Circinus High Egg Hunt

Asteria
     There was chattering all about the football field by her teammates about the tradition at Circinus High that happened every spring for the seniors: The Egg Hunt. Asteria tried to keep her focus off of it. It seemed childish, but the way students got involved was crazy. In lieu of student pranks, the Egg Hunt was designed to be a friendly competition among graduating seniors. That hadn’t stopped the famed broken arm incident though. Or the time several students cascaded down the main stairwell. Or the fish in the sink.
     These incidents hadn’t been enough to stop the Egg Hunt though. Every year in the spring, the seniors started talking about it excitedly. They paid less attention in their classes, and they geared up for an all out war. Underclassmen art students were in charge of painting banners and the eggs themselves. The atmosphere at school was charged with anticipation and seniors started getting teams together early. The time was drawing near, and the buzzing in the air was nearly palpable.
     Regardless, Asteria wanted no part of it. Sure she was a senior and this was a time of school spirit and celebration, but Asteria thought it was, well, lame. She had better things to do. Focus on preparing for college, steeling herself for graduation, and making sure she was in top condition for her track meet next Saturday. She didn’t have time to focus on some juvenile egg hunt.
     “Are you gonna do it, Ria?” One of Asteria’s teammates and friends came up to her. “I heard the grand prize this year was exemption from all your finals!”
     “No, Phoebe,” Asteria replied curtly.
     “C’mon! It’s tradition! I bet Felicity is going to do it,” Phoebe pushed. “I think it’ll be fun! Take us right back to our childhood. Oh, and I’m sure Pyxis is going to want to.”
     At the mere mention of Asteria’s boyfriend’s name, Asteria couldn’t help but blush. Phoebe was right. Pyxis and Felicity were going to want to be part of this, and she had trouble saying no to them. Whatever it was, they had to leave her out of it. She didn’t want to hear or see about it anymore. Besides, they didn’t even know when the darn thing was happening! So how could she be prepared for such a task?

Felicity
     The day had only begun and already there was so much buzz and excitement radiating in the air. The senior Egg Hunt was one of the most anticipated school events of the year, up there with prom! Everyone was chatting away about it, forming groups, and speculating where some of the eggs would be hidden. It was for this reason alone Felicity was twice as eager to get the day started. Unlike most of her peers, Felicity absolutely loved mornings and starting her day with her favorite activity cheerleading was more than she could have ever asked for, add the Egg Hunt on top of that and she was practically over the moon. Even if it turned out the hunt wasn't today, the fact that it was even a possibility was more than enough to get Felicity’s blood pumping.
     Before school had started Felicity had already recruited Pyxis into her group. He wasn't all that hard to convince, since he was probably as excited as she was. Holt and Asteria however were gonna be a bit tougher to persuade. Asteria especially, but there was no doubt in Felicity’s mind that once she flashed her big old puppy eyes at her big sister she would cave instantly. Just one of the many advantages of being the adorable and lovable younger twin sister.
     “You’re awful cheerful today, well more than usual,” her friend and fellow cheerleader Penelope mused. “Excited for the Egg Hunt?”
     Felicity giggled and nodded enthusiastically, “Duh! I’ve only been waiting for this since freshman year! Oh, I hope it’s today! The wait is killing me!”
     The senior Egg Hunt only happens on a Friday, but on exactly which Friday no one was sure. It was a complete and utter surprise to the seniors to avoid cheating thanks to the marching band incident her freshman year. She shivered just thinking about it, remembering how brutal it had been. Hopefully this year will be less chaotic.
     Penelope shook her head, her lips had formed into a small grin, “I can tell by the way you’re bouncing from foot to foot.”
     Felicity’s dark cheeks flushed, she hadn't noticed she was doing something so embarrassing. She coughed into her fist and flattened out her skirt, looking side to side anxiously, praying no one had seen her childish antics. She already had a hard time trying to get friends and family alike to stop treating her like a toddler, and this would most certainly not help her case.
     Penelope gently patted the young girl's shoulder, “Don’t worry I’m sure it’ll be soon. Easter is right around the corner after all.”
     Felicity looked up at the brown ink and smiled gratefully, “Thanks Penny.
     Now if she could just get Asteria and Holt as excited as she was…

Asteria
     Asteria plopped into her desk in her second period chemistry class and stretched out her aching legs as her classmates filed in. Up at the front the teacher was looking at her computer screen in disdain. Anything could’ve been on that screen, Ms. Meridiana didn’t smile for anyone or anything. Leaning over and massaging a sore calf, Asteria turned to see Pyxis walking in. His stupid signature grin was plastered on his face and as he saw Asteria, it only grew wider.
     She turned away abruptly to keep the heat from rising to her face. It shouldn’t have mattered. She knew Pyxis since childhood and they’d all been good friends, that fact hadn’t changed ever since they started dating. Asteria still didn’t know why her heart beat faster in her chest every time she saw him, it didn’t make any sense.
     Pyxis flopped down in the desk next to Asteria’s, his bag landing with a hollow thud as it smacked against the floor. “You know what day it is?” he asked, turning to her.
      “April 10th,” Asteria replied, her tone flat.
     “Okay, yes, but that’s not what I meant,” Pyxis said without missing a beat. Not waiting for his girlfriend to respond, he exclaimed, “It’s Friday!”
      “And?”
      “And that means the Egg Hunt could happen today!”
      “I doubt it.”
     “Ria, listen. It’s statistically probable. We’ve got a limited number of Fridays left, it has to be soon. Not to mention Easter is really close, so it has to be like, today or next week.”
     Pyxis’s unbridled enthusiasm was charming to Asteria most of the time. This time was not like that. The dumb egg hunt was all anyone was talking about and Asteria didn’t want to hear it. If something happened to her the day before a track meet, she’d be letting everyone down. That was going to be her excuse if anyone asked her. Her main reason for rejection of the event was that it was stupid. Nobody knew the prizes, and there were easily hundreds of seniors that’d be clawing at each other's throats. It didn’t make sense to her.
     “C’mon Riaaaaaa,” Pyxis whined. “If it’s today you have to do it. It’s tradition! You already barely went to prom.”
     “Yeah, I went to prom even though I didn’t want to. That’s all I’m contributing to my senior year experience,” Asteria said curtly.
     “But you had fun.”
     Asteria didn’t want to admit that Pyxis had a point. Prom night had been filled with laughs and fond memories. They were probably banned from a certain breakfast chain, but that night made it all worth it.
     “So just imagine how much fun the egg hunt will be! Plus we need someone speedy on our side! I can’t run, but I can beat someone with my drumsticks.”
     “Pyxis, no. You know weapons are banned.”
   “Drumsticks aren’t inherently weapons,” he argued. “It only matters if it’s, like, a real weapon.”
