THE JOINING: The Cycle of the Shards Book One
Chapter 25

The tendrils of night still held on as the sun slowly rose in the sky, and the effect on the school made it appear even more ominous than it typically would. Critock supposed, and didn’t care to verify, that almost every day the school would appear to be a place that Kyle wouldn’t want to enter into for various reasons. Today it was Critock’s turn to have trepidation. As he crossed the street, Tomkari beside him invisible to onlookers, he made a point to glance to every other student that was crossing with him or standing outside. Any of them at all could be Pt’ron, he realized, and while he was unable to hold them down and peer into their eyes, he satisfied his nervous curiosity by looking for other clues. Were they nervous? Sweating? Looking paranoid? Making claims that this was the last day on Earth for everyone and that he would rule forever? The last was unlikely, but it sure would make things easier.

Tom tried to help in his own way by rushing around and trying again unfruitfully to look for the strip of black in the students’ iris. Critock didn’t stop him, although he knew that it wasn’t likely to lead to a revelation. The wisp returned to his side as they reached the front doors, Critock also now looking around for the third conspirator, Shanna. She was nowhere to be found, but to his great relief, neither was Brian Boyd, which was potential trouble he did not need right now.

There was an announcement over the intercom as they entered about an upcoming all-student assembly, but it cut off before Critock could hear when it was, not that he was paying that close of attention. The lobby, stairs, and halls all seemed overwhelmingly full with other kids, and Critock almost had to fight to push through. Strangely, when they realized who it was that was trying to get through, most of the crowd was only too happy to let him through, and a couple clapped him on the back as he passed, giving a hearty “Good job!” Critock started to get a little nervous from the added attention. He didn’t need to scan Kyle’s mind to know that this was out of the ordinary, and he started to get uncomfortable flashbacks of Kyle’s dream the night before.

In the distance, but too far away to reach without crossing the veritable sea of people that separated them, he saw Mr. Phelps, who had a sad look on his face but, as promised, was at his post, currently talking with a student who appeared to be offering her condolences for the loss of his home. Even with the people in his way, he felt an urge to give a personal apology to him, even if he couldn’t say exactly what he had to apologize for. It was for the best that they were separated, considering the sweat that was gathering on his brow and the anxiety growing inside him.

Just as Critock was starting to expect everyone to turn around and begin laughing at him, he heard Kyle’s name being called. The call came with a distinctive drawl so it wasn’t the person he hoped it would be, but at least it wasn’t mocking. He turned to see Jim, today wearing a cowboy hat to complete the persona he had developed, moving towards him. He heard Tom whisper, “What happened to blending in?”

Due to the ambient noise caused by a thousand students simultaneously in no particular hurry and needing to rush to get to their respective homerooms, Critock felt safe in speaking back out of the corner of his mouth. “By ear.” Just as he had finished that line, Jim reached him, accompanied by Claire, looking slightly friendlier than usual but still maintaining her cold expression.

“You did it! I’m proud of you!” Jim exclaimed loudly, and Critock looked around quickly to make sure nobody else had heard. Anything that would make him stand out right now was not welcomed. At the very least, though, he could use it to gather some information.

“Keep it down, okay? What’d I do? I’m being treated like everyone’s friend since I got here.”

Claire rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. “’What’d you do?’ Hooked up with Ewing. I’m telling you, you’re not exactly going to live happily ever after with that…”

“I didn’t ‘hook up’ with anyone, and I thought you were going to talk to her!” Critock hissed at Claire, Jim suddenly wishing he hadn’t come over right then. Tom, for his part, had moved off and began floating around the room, hoping to get a bird’s-eye-view on anything that might be out of the ordinary, even if he didn’t really know what ‘ordinary’ was on this world.

Claire sniffed. “Well, maybe she should be the one talking to me. After all, she’s the one that started this.”

“Oh for the love of…” Critock stopped himself before he started referencing the Five, but he still couldn’t keep himself from ranting. “It’s no wonder you people want to bomb each other into oblivion, you can’t get through the day without blowing up every tiny problem out of all proportion.” He was finally able to stop himself then, but the slightly louder rant had caught John’s attention, who had been searching for the group.

“What do you mean, ‘you people?’ John asked slightly muffled, his mouth being full with some sort of folded over wrap, with bits of egg sticking out. Claire made a sound of disgust and moved farther away from him, while Critock pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not the way he wanted this day, of all days, to start off.

“We, us, Earth. Look, any day could be the last day, you know? There’s so many things out there that could end this place in a second. Or just you. There’s no telling how much time you have, and you’re wasting it on fights that have no meaning. Just talk to people, for crying out loud.”

