Afternoon Planning

Anna was amongst the first ones to arrive at the cafeteria, her friends weren’t there yet. After grabbing her plate and filling it with whatever fancied her attention today, she sat at their usual table and checked her phone while waiting for her friends to get there.

Her parents hadn’t called again since yesterday evening. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

Urgh, the greens tasted even worse than usual today. The cafeteria food was never high standard, but this was just awful. She put aside the vegetables on her plate and focused on the three sausages she’d taken. A bit too greasy, but somewhat raw, slightly sanguine. It was like a taste from heaven, she thought, to her own surprise.

Lucie arrived first this time. She accelerated her pace to sit down next to Anna. “Are you doing fine?”

“Yeah, I am.” She noticed Lucie only took vegetables. “Urgh, these taste horrible today.”

“Is that so?” she asked, quizzical, before grabbing a bite. “Eh. Not worse than usual. Actually, I don’t think I took enough.”

“How convenient!” Anna said before lifting her plate to hers. “Is it okay if I dump mine in yours?”

“Yeah, go ahead, that way I won’t need to go fetch some more.”

“Thanks.” She dropped the vegetables to her friend’s plate and went back in line to get some more meat.

When she came back to the table, Jules and Sam had arrived and taken their seats. Good, she could catch up on the missed classes again.

“...And he said that was gonna be on the test next week, so mark it as important.” finished Sam.

“Okay.” Anna scribbled a little cross next to the section she’d just copied.

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“Speaking of tests, how’d this morning go, Anna?” Enquired Jules.

She thought for a moment. “I don’t really know yet. I fell asleep in the middle of them.” She paused. “I guess we’ll go see Mr. Robert after classes and he’ll tell us… Oh, I do know i can see ultraviolet though, apparently.”

“Freaky.” Commented Jules.

Lucie looked very surprised. “Wait, like…?” Gears spinned in her head as she put something together. “Do you think the collar is done transforming you or is there more to expect?”

“I don’t know…? I have absolutely no idea.” Said Anna.

“Let me see the scarab for a bit.”

“Uuh… Sure.” She dropped it out of her hoodie and Lucie pulled on it to look at it closer. Anna felt a bit embarrassed and looked around the room as she moved her chair closer to her so as to not be strangled.

“It definitely has changed a bit. Super subtle though. Look, there’s a small hole at the bottom, and its proportions are a bit more round.”

“I-I can’t see the bottom. The link’s too small to turn it towards me.”

Lucie released the emerald and Anna was able to sit back down on her chair.

Sam leaned forward a bit. “So… Trouble is not over yet.”

“No it isn’t.” Lucie confirmed, leaving Anna a bit tense.

“Speaking of trouble,” Jules said. “Are you sure you want to go to class this afternoon? I mean, you could just stay in Mr. Robert’s lab for as long as necessary.”

“I don’t wanna.” She pouted, thankful her expression was somewhat obscured thanks to her disguise. “I want to be in class. Like normal.”

“You really are too studious for your own good, Anna.” He grimaced.

She wanted to change the subject. “How did it go for you this morning, Sam?”

“A looooot of weird looks.” They answered. “But as I expected, it all went according to plan. I was brought to the administration and just stayed silent, and on the student side nobody asked any question.”

Jules laughed. “Sam, masteress of silent coercion!”

“Oooh, I like that word.” They cooed.

Anna smiled, relieved to know it went well for them.

“You think I could do the same? Just… Go in and pretend that’s how things have always been?”

Her friends stayed silent, none of them really finding the right words. Sam leaned forward again to caress her hand in compassion.

“...It’s a ‘probably not’, then?” She muttered, her voice cracking a bit.

“Sorry.” Answered Sam.

“If only magical over-night sex changes were more common and understood, right?” Said Lucie in an attempt at gallows humor.

It didn’t really make her feel better.

“Anna… Anna look at me.” Jules managed to obtain her gaze. “I might not be in your shoes and all, but… I want you to know no matter how hard it’ll get, even if it does not go like you wish it could, we’re here for you.” Sam and Lucie nodded in agreement.

“I know, but...” She trailed off, not wanting to be a downer. “Thanks. I love you guys.”

The mood didn’t particularly improve after that, but small talk laboriously resumed. They eventually finished eating, and Anna, lifting her empty tray, felt like this was her last moment to back out of her plans for the afternoon. She took an instant to reconsider Jules’s proposition, and, solemnly, deposited her tray on the pile and prepared herself for her classes.