Wings Of Fire: Spotlight

Chapter Seven - Clock Is Ticking

Mako sighed, tapping her pencil in an uneven rhythm. This boredom tugged at her soul; waiting for Mummy to show up to theater class again. Again... Mako grumbled internally. Calm down. Just focus on later, when you audition for the musical.

"Hey, everybody," Interrupting Mako's thoughts, Mummy burst through the door, throwing his pale bracken wings in the air. "Sorry I'm late. You look good today, Mrs. Luna." The SandWing sat back, carefree, and Mrs. Luna rolled her eyes.

"Anyway." Luna said dramatically loudly. "Today, we'll be playing a game to get to know one another. Everyone make a circle with your chairs."

Piercing screeches sounded from below as chairs were dragged across the smooth black floor to form a circle.

Or at least a thoughtful oval.

Mako tapped her back talons on the floor, examining their translucent icy webbing. Her eyes trailed across the room, where Corvid was sitting between Mummy and a tiny RainWing, Mamba. Mako was between a slender and tall IceWing SandWing hybrid (Ivory, Mako remembered) and Mrs. Luna. As everyone shuffled around chairs, Mako tried to strike up a conversation.

And found the perfect topic around the hybrid's neck.

"Is that a Dragonets Of Destiny lanyard?" Mako gasped. "That's super cool!"

"Yep!" Ivory whisper-cheered. She tapped a claw to Mako's pins on her bag, which showed a vibrant teal RainWing. "Glory's my favorite."

"I like her and Tsunami." Mako grinned.

"Oooh, the hot SeaWing?" Ivory fangirled. "I love her!"

"Hot?" Corvid called from across the room.

"Ayo?" Mamba arched a brow, his squeaky voice sounding around the cave.

"Not for me!" Ivory squeaked, waving her talons defensively. "But overall!"

Ivory and Mamba engaged in a light-hearted argument, and Mako glanced at Luna. "So why are we in a circle?"

"So chairs are easier to reach." Luna shrugged. "Also because teachers do circles a lot. How's it going?"

"Good." Mako giggled. She noticed a MudWing, Bear, standing in the center without a chair. "Hey, do you want my chair?"

"Wait," Luna flicked a tail. "This is the point of the game."

"Musical chairs?" Mako tilted her head.

"Nope." Luna shook her head and turned to Bear. "Ask a 'switch seats if you' type of question."

A what-

Mako's thoughts were interrupted by Bear's nervous voice. "Switch seats if you are new to Jade Mountain."

A little over half the class switched seats, including Mako. Ivory was left standing. Oh!

Ivory cleared her throat. "Switch seats if you are going to work backstage for the musical."

Not many, but a talonful of students moved. Mako stayed put as Mamba found himself without a seat. Nope. I'm getting a role.

"Switch seats if you are going to the speech contest," Mamba squeaked. Dragons began to shuffled around the room.

"Does maybe count?" Mako wondered out loud.

"I guess." Mamba shrugged, wrestling with Corvid for a chair. Mako smiled and walked over, sitting in the chair they were fighting over. They scrambled for the last chair, which Mamba took.

"Um..." Corvid stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Switch seats if you are looking forward to watchable scrolls."

Most of the class rose from their seats and rushed to snatch the nearest seat. Dragons were buzzing with conversation about the animus, Lilypad, who was planning on making scrolls watchable. What was once fantasy before was finally becoming reality...