John chuckled, trying to interrupt before Claire could explode. “Look, Kyle, I know you watched an episode of Cosmos or something, but you’re right here with us. Just cause you got rid of Brian doesn’t mean…”

“…And thank God for that!” To complete the grouping of everyone-Critock-wanted-to-see-but-Shanna, Daniel arrived, and the relief on Claire’s eyes was obvious as whatever tears that were welling up instantly evaporated. She embraced him, and he hugged her briefly, but he never broke eye contact with Critock. “Hell of a day yesterday, wasn’t it? Kicked out the bully, got the girl…”

Critock’s eyes narrowed. It was bad enough he was dealing with this nonsense, he had no interest in dragging Shanna down with him. “Everyone keeps referring to her. Where is all that coming from? It’s not true.”

“I saw her going to your house, and then the two of you going past on the road on your bikes a little later! Right around the time that weird drone went over!” John said proudly, as though being in the right place at the right time was something to be celebrated. Hell, Critock thought, in this circle it probably is.

“We’re just friends, that’s all. I needed some help with a project. Can we drop it?” Kyle’s friends went silent, as he quickly came up with a different topic that would hopefully last until he spotted Shanna and could extricate himself from this group, or at least until the first bell rang, which had to be soon, didn’t it? “So Brian’s gone? For good?”

Daniel nodded, slightly ignoring the girl clinging to him and kissing his cheek, which was causing a fair amount of discomfort to John and Jim, for very different reasons. “Far as I know. Haven’t seen him today, or his toadies. I’ll check when I get into the office with your girlfriend later.” Just as he winked, the first bell mercifully rang out, and the large atrium began to clear out with students suddenly remembering that they were actually gathered there for a reason. “Gonna be a fun day, guys, I’ll see you all this afternoon.” He turned and gave Claire a quick kiss, and moved off. She turned to Kyle with a dirty look, and then followed him, probably hoping for one more kiss from the love of her young life. Neither John or Jim wanted to be subjected to any more of that, and with a nod, they slipped off as well. Critock sighed, realizing that he’d have to look for Shanna directly, and started thinking how he was going to both not be noticed missing class by teachers and whomever Pt’ron was. He was absently heading towards his locker to stow the Sword when a female voice from behind him caught him off guard, and he jumped slightly.

“Hey, it’s my favorite Martian.”

He turned to see Shanna, surprisingly dressed in her cheerleader outfit, though a much more demure version than the one that had invaded his dream. The school colors were blue and white, and so the knee-length skirt was blue, with a white top completing the uniform. He realized more than ever that Kyle was still active as he felt a slight flush to his cheeks at her dress. While he was glad the boy could still enjoy anything at this point, this certainly wasn’t the time, especially as he now knew of her dislike of the outfit. He raised an eyebrow. “My favorite cheerleader.”

“Touche. There’s an assembly today. All of the cheerleaders have to look like they care.” She rolled her eyes. “Sorry, I had another outfit all planned for the end of the world.”

“Kind of ruins the blending in plan I had going, but a distraction might be good if we need one.” He smirked, and the two began walking. A girl that must have known Shanna whistled at them as they passed by her. “Uh…”

“Yeah, I heard, boyfriend.” She shook her head. “John?”

“John. Do you need to go to your…”

She smiled. “Power of the main office. I switched for today, I’m in homeroom with you. Thought we could use the time to plan. And I’ve got one.”

“Well, that’s great. We’ve been needing one of those that was more than ‘let’s get on the teacher’s computer somehow and replace some pictures.’” Tom had noticed both Critock’s leaving and Shanna’s approach, and joined them, causing Shanna to jump slightly, still not used to the wisp’s appearance. She glanced in his direction.

“I’m not going to be talked down to by a lost comet.” Shanna smirked at Tom, who idly flew in a circle.

“You realize that’s insulting, right? We’re going to have to have a long talk about what you can and can’t say to a Soul.”

“Yes, please give me an etiquette lesson. Maybe I’ll curtsey while we talk.” They had reached Kyle’s locker, and Critock seamlessly opened the lock as though he had been doing it for years, as Shanna watched in awe. “How did you get that so quickly? Can you…”

“Kyle and I came to an agreement. We save the world, I promised to get out, he gets his life back. Just like I told you.” Critock reached quickly into his bag after looking back and forth. Satisfied there were no onlookers, he pulled out the handle of the Sword of Kon. He quickly placed it in the locker, and closed it, and they began walking again in the direction of their classroom, Tom deciding to fall back. “He’s not fighting me anymore.”

“Well that’s good.” She said a little too cheerfully. “You wouldn’t want to fight when someone’s taking control of your body.”

Critock began to object, but she raised a hand. “I know, I understand, it wasn’t your choice. It’s a horrible situation, and we’re going to get through it.” They steered through the open classroom door an instant before the final bell rang, and they quickly took free seats next to each other. As the teacher began to call the rolls, their voices dropped to a whisper.

