Something We Miss

Chapter 6

Friday reared its ugly head, but Terra managed a smile as she woke up an hour later than normal. Classes had been cancelled in honor of the ball.

She groaned as she went through her schedule that day. Eat with the students, dance practice once more, and then dressing. Why it took so long, she could never figure out. Oh, and she had to meet with Daisy. The girl had to see her parents today, and Terra knew it could be rough on her.

She dressed in casual clothes, feeling strange in pants. Oh, how her mother would disapprove. She had told her students they could dress casual until the ball, just to make the day a little better. But she'd failed to realize none of them had actually brought any casual clothes.

She walked down the hallway towards Daisy's room, skirting several guards. "Ma'am, no one's allowed in there," said one as she lifted her hand to knock.

Terra frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"The Neptunian royal family is meeting in there," he said.

Oh, she was too late. Daisy was probably pale and crying right now and she'd slept late as though she had all the time in the world. Daisy probably hated her right now.

"Will you pass a message for me?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Tell Miss Edelweiss we will be in the dining hall should she finish," she said. "She doesn't have to come. We will be glad if she does."

"Yes, ma'am."

Terra smiled. She, guiltily, liked when people did what she asked without question. Especially when they followed their affirmative answers with "ma'am."

She entered the dining hall and found her three other students staring at their plates. They had all caught her nerves for tonight.

Koi seemed more annoyed than apprehensive that he was being forced to attend a seven-hour ball and put on a show. She could never read Cyclone, and figured he was just nervous to be in the public eye. James had become fidgety in the days since the announcement about Neptune, and fell somber when Daisy entered the room. She wasn't surprised. The two had been good friends and now had not spoken a word since Tuesday. It was awkward for everybody.

"Finished?" she asked, though it was obvious their plates were untouched, except for Koi's.

"Yes," said James, obviously lying.

She motioned for them to stand and the guards moved the table. "Let's dance," she said. "Your improvement throughout the week has given me confidence in you. I expect you'll all make a good impression."

"Where's Daisy?" asked Cyclone, adjusting his shirt. It was then she noticed they'd all attempted to wear casual clothes. For him and James, that meant normal school clothes with the sleeves rolled up without a suitcoat. Grinning a little, she noticed neither had bothered to tuck it their shirts. Koi was wearing an awkward pink sweatshirt that read "Swordfish."

He noticed her glance. "It's the university on Venus," he said. "We're the swordfish."

"Oh," she said. "That's cool. Um, let's dance."

She took a turn with each of them around the room, impressed they could actually dance. Truthfully, she had doubted their success after James bruised her shins and left shoe marks on the toes of her heels.

When they finished, she pronounced them successful as Daisy entered the room. As Terra had predicted, she was pale. She caught the sound of conversation down the hallway behind her. Daisy's parents were leaving her until the ball.