Valhalla High (A Magnus Chase Fanfic)

Smooth as a Snake

October 16

On Monday, we started our coil pot unit in Ceramics. Sif showed how to shape and roll out the clay into coils. "Roll the coil between your palms to get it smooth," she said. "Making the coils is often the hardest part of making a coil pot. Today, I just want you to practice making coils. On Wednesday, we'll move onto making your first coil pot."

I'd make snakes with Play-Doh before, so I figured this couldn't be too hard. Boy was I wrong. "Is that a coil or a knobby stock, Magnus?" Halfborn asked me at one point.

"Uhhh," I said.

I quickly smashed the clay back into a ball and began trying to shape it again. The problem was that my coils ended up being really lumpy and uneven. Some parts were thick, while others were so thin that they tore off. I looked up at the clock and realized I'd been trying this for thirty minutes and gotten no better.

"Magnus, do you want some help?" Mallory asked.

I nodded and she came over to stand behind me. Under Mallory's watchful eyes, my coils turned into digesting snakes. She sighed. "Let me show you how it's done, Beantown."

She picked up my uneven coil, smashed it back into a ball of clay, and began shaping it. I watched in amazement as her hands worked and the coil formed. "How did you do it?" I asked.

I knew Alex was a pottery prodigy, but Mallory was pretty nifty with her hands. "YouTube videos," she said. "I've been watching them at home."

"Well, maybe I need to let the all-powerful YouTube be my teacher."

Mallory laughed. She set down the coil. It looked like a brown, non-digesting snake. "Why don't you try now?"

"Alright," I said nervously.

I picked up the coil, feeling a little guilty as I smashed it, and then tried to imitate what Mallory did. As the coil began to form, I remembered Sif's words about using our palms to shape it. When I was down, I set it down and blinked in surprise. It wasn't as good as Mallory's or Alex's, but I had finally done it correctly. "Thank you." I said.

Mallory smiled. "You owe me one, Beantown."

"And how can I pay you?" I asked.

She arched an eyebrow. "Halfborn and I were planning on going to this extreme indoor gym with obstacle courses, trampolines, and stuff. The thing is, the idiot and I aren't getting along, but I don't want to go alone."

I put my hands up in surrender. "If you're okay bring accompanied by the least athletic person in existence," I said.

She smiled. "Sounds good. See you on Sunday."

I blinked as she returned to her seat. First TJ and now Mallory. Since when did people invite me over? A smile spread over my face. I truly did have friends and nothing was as precious as that.

***
Apparently, Jack and Riptide were an item now, and because they didn't go to the same school, they FaceTimed when their lunches overlapped (so Mondays and Wednesdays). It was a little weird at first, but I soon got used to it. Riptide was talking about the drama at her school. Apparently, some kid had made a bomb threat and so half the students were gone today. "The teachers are fed up," Riptide said, popping a grape into her mouth. "At least the ones who are here. I've never had more than one substitute teacher in a week, but it seems like a third of the teachers called in sick today."

     Jack sighed. "I wish we got sick days. You know, being in school is a lot like training for a job, so I don't see why we shouldn't get paid."

   I shrugged. "I'm not opposed to that idea, but I'd much prefer higher education to be free. It's so expensive."

    "That's why I do dance team," Riptide said. "I mean, I love it and all, but also the scholarships."

    I nodded. "Do you think student athletes should get paid?" I asked.

   We had debated about it in English today (yes, I know a little weird, but Odin wanted us practice a little rhetoric). He said it would help us with writing our persuasive essays, which I was looking forward to as much as I looked forward to having my head cut off. "As long as it pays for my college," Riptide said, "I couldn't care less."

    "Some student athletes bring in way more money for their college than their tuition costs," Jack argued, "and they do put in a lot of time."

    Riptide nodded. "People think dance is easy, but practice is an hour long and if you want to get really good, you also do dance clinics and exercises at home."

    Jack nodded. "It's fun, but all the time definitely adds up."

     "Are you excited about the regional dance competition soon?" Riptide asked.

    "Am I ever!" Jack said. "My school is going to kick your butt!"

    "Are not!" Riptide said.

     The two began squabbling over that and I looked to Halfborn for some conversation. He had been unusually quiet all lunch, eating his nachos with resolute silence. "How is it going?" I asked him.

   He shrugged and then launched into a conversation about Mallory. "And then she said that Gaelic chieftains were much stronger than Viking warriors and that simply isn't true. I mean, the Vikings raided England, Ireland, and Scotland for centuries. We're obviously superior."

    I sighed. Was this what their most recent argument was about? "Perhaps," I said as Halfborn slowed down, "you should consider this: both of you have ancestors who were great warriors. Imagine what they could've achieved if they'd worked together."

   Halfborn frowned. "We did — after we captured Gaelic and English women."

    I sighed again. I hoped TJ was right and that with time, Mallory and Halfborn would mature. Their on and off relationship was quite hard to keep track of. I decided then that if I ever dared anyone (okay, but who would date me unless they want falafel dates?), I'd want a steady, long-term relationship.