     Asteria put her face in her hands, and beside her Pyxis whooped. Only he and Felicity could really wear her down like that, and she hated it. The bell rang and Asteria picked up her head. Over the intercom Asteria could hear the student council president, Winter Minze-Strauss, give announcements in her cheery voice. There was nothing new to pay attention to. Clubs were meeting. Come to the cheer competitions and track meets this weekend! Senior caps and gowns were still on sale! Nothing out of the ordinary until, “Could all seniors meet in the auditorium for a class meeting?”
     Weird. Hm, maybe they were having an assembly about how one wasn’t allowed to fly decapitated stuffed animals from the flagpole. Staff hadn’t addressed that matter yet, so that could totally be the explanation.
     Once the intercom clicked off, Ms. Meridiana waved a hand to tell all the seniors to go down to the auditorium. Asteria picked up her backpack and left with Pyxis to head downstairs. Pyxis kept chatting with other students they encountered and speculated about what the meeting was for. The Egg Hunt was mentioned more than once, and Asteria didn’t say anything to anyone. People made sure to give her a hefty radius, and Asteria’s scowl really increased the distance people used to avoid her.
     The auditorium was partially full when Asteria and Pyxis stepped inside. On the stage was the administration staff seated behind a folding table, and front and center was Mrs. Garcia. She covered the microphone as she talked with the vice principals and counselors on the stage. They wouldn’t be this happy if they were addressing the flagpole incident. Something dropped into the pit of Asteria’s gut. Why was she so nervous about this?
     “Let’s find Holt and Felicity,” Pyxis said, drawing Asteria’s attention back to him.
     “Yeah,” she mumbled, searching the crowd for the familiar bob of Felicity’s head.
     Scanning the seniors that had gathered she spied Phoebe and Varali, and they were with their own boyfriends. Where was Felicity? Students kept moving past Pyxis and Asteria like they were pebbles in a river and found their own friends. It was odd, Felicity definitely should’ve been here by now. Turning to Pyxis, Asteria opened her mouth to tell him they should just find their seats when she heard, “Asteria!”
     Asteria twisted around to see Felicity coming up with a wide grin. Not wanting to dampen her twin’s mood too much, Asteria felt her lips twitch into a half smile of greeting. Her sister came to a stop next to her and bounced on the balls of her feet. “We should find our seats. Holt will probably be late, like always,” Felicity announced.
     “Good idea,” Pyxis said. “Let’s sit near the front so we can get to egg hunting faster.”
     “This assembly is not about the Egg Hunt,” Asteria insisted, not really able to fool herself.
     “Sure, sure,” Pyxis said, waving off Asteria’s words. “There’s nothing else it could be.”
     The trio found seats in the third row of seats, right in the center of the auditorium. Asteria let her boyfriend and sister chatter excitedly about plans for the Egg Hunt as she pulled out her phone to play a game and ignore whatever was about to happen. It didn’t take long for the auditorium to become a cacophony of sounds as students entered and sat near their friends. Asteria had always hated gatherings for this reason. The small conversations everywhere really added up and grated on her nerves. Well, it was either this or possibly finding out about the Egg Hunt, and quite frankly, Asteria wanted neither.
     Finally, a tapping on the microphone echoed over the students’ chatter. Asteria let out a small amount of pent up breath, but kept the remainder held in an attempt to slow her heart. She really didn’t want to be roped into this school festivity, but she knew there was a pretty good chance she’d be coerced into participating by her sister’s wide, sad eyes. Asteria really had better things to be doing, and she had to stand her ground! Surely she could. She shot a quick glance over to Felicity and Pyxis. Felicity had a bright smile on her face and Asteria cursed herself for even glancing. Whatever, she could withstand her younger twin. She could totally do it. It was fine.
     The auditorium noise slowly tapered as Mrs. Garcia leaned close to the microphone to greet the students. Remember, Asteria told herself, it could be literally anything. doesn’t have to be the Egg Hunt. It won’t be the Egg Hunt. It’s not—
     “Welcome to the 10th Annual Circinus High Egg Hunt!”

Felicity
     Cheers, hollers, and hoots rang out through the auditorium right as the words “Egg Hunt,” left Mrs. Gracia’s mouth. Felicity let out her own excited squee turning to Pyxis who was grinning back at her. She leaned forward in her seat to look at Asteria, but the horrified look on her sister's face made Felicity's smile falter. Why was she so against the Egg Hunt?
     Mrs. Gracia patiently waited for the students to quiet down before carrying on with her speech, “Now before we get started with the rules, I want to remind everyone because of past…incidents you were all required to have your parents or guardian sign a waiver at the beginning of the spring semester. If you do not have one on file, you will not be allowed to participate.”
     There were a few annoyed grumbles in the crowd, presumably from students who had either forgotten or couldn’t talk their parents into signing the piece of paper that would allow them to partake in the event. The Egg Hunt was notorious in their area for a reason after all.
     Mrs. Gracia’s dark expression quickly changed back to her usual bright and happy one, “Now that, that’s out of the way here are the rules! Please listen carefully, the staff will not be taking this lightly and there will be no exceptions.”
     “First,” Mrs. Gracia continued holding up one single slender finger, “You must be in a group of three to five people. No more, no less. Once your group is verified by one of the administration, you will be assigned a colored or patterned bucket.”
     Felicity nodded, seemed reasonable enough. It was a group event after all. She couldn't wait to see what color her group would get.
     “Two, you are not allowed to take an egg from another team’s bucket. We learned from that mistake last year.”
     A few giggles could be heard from the sea of students. Everyone remembered that mess.
     “Three, while we know many of you have been excited and anticipating this event please remember school is still in session for the lower grades. Please be courteous to your fellow students and teachers and do not disturb ongoing classes or parent-teacher conferences.”
     “Four, under no circumstances are you to leave school grounds. Any and all eggs have been placed around the school and the school only. Do not think for a second you can use this as an opportunity to ditch. We will not take the ‘we were just looking for eggs!’ excuse.”
     “And lastly, absolutely no weapons or intentional injury of any kind will be tolerated. This is first and foremost a school not a war zone.”
     Felicity could hear Pyxis snort beside her. She giggled at him. Knowing him, he’d probably intended to use his drumsticks to smack someone over the head.
     “Along with the buckets, you will also be given a sharpie. Once you have found an egg, make sure to mark it with your team’s initials to indicate the egg is yours in case someone thinks that they are above the rules.”
     There were a few people Felicity could think of that fit that description perfectly. A certain blue inkdrian with sharp white eyes, for example.
     “And remember each type of egg is associated with a certain number of points, but there are special eggs in the game.”
     Well, Felicity knew where her main focus was going to be.
     “Anyone caught breaking the rules will immediately be disqualified.”
     Mrs. Gracia paused for a moment to scan the crowd before she gave a big smile and finally said, “And lastly, good luck and have fun. Let the Egg Hunt begin! The hunt ends at four o’clock sharp! Meet back here right away!”
