Vora danced her way downstairs after freshening up. She'd been rightfully ecstatic over the past two weeks over being unwitchified. Whenever someone got scratched, or stubbed their toe, or any other injuries, Vora didn't suffer a mutual experience.

Madeline stood in the living room, testing expensive perfume samples with her husband. Rudolf had a miserable time losing brain cells and beloved childhood memories from fumes.

"That one's perfect, Maddie," the blonde-bearded man coughed. "All of them are perfect. You're perfect, Maddie."

Rudolf stood and held out his arms for a hug, hoping to pause the madness, but Madeline rejected him dismissively.

"You're not being helpful. My mother already considers me improper and pedestrian.”

“You worry too much, and it’s literally killing me,” Rudolf wheezed through his pocket rag.

Vora gracefully flipped over the couch, threw open the curtains, and tossed the window upward with sweet relief.

“My graduation will be outdoors, Mother. Perfume is naturally meaningless. Grandma Horne will be distracted with me."

“She will be distracted by Vora," Rudolf reaffirmed. “And myself, if anything."

Madeline placed her head against the wall. “O’ Burning Bell, that gives me life and warmth; I pray my mother won't be able to make it today."

"Maddie... You can’t pray your mother away.”

"Shhh. It may work…" She responded, hopefully.

There was a muffled honk outside.

“Klev is here,” Vora said quickly with relief. “Be seeing you in three hours. Farewell."

And she blew out the door, gaining comfort in her lungs.

***

“To represent the class as Holy High Honor: Ms. Vora Snihde!” called the geriatric lips of a decorated woman over many cabinet speakers on the stage.

The graduation took place in the grassy and cobblestone pathed courtyard of Vora’s soon-to-be-former academy. There were thousands of anxious people there. The blazing orb in the sky nearly touched one of the Bell’s chains against the blue.

Everyone was seated in red velvet and brass outdoor chairs. Vora’s mother and father embarrassed her when they could. Maive and Darcie were nowhere near Vora’s seat, and Klev was in the gentlemen’s section.

Holy High Honor was granted to those with the highest scores throughout their lives, and naturally, Vora achieved the title. She earned perfect scores as she grew but stumbled through gymnastics until she gained skill from being Monarch.

In her red and black graduation uniform, Vora rose and strode to the stage with the teachers, Chimes, and the principal. She riffled through her notes, stumbling when her toe hit a higher patch of grass. Vora rolled her chocolate eyes at Maive’s sterile notes and tossed them in the wind before having her glowing face near the microphone.

"I’m here to represent the O'Landra 5th Star Academy class of 742. I'm the first to admit I'm a poor representation of every student leaving these grounds today. The Holy High Honor is meant for the best. But despite being intelligent, beautiful, clever, talented, creative…. I've lost my thought."

Those closely familiar to Vora had their faces in their hands, save for Darcie, who howled with laughter.

"Yes," Vora remembered, raising a finger. "I don't represent any of you as much as you represent each other or myself. Our futures are different, and I am a flawed creature, maybe more than most. Because of my incompetence, I’ve lost loved ones, and I recognize my failures. I'll never get them back, but I'll keep going. I'll make them proud and show that I can have a mundane, boring, standard life like all of you. Make the ones you've failed proud!"

It was tradition to ring a brass bell at the end of the Holy High Honor's speech, but Vora hesitated to grab it. She was relieved when it didn't crack and dull like when she had Eoa. After a wild ring, she frolicked to her seat, passing by a corpse of a crowd.

Darcie hopped up, cheered, and clapped earnestly. “Whooo!”

"We planned her speech for hours.” Maive bit her blue hair and sighed. “It was my mistake to strategize with her."

***

The ceremony had ended, and now everyone was exchanging pleasantries and congratulations. Vora returned to her family, where Grandma Horne was already irritating her mother. She looked just like her mother: black hair and pale skin. But she was far shorter and wrinklier.

"Congratulations, Vora,” Grandma Horne praised. She exchanged a hug with her granddaughter. “You looked amazing up there. And your speech was beyond anything anyone could say. Except me, naturally."

Her grandmother had passed on many of Vora's good and bad qualities.

"Thank you, Grandma.”

"Ah. If only I had more grandchildren….” Grandma Horne sighed.

Madeline appeared uncomfortable, so Rudolf interjected. "Vora is all Madeline and I ever need. I couldn't handle more of her, anyways."

"Mmm. Naturally," Grandma Horne said after a pause.

Before Grandma Horne could make the moment more uncomfortable, Bernard and Tricia came over. Well, Tricia dragged Bernard along with a dumb smile on her face.

