An Unexpected Show

By Anne of Lothlorien

“Rope secure?”

“Check.”

“Snacks on hand?”

“Check.”

I passed a bag of freeze-dried oranges to the shadow shaped like my roommate and watched him fumble to open it in the dark.

“Ugh. Connor. This is the best you have?”

“We’re in space, Barrett. Not many options.”

He sighed and shifted on the lumpy mattress. “Do you think this’ll work?”

“I hope so. I really don’t wanna lose the last of our fireworks.”

Fourth of July was the day after tomorrow. The Academy never held official celebrations for any holidays of the students’ home planets, but they didn’t prohibit individual observance. Barrett’s latest package from his parents back on Earth had included special designed-for-space fireworks. We’d stored them carefully, counting down until we could hold our own Independence Day party.

But last week, our fireworks began disappearing, two or three at a time. No one we’d asked owned up, and all the principal offered was a sympathetic shrug. So here we were, crouched on my bunk in the dark, eating mediocre snacks to stay awake all night and catch our thief in the act.

“Why would anyone want our fireworks? We’re the only Americans at Bright Star Coalition.”

Barrett groaned. “I hate that name, Bright Star. Sounds like a glorified daycare.”

“With you here, that’s basically what it is.”

He slugged me on the shoulder.

I grinned. “I think someone just wants to spoil our fun. Probably Corblin or one of his gang.”

His gang being the shapeshifters from Delphius’s second moon. Gifted, sure, but with egos the size of planets. Their favorite pastime was playing tricks on other students. I grimaced at the memory of the scorpion-clown incident.

“Yeah, they’d be top of my suspect list, too.”

Creak.

Barrett gripped my arm. The thief was opening the footlocker! How in space had he gotten in without us noticing?

“Pull it!” I nudged Barrett a bit too hard in my excitement. He tumbled to the floor, his flailing hand catching my leg and dragging me down with him. Somehow, he managed to keep hold of the rope and gave it a vehement yank. We were rewarded with a muffled oof.

Barrett slapped my head in what I assumed was a blind attempt at a high five. Our snare had worked! Thank you, Boy Scouts.

I scrabbled on my hands and knees to the doorway and leapt for the light switch.

“Gotcha!” I whirled to face our thief and looked up into a grayish face I almost recognized.

“Tyrk?” Barrett stared, slack-jawed.

Tyrk. Now I remembered. He and his sister had showed up two months ago in the middle of our Galactic History class. Literally. They had flickered into focus by the lectern and scared our professor half to death with their ghostly appearance. Pale faces and teleportation were the signature calling card of Belloise, one of the farthest planets from the spiral core.

“Why are you stealing our fireworks?” I demanded.

He couldn’t deny it with my gym bag dangling from one of his fists. I eyed his clenched hands nervously. Tyrk was on the slender side, but nearly a foot taller than me, and I’d never been much for scrapping. It’d be two on one, sure, but I didn’t relish the thought of fighting for our fireworks.

“Just give them back and we’ll forget it,” Barrett said, not too keen on the idea of taking them by force either.

Tyrk blinked, then disappeared. I swear I heard crickets chirping in the void he left.

“Teleportation.” Barrett spat the word like a curse.

“We… We had him!” Unbelievable. I slumped against the wall.

Muffled booms interrupted our frustrated silence. We both jerked upright. Was that… Had he really…

“Can’t be.” My roommate launched from the floor and plastered himself against the window. “No way! He’s already setting them off!” He groaned and let his head thunk the glass.

“Where?”

“By the south wing.”

I joined him at the window, and sure enough, the space outside the south wing was ablaze, sparkling reds, blues, and greens blooming in fantastically abstract flowers.

“There they go. The last of our Fourth of July dreams.” The gloom in Barrett’s voice threatened hours of complaining to come.

“Isn’t…” I scratched my head. “Isn’t the south wing the medical ward?”

“I think you’re right. Why would he go there?”

Barrett and I stared at each other. I kicked the slightly emptier footlocker. Our trap had worked. We’d had our culprit. Just our luck that he turned out to be a teleporter.

“Oh,” Barrett said in that voice he used when he realized the answer to a question hours after the test was over.

“What?”

“Leera.”

Tyrk’s sister?

Oh. Now I remembered, too.

The rumors had started when she stopped showing up for classes. Whispers about weak lungs, a long hospital stay, and plans to return to their home planet.

I could see the fight leaving Barrett’s eyes. The end of the rope dropped to the floor with a soft thwap. We stared at each other in silence for a few heartbeats.

He turned back to the window, and I joined him, taking in the view of exploding colors. Emerald green, crimson, and ocean blue hung glittering and flashing in space, suspended in fiery glory.

Barrett shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the glass. “Well, it wasn’t what I expected, but…” He flashed me a grin. “It’s still quite a show.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘Anne of Lothlorien’ made two decisions the summer she turned eight; to become a Christian and to become a writer. She’s never regretted either decision and knows she never will. Dabbling in all genres, but mostly fantasy and contemporary, Anne has many finished and unfinished short stories, novels, poems, and projects. When she’s not writing or reading, Anne enjoys journaling, watching movies, and graphic design. She loves roller coasters, cheesecake, Disney World, sparkly things, and getting mail.

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