     Like a startled cat Felicity leaped from her seat and eagerly grabbed Pyxis and Asteria’s wrists, “Come on, come on, come on! We have to find Holt right away and get a headstart!”
     “Felicity,” Asteria gently warned, not budging from her seat, “I’m not doing this.”
     Felicity turned to her sister, sticking out her bottom lip to pout, “But you have to Asteria! We need at least three people!”
     “You’re already going to get Holt. There’s no way he’ll say no to you so there’s your third person,” Asteria pointed out, “besides even if I wanted to—which I don’t—I can’t. I never signed the waiver.”
     A wicked smile crept onto Felicity’s face, “I knew you wouldn’t! So I went ahead and had mom sign it for you! I turned it in at the same time I turned in mine!”
     “You what?!” Asteria hissed.
     Felicity fluttered her eyelashes innocently, “Come on Azzy please???”
     “No, Felicity.”
     Felicity closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t want to have to do this but Asteria left her no choice. Felicity cupped her hands together and looked backed up at her sister with pleading wide eyes, her bottom lip quivering, “Pleeeaasseee?”
     She could see the internal conflict in Asteria’s eyes. Torn between wanting to stand her ground and giving in.
     “Azzy,” Felicity whined pitfully.
     “For Dreamweaver’s sake,” Asteria muttered under her breath. “Fine!” she exclaimed, before throwing her head back with a sigh.
     Felicity’s face immediately brightened. She threw her arms around Asteria before pulling her out of her chair, shouting, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
     As Asteria stood, Felicity announced, “Now let’s go find Holt! I have a feeling I know exactly where he is.”
     Sure enough the trio, following Felicity's lead, found the young male knife item hybrid leaving the first floor male bathroom. Felicity’s nostrils were assaulted by the smell of smoke making her frown for just a second before her usual happy go lucky smile returned.
     “Holt!” She called cheerfully, running towards him at full speed.
     Lazily, the principal’s son turned his head towards her, not at all surprised to find that she was the one who called out to him.
     “What?” was his greeting.
     Placing her hands on her hips, Felicity huffed, “Why weren't you at the senior meeting? You missed the announcement!”
     He rolled his eyes and picked at his teeth. “So?” he asked.
     “So,” Felicity scoffed, “You missed the rules for the Egg Hunt!”
     “Did you seriously come to bother me for that?”
     “Oh, come on man,” Pyxis said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t be difficult. We already had to deal with one sourpuss today.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder to Asteria who was reluctantly following behind the two. She glared at him in reply.
     “There is no way in hell you are getting me to—” Holt started, but was cut off by Pyxis.
     “Spare us the spiel. You’re doing this.”
     Holt let out a sarcastic laugh, “Oh, yeah? And what makes you think that?”
     Face completely deadpanned, Pyxis pointed to Felicity who had already assumed the wide eye puppy dog stare.
     “Oh, gods damn it,” Holt muttered under his breath.
     After having their group of four approved by one of the members of the administration, Felicity was handed a cheap bright pink bucket and a black sharpie.
     “Okay!” Felicity said as she twirled towards the group and clapped her hands together with the biggest smile on her face. “Where should we look first?”
     Asteria and Holt glanced at each other wearily. Neither of them intended on actually joining this thing, so they were going to be no help. Felicity sighed and turned to Pyxis.
     “Well,” Pyxis said, tapping his chin, “I heard Erica was one of the ones who hid some of the eggs this year, and knowing her—”
     “She probably hid it somewhere stupidly easily,” Holt finished for him, a hint of a grin on his face.
     Pyxis shot finger guns his way. “Exactly.”
     With a vague idea in mind, the small group of friends made their way through the first floor of the school, mindful to keep their voices down for the classes that were still in session. They searched any and every wide open space where any egg would be easy to spot, but so far they came up with nothing.
     Stopping just short of the school’s entrance Felicity turned to the others, “Well I see absolutely nothing,” she complained, crossing her arms.
     “Giving up already?” Pyxis teased.
     Felicity's cheeks grew red, “No! Of course not!”
     “Can’t we just go up to Erica and ask her herself?” Holt suggested.
     “Holt, no! That’s cheating!” Felicity scolded.
     “It’s not cheating,” Holt argued, “It’s using our resources.”
     “It’s cheating and you know it,” Felicity said, not even entertaining the thought.
     As the two continued going back and forth, Asteria rolled her eyes and rubbed her temple. She leaned against the window behind her and sat at the edge of the window sill until she felt something hard from underneath her. Confused, she got up and looked down to inspect the object. Instantly, her mouth dropped, completely bewildered.
     “Um guys?” she called, silencing Felicity and Holt at once.
     “What is it?” Pyrix asked, tilting his head to the side.
     Asteria turned and faced the group, holding a plastic pink egg in her palm.
     “Oh my gods, Azzy you found one!” Felicity cheered, jumping in place.
     Pyrix smirked and gently nudged her arm. “Way to go, Ria.”
     Felicity promptly swiped the egg from her sister’s hand and marked it with the marker they had been given before placing it in the safety of the bucket.
     “We have officially found our first egg!” Felicity declared triumphantly.
     A taunting laugh from behind caused Felicity to jump. She turned, smile fading when she saw a blue inkdrian with piercing white eyes staring back at her, a malicious smirk plastered on the newcomer’s face.
     “One measly egg?” Cass jeered. Marching right up to Felicity, she grabbed the edge of her bucket and peeried inside. “And it’s a pink one! Oh my God!” Cass shoved the bucket into Felicity’s stomach making her let out a small “oof!”
     “Those things are only worth one point! They’re practically useless! Fitting for someone just as pointless.”
     Felicity's eyes were glued to the floor. She didn't dare utter a single word. She learned a long time ago that no matter what she said, Cass would find some way to spin it around and throw it back at her as another insult. There was just no point in trying to reason with her.
     Cass eyed the other three, not bothered at all by the daggers they were all throwing her way.
     “And how many have you found?” Holt sneered, his hands clenched tightly in his jeans.
     Felicity didn’t think it was possible but when she glanced back up she could see Cass’s devilish smirk grow even wider.
     “Take a look for yourself,” she purred, holding her baby blue bucket up for them to see.
     Nervously Felicity peeked inside and forze. She had already found five eggs. One pink, two yellows, one blue and a rainbow egg. Felicity’s breath caught in her throat. She had found one of the special eggs already?! How?!
     “I believe I’m at eight points plus a special egg,” Cass boasted, “You might as well quit while you’re ahead, because this game is mine.”
     With a flick of her long blue and white hair, Cass scoffed, “Later losers. Have fun while you can! Oh, and Felicity,” Cass’s eyes narrowed, “You may be one of the popular girls in this school, but don’t you dare think for a second you could ever hold a candle to me. Most people at this school only tolerate you anyway.” With that final jab, she turned and started walking away.
