The rise of the unorthodox

As much as we were all students planning to join the army soon and kill blood-hungry monsters, we were still kids. And kids like to have fun. The third-year students were hosting some sort of large-scale show-and-tell event. They'd been passing around posters for a while, so I figured I might as well go.

In the dorm room, Delight was sitting opposite me. She was going too.

Ever since that little sparring match in Madame Evergreen's class, the tension between us had died down. We started talking again, though not as much as before. Honestly, it's incredibly hard not to talk to her—she's the most likable person I've ever met.

Plus, she made me promise that our next spar would be as interesting as possible.

I walked over to the mirror to check myself out. I was dressed in black cargo pants, with a skin-tight white shirt covered halfway by a red cropped hoodie. My feet were clad in black shoes. On my wrists were the gold bracelets that belonged to my mother. To finish the look, I wrapped the front of my hair in a red bandanna.

Just because my goal was to kill blood-hungry monsters didn't mean I couldn't look good while doing it. Honestly, if monster hunting were to end tomorrow, I'd consider a career as a fashion designer. Seemed like a fun job.

Delight was dressed up as well. She wore a plaid pleated skirt, paired with a long-sleeved black shirt. Her long black socks and black boots completed the look. Her ginger hair was as messy as usual, though I wasn't expecting her to do anything special with it.

"Let's get going. I don't want to be late," Delight urged, trying to hurry me.

I rolled my eyes. Life was so much more peaceful when I was ignoring her.

"Calm down, dude. Devin's almost here," I said. Devin hadn't wanted to go at first, but I begged him until he cracked. He was already on his way.

"Are you two dating or something? You're always with him now," Delight teased, a coy smile on her face and her eyebrows wiggling.

I stared at her, unamused. "First of all, never make such an assumption again. Second, never wiggle your eyebrows at me; it's nasty. And third, you shouldn't make accusations when you and Daniel are busy playing house twenty-four-seven."

She let out an exaggerated sigh, looking away, clearly defeated. I'd won this round. Heh.

Just then, a knock on the door grabbed our attention. I walked over to open it, and there stood Devin. He was neatly dressed in black trousers and a white shirt. You wouldn't know he was a rich kid unless he told you.

"Let's get going. I really don't want to watch whatever this thing is going to be," he sighed, clearly unenthused. According to him, he hated concerts and rallies. They were just not his thing.

I punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I said we wouldn't be there long. Let's go," I said, waving toward Delight.

She walked out ahead of us, skipping and heading toward the venue.

"Are you really talking to her now?" Devin asked, his tone full of concern.

"I told you already. She's not the one I had a problem with. She just got caught in the crossfire. It's Daniel I want to beat up. Once I do that… everything will be back to normal," I said, flinging my feet back and forth as we walked.

Soon enough, we arrived at the venue. It was set in one of the school fields, and the place was already packed with students. Everyone seemed to be excited, buzzing with energy.

Devin and I took our positions on the edge of the crowd. We told Delight to go up front due to her height. Don't get me wrong—I'm short too—but I could always stand on my hair. Devin didn't want to push his way into the crowd, so I stuck with him.

A young man, probably a third-year student, walked up to the stage. He had shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes, and he wore shorts and a hoodie. In his hand, he held a microphone.

"Hello, Base 99!" he shouted into the mic. The crowd went wild, screaming and shouting.

Around me, I heard whispers and murmurs.

"Isn't that Senior Wyatt?"

"Yeah, it is! He's so handsome."

"He's probably the most handsome guy on campus."

"He'd probably never look at people like us."

I glanced over at this supposed Wyatt again, just to see if I was missing something. Yeah, he was good-looking, but not that good-looking. These guys were definitely a little brain-dead.

Senior Wyatt continued addressing the crowd, "The event's going to work like this: We have a lineup of people who will come up and showcase their abilities. This is all for entertainment and pure fun. After our confirmed guests perform, you guys in the crowd can come up one by one and show us a spectacular display of your abilities. For the grand finale, I'll showcase my own ability, and then we'll close the show."

The crowd went wild again, with cheers and shouts.

"We love you, Wyatt!"

"Marry me!"

"Let's get this show going!"

These people were definitely losing their minds.

Wyatt stepped off the stage, and with his departure, a girl in a cloak took his place. Her bodily features were hidden, save for her long hair and pointed chin.

Wyatt started commentating from backstage. "Now, she's going to show us what she can do with her amazing ability."

The girl raised her hands toward the air, and suddenly, chains made of water began to form. They floated around her in mesmerizing patterns, illuminating the crowd with their soft glow. It was a beautiful spectacle.

The entire crowd gasped in awe.

This was going to be a fun event. I could tell.