"Cordial and positive greetings from your peers, the Student Council. We hope that all of you members of the music group "Girls Dead Monster" are faring well. We trust that you are enjoying the school year. As we are sure you are aware, the Elihu the Young Acadamy Prom will be held this very Saturday. It is our dearest wish that you would concede to perform for the event, as the major musical act. We look forward to your compliance for tomorrow evening.

Sincerely,

Secretary to the Council, Tiffany Throbbing

As Winnie finished reading the gilt-framed note, she glanced up. The Battlefront gawked back at her.

"This doesn't make sense," Luke murmured. "I thought Tiffany hated GirlDeMo?"

"Maybe she was overruled…"

"None of this makes sense," Winnie declared, pacing in front of them. "The council has always been opposed to GirlDeMo, largely due to the fact that it not only violates rules every time it plays, but most of the student body loves them."

"I always wondered about that. Why would NPC's like them so much?"

Elliot shrugged. "What kind of teenager wouldn't love rocking out?"

"-this invitation represents an entirely unexplained shift in viewpoint," Winnie continued. Confuses the heck out of me, she thought. But those politicians are crazy. And I can use this!

She whirled around, and flipped on the projector. Her friends leaned forward in readiness. "Girls Dead Monster shall accept the invitation," she commanded, sharp eyes confident.

Julie quivered. "But… what if it's a trap?"

"Don't worry, Julie. You won't be alone." Her gaze swept over the crowd. "This year, all of The Battlefront will be storming the Prom!

"The dance will be an event of chaos. As such, our Student Body President is usually stationed there with the teachers, to maintain order, and to make sure people don't dance too close together. She will be distracted."

Winnie indicated a patch of the gym hear the exit. "It's a sure bet that she'll patrol under this spot, at some point during the dance."

She turned to face them. "And we'll be ready. Prior to the dance, we install a giant, high-strength cage in the raters over point x. The moment our little demon goes under it, wham!" It's a solid plan, she thought. And, well, it's all I had time to come up with.

There was a pause.

"It's simple. I like it!" Emm cried. "We just go in, and smash her! And, we get to crash the party! Haha!"

"It should work," Elly conceded. "Angel shouldn't have a guardskill with the destructive power to destroy the bindings."

Finally, Julie squealed what they all were thinking. "We're going to Prom!"

Rich and TK laughed, and slapped a high five.

Luke looked physically ill.

Mike rolled his eyes.

"-They've sent the order down to the Guild," he explained. 'It's supposed to be made of steel, so you won't be able to break it. The edges are sharpened, to skewer the target if there's a narrow miss. They have Jake operating the drop."

Emily blinked up at him. "So as long as I simply refrain from traversing under the trap, there will be no issue."

Harry laughed. "Well, that was easy." He nudged Mike, as the four members of their unusual squad wandered along the river bank. "So, you got an idea for the next one, big man? I would suggest we try someone who doesn't talk much, they're probably peaceful."

Albert snorted. "Only a moron such as you would think that. Better to target someone who's talkative, then we know what we're dealing with. I'd expect such drivel from you, of course."

"Why you-" Harry started to retort, then trialed off. His mouth fell open.

Albert's luminous eyes enchanted. "It's time you lean the truth, my dear sir. You are nothing but toilet paper. Think… of how toilet paper swirls as it's flushed down the-"

"Knock it off," Mike ordered, giving Albert a shove. "We need to be serious here."

Behind them, Harry spiraled to the ground, and lay there, limp. Mike nudged him until he was back on his feet.

"You have a point though, Albert Just because someone doesn't talk much doesn't mean they're peaceful. Imagine trying to placate Hannah."

They shuddered.

Harry scratched his head. "Well, who then?"

"I have a suggestion," Emily spoke up. "Why not the one band member, the lead guitarist?"

They stared at her in disbelief. "Jess would kill us," Harry said flatly. "There's no way she could be anywhere near passing on."

Mike watched Emily carefully. She held Harry's gaze in that unflinching way of hers, but he saw her hands picking at her shirt's edge. Lizzie had done the same thing whenever she became nervous.

"I… I don't want to raise a disagreement. But I honestly believe she is a good candidate. She has been in this world for quite some time." Emily's gaze dropped for a moment. "I know her manner may appear unpolished. But she is a musician. She creates and performs art.

"In my experience, music changes you. Through it, you release that which is held close. This guitarist loves her music very much. I believe it has helped her find peace."

Emily lapsed back into silence, and continued to walk along the river bank.

They hurried to catch up to her. "That's a good idea," Harry accepted, eyes wide. "Why don't we go with that, Mike?"

But Mike was watching Emily. "Hey, I thought you didn't know much about the Battlefront?"

Emily started to fumble by the river's edge. "Well, not really. That is, I never was really able to understand, that is, well…

"I love your music, though. It makes me feel… odd."

Finding a stone, she paused, and held it up, her eyes narrowed. She slung the lumpy rock, and it slid right into the water with a plop. Her shoulders slumped. "Is the rock not supposed to bounce?"

"You need a flat stone for it to work," Mike supplied. "I'm pretty terrible at it, but if you want to learn, maybe I could help you?"