     Felicity just stood there with her head down, her hands wrapped tightly around the bucket’s handle, shaking. Tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

Asteria
     Watching the way Cassiopeia Swann treated Felicity made Asteria’s blood boil white hot. The popular girl was nothing short of cruel and it amazed Asteria that Cass was even able to have friends. A million things filtered through her mind to yell at Cass’s back, but none of them felt venomous enough. Asteria had half a mind to trip Cass or punch her stupid perfect teeth in or even pull a few clumps of styled hair out. Whatever would hurt her most would be— Asteria shook her head trying to rein in all thoughts of violence. A physical altercation would be sure to get their team disqualified. Whatever. Fight words with words right?
     Cass’s back was quickly disappearing down the hall. Her gradiented hair swished behind her with the click of her designer shoes. No way were they going to lose to that absolute jerk. Asteria balled her hand into a fist and muttered something. She took a step forward and Pyxis immediately grabbed her hand softly. When she looked back at him, he shook his head. Resigning herself to not rip off Cass’s head, Asteria took a deep breath and called out loudly, “We’ll kick your pampered baby ass!”
     A few people in the hallway stared at Asteria, but immediately averted their gaze when they saw the ugly expression carved into an otherwise lovely face. Asteria could feel the snarl on her face.
     Cass turned around, annoyed at first, and opened her mouth to make some scathing remark. But she instantly shut up as soon as she saw Asteria and kept on walking, albeit at a faster pace now. The expression Asteria had worn earlier was nothing compared to now. It was game on. That bitch was going down and nothing would stop Asteria from trying.
     We’re gonna win this stupid Egg Hunt,” Asteria said, grabbing the bucket and storming towards the green egg that had caught her eye. It was carefully placed on the edge of a silver frame to the trophy case.
     As she reached for it, she caught a peek inside the case. One of the trophies housed a quaint orange egg inside it. How lazy, Asteria thought. Though I guess it’s to our benefit.
     Upon closer inspection she realized the case was locked. Administration must not have wanted eggs to be placed in there, but they came too late. Who could pick locks? Asteria’s gaze traveled back to her group and she jogged back over.
     “There’s an orange egg in the trophy case,” she reported, “but it’s locked.”
     “he trophy case?” Pyxis asked. “Really?”
     “How’d they get the egg in there then?” Holt asked at the same time.
     Asteria shrugged. “Whatever it is, I need a delinquent to pick it,” she said. She focused her gaze on a certain knife hybrid.
     ”You’re really gonna do me like this? Right here in front of everyone?” Holt exclaimed.
     Asteria leaned in closely to Holt and whispered in the most threatening tone she could muster, “You’re gonna do it and make Felicity smile, or Dreamweaver help me I will rip off your knife and stab you with it.”
     ”As if,” he scoffed nervously. “Fine. Whatever, yeah, I’ll do it, sure.”
     ”Great!” Asteria beamed.
     As Holt walked towards the trophy case she heard him mutter something to Pyxis to which Asteria’s boyfriend just smiled. Holt shook his head and continued on. He went to work on the lock and in seconds it popped open. Sliding back the glass, Holt reached in and pulled out the orange egg. He held it up to show the group before coming back. Felicity smiled a bit, and Asteria felt her anger ease a touch. She would protect this smile at all costs, even if it meant she had to participate in this stupid Egg Hunt.
     With the orange egg marked and placed safely in the bucket, Asteria turned to survey the school foyer. Where else could the underclassmen have hidden the eggs? The admin offices were out of bounds, and there’s no way they’d put an egg in another display case, unless? Asteria strode over to the case that held a statue of the school mascot and a photo of the staff members and peered in. No eggs to be found there. She glanced at the area under the stairs. Maybe? She ducked under the velvet rope that sectioned off the area and looked around behind the various posters and racks. A yellow egg had found itself tucked neatly underneath a chest club poster.
     ”Gotcha,” Asteria said. “Maybe not worth a lot, but still better than nothing. Don’t ever underestimate the little guys.”
     Asteria made her way back to the others. Felicity had found a green egg and another pink one. Holt hadn’t even moved. He clearly assumed opening the trophy case and finding the illegal egg was all he needed to do to contribute. Pyxis came back with a dumb grin and a yellow egg.
     ”Riaaaaaa!” he exclaimed in a singsong voice, “We found the same color! It must be a sign.”
     ”Sh-shut up,” Asteria stammered. “Don’t go believing in signs. They’re stupid.”
     She turned her back to Pyxis and handed her egg to Felicity who happily marked it as theirs. Her eyes seemed to have lightened a bit, but they were still a little glassy.
     ”Listen, Feliz,” Asteria said, lowering her voice so only her sister could hear her. “We’re gonna win this thing and put Cass in her place. She ain’t special, we both know this.”
     Felicity only nodded in response, a small smile crossing her face. “Thanks, Azzy.”
     After Pyxis turned in his egg, he looked around. “I don’t think there’s any more eggs to be found here. And I don’t think it’ll do us any good to stay in a big group. We’ll cover more ground if we split up.”
     ”Moron, we’ve only got one bucket and one sharpie,” Holt pointed out.
     Unfazed, Pyxis pulled out a permanent marker from his backpack and showed that most of the contents had been removed. “Every Friday I keep things in my locker instead of my backpack. I was always anticipating the Egg Hunt,” he explained.
     ”Nerd,” Asteria coughed into the sleeve of her jacket.
     Ignoring his second insult, Pyxis went on, “Ria and I can take the rest of the first floor. Y’all can cover the second floor, and then we’ll meet together on the third!”
     ”Sounds like a plan!” Felicity said, her eyes darting not so subtly to Holt.
     Asteria quirked a brow and said nothing about her sister’s lingering gaze. “Do we have a time limit?” she asked. “When do we meet on the third floor?”
     Pyxis looked up in contemplation. “How about 2? It’s noon now, two hours is more than enough. If anything we can always meet up earlier if we need to.”
     The group nodded in agreement and quickly set off. Asteria expected to visit the band hall first, since Pyxis basically lived there, but they were headed towards the media room. This smelled like trouble, but Asteria knew Pyxis was smart. He was going there for a purpose.
     In the media room, one could find a group of Inkdrians known as DEETS. If it was information one desired, it was information she could get if she went to DEETS. Led by Electra Moore, this group of students knew anything and everything happening around the school. Drama, rumors, parties—if there was a name for it, they would have information on it. The Egg Hunt proved no different. Ever since DEETS became a thing in the past two years, seniors would utilize their hints to guide them to victory during the Egg Hunt. The administration had placed a soft ban on DEETS this year, but that didn’t keep them from doing what they did best.
