Author's Note: It's a short chapter, but it gets the point across and cures me of incredible writer's block I have been experiencing with Legacy of Light.
Chapter Nine: Breakfast Club
The next morning, Story awoke earlier than the others, slipped on a sweatskirt and fluffy blue hoodie, and got bored.
It was 6 AM. Classes weren't until 7:30, so normally she would roll out of bed at 7, throw on some random outfit, and grab a granola bar. Today, she scribbled a note (using her powers, naturally) to Morgan and Grace, letting the couple know she'd be at breakfast if they wanted to meet her there.
When she entered the grand dining hall, about seven students were scattered at four main tables. Most girls were either still sleeping, or had opted for a bagel in their dorm. One blue-haired fairy was twirling her fork in a plate of eggs and saying, "Seriously? I could make better scrambled than this!"
Which would have been normal, except that the fairy next to her commented, "That's because you're the fairy of domestic arts, Tzatziki."
Story took a stack of pancakes and sat down, chewing slowly. She managed to finish by the time Morgan and Grace sat down across from her, holding hands discreetly. "Morning," Morgan said sleepily as she placed down a plate of waffles with her free hand.
Grace smiled, looking much more awake than her girlfriend. "How did you sleep, Story?"
"Decently." Story had had a relatively bad dream- no nightmare status, she hadn't woke up screaming. But she could vaguely remember her dream-self ripping at her own earlobes, mutilating them. Until a voice called for her to stop. She shivered a little. Luckily, she wasn't good at remembering dreams, and the disturbing images were fading fast. "And you?" she prompted.
"Fine. I'm still a little tired from last night, though." She yawned, emphasizing her words.
Story grabbed a quick glass of orange juice and sipped at it as the other two ate in silence. When Morgan got some waffles and coffee into her system, she asked, "So, we have a plan for sneaking into Cloud Tower?"
"Yes, and the plan is not yet," Grace said. "We're waiting for a new moon… when witches are least powerful… and it's first quarter now."
"Good plan," Story noted. "I wouldn't get caught dead in Cloud Tower during any other phase. Although, come to think of it, I probably would. Get caught. And then be dead."
"Very eloquent, Miss Fairy of Words," a voice from behind Story joked. The fumbling fairy turned to see Lara, her black hair tied with multicolored ribbons, and a sarcastic smile playing on her face. She slid into the chair nest to Story. "Relatively decent morning, everyone."
"Relatively decent morning to you as well," said Morgan. "We were just discussing our criminal tendencies. Do you have anything else, Grace?"
"Well… we're going to need to harness everybody's skills. First, I'm going to act as a 'friendly' data entity and try to break into CT's magitechnical defense systems. That should stop anything that isn't alive… but Morgan is going to have to cause a distraction somewhere on campus. Do witches still have black cats?"
"Even if they did, I can't help you there. Fairy of WILD animals only. Sorry." Morgan brightened. "But maybe I could summon Brandhilie and Chelsa, lead any witches on a wild wolf chase until we're off campus. Bonus points because who's gonna suspect that a fairy would send wolves out to do her dirty deeds?"
Grace shivered. "Keep them away from me and I'm all for it. Now Lara, I don't know the extent of your powers, but I think you're gonna be our way in if you can handle it. Have any plants that can crush stone?"
A smile crept onto Lara's face like vine creeping on a building… which, by chance, was exactly what she was thinking of. "I don't know, but Dragon, it'll be fun to find out."
There was a pause before Story cleared her throat. "Um, what do I do?"
Grace "hmmm"ed. "Well, like with Lara, I don't know what you can do, besides go all transformy-like. I love your wings, by the way. They're gorgeous. But with Lara, she's got a common power, where I have never ever seen a fairy of words before. I don't know what you could do."
Story took off her locket and set it on the table. Her three friends looked confused… what did jewelry have to do with power? "Levitate," she said, and the locket obeyed.
The group looked rather unimpressed. Levitating wasn't that hot of a trick once you were sixteen, but Story smiled. "Spin," she said, and the locket turned around quickly, over and over again like a heart-shaped top. "Flash." The locket became a miniature disco ball, lights playing off it and reflecting on the girls' faces. "Grow." And it was a normal disco ball. Girls from all over the room put down their forks and spoons, staring at the flashy display.
Story grinned as her power rushed through her. "Aaaaannnd, revert."
The locket clanged on the table, normal sized and looking like nothing out of the ordinary. The hall had a moment of complete silence before chatter started up again. She could hear some people being excited… freshman wondering how to do that. The upperclassmen seemed to be less happy, more than one muttering something about "freaks."
Lara's eyes were wide with appreciation. "That was some wicked cool magic. So, your power is casting spells without going through the whole process? Just, like, one word instead?"
Story looked down modestly. "Yeah," she admitted softly. "And I also can channel things through words and poetry and stuff. Like, prophecies. It's incredibly hard to control, though, words can have many meanings and they don't always go by the meaning I like. Those words, though, I've used before. They're pretty reliable."
Biting her lip a little, Grace thought. "Could you possibly send someone to sleep? Like, say 'sleep' or 'slumber' or something?"
"Slumber might be best. I could do that. If I say sleep, it could work, or it could shut down the entire system at Cloud Tower and both undo what you've done and alert them to our presence."
Grace nodded and grinned. "Okay, you're our emergency backup plan. If for some reason Morgan and I can't get rid of the witches, you're going to send them to beddy-by. Got it?"
"Good plan."
The bell rang for students to report to their classes, and the girls got up. "See you later"s went all around, and the still-nameless club split up.
