Chapter 6 Building Tension

Inhale...exhale. Celia slowly entered the castle. Inhale...exhale. She was going to talk to Iggy. She was going to try and show him the stupidity of his new regulation. Seriously, he wanted to control her life like this? He wanted to prevent her from giving him money? If anything, he was shooting himself in the foot by doing that. Inhale...exhale.

Celia walked at a brisk pace. It was very quiet in the castle. Every once in a great while, she would pass by a koopa troopa, but that was a rarity more than anything else. Celia understood why though. It was the crack of dawn; five in the morning. The world was just starting to yawn and stretch, getting ready for the day that lay ahead of it. The sun hadn't even risen yet! The sky was a soft periwinkle outside, periwinkle stained with dots of lavender.

It was the perfect time to do this, as well as the only time to do this. Celia had to be at work in three hours. She needed to talk to Iggy as quickly as possible.

She picked up the pace, practically flying up the stairs of the east wing's corridor. She could feel herself growing out of breath, but she didn't care. She just marched forward, completely intent on getting to Iggy's room within a certain time frame. That time frame was, of course, within the next two minutes.

"Iggy!" Celia said as she swung open his door. The wall shook, more than likely the other Koopalings as they slept in their own bedrooms. She didn't care. She just made her way over to Iggy as he groaned and sat up in bed.

"Celia?" he asked. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his glasses off the nightstand. "What in the world has possessed you to stop by at this early an hour?"

Inhale...exhale. "I need you to restart the classes."

Iggy perked up. "Oh! You have made a decision of what you want to do? I must admit that was quick, but at least you have a goal."

Celia sucked in a breath. "Actually...no, I haven't thought of a goal yet."

Iggy's face dropped. "Oh. Then I am sorry, but I cannot do what you request."

Celia grit her teeth and stamped her foot. "You have to!" She yelled. "You have to restart the classes."

"I do...not," Iggy said, intentionally leaving a space between 'do' and 'not' in order to fool Celia. The hybrid grit her teeth, ready to pull her teeth out.

"Please! My parents are thinking about sending me to a regular high school if I don't have these classes! You have to restart them! I can't go to a regular high school!"

Iggy raised an eyebrow in interest. "Regular high school?" To Celia's shock, he actually put on a smile. "Why, that sounds like an excellent idea! You have opportunities to socialize with others that my classes have not permitted you to!"

Celia gawked. "Are you...dumb?" She gestured toward her body. "LOOK AT ME! I'M HALF KOOPA! No one in a Mushroom Kingdom high school will accept me."

Iggy's brow furrowed just the tiniest bit. "While that is a concern that I understand given your past experiences with public education systems, you need to understand that high schoolers are completely different entities from preschoolers."

Inhale, exhale. "Have you forgotten that I have gotten flack from older people too?"

"Yes. Your grandmother, who was programmed from birth to be prejudice." He leaned forward. "I fail to see your point."

Celia felt like pulling her hair out. She grabbed a lock and gave it a tug. It didn't come out, thankfully enough, but it did cause her some form of physical pain. Good. At least this could distract her from her growing frustration.

"Other...people...can be just as prejudice as younger people. Maybe more so."

"Or...they could possibly have learned better at this point in their life. You needn't worry about this Celia. Personally, I believe your parents are very wise to send you to a regular high school. As someone who got to experience the joy of public education in my youth, I can tell you that it will be an incredible experience."

Celia sputtered and fumed, she gripped her hands into fists. She didn't know what to say. This stubborn creature (she wasn't even going to call him a koopa at this point; in her mind, he was just a creature right now) was ruining her life! He wasn't listening to reasoning, he wasn't listening to her plight. He was just….GAAAHHH!

"Now, if you'll excuse me Celia, I wish to return to my slumber before I inevitably have to rise from my bed." Iggy laid back down and snoozed, ending the conversation. Celia bit her lip and stepped out of the room. As she closed the door behind her, she tried deep breathing again. Inhale, exhale. Inhale exhale. INHALE, EXHALE!

Gah, it wasn't working. She was just hyperventilating at this point. She grabbed her hair and held back a scream. Tears sprung to her eyes as she stamped her foot.

"Hey, Cee!"

Celia looked up. Admittedly, the sight of the person approaching her did help to ease her nerves a little bit.

"Hey, Roy."

Roy approached and gave her a hug. Her heart melted into a puddle while captured in his warm embrace.

"It's so nice to see you." He smiled. "You usually have to work non weekdays."

Celia sighed. "I still have to go to work today. I just came here early to have a...conversation with Iggy."

"Huh," Roy said. He looked down the hallway. "Well, do you want me to take you back to the Mushroom Kingdom?"

Celia smiled. "Oh, thanks Roy. You're a really nice guy."

Roy smiled back. "What are boyfriends for?"

…

As they rode together in the Koopa Clown Copter, Celia stroked Roy's shoulder. She had discovered through past experiences that keeping her hands and eyes on him helped her feel better. And right now, she definitely wanted to feel better. Actually, she needed it.

"You know," Roy said as they passed over the Mushroom/Koopa border, "I think I just might stay for breakfast today."

Celia smiled. "Thank you." Roy was a good customer; he gave nice compliments and good tips. "I appreciate it." She looked out at the horizon line, at the sun just starting to rise.

"Seriously," said Roy. "The biscuits and gravy you guys serve...MMMM! It's the bomb!"

Celia giggled. "You might not want to say that to any bob-ombs you run across. They could take it the wrong way."

"The wrong way...it's a compliment! It's a form of flattery!" Roy chuckled. "Besides, I don't know a lot of bob-ombs. I don't think I'm in danger of offending any."

Celia smiled, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. She really did enjoy Roy's company. If anything, he was the bomb.

"So," Roy said. "Why did you go to see Iggy this morning?"

Celia stifled a sigh. Oh, this old chestnut. Couldn't she leave it alone for just a few minutes?

"I don't want to talk about it. It's...too uncomfortable."

"Hmm. Okay. Well, if you ever feel like you're ready to talk about it, then I will always be ready to talk."

Celia smiled. "Thanks Roy."

Roy turned and smiled. "What are boyfriends for?"

Celia laughed. "You already said that today!"

"I know." Roy giggled. "It's just fun to ask." He looked down at the ground. "Hey look, there's the restaurant!"

With that, he lowered the clown car to the ground. Once it was parked, both of them hopped out. Celia smiled at the place.

"I'm an hour early."

"Yeah. You're a good little employee." He turned toward her. "Go get ready for the day. And...try not to let the conversation with Iggy bother you too much."

Celia nodded. "Okay." With that, she went into the building. Hopefully I'll be able to live up to that promise, she thought.