     Pyxis strode into the room confidently, and Asteria followed. She glanced around the room and saw that the teacher wasn’t there, but DEETS was. Upon seeing two seniors enter, Electra straightened up in the chair she was sitting in. She snapped her fingers and took the lollipop in her mouth out. “Well, well, we’ve got our second bidders of the morning,” Electra said coolly. Her voice slurred a little bit, but Asteria knew it was all an act. “What can we do for you?”
     As soon as the words left her mouth, the other members of DEETS came over. Denise, Echo, Tango, and Savannah approached the table with smug, knowing expressions. Asteria was unnerved being in their presence. It felt like their eyes were boring into her and reading into her very soul. Somehow this group just knew if you were hiding something and they’d figure it out. Whatever, Asteria and Pyxis weren’t here for dirt, so there’d be nothing to worry about.
     “We want a hint,” Pyxis said, his gaze unwavering.
     “About?” Echo asked sharply.
     “The location of a special egg,” Pyxis said. He reached for his wallet. “I hear it’s five bucks apiece to get hints on them.”
     “We’ve changed our deal to one special egg per team that arrives,” Savannah said, matter-of-factly. “It’s only fair since many people require our knowledge.”
     “Would you perhaps want insider info on the Golden Egg? The Lovers’ Egg? The Melody Egg?” Tango asked with a giggle. “Or perhaps you want to know about the—“
     “Enough, Tango,” Electra said, silencing her friend. “That one’s special. Extra special.”
     Asteria could tell from one glance at her boyfriend that he was struggling not to say “eggs-tra special” during a discussion with DEETS. “The Golden Egg would be preferable,” she said so her boyfriend wouldn’t blow their negotiations. “But any egg that might appear on the first floor would be nice.”
     ”Hmm, we’ll see,” Electra said. “Denise, be a dear and check our info. How many special eggs are on the first floor?”
     Denise nodded, quickly scampered behind the teacher’s desk, and pulled out a tiny notebook. She made a face as she read through the page. “There’s one,” she reported loudly.
     Electra moved her head in slow agreement as if taking in the words Denise told her. “Alright.” Electra got up and walked over to Denise, leaving Tango, Savannah, and Echo to keep Pyxis and Asteria from infringing on their territory.
     Asteria craned her neck to see Electra and Denise looking over notes and talking briefly. Asteria turned to look at Pyxis who was thinking to himself. He must be trying to think of where to find other normal eggs, Asteria thought. Pyxis was always thinking ahead like that.
     After what looked like a deep discussion, Denise and Electra came back to the table.
     “We have a proposal,” Electra said. “You’re Felicity Allardyce’s sister, right? You’re on her team aren’t you?” Her tricolored eyes narrowed in on Asteria.
     “Y-yes,” Asteria said hesitantly. Just what was DEETS planning?
    ”We have intel on a very… special egg that would produce interesting results if found by Felicity’s team.”
     Asteria didn’t like the way subtle mischievous smiles crept across the faces of all DEETS members.
     ”We’ll give this information to you free of charge, on the condition you tell no one else. The drama and reaction payoff would be enough, really,” Denise said. “This special egg is located somewhere you’d least expect.”
     Next to her she could hear Pyxis snicker under his breath, “Where we’d least eggs-pect, haha.” It took all her energy to keep herself from sighing at her boyfriend’s awful puns.
     In a louder voice, Pyxis said, “Thank you for your help.”
     DEETS nodded. They said no more and returned to their usual activities. Asteria quickly scanned the room and found a blue egg tucked behind a computer. She grabbed it on her way out and once they were far away enough, Pyxis turned to her and loudly exclaimed, “What the hell was that hint??? ‘Somewhere we’d least expect’, like c’mon!! That’s so vague, ugh!”
     ”We can ask the others when we meet up, Asteria said. “Right now we’ve got to focus on finding other eggs.”

Felicity
     Since the group split, Holt and Felicity had only managed to find two eggs on the second floor, both pink and completely worthless. Truth be told Felicity wasn't really trying to find eggs, and  Holt was the one who had managed to find the two Felicity was currently marking.
     Felicity had been so excited for this Egg Hunt. It was all she ever talked about at the start of the year, and yet Cass had managed to completely rip that excitement right out of her with just one sentence. Cass had played her like a fiddle, hitting Felicity right in the heart with her biggest insecurity.
     “Gotcha you little plastic piece of crap!” Holt declared, standing on top of some lockers. He’d finally got his hand on a blue egg that had somehow managed to find a place in a loose ceiling tile.
     Felicity’s heart skipped a beat, watching him jump straight off the locker and hit the floor with a loud thud. He straightened up and looked at her with a wide smirk, so he must have been fine.
     As Holt handed her the egg to mark, Felicity felt a twinge of guilt for not helping, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn’t seem to put her heart into it anymore. Cass had completely destroyed any joy she had for the long awaited event. She didn't know how the girl knew her biggest insecurity, but she did and she had waited for the perfect opportunity to hit Felicity where it hurt. And it had worked.
     “Who the hell puts an egg in the ceiling?” Holt complained, walking beside her down the hall.
     Felicity only shrugged. It was an odd place to put an egg.
     Holt eyed the red and white haired inkdrian. “There was no way it was Erica. She’s way too damn lazy to climb the lockers like that. It was probably Iris. I wouldn’t put it past her crazy ass,” Holt continued, trying to pull some sort of conversation out of her.
     Felicity only nodded, half listening.
     Annoyed, Holt stepped in front of her, causing her to crash right into this chest. Before she could whine about it, Holt had placed a hand beside her head and rested it on the wall behind her, trapping her. For the third time today heat rushed to Felicity’s face, turning her face as red as her markings.
     “Enough of this pity party you’re throwing for yourself, Fel,” Holt said, his triangle shaped pupils narrowing at her. “I get it, what Cass said stung. But are you just going to stand here and feel sorry for yourself or are you going to actually try and win this thing so we can rub it in her sour little face? ‘Cause frankly if you’re not even going to try then we’re done here. I’ll go find Asteria and Pyxis and tell them we’re dropping out, which I’m sure they wouldn’t be happy about. So what’s it going to be, hm? We still in this thing or not?”
     Felicity stared silently at Holt in utter shock. Her mouth felt dry and her heart was racing a thousand miles a minute. Despite the absolute embarrassment she was feeling with Holt so close to her, she couldn't deny that he was right. Everyone else in her group was trying their best to win this event for her. Even Asteria and Holt were starting to take the hunt more seriously, and neither of them originally wanted to do it in the first place. Yet here she was mulling away in her own self pity. No more. She was done watching from the sidelines. Cass was going down.
     With a new found determination, Felicity looked at Holt with the first real smile since she and Cass had that pleasant conversation.
     “We’re not done,” Felicity proclaimed, a newly lit fire raging in her eyes.
