help me?"
"Yeah, I can do that, tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," she says, looking at the clock. She hesitates, knowing she hasn't had enough sleep today, but if she tries to go back to bed now, she might be asleep when everyone else is. That wouldn't be good.
She sits in her bed, staring at the wall and trying to stay up until it's well past three in the morning. Finally she gives up and lies down, dozing fitfully. She wakes to the sound of a soft knock on the door. "Piper?" Max calls through the door. "I brought the supplies."
She looks at the clock and climbs out of bed, yawning once again. "Thank you," she says, opening the door and looking up at him. "Where are they?"
"In the gym," he says. "Come on, Ace is already there." He leads her along, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she's following once in a while. "I didn't expect you to ask for help from villains," he says.
"I needed help," she says. "But I didn't think you'd both agree," she admits. She tugs her cloak around her, realizing she's still in her white and blue pajamas. Her soft white hair is tugged by the wind and hits her in the face until she shoves it away. Her skin is a dark reddish brown, contrasting sharply with her hair and her pajamas. Her feet are bare. She looks at them thoughtfully as they cross the campus.
"Why wouldn't we?" Ace asks as they reach the gym.
"Wouldn't what?" she asks, yawning.
"Help you," he says, only to look at Max. "Is she always like this?"
"Usually she's not even this awake," Max says with amusement. "I brought in snacks, too," he tells her, motioning to a table laid out with junk food, juice, and hot chocolate machines. "Since we're having a sleep-over, right?" he asks.
She gives him a shy little smile, pushing her hair out of her face. The floor of the gym is literally covered with pillows, blankets, and stuffed toys. She walks over to a massive stuffed teddy bear, and sits on it. "We need a stage, please," she says, leaning back happily. The pillows and blankets move, leaving a large empty spot in the middle of the floor. "I should get everyone," she realizes belatedly, getting to her feet again.
"Everyone please proceed to the gym," Ace's voice blasts over the speakers. "If possible, wearing pajamas, if not, well, you can take your shoes off when you get here." Before Piper can blink, the doors swing open and the student body starts pouring in. A few drones float in, as well. She looks at them curiously before sitting back down on her teddy bear throne. Soon everyone has picked their favorite place and are looking up at her expectantly.
"Hi," she says, holding up a hand, only to cover a yawn with it a second later. They all grin at her, calling back their greetings. "I'm here to talk about stories," she tells them. "There are a lot of Christmas traditions--like Jimmi and her papa showed us. That was a Posada, wasn't it?" she asks the Hispanic girl with a curious smile.
Jimmi blushes slightly, but smiles. "It was sort of one," she admits. "But it wasn't a proper one, and they were hungry, so I thought it wasn't the time to go into details."
"A Posada is a Mexican tradition where either neighbors or family members go from house to house, acting out the scene where Mary and Joseph try to find a place to stay," Piper explains for her, yawning as she goes on, "It's followed by a big party, and it all leads up to Christmas day, right?"
"Yeah," Jimmi says. "There are usually piñatas--which is why Pap á brought so many. It's a... touch of his past, back when he lived in Mexico," she admits.
"I love stories like that," Piper says with a smile. "Things that are done with families, and passed down... I've always been a little jealous of that," she admits. "I don't know who I am, or why I can do what I do. But I have a family now, right? So why not start a new tradition?" she says. "So with Ace's help, I'm going to tell you a story... if that's okay with you?" she asks shyly.
"Totally fine," Jack says, lounging back
"Yeah, I can do that, tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," she says, looking at the clock. She hesitates, knowing she hasn't had enough sleep today, but if she tries to go back to bed now, she might be asleep when everyone else is. That wouldn't be good.
She sits in her bed, staring at the wall and trying to stay up until it's well past three in the morning. Finally she gives up and lies down, dozing fitfully. She wakes to the sound of a soft knock on the door. "Piper?" Max calls through the door. "I brought the supplies."
She looks at the clock and climbs out of bed, yawning once again. "Thank you," she says, opening the door and looking up at him. "Where are they?"
"In the gym," he says. "Come on, Ace is already there." He leads her along, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she's following once in a while. "I didn't expect you to ask for help from villains," he says.
"I needed help," she says. "But I didn't think you'd both agree," she admits. She tugs her cloak around her, realizing she's still in her white and blue pajamas. Her soft white hair is tugged by the wind and hits her in the face until she shoves it away. Her skin is a dark reddish brown, contrasting sharply with her hair and her pajamas. Her feet are bare. She looks at them thoughtfully as they cross the campus.
"Why wouldn't we?" Ace asks as they reach the gym.
"Wouldn't what?" she asks, yawning.
"Help you," he says, only to look at Max. "Is she always like this?"
"Usually she's not even this awake," Max says with amusement. "I brought in snacks, too," he tells her, motioning to a table laid out with junk food, juice, and hot chocolate machines. "Since we're having a sleep-over, right?" he asks.
She gives him a shy little smile, pushing her hair out of her face. The floor of the gym is literally covered with pillows, blankets, and stuffed toys. She walks over to a massive stuffed teddy bear, and sits on it. "We need a stage, please," she says, leaning back happily. The pillows and blankets move, leaving a large empty spot in the middle of the floor. "I should get everyone," she realizes belatedly, getting to her feet again.
"Everyone please proceed to the gym," Ace's voice blasts over the speakers. "If possible, wearing pajamas, if not, well, you can take your shoes off when you get here." Before Piper can blink, the doors swing open and the student body starts pouring in. A few drones float in, as well. She looks at them curiously before sitting back down on her teddy bear throne. Soon everyone has picked their favorite place and are looking up at her expectantly.
"Hi," she says, holding up a hand, only to cover a yawn with it a second later. They all grin at her, calling back their greetings. "I'm here to talk about stories," she tells them. "There are a lot of Christmas traditions--like Jimmi and her papa showed us. That was a Posada, wasn't it?" she asks the Hispanic girl with a curious smile.
Jimmi blushes slightly, but smiles. "It was sort of one," she admits. "But it wasn't a proper one, and they were hungry, so I thought it wasn't the time to go into details."
"A Posada is a Mexican tradition where either neighbors or family members go from house to house, acting out the scene where Mary and Joseph try to find a place to stay," Piper explains for her, yawning as she goes on, "It's followed by a big party, and it all leads up to Christmas day, right?"
"Yeah," Jimmi says. "There are usually piñatas--which is why Pap á brought so many. It's a... touch of his past, back when he lived in Mexico," she admits.
"I love stories like that," Piper says with a smile. "Things that are done with families, and passed down... I've always been a little jealous of that," she admits. "I don't know who I am, or why I can do what I do. But I have a family now, right? So why not start a new tradition?" she says. "So with Ace's help, I'm going to tell you a story... if that's okay with you?" she asks shyly.
"Totally fine," Jack says, lounging back
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