Rising Shards

At the start of summer two years earlier, a dry season had the effect of a geyser nosebleed on me constantly. Fearing that it was some kind of Cani thing, Stella demanded I go to the doctor about it. 3WMB said I was probably dying, but not yet, so I wasn’t entirely an anxious mess about it. That day I was in front of a framed picture of a mountaintop and was wishing I was at its base reading instead of holding a towel to my nose, with my Raina Starlight book on my lap, with a bit of nosebleed on it, as I was not yet good at blood to book avoidance.

“Long day, huh?"

A girl had sat down by me. I wondered why she wanted to sit by someone who looked like such a total mess. I just nodded since I couldn’t really say anything with all the towel in my face.

“Is that a Raina Starlight book?” She asked.

I nodded more eagerly. She knew Raina Starlight? Nobody ever talked to me about her books. Suddenly the girl broke into dramatics. She stood up and put one foot on her chair and struck a pose with an arm stretched forward. “I am a dream, floating from headache to headache in a foggy daze, never knowing what's really real but still feeling the empty gray, the color of sorrow, the one that is seeping into all facets of our lives.”

I was floored for a few moments. That was a big speech in Raina’s first book. This girl knew one of my favorite parts off the top of her head. She looked a bit embarrassed by my silence and got off the chair, and I wished I could finish the quote.

“Sorry, that was so dorky,” She said. “I’m Jeans, by the way.”

Jeans had a pink and white striped shirt and denim overalls on, and I knew if I had the immediate ability to speak, I would have blurted out something stupid asking if she only wore denim because her name is Jeans. I opened the front of the book where I had my name written in.

“Zeta, huh?” Jeans said. “Nice to meet you.”

Jeans smiled, and I could see her Cani fangs.

I felt a bit better with someone who’d already gone through that there with me. Frequent nosebleeds were a Cani Potential Moment, as described by 3WMB.

“Is that your mom?” Jeans said, pointing over to Stella. I shook my head and tried to figure out a gesture that explained sisterhood without looking like a total idiot. I probably could have talked too, but I had a few nightmare moments the last few nosebleeds where talking with towel to face resulted in catastrophe. Somehow Jeans understood my rapid back and forth pointing.

“Oh, you two are sisters?” She said.

I nodded. I peeled the towel away from my nose, and mercifully it seemed the bleeding had slowed down enough. I could actually say things again!

“I’m Zeta,” I said. “You read that, but I feel like I should say it out loud too. I’d shake your hand but as you can see, I have bled all over myself.”

Jeans laughed. “You don’t need to shake my hand,” She said. “That’s so business-y.”

“My sister said I should always shake someone’s hand if I meet them,” I said. “She said it sets the dynamics of the relationship or something weird like that. She drilled it into me, so I guess I do it on command.”

Silence started to set in, and I assumed I’d ruined a friendship already with how much of a dweeb I was.

"You’re oddly chill about talking to someone covered in blood,” I said.


“It’s not that weird.” Jeans said. “If you were like in immediate danger, I would probably just call somebody over. It’s just a nosebleed, right?”

“Or a Cani Potential Awakening Moment,” I said.

“It probably would have happened by now if it was,” Jeans said. “Hey, I actually have to go…”

“Oh, well it was nice meeting you, Jeans.” I said.

“But there is one thing I wanted to say,” Jeans said. “There’s a reason I came to talk to you.”

“Oh,” I said. “The book, right?”

“You’re the cutest person I’ve ever seen in my life.” Jeans said. I don’t know if she ran off or if I just sat there stunned until a nurse told me to proceed to the examination room, but I was probably as red as my nosebleed when they did.

The stage went dark. We opened again on me in my apartment.

It was the start of that summer still. I had spent a week feeling fluttery about my brief encounter with Jeans. I obviously didn’t tell Stella, but I did make some searches online that I had to immediately clear my history about that just made me more confused. Other than that, it was a regular summer night, and I was in the middle of my routine of refreshing browsers and flipping through channels on the TV.

“Ashli ‘Kitty’ Kilander has come under fire for her treatment of her hometown, but can you believe someone this cute could be capable of mass assaults? We don’t think so.”

“A startling new report suggests that hair length is tied to higher risk of…”

“The Order of Terina swears vengeance against those who don’t follow the path of Endora…”

“We have an exciting interview with the Cani prodigy Jeanette Dusk after beginning her void experiment…”

“Tower of Hate and Love’s new season premieres in just a few weeks. Last season’s finale got critical acclaim. Who won’t this guy kill? Not the show’s ratings, that’s for sure…”

It took me a second to catch it. While I did love Tower of Hate and Love, I flipped back to the channel before.

“Channel 2400 is proud to say we conducted one of the first interviews with Jeanette Dust before she entered the void to begin her 'Harmony' project.”

It cut to an interview with Jeanette Dusk, and I nearly flopped off the couch when I saw her. Jeans.

Jeans looked just like she had at the hospital. Her eyes were almost hypnotizing even on TV.

“Jeanette, you’re only fifteen, and you’re already off to a legendary career. Can you tell us anything about this Harmony project you’re venturing into the void for today?” The interviewer asked her.

Jeans looked a bit sheepish.

“Well, I think it’s something that’ll bring a lot of people together,” Jeans said. “We look at the void world as a place to train and get stronger, but it can be so much more. It’s not ready yet, but I think it’ll be amazing.”

“You certainly live up to that nickname,” the reporter said. “Are you going to be able to balance this project and school?”

“Definitely,” Jeans said. “I can’t wait to go back once summer’s over.”

I had moved up close to the TV.

“And which school do you go to?”

“Wildfire Hearts!” Jeans said. “It’s the best Cani school going today.”

“I won’t be surprised if teachers there will be asking you for help with the project there, Jeanette,” the reporter said before a forced goofy laugh. “We’ll all be waiting for whatever you do next.”

I snapped to my feet as the news report ended. That was her. I just talked to her. And then she was on TV.

“Hi, Zeta,” Jeans said behind me as I yelped and nearly flew through the ceiling from a mighty flinch.

I hid in front of the couch. I was just dreaming that, right? I worked up the nerve to slowly turn around to face her. And there Jeans was, in my apartment. Stella didn’t wake up, which to be fair I yelled in sudden shock a lot, so she was numb to that already.

“I look awful in that,” Jeans said. “And they said my last name wrong. How’d your appointment go?”

“It’s you,” I said. “How are you here?”

Jeans just smiled as my words came out almost accusatory. I realized I was pointing at her and bashfully put my hand down.

“Maybe we should step outside and get some fresh air.” Jeans said.