     Holt smirked and released her from the wall. “Then let’s go find some more eggs.”
     Felicity marched ahead of Holt and instantly caught a glimpse of color out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure exactly what color it was but she could see a hint of plastic sticking out from underneath a vending machine. Hearing chatter from another team close by Felicity quickly hurried over to the egg and snatched it before the other team even had a chance to lay their eyes on it. It was filthy and covered in dirt, but Felicity realized just how worth it the egg was.
     “Holt!” Felicity called excitedly, “I found a special egg!”
     “No shit?” Holt said, strolling over to her. “Which one?”
     With a grin Felicity held up a lime green egg that was covered in painted flowers of various colors. “The Spring Egg! Totally fitting right?”

Asteria
     Asteria and Pyxis made their way to the old gym, a facility that had been built when Circinus High was brand new. The bleachers were retractable and arguably unsafe, and while that should have been an important factor in the building of the new gym, the main reason the school gave was that they needed a “nicer facility”. This meant there were two gyms to search, and the new gym was barren.
     On the journey over, Asteria ran into Phoebe and Varali, who had teamed up with their boyfriends and formed a group between the four of them.
     “Oh, Ria! I didn’t think you’d manage to get Pyxis to not participate,” Varali said.
     “Oh, we are!” Pyxis said with a grin.
     Asteria looked off to the side so she didn’t have to make eye contact with her friends.
     “Well that’s a surprise,” Phoebe teased. “But aren’t you supposed to have a bucket?”
     At this moment, Pyxis whipped his backpack off and opened it showing a decent amount of eggs. Nobody had even bothered to check the series of portables outside, and there had been an absurd amount out in the tall grass. Eggs of all colors filled the backpack, but most importantly high earning greens, purples, and oranges were prominent.
     A low whistle escaped Phoebe’s boyfriend, Marius. “Wow, y’all are really playing a competitive game,” he remarked.
     “I’m doing it so I can murder Cass,” Asteria muttered.
     “Asteria we talked about the murder thing,” Pyxis, Phoebe, and Varali all said at once.
   “What??? You can’t say you don’t want to,” Asteria grumbled, crossing her arms. “It’ll be worth it to see the agony on her stupid face for losing.”
     “And with that we’re gonna go!” Pyxis said, putting his hands on Asteria’s shoulders and gently pushing her. “Good luck on your hunt!”
     Phoebe, Varali, Marius, and Atoll all waved their hands as Pyxis shepherded Asteria away. They got to the old gym to find a few scattered teams looking around. Asteria quickly surveyed the gym to see if there were any splotches of color. Her eyes landed on a purple egg at the same time another team had spied it, and she made a mad dash for it. Not wanting to be outdone, she dove for the egg and crashed against the bleachers. She got the egg, but at the price of a couple of bruises.
     As she swore under her breath, the other team glared at her and Pyxis ran over. “You can’t do that!” he scolded.
     “Well I did and you can stop me,” Asteria said, sticking her tongue out at her boyfriend. She got up and brushed herself off. The plastic egg had crumpled a little and Asteria’s fingers throbbed where she had slammed them against the bleachers. She looked up at the bleachers and swore to herself. Something was up there.
     “Pyxis, help me,” she directed. She leaned down and grabbed the edge of the bleachers and pulled. An ungodly screeching noise filled the gym and people turned. This was drawing too much attention. There’s no way she could get to the egg if she tried to pull the bleachers out all the way.
     “What?”
     “There’s no time!” Asteria grunted through clenched teeth.
     Partially pulled out bleachers would have to do. She bounded up the narrow strips of plastic and prayed they wouldn’t move any farther underneath her. So far so good. She reached the top of the bleachers where they were steady and traipsed over to the object she had spied. It was larger than the plastic eggs and made of a sturdy styrofoam. It was painted bright mottled pink and had lace stenciled on the top and bottom of it. Red and white hearts decorated the space between the lace stencils and Asteria stared at it. She’d found a special egg at the top of the bleachers.
     Having reached her goal, Asteria was ready to descend the bleachers, but it was much more harrowing with the adrenaline dying down. “Pyxis!” she yelled down.
     Her boyfriend hadn’t taken his annoyed glare off of her the whole time, but his expression softened a little at her call.
     “Can you pull the bleachers the rest of the way out?” she asked. “I don’t want to be making my way down and then like, die because the bleachers decided they want to fully unfold.”
     Without a word, Pyxis tugged at the bottom of the bleachers and they slid out with mild protest. Asteria hopped down the steps and grinned, holding the egg close to her. “Look what I found!” she said. “It’s special.”
     “It’s the Lovers’ Egg.”
     “What?” Asteria turned to face a girl who was looking at her with a hint of jealousy. “What does that mean?” Asteria asked.
     “You’re kidding,” the girl said.
     “No, she’s not. She’s very dense,” Pyxis replied, earning a dirty look from Asteria.
     “The Lovers’ Egg has a legend attached to it,” the girl said. “If a couple finds it during the Egg Hunt then they’re meant to be together forever.”
     Asteria couldn’t form words, but instantly the Lovers’ Egg felt hot and dangerous. She wanted to clutch it close to herself, but at the same time she wanted to throw it across the gym and scream “Fetch!”. She didn’t dare look at Pyxis, but she didn’t have to to know that he was staring straight ahead. The egg had to be cursed. And it wasn’t that she didn’t love Pyxis, it's just… they were young. They had so many things to do before they even thought about that type of stuff.
     Pyxis was the first to get a hold of himself. “Well, thank you for that,” he said, still fairly tersely. “With that we’ll be on our way.” He glanced at his watch and nudged Asteria. “C’mon, we gotta go meet Holt and Felicity on the third floor.” He tried to smile despite the news that was just dropped on him, and Asteria felt her shoulders loosen up a bit.
     “You’re right. I think Felicity will be really happy to see that we found as many eggs as we did!”

Felicity
     It was finally time to regroup on the third floor. Felicity practically skipped down the hall while swinging the basket back and forth, but she was careful not to let any of the new eggs that she and Holt had found on the second floor fly out. They were all marked, so it’s not like it would be that big of a deal just a bit of a hassle and time waster. When Felicity spotted her twin and her boyfriend walking down the opposite end of the hall towards them, her face lit up and she sprinted towards them. Holt lazily followed behind.
     Once the group was reunited, they got each other up to speed and compared the number of eggs they all had found. Felicity beamed when she saw the couple had actually managed to find The Lovers’ Egg, before showing them the special egg she had found.
     “We’ve got to have at least a hundred and fifty points right?” Felicity questioned.
     “Oh, yeah, no doubt maybe even two hundred, if we’re lucky.” Pyxis nodded, “but it’s not over yet we still have one hour before the hunt ends and I think we should be safe to go after one egg in particular.”
     Felicity tilted her head curiously, “Oh?”
