betrayal. Repeat of the devil debut, yeah, but I’m going to do this right unlike them. You will all be like those rocks they use to sharpen knives. Cuz this knife needs to get a lot sharper. Congratulations on being my new playthings. I get to grow stronger and stronger, and you get to be systematically destroyed by me on a regular basis. Won’t that be fun?”

”So you’re just ripping off the devils’ plans and you wanna try and kick our asses to get stronger,” I said, finally finding my voice, shouting out loud enough for her to hear it. ”I don’t give a damn why you all want to get stronger, so drop the energy wall and let’s just do this already.”

My hands shook as I clenched my fists, partially anger, partially fear.

”Ohhh, Kalei Koridia, is that you?” A chill ran down my spine as Zoey’s tone changed, something confident, but dripping with that same malice she said to Ana. I never met this chick before, so if she tried to say I ruined her life or something I wouldn’t let myself get shaken by it.

”You’re gonna be a problem, I can just tell,” she laughed heartily as she pointed at me. ”You’re the strongest one here, so I’ve had to really think to figure out how to really take care of you. Luckily, you’d been setting up the dominoes for your own downfall with your cowardice.”