Birdsong

>“Hello, Maxwell!”
>“Hello Cold. It has been a while since we last spoke.”
>“Sorry about that. I’ve been really busy with theater club.”
>“I did not know you had joined a club. How is it?”
>“Really fun. Are you in any clubs?”
>“No.”
>“You should join theater club! We can hang out together!”
>“I wish I could, but I cannot join any clubs.”
>“Why not?”
>“I am not allowed to.”
>“Oh. I’m sorry.”
>“It is alright. You can just tell me everything that happens at the club. It will be a little like me being in the club.”
>“Alright. Well, yesterday we….”

***

The piles of broken wood and spilled paint created a visual record of Ivory’s attempts at set building. It was probably for the best that she had the rest of the school year to work on this. And that the school seemed to have an unlimited budget for art supplies.

Alright. Third time… fourth time… fifth? Fifth time’s the charm. She was going to create a backdrop of rolling meadows and it was going to be beautiful, even if it took her all week!

Ivory’s efforts at painting were interrupted by the sound of singing. She didn’t recognize the tune, but it was the most entrancing sound she had ever heard. A quick look around made it clear that the sound wasn’t coming from anyone backstage. She followed the song, filled with the need to know who its source was. The trail led her onto the main theater stage, where the Convocation was singing and dancing. The room was dark, save for a flashlight on the ground lighting up the Convocation. No one sat in the audience, yet she moved with a passion that showed in every graceful movement.

Ivory didn’t dare speak, lest she disrupt the magic. Hesitantly she took a step on stage. Sadly, that step hit against a loose part of the floor, causing Ivory to fall forward. She grabbed onto the stage curtains, but rather than stop her fall, the curtains tore off and fell with her.

Convocation jumped at the sudden sound, and ran off the stage without a look back. By the time Ivory had dug herself out of the curtains, Convocation was long gone.

***

It wasn’t a surprise when Salmacis found Wooden missing from their usual table in the cafeteria. Wooden had said she was going to be busy with club activities during lunch. Still, even an expected disappointment is a disappointment. Lunch alone was hardly an entertaining sounding idea. With a heavy sigh, Salmacis resigned herself to this burden.

“Excuse me, but aren’t you Ichor’s sister?”

A group of older girls had approached Salmacis’s table. She recognized the one who had spoken; a junior, with green hair and eyes. She’d seen the girl and her group around school before, but never spoken with any of them. “Um… yes?” Salmacis cautiously replied.

The lead one clapped her hands together. “Oh, this is perfect! I’m Mother of Snakes. It’s so good to meet you.”

“I’m Salmacis. It’s… good to meet you too.” She was still unsure how she was supposed to act in a situation such as this. What little she knew about this group hadn’t made her think they were the sort to strike up a conversation with her.

“I’m a classmate of Ichor.” Snakes continued. “I’m sure she’s mentioned me before?”

“No, she… um… she’s never once talked about you.”

Snakes’ smile didn’t flinch at all. “Oh that is just so like her! Isn’t that just like her, girls?” Everyone in the group voiced their agreement. Snakes turned back to Salmacis. “Can we sit with you?”

That was certainly not a question Salmacis had expected to be asked. “Um. Sure?”

“Thanks!” The girls sat around Salmacis, crowding the table. “I’m sorry if we’re bothering you.” Snakes said. “You just looked so alone, I figured you’d like someone to talk to.”

The kindness surprised Salmacis. When the majority of students at a school are personality-less shadows, any interaction with someone else felt like a gift. “Thank you” She said, brightly smiling.

The conversations these girls had tended to be focused on topics such as fashion, relationships, or social events. It was nothing like what Salmacis and Wooden talked about when it was just them at the table, and Salmacis was fascinated by the novelty. She listened intently, soaking in all the information she could about this strange new social world.

“And have you seen that physics assignment Mr. Beakman gave?” Snakes said. “I don’t understand a word of it, and he was no help when I asked about it!”

Ah, school! There was a topic Salmacis was used to discussing. “I don’t think Mr. Beakman is that bad.” She said. “At least, for his freshman class.”

“Really? Why don’t you look at what he’s giving us juniors.” Snakes pulled a worksheet out of her purse (backpacks were sooooo unfashionable, according to her,) and showed it to Salmacis. The content was all new, but after a while of looking it over, she thought she understood it. She got out her pencil, and began working through the math.


“Then we just multiply these together… and there! I think that’s how it’s supposed to be done.” She said.

“Wow, you’re so smart!” Snakes said. Salmacis was still looking at the physics assignment, and thus didn’t see Snakes wink at the rest of the group. “Maybe you could help me out with the rest of the work he’d given us?”

“Sure!” Salmacis said. No reason to not help out people who’ve been so nice to her, right?”

“Thanks! Also there’s a little math and history that you could help me on as well….”