Starshine, Sky, and the Power of Rock

Welcome, I Guess

The realization makes its way through the room like a wave. Everyone just stares at her, no doubt the same question on everyone's mind: what is a vampire doing in the palace? She looks about my age, but she can't be a student here, can she?

I turn to Mama again, at a loss as to how to take all of this. She's still smiling, unlike everyone around her.

Skylar looks around. She isn't smiling, but she isn't scowling the way you'd expect a monster to. If anything, she looks uncomfortable. "Uh, is there... something wrong?" she asks.

Um, excuse me? Something wrong? I can name quite a few things wrong here.

"Oh, we're just not used to students from your particular kingdom, is all. But don't you worry, you'll fit right- "

"Sunshine, may I speak to you in private?" Mom cuts off Mama, standing up.

"And cut off the Introductions?" Mama replies.

"Yes. Skip to the tour."

I stand, too. "But who's going to- "

"You guide them," Mom says, pointing at me.

"What?!" I exclaim.

"And guards!" Mom continues. 5 guards appear at her side. "Make sure nothing goes wrong."

I stutter out some semblance of a protest, but my moms have already left. I'm now the most powerful person in a packed room. My skin burns from all the eyes on me, including the vampire girl who has backed away slightly.

"Um..." I begin. "Welcome! Again... If you were here last year, your dorms are in the same place and your luggage has been brought there. You are dismissed."

Three fourths of the crowd empty themselves out of the throne room and up the giant staircases leading to the dormitories, including a deeply confused Citrus who turns to look at me with the widest eyes before leaving with his fellow second years. A number of the kids break off from the rest and make their way in the direction of the administration offices. I can't blame them.

"...Okay. And, first years, follow me."

"Starting tomorrow, we will join the time-tested tradition of aspiring rock stars from every corner of the Land of Light coming together in this prestigious school, military base, luxurious palace, and mode of transportation all rolled into one with a shared goal: to hone our craft in the study of combat magic, better known as rock," I say as I lead my fellow first years through the first of many hallways in the school portion of the palace. With me at the front of the pack and the vampire in the back with the guards right behind her, it becomes much easier to focus on the task at hand. But it doesn't totally alleviate the palpable tension throughout the whole group, perhaps the whole school...

The tour! Focus on the tour!

"If you look through the envelopes containing your acceptance letters, which you should have on you, you'll find your schedules. Each student's schedule is identical to the members of the band to which they have been assigned. Four students to a band, mine being the exception in which case I'm the fifth member. To accommodate both academics and our development as musicians, we follow a block schedule that alternates between weeks focused on academic courses and weeks focused on mus-"

"Are the dorms co-ed?" an elf boy asks, hand raised. Why raise your hand if you're going to cut me off anyway?

"U-um, no, dorms are generally segregated by gender, though nonbinary students have the option to-"