     Pyxis quickly explained his and Asteria’s little meeting with DEETS and the hint they were given of a supposedly very special egg.
     “‘Where you wouldn’t think to look?’” Holt repeated, unimpressed. “What kind of  bullshit hint is that?”
     “It’s still a hint,” Asteria argued. “Like it or not that’s all we got. Now shut up and start thinking. What could they have meant with this hint?”
     The group was silent, staring at one another but not really looking at each other. They were all deep in thought, desperately racking their brains for any kind of clue that could point them in the right direction. This went on for five minutes, before Felicity eventually groaned.
     “Ooohh! It’s no use! I can’t think of anything!” she cried grabbing her head, “I’m not good with this kind of thing.”
     “What, you mean thinking?” Holt snickered.
     Felicity smacked his arm with a frown. “Rude!” she scolded.
     “I’m not really coming up with anything either,” Pyxis admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
     Felicity looked towards her sister with hopeful eyes, “Azzy?”
     Asteria shook her head. Felicity sighed, her face deflating as her shoulders dropped.
     “We just gotta think about this from a different angle,” Pyxis said, “We know that Erica and Iris were two of the twelve juniors that were chosen to hide the eggs. Let’s try to put ourselves in their shoes. If one of them was tasked with hiding this special egg where would they put it?”
     Holt snorted, “There’s no way they would hand over a special egg like that to Erica. Everyone knows  her spirit animal would be a sloth if she had one.”
     “Good point,” Pyxis muttered. “What about Iris?”
     “She’s very flexible and easily could hide it somewhere most people wouldn't even think to reach,” Asteria said, thinking out loud.
     “That’s very true,” Felicity agreed. “Iris is also a bit…”
     “Insane?” Holt suggested.
     “Out there,” Felicity said, glaring at him.
     “Okay, okay,” Pyxis interrupted before the two could get into another argument. “Then what would be the most random place that wouldn’t be easily accessible?”
     The group fell quiet once more, a look of pure concentration on their faces.
     Holt crossed his arms and looked up, thinking about the egg he had found in the ceiling. A little light bulb went off in his brain, “She wouldn’t,” he said out loud.
     “What?” Felicity questioned.
     “No,” Holt muttered, not hearing Felicity. “No, she totally would.”
     “What?” Felicity tried again.
     “I think I know where she might have hid it,” Holt announced. “Follow me.”
     Just a few minutes later the group stopped at the bottom of a staircase. An old oak door sat at the top, blocking them between it and the highest level of the school.
     “The roof?!” Felicity exclaimed, wide-eyed.
     “Yeah, I could see that,” Pyxis said without a hint of surprise in his tone.
     “B-But how would she have gotten on the roof?! It’s always locked!” Felicity pointed out, her brain completely frazzled.
     “It’s Iris, remember?” Holt snorted.
     “Not only is that dangerously stupid,” Asteria said suddenly looking exhausted. “That’s just plain stupid. How does she expect anyone to find it without killing themselves in the process?”
     “Who knows what goes on in that batty brain of hers?” Holt said, immediately cringing at his unintended pun.
     “Well it’s a good thing we already know someone who can pick locks. Get to it, Holt,” Asteria ordered.
     “Are you kidding me with this?” Holt scoffed. “Why don’t you climb the side of the school like she did? You’re the athlete here. I’d pay good money to see that.”
     The death glare Asteria threw at him instantly made Holt shut his mouth, quickly climb the stairs, and force open the door. The group made quick work scoping out the roof before an adult could catch them trespassing, but so far they had come up with nothing.
     Nervously Felicity looked down at her phone for the time, they only had ten minutes before the hunt would conclude. If they were wrong and couldn’t find the special egg it would be over for them.
     Felicity eased herself as close to the roof’s edge as carefully as she could and looked down. She grimaced seeing the large drop before her. Had Iris really climbed all the way up here and back down? She looked back at Asteria who shook her head. None of them had managed to find the egg. Could they have been wrong? Betting on Iris being the one to hide the egg out of the dozen of other juniors was a massive risk, one that could cost them the entire hunt.
     She pulled herself away from the edge. If a teacher or another student spotted her, they would be in huge trouble. Hugging herself tightly, she imagined the smug look on Cass’ face as Mrs. Gracia announced her the winner of this year’s Egg Hunt.
     Before tears could well in her eyes, Felicity spotted a large piece of rubble suspiciously placed in the middle of the roof. She called Asteria for help and hurried over to it. Together the twins lifted the rock and there it was, a beautiful egg painted in light and dark purple sprinkled with spots of white. Felicity immediately snatched up the egg and held it tightly to her chest as tears of joy rolled down her face. She looked at Asteria with a grin and her sister smiled gently back at her.
     “Guys!” Felicity called over her shoulder to the boys. “We found it!”

Asteria
     Asteria had to admit, the Egg Hunt really did give her an adequate workout. After briefly celebrating their joy in finding the special egg, they realized they had less than five minutes to book it to the auditorium. Quickly the group scrambled off the roof and down the stairs. Asteria took the bucket and sprinted ahead of the group. If at least one of the members was present they wouldn’t be disqualified. Mrs. Garcia wouldn’t be as cruel as her son, right?
     Her breaths were coming in heaves as she ran into the auditorium. A vice principal eyed her with discontent and muttered something about running in the halls. A few moments later, Felicity and the others joined her. They found their way up to the stage, likely the last team to arrive. They chattered amongst themselves and looked out at the other teams. Some looked excited to get the results, others looked downheartedly into their buckets. But a smug grin from across the auditorium caught Asteria’s eye. Cass had her arms crossed and hips cocked like she already had this competition in the bag. Asteria had half a mind to throw something at her, but told herself not to. The end was close and now wasn’t the time to lose her cool.
     Very surreptitiously, Asteria flipped off Cass. It was satisfying in the moment, and the immediate response she got from Cass (a rather ugly expression) told her that the blue inkdrian had seen it.
     The team finally made it to the table of admins and turned in their bucket for counting. They smiled politely and took it behind the stage. Felicity turned around with a gleeful grin on her face so bright Asteria was blinded. Pyxis threw up his arms and let out an enthusiastic “WHOO!”. Holt and Asteria, sharing the same sentiment, nodded approvingly. They made their way into the auditorium where other students were sitting and waiting patiently for the results.
     During this time, it seemed to take forever. Asteria had gone and talked to Phoebe and Varali multiple times. Her friends teased her mercilessly about finding the Lovers’ Egg with Pyxis, while they lamented being unable to find it with their own boyfriends. Asteria made her way back through the crowd to where Felicity, Holt, and Pyxis were sitting. Felicity and Pyxis were happily making conversation with some of their teammates and friends and Holt just sat slumped in his chair, arms folded and expression ready to kill.
