Sweet Showdown

How did that get here?

'Welcome class, my name is Mrs. Applebum. Today we will begin with a simple meeting so you can get to know each other better. Which of you would like to start first?'

Everyone immediately looked the other way, avoiding eye contact, but only Altana kept looking forward.

'Would you like to start by introducing yourself?' asked Mrs. Applebum with a soft smile on her face.

'Uhm... Hello everyone, I'm Altana. I'm 16 years old and I love to draw,' said Altana proudly, as she sat back down at her desk, waiting for the next student to take their turn.

Mrs. Applebum pointed to a girl in the back row and asked if she would like to introduce herself.

'I... am... Stella,' she said in a squeaky voice, clearly nervous. Sensing this, Mrs. Applebum quickly shifted to another student, moving the introductions along smoothly.

After several students had introduced themselves, it was finally Zane's turn.

'Hello, I'm Zane. I'm 16 and my hobby is gaming,' he said so quickly that the class almost didn't catch it. Just before Mrs. Applebum could ask any follow-up questions, the bell rang.

'Oh, looks like class is over for today. Enjoy your playtime!' she said cheerfully as she stuffed her things into her bag.

'Zane, wait for me!' cried Altana, running after him. 'Who or what had you seen out there earlier? You still haven't told me! Can't I possibly know?' she asked curiously as they stood in front of their lockers.

'I don't know what I saw; I must have just been dreaming,' Zane replied, swapping books in his locker. They walked outside together, catching up on what had happened earlier. They found a bench by a tree in the playground and sat down.

'Hi, could I possibly join you?' asked Stella, slowly approaching the bench.

'Sure, join us!' cried Altana, welcoming her warmly. 'So, Zane, what were you saying earlier?'

Just as Zane was about to respond, something soft hit him right on the head.

'AW! What was that?' cried Zane, looking around confused. 'Is that... cotton candy? How did it get here?'

'And why does it feel like a rock?' asked Stella, inspecting the cotton candy with a puzzled expression.

'Is that... a cow wearing a sombrero? And is that cow wearing a dress?' asked Zane, now completely bewildered.

'Uh... There's no cow here, Zane. I don't know what you're talking about,' said Altana, but before she could finish her sentence, Zane slumped over, knocked out cold from the strange blow to his head.

Altana and Stella jumped up in shock and immediately called for help. Zane was rushed to a small room where they waited for him to wake up.

After about fifteen minutes, Zane slowly opened his eyes.

'Where am I? What happened?' he asked, looking around in a daze.

'You got hit with cotton candy on your head, and we still have no idea how it managed to fall on you. Or where it even came from!' said Stella, still holding the mysterious cotton candy.

Just then, Didi came running into the room.

'How did this even happen? And on your first day of school, too? You should go home and rest,' Didi suggested, grabbing Zane's hand gently.

'No, no, I'll be fine. I feel better already,' Zane insisted, though he was still clearly a little dizzy as he tried to stand up.

'I hope you're right,' Didi said, looking concerned. 'I have to get back to my lesson now. Take care of him, okay? Bye!' And without waiting for a reply, Didi sprinted out the door, leaving Zane to recover from the strange event.