"Good job, Vora," said the bubbly Tricia, who threw back her brunette hair. “School was so hard for me; I barely passed.”

"It isn't difficult at all," is what Vora stopped herself from saying. Instead, she said, "Thank you. I wonderfully appreciate it."

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"Bernard has something to say too. Don’t you?” Tricia gave Bernard an intimidating, expectant look.

Vora put a hand on her hip when Bernard approached, bearing his eternally disinterested mug. With his ringed hand, he handed her an envelope. "This is your last check. I'm nearly impressed you didn't screw up. Except for that speech. It was awful. Also, you’re fired,” he added quickly.

Vora had already quit a week ago, but she played along. "Splendid. I won’t have to deal with you or your foul flower shop anymore.”

"Why would I need you when my wife can work for free?” Bernard grinned.

"You're an awful, awful man," Tricia said cheerfully.

Vora threw her arms around Bernard, who was thrown off by her action. “Goodbye, Bernard. I’ll miss you.”

He lightly tapped her on her upper back, feigning interest in something in the distance. “Yeah, sure.”

"Did you know Vora has a boyfriend?” Rudolf asked Grandma Horne with a puff of his pipe.

Vora shot her father a bloodshot, hate-filled leer while he returned a playful grin in his beard.

"Oh?" Grandma Horne's eyes brightened.

"They'll be moving to White Hill soon,” Madeline added matter-of-factly. “They’re starting their own general store.”

Vora didn't want any of this, so she scanned for an escape. “It will be grand. I see Darcie’s family. I’m sure they’ll want to-“

"Klev's right over there.” Madeline grabbed Vora and her mother. “He’s a handsome, sweet man. And he's blonde."

The women seemed to lean toward blonde men, as Vora's late grandfather was blonde as well.

"Well, he's bashful," Vora pleaded. Maybe some oth-"

Klev gave a wave to the trio and walked their way. Vora's heart sank as her grandmother's excitement and anticipation to prod her granddaughter's gentleman skyrocketed.

***

Vora’s graduation party was a wild one. Rather than suits and dresses, everyone was wearing casual blouses, skirts, jackets, and dress shirts. Glasses of wine and bottles of hull brandy clinked around the Snihde household.

Vora pinched her nose, prepared to drink a sip of Darcie's homemade duskshine. When the liquid hit her tongue, Vora gagged, keeled over, and cried a bit.

"Awww. Big baby.” Darcie, who just wore a white shirt with suspenders against her breasts, popped the cork back on a jar. “Both of you.” She looked at Maive and laughed.

"I am sorry we failed you," Maive frowned. "Duskshine is too powerful for our pallets."

"I expect more from you. You've been sippin' high society liquor since you were ten.”

"I used to empty my glasses into foliage. I never enjoyed the feeling of stupor."

Darcie gave Maive a smooch, then said, "I can tell. Welp. Can't be missin' my own party. I'd better see you there, or I'm kicking your rears."

After Darcie left, Vora and Maive collapsed on the couch. Both wondered how they kept up with the woman. They exchanged glances and laughed.

"Are you going to join her soon?" Vora asked.

Maive shook her blue head. “I will remain here with you for the time being. We can go together as her party will go late.”

“Naturally. Let’s escape the noise.”

Maive followed Vora into her room, and Vora locked the door. There were some oak boxes partially filled with Vora’s important objects, ready to go to a new home.

"We should finish the game before you leave." Maive pointed at a half-finished chess game. "Poor thing has sat there for months."

“Naturally,” Vora said as their butts slapped some stools. "I hope covering my antics wasn't an inconvenience.”

Maive cleared her throat while moving a piece. "Not at all. You were gone for a while."

By that sound, Vora was reminded of Maive's illness. She used to replicate her dull pain, but without Eoa, Maive's condition was unknown.

Only she, Albiet, Flash, and a few doctors and healing Chimes knew of her unidentified sickness. Maive had bouts of weakness, sweating, shakiness, and sore throats when her steroidal medication wore off.

"How have you been feeling?" Vora asked seriously.

"I'm doing well, Vora.” Maive didn’t look up from the board. “Check.”

"Be honest with me." Vora moved a knight. “When will you tell Darcie?”

"I'm fine, Vora!" She looked up. “Please, leave it be. Check.”

"I love you, and I care." Vora moved a piece. "So I won't leave it be."

Maive sighed. "I'm sorry. I’m just frustrated with it all. I've been improving. Albeit and Flash have been irreplaceably helpful with my medicine. Checkmate."