“What’s your plan?” Critock asked.

Shanna smiled at him. “Let’s get on the teacher’s computer somehow and replace some pictures.” If Tom had a head he would have banged it against the desk.

“Oh for the love of…” Tom exclaimed, before Shanna cut him off.

“Ok, seriously. The assembly is period after next. So you’re out of History with Claire, I know Kyle’s broken up about that. We’re not going to the assembly.”

Critock squinted his eyes. “Won’t we be noticed?”

“School rallies are madhouses. Whole school there for one speaker and a bunch of mascots and whatever dancing around? There’s no way an army of teachers would be able to see everyone.”

“Yeah, but you’re a cheerleader, you’ll be missed.” There was a stray thought from Kyle that he almost let slip about how he would have noticed her missing immediately.

Shanna placed the back of her hand against her forehead, brushing up against her red hair. “Oh, I think I feel faint. Cough cough. Cough cough. Trust me, I’d probably have found something better to do than have to participate in this nonsense ‘Rah-Rah’ crap anyway. So, we hook up outside of the gymnasium, get over to Phelps’ room, do our dirty deeds, get out. Wham bam thank you Ma’am. Sound good?”

Tom shook back and forth. “A bit risky, what if a teacher sees you? And can you do that plan again without the innuendo?”

“Awwww, did I offend the widdle comet’s delicate ears?” Shanna teased the wisp, but smiled disarmingly. “I’ve been doing this for years. First thing you should learn about us Earthlings. If you have a pretty face and look like you ’re supposed to be doing whatever you’re doing, you can get anywhere.”

“You’d be surprised how true that is in the rest of the universe as well. Definitions of ‘pretty’ may vary, though.” Critock joined in, and glanced up, making sure they weren’t being overheard. “So that’s it?”

“There’s a couple things about getting into Phelps’ room, but they’re easy enough. That’s where you come in, Tom.”

“Oh boy! Finally, I’m useful. You know I had to stand outside while…”

“Quiet.” Critock hissed, and a couple people raised their heads. It being far too early, and the roll call still continuing, they lowered them again. Kyle’s name was called, and it took Critock almost until the name was repeated before Shanna stepped on his foot. “Uh, here!” He called out, then looked exasperatedly at Shanna.

“Annnyway…” Shanna waited for an objection. During that period, her name was called, and she quickly shifted voices to a cheerful “Here!” before dropping back down to the secret whispers that blended in with other quiet discussions around the room of far less importance. “You get to keep tabs on Phelps. If he starts coming back to the room, you get there first and let us know so we can get out of there. If we get caught…Well, the world probably explodes. No pressure.”

“Goodie. You’re remarkably cheerful about the impending extinction of your race.” Tom pointed out, and Shanna reacted with a shrug.

“The body snatcher here…” She nodded towards Critock, who just replied with a hard look. “…Is pretty confident. And I’m going to get my friend back. So yeah, just another day at High School.”

Critock turned to Tom, trying to still make it look like he was addressing Shanna. “It’s a good trick in battles. Don’t think about it as being anything special, just part of the job.”

Shanna nodded. “My Dad used to say something like that. Concentrate on what you can do, and everything else will take care of itself.”

“Good advice. You didn’t mention him last night, I didn’t know…”

“He’s...not around a whole lot anymore.” She was silent after, and Critock knew not to press any further. If she wanted to share that with Kyle later, he’d see to it they had all the time in the world, which was far more than a few hours. “So, let’s link up right after next period. You’re just going to have to suffer through some Earth math, Cri-Tok.” Even a day later, he found he still enjoyed the way she said his name. It wasn’t lost on him that she seemed to know Kyle’s schedule more than he did.

“Good. One more thing though.”

Shanna looked confused, wondering what she could have possibly left out. “What?”

“Talk to Claire.”

Her eyes widened, and she sat back slightly. “Claire? Why?”

“Because this is a stupid, stupid planet, and I can’t guarantee this planet isn’t going to blow up, and I’d very much like to not be involved in weird teenage arguments any longer. She was your friend. There was a fight. She doesn’t know why you’re a cheerleader.”

“But she!”

Critock shook his head. “If everyone dies, at least you move on to the next cycle having unburdened yourself. If by some miracle we get through this, then you’ve got your friend back. This might get pretty rough, and you’re going to need friends.”

Shanna sighed. “I guess so. I’ll replace her after we get done with Phelps.” Tom made an audible sigh, obviously tired of getting involved with things that should be none of their concern, as the bell startled them out of their discussion.

In unison the pair stood. With a silent nod, they moved out of the room and went their separate ways, Tom following Critock but not without a quick look back at Shanna. While he was still not crazy about involving her in this, and he didn’t like the way she talked to him, he did have to admit, she seemed to know what she was doing. At least he hoped she did.