"Daddy, daddy lets go!"
A little girl rushes through the crowd, weaving past the feet that blocked her path.
"Wait up sweetie!" A man appears, breathing heavily as he arrives at the crowd.
The girl stands atop a stone wall as she watches her father come closer.
"Excuse me"
"Pardon me"
"So sorry"
"I didn't mean to!"
She turned to look toward the town square. The throngs of people moving like rippling waves.
A myriad of different colors mashing together in the process.
And up ahead, in front of the entire crowd stand the graduates.
The hope of the town, if not their entire race!
People who have prepared their entire lives for this moment. Struggling day after day to live their dreams. To have the chance to leave this place and be something more.
'I wonder what their thinking?'
The thought echoed through her head, punctuated by the sound of her mom chasing after her father.
"I said it wasn't my fault!"
"MY DUSTY WINGS!"
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Standing among their peers, a small fairy was fidgeting with their hands, fiddling with her hair, or flitting anxiously.
"Come on, come on. Did they really have to take my stuff?"
She gazed at the light above, waiting for it to start.
"Hey, Tint!"
She turned her head over in surprise.
"Chan!"
Happy to see a familiar face, she rushed over.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be on the other side of the crowd?"
The fairy pointed a thumb behind him.
"Richter was fooling around too much so they had to move some fey."
He shrugged and grew a broad smile.
"But, hey! It's nice to see you here. Surprised to see you off your notepad."
She had a doubletake at that.
"Wait really?"
She looked at him in suspicion.
"Oh, yeah."
He nodded as he spoke.
"Kinda thought you would try and sneak stuff in. Real confident actually, even had a bet going with Blip."
She couldn't help but deflate at that.
"Oh. Sorry."
He gave a cheeky grin and pointed at himself with his thumb.
"Don't be, I won."
She looked at him in disbelief.
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah."
He started to pace around, gesturing with his hands as if he was telling a story. Raising the tone of his voice every so often to accentuate his tale. All the while with the same irritatingly smug look on his face.
"You see, I knew that you would do absolutely anything to keep your stuff. But, I knew that Blip would take that bet first. HOWEVER! I also knew that they would search everyone here. So! While Blip and Handsome, over there, decided to take whether or not you would get your stuff in. I went ahead and took the pot for you to try to sneak your stuff in and fail in doing so. TAKE THAT BLIP! That'll show him for saying that I'm not smart!"
He paused and hunched over.
"Wait, did I get that right? That'll show him for..."
He started and stood up tall. He wore a beaming smile with his hands on his hips.
"Yeah. Yeah! YEAH!"
His smile faded as he realized what he did.
"I messed that up, didn't I?"
She nodding, feeling nothing but schadenfreude inside.
"It would have been better if you used the word idiot, instead of not smart."
He cried out in annoyance at messing up while trying to flex.
"WISP!"
He sighed, feeling slightly depressed.
"At least I won the bet"
He said consoling himself.
He could already imagine the looks on their faces when they find out. How he'd been able to play them all.
'Gonna be amazing.'
He smirked, indeed feeling much better.
"So whaddya think the test is gonna be about?"
Tint perked up at that. She smacked her fist into the palm of her other hand.
"Oh, right! I know all about that! I have a bunch of notes in my book..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
She laughed awkwardly.
"Well, that's alright. I've got a great memory!"
She said trying to get momentum out of this conversation.
"It's all in here."
She pointed at her head.
"It's not working."
She faltered.
"Wha?"
Chan stared at her and spoke in an even tone.
"I said it's not working."
She tilted her head, looking at him in clear confusion.
"What's not working?
He looked at her in complete seriousness.
"You trying to make this situation less awkward isn't working."
"..."
"..."
"..."
'Well, not when you bring it up Wing day!'
Then pretending that HE never said anything, he asked.
"When do you think It's gonna start?"
As if on cue, they heard a large beeping noise coming from the stage.
And they started freaking out.
"No way!"
"What!"
"Unbelievable!"
"The timing on that was so good."
"Right!? I haven't seen timing like that since two years ago!"
An older fairy came by and started to organize the graduates.
"All right everyone, please go to your spots, just like we practiced."
Chan stopped hopping and said.
"Oh, right. I have to get going but see you later."
She smiled at Chan and said.
"See you later!"
He turned and headed over to his spot. She waited until he was almost there before calling out to him.
"Wait, Chan!"
He turned around and looked at her.
"What?"
She gave a giant S*t eating grin and said.
"Han told me about the bet!"
'What.'
"He promised me half the money."
"What?"
"Oh, and Nugget saw the whole thing so you can't weasel out of it."
"What!?"
"You got played Chan. Ohohohohoh, they're gonna rub this in forever."
He balled his fists in rage. He couldn't help but think about that future. That beautiful, wonderful future. The looks on their faces! The schadenfreude! It would have been glorious. It felt like shards of that shattered image were stabbing into his heart.
He turned to a certain direction and shook his fist in the air, crying out.
"HAAANNDSOOOOOOOOOOME!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The little girl smiled as she heard the scream.
'Music to my sweet half-bred little ears.'