Vora examined the board, confused. "How in the… You took advantage of my pity."

"You are reaching for an excuse, Ms. Snihde,” Maive sneered.

"We're going again."

"Very well!"

***

Klev and Vora met up with Maive at Cathedral Mall. She had invited everyone out of the blue without saying what was happening. The large doors to the mall were snapped shut, something Vora's never seen. The parking lot was nearly bare, as well.

“Welcome, you two,” Maive greeted. She delicately handed Vora an envelope. “For your journey in White Hill.”

Vora nearly choked on her spit when she saw what was behind the wax Orna family crest. It was Ruthals. An unimaginable amount of Ruthals.

"I can't take this," Vora whispered, returning the money. "It feels wrong.”

"Do you honestly believe I’d take that back?” Maive grinned. “Use it for your store. I must spoil my friends before they leave."

Vora crushed her brows at Maive, then shot them up and said, "Naturally” with her sultry voice. She slapped the envelope against Klev’s chest. “Keep this safe, darling.”

“S-Sure.”

"Why are we here? Surely not for that.”

Before an answer, Luis pulled up and jumped out of his HC. He slapped a fedora on and walked over to join the group.

Klev appeared confused by his arrival. “Where is Coral?”

"Ah. We broke up,” he said casually.

"Oh no. When was this?"

"About forty minutes ago.”

"Oh…."

"And this time, we’re staying broke up.” Luis closed his fist near his heart.

"Sorry to hear that? That’s good?” Klev asked with a twisted, uncertain face.

You'll be back together before the end of the week, Vora thought cynically about the metronomic relationship couple.

"So why are we meeting at this mall?" Luis asked, his cat eyes bouncing.

"Fer some reason, she ain’t telling any of us,” Darcie commented, coming from the parking lot to finish the gathering.

"Well. I predict this would be the final opportunity for us to be together for-"

"Luis!" A yellow and black checkered HC arrived, and a dark-skinned woman with lime hair jumped out. “I take it back. I accept your choice to play football professionally.”

Luis smiled and ran open arms to the exasperated Coral. “And I think your herbal milkshakes are genius!”

I underestimated their jack-in-the-box emotions. Vora declared mentally.

"Mess, ain’t they?” Darcie mumbled.

"Perfect outcome. Today, we can do whatever we wish in Cathedral Mall. Squeeze as much fun as you can out of today.” Ms. Orna knocked on the large doors, and they opened slowly. Behind it was Albeit and Flash. There were no other customers in the mall. “I bought out the entire mall for today. Freedom is yours.”

Vora snatched up Klev’s arm instantly and dragged him in. “We’re hitting every candy store in here!”

Darcie whistled. “Didn’t take her long.”

The rest followed on their own time after discussing.

Vora ravaged the candy store by taking the most unique and rare hard and soft candies. Klev simply wanted ice cream.

Later, the girls got themselves gorilla-like massages. Vora was in true bliss, feeling an action that countered agony. A spiked hammer was needed to break through Darcie’s tanned armor.

While passing a marble pillar covered in bells, everyone but Vora took a moment to pray to the Burning Bell. After Puggly, she was wholly opposed to the religion.

While destroying a restaurant’s menu, Klev and Luis had an eating competition. Each had their own cheerleaders throwing support. The only thing the men won was stomach aches.

The gang then went into the photography store and used a velvet flash camera to take instant portraits of themselves in all sorts of poses. Vora got a nice stack of portraits for her new home.

They ended the night on the big belfry of the cathedral that oversaw the small city. Lanterns and lampposts twinkled below, with a cool breeze slithering around the group members.

After some chatting with Klev and Darcie, golden fireworks shot up into the black sky. Maive grinned stupidly at her idea coming to fruition.

"Takes ya back, don't it?” Darcie laughed. “That bridge.”

"Yeah…" Klev looked down at Vora. "Seems like yesterday."

Vora grinned, grabbed Klev’s hand, and looked out to the fireworks.

The light shined and twinkled in Darcie's orange eyes as she scanned all her friends and soaked in their images.

***

The next day, Darcie was out early morning, working harder than four people combined. Out in the field, a sigil of light appeared, and a Chime followed behind in a flash of light. Out walked Maiden Sympha, who strolled delicately toward Darcie. Darcie put a hand over her breast and bowed.

"Maiden. What are you doin' at our small farm?" Darcie asked with a rapidly beating heart.

"Stand, my child. No need to kneel. I've come for you, Darcie Jane Crow; rather, god has. The Burning Bell, my father, has chosen you to be saved and to ascend to heaven.” She smiled sweetly with her black lips.