“Because we’re the Knights!” they exclaim with grins.
Yori leans forward, her black hair slipping over her shoulder. “I’m an orc barbarian named Oof.”
“An orc? Aren’t they…super creepy?” Rosa asks her BFF.
“Yeah, but this way I can destroy anyone who annoysme.”
“Like Brody, Max, and the percussion bros!”
“Can Puff get in on that action?” Callie asks.
The group laughs and Li lifts a hand to high-five me.
“What kind of weapon does your orc use?” Li asks Yori.
“Um…I don’t know. Something that can flatten people?”
Deja holds up a book. “Use a maul.”
“Perfect,” Li says and starts sketching something on a napkin.
I lean over her shoulder. With the crappy ballpoint pen I gave her to write down her character notes, she’s drawing a sketch that looks shockingly like the orc in the D&D manual. “Whoa, you’re an artist?”
She slides down in her chair. “I’m not an artist. I just like to draw fan art.” She works for a few more seconds and then sits up. Sure, it’s rough, but her sketch of Oof the orc is waybetter than anything I could even conceive in my head, let alone draw.
I lift up the napkin so the whole table can see. “Um, I think you’re an artist.”
Everyone gasps in delight. “Me! Do me!” Keira calls.
“And us too,” the seniors call.
“I want one!”
“Me too!”
“I’ll get you some better paper,” I say.
Another twenty minutes and we’ve met everyone’s alter ego charactersandhave seen a cool sketch of each one.
“What about you, Hazel? What’s your character?” Rosa asks.
“Oh, I don’t need a character. I just wanted to do this for you all.”
A chorus ofnooooos rings out.
“We all have characters. You have to make one too!” Yori commands.
“I think she should be a wizard,” Li says. “They’re wise, which you are, they’re old, which you totally are”—the group laughs—“and they make magic. And I know you’re going to help us make magic this season.”
The others laugh, probably sarcastically given their optimism about guard, but I pull Li into a hug so no one can see the fact that her last sentence has me emotional.
Chapter Seven
The following day is Water Balloon Day. Each section wears a different color of shirt, the “band booster” parents provide the water balloons, and we get to end practice early so we can throw as many balloons at each other as possible. Percussion is certain to come after us mercilessly today, but I’ve got it covered. I spent extra money this year buying supplemental water balloons to make sure we can return the favor.
Unfortunately, all this excitement for the end of the day means the guard isn’t focusing well. We’ve been practicing our routine for the fight song—a song we’ll be performing endlessly this year—and it’s looking rough.
“Keira, you need to have your flag straight up on count four so that you’re able to sweep behind your back on six.”