     As Asteria sat down, she saw Cass at the front, very obviously basking in attention and being a general snob. The blue inkdrian looked like she was bragging, and while some students looked like they were eating it up, others rolled their eyes and made an effort to get away. Asteria couldn’t wait to wipe that malicious and haughty expression of Cass’s face, and also maybe use her designer clothes as overpriced stage cleaners. But she would have to wait. The results would be out in thirty minutes, the administrators had said. Asteria checked her watch, three minutes to go. This was going to be killer.
     Asteria leaned her head against Pyxis’s shoulder and he gently patted the side of her head.
     “Tired?” he asked.
     “Impatient,” she answered, her eyes closing.
     “They’ll have the results out soon enough, don’t worry. We’ll kick Cass’s butt.”
     “We’d better or I’m setting the stage on fire.”
     “I can get in on that,” Holt interjected.
     “No fires,” Pyxis and Felicity scolded in unison.
     Holt’s and Asteria’s whining was cut off by a tapping on the microphone. Instantly Asteria sat up and opened her eyes. It was the moment of truth. Mrs. Garcia seemed very happy to be up front and just as excited as the students. The auditorium was dead silent.
     “This year’s Egg Hunt was a success,” Mrs. Garcia began. “We are excited to announce that many of the eggs were found this year and the competition was very close. I’m so glad that this tradition lives on with you and there were no unfortunate incidents this year.”
     Oh Dreamweaver, Mrs. Garcia is gonna make this entire thing drag on and on, Asteria groaned internally. Just tell us the results already!
     After a few more rambling sentiments, Mrs. Garcia grinned. “And now the part you’ve all been waiting for. Before we reveal the placements of teams, we’d like to show off the surprises hidden in each special egg that had one. Teams that found the eggs with designs of music, galaxies, flowers, rainbows, and the school mascot please come to the stage.”
     Galaxies and flowers described two of the eggs that Asteria and her friends had found, so they made their way up to the stage. Three other teams also walked up onto the stage, including Cass’s. Asteria’s lip curled a little. She hoped whatever was in the rainbow colored egg was lame.
     Carefully the vice principals came out on stage carrying various gift bags and wrapped boxes. They were distributed among the teams. Asteria stared at the tiny bag decorated with sparkly flowers and the giant box wrapped with starry paper that were placed in front of them. The box was huge, there’s no way there was just one thing in it.
     On the count of three, students were allowed to tear into the packaging. The little bag revealed a tiny succulent plant that Felicity absolutely fawned over. She stared at the tiny plant and let out a squeal. Pyxis’s jaw dropped as he stared at it. “That’s so cute.” Asteria heard him say.
     Together the group tore paper off the space box and Holt used a knife to cut the tape, but earned a disapproving glance from his mother. The box was opened to reveal a wealth of space themed merchandise. A blanket, a hoodie, a towel, a map of the night sky, a small telescope, and some galaxy printed shirts were taken out of the sparkling wrapping paper. Asteria stared at the beautiful printed items in shock. This was easily the best thing that could have come from a special egg.
     “I want the blanket,” she said immediately.
     No one heard her because Pyxis and Felicity were too busy arguing over who would take the plant on weekends. Asteria sighed and carefully held onto the blanket herself, refusing to let go. Holt didn’t seem interested in any of the items, but that didn’t mean nobody else was. Asteria could feel daggers being carved into her back and she looked across the stage at Cass who was glowering. If looks could kill, Asteria would be a blood splatter on the curtains. Instead, Asteria wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and waved at Cass, who stomped her foot and jutted out her lip. Cass’s hands were curled into fists by her sides and Asteria’s lips twitched as she tried to keep herself from grinning.
     Cass had a short fuse, and judging by the amount of glitter that covered the blue ink and the floor around her, it had been lit. The rainbow egg seemed to have hosted glitter, lots and lots of glitter, which was nothing compared to the items in the prize from the space egg. Asteria also knew that Cass really adored space. If she weren’t on stage right now, she’d definitely be flipping the bird to Cass with both hands.
     Winners of the special egg gifts were allowed to stay on stage as Mrs. Garcia went on to announce the winners.
     “In third place, we have Rosalyn Summers’ team!” Asteria noticed that this team didn’t have a special egg prize as they walked up the stage. She recognized the ink, whom she assumed was Rosalyn, as the girl in the gym from earlier. She also recognized that one of her team members was Winter. The audience cheered a bit for their team and Rosalyn gave the crowd a cheery and heartfelt smile.
     “In second place—”
     Asteria felt her breath hitch.
     “Cassiopeia Swann’s team!”
     Asteria glanced over to see Cass’s smile pulled tightly across her face. She did not like getting second place, clearly. The snotty girl was very close to losing her cool. There was an uneasy wave of cheers and weak claps from the audience.
     “And in first place, the champions of the 10th Annual Circinus High Egg Hunt—”
     Asteria swore she stopped breathing. Either they won or they were about to have a heartbreaking failure on their hands. She could see how tense the others on her team were as well. They had come so far and worked so hard to find these coveted plastic decorations, and if it didn’t pay off then what? The prizes from the special egg could only make up for so much. A million thoughts swam around Asteria’s head until finally the words were spoken.
     “Felicity Allardyce’s team!”
     Screams erupted from the audience and cheers echoed throughout the auditorium. Before Asteria knew it Felicity had wrapped her arms around her and started jumping excitedly. Asteria couldn’t help but laugh. She laughed until she cried and felt another pair of arms wrap around her. It definitely wasn’t Holt, that’s for sure. If anything the knife hybrid was trying his hardest to get off the stage before anyone tried to hug him.
     The cheers were cut short with an unholy screech tearing through the auditorium. Heads turned to face Cass who was having a meltdown, right there, in front of everyone. She was angry on the verge of tears and was yelling about how “they cheated” and “it’s not fair” and “I was supposed to win!” Watching an eighteen year old have a tantrum is about as appealing as it sounds, and Asteria cringed. She didn’t deny that she felt a very warm twinge of satisfaction that Cass hadn’t had her way for once.
     The screaming fit went on until Cass was removed by some of the counselors. Mrs. Garcia gave some final words on the Egg Hunt and wished her students well. People came up to the stage to congratulate Felicity, and Asteria’s friends kept making fun of her for joining the Egg Hunt when she had so adamantly refused. Asteria rolled her eyes and smiled. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. Yeah, she’d had fun at the end of the day, but one thing really made it worth it.
     After Felicity was done talking to her friends she came up to her sister and hugged her tightly around the neck. “We won!” she whispered. “We won! We won! We won!”
     “We did, Feliz,” Asteria said, patting her sister’s back. “I told you we’d kick Cass’s butt.”
     Felicity pulled back, her eyes brimming with tears of joy and a smile that couldn’t be taken off her face. “Thank you, Azzy, for making this the best Egg Hunt ever!”