fandomhigh | Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2008, Saturday Afternoon (Part II)

After the last diploma had been handed out, the graduates were sent back to their seats, and Principal Washburn returned to the podium, to give her final speech and end the ceremony.

It was then that the rumbling started.

Odds were, if you asked the average citizen of Fandom to describe the town, they would tell you about the school, and the shops, and the beach and preserve, and all the areas of the island that existed above ground. But what they wouldn't describe was the island's biggest secret - beneath the ground, hidden from all of the town's inhabitants, was a city of ancient machines, designed to keep Fandom connected to every dimension it has ever touched, allowing people to continue to come from all over to live and grow on the island.

Although the existence of the underground city has always been hidden from Fandom's citizens - a safety measure, to ensure that none of Fandom's more power-hungry students or teachers try to use the machines for harmful purposes - it has not been a secret to everyone. During the night, fae and faeries of all sizes and power had come to make their way underground, and seize control of Fandom's machines, determined to have the unparalleled dimensional access for themselves. Although they were followed, the Wild Hunt had never caught its prey, and while the people of the town were occupied with graduation, the faeries struck, beginning to activate the machines.

But what the faeries didn't realize was that not all of the machines controlled access to dimensions. One machine in particular, one of the first to be activated, controlled the access to the city from above ground. As the machine chugged along, a section of the island lowered a few feet underground, allowing access to the city, the machines, and the faeries.

Of course, it just so happened that this section of land was where the platforms had been laid before graduation, and where the graduates had all been seated. As the platforms sank, a clear bubble covered the area where they'd been, allowing the audience to watch, but preventing them from being able to interfere or help. It was up to the graduates to defend themselves, and get rid of the fae.

[~~Wait for the OCD, please!~~ OCD is up! Have fun!]

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"Oooo, nice one, there. KILL IT A LOT!" Parker took a bite of popcorn and settled in. "Especially those guys in the shiny chairs!"

"Wait, they're fairies, right? HIT THEM WITH IRON!" Zero yelled.

"Somebody in there has to have smuggled in weapons. Hopefully iron ones. Oh, look, Daisy. GO DAISY!" Parker hollered. "WHAP THEM TO DEATH!"

"GO DAISY!" Zero cheered. "I knew that boy would amount to something. From the first time I saw him, with a lampshade on his head."

"Naked and buzzed," Parker said fondly. "Ooo, yeah, who says he's not pro Pyramid material! NICE ONE!" She turned to watch Peter, and grinned. "Oh, that faerie so has no clue what it's dealing with."

"Poor blighter," Zero agreed. "But I don't think it's Puck. FIND PUCK!" Zero yelled through a cupped hands megaphone. "HIT HIM!"

"GO RIVER! GO ISABEL!" Parker cheered, restraining herself from throwing popcorn at the bubble-dome. "KICK THEIR ASSES! I wonder if he'd even have the nerve to come along? He might have expected to find you here, you know."

Zero crossed her arms. "Hiding from me. That is so typical." Then she did the megaphone thing again to yell, "GO GO GO HOOSKSPIDER GO! Squall, why is he not goin' for the chairs, fairies, metal, c'mon, these are unmixy things has he never read a folklore book?" Silly boyfriend.

"He's a journalist, you'd think he'd know his facts. Then again, maybe he's having too much fun to finish it." Parker got up on her seat to yell, "BRIDGE! OVER THERE! DUDE! I swear, last year? I so would've liked a little more direction in how to get rid of those things. DAISY! YES! And I'm deeply glad I don't see that Titania chippie out there."

"GO BRIDGE! BEAT THOSE FAIRIES! If she was down there I would so set the boyfriend on her for you," Zero promised.

"Thanks!" Parker beamed at her, then yelled, "WAY TO KICK, RIVER! Ooo, people brought swords. WAY TO GO, ENGLISH! I'm still sad I didn't take my gun to last year's ceremony." She munched some popcorn, eyes roaming the field a bit, then swallowed and added, "I'm also glad my parental unit isn't here. He'd be critiquing the 'performance art.'"

"Clever people," Zero approved. "I'm bettin' some of the unarmed ones're kickin' themselves now."

"Your da's still dumb."

"More than likely. OH C'MON, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT, FAERIE WUSSES! Jeez. And he's not dumb! Just... definitely clueless. About this place, that's all to the good." She sighed, and held out her bag of popcorn to Zero. "I mean, you were a kitten, and he still didn't get it."

Zero took a handful of popcorn and sing-songed, "Dumb, de dumb dumb, dumb as a doornail. Mew. Don't cheer on the fairies, geez!"

"Not cheering them on, mocking them. 'CAUSE YEAH, THIS WAS A GREAT PLAN, ATTACK THEM EN MASSE, YOU MORONS! I swear, it's like they never learn. Except for whatever those angel statues were a month or so ago. AND THEY STILL LOST!" Parker snitched a Skittle, then tilted her head. "Does your boyfriend *ever* run out of energy? Yikes."

"Not really, but then you've met me, so, y'know, we make a good couple. Also?" Zero said with a grin. "Superpowers."

Parker gave her a tiny disgruntled look, and said, "Braggart. There's no super-powered guys for me to date at Oxford." After pouting a moment, she said, "Well, guess I'll have to settle for accents and genius. Good thing I like that." She tilted her head at Z's antics with the chair, and started grinning. "Iron and steel chairs. USE THE CHAIRS! USE THE CHAIR, LUKE! I don't think he can hear me from here, though."

Zero cupped her hands around her mouth and once more deployed her rather impressive lung power. "USE THE SQUALLING CHAIRS, MORONS!"

Some of them seemed to be getting the idea, and Parker grinned. "Must remember to compliment StuCo on the seating arrangements. NICE ONE! So, drinks at Caritas with people after, or party at Luke's?"

Zero shrugged. "Whichever sounds good to me. I am le flexible." A beat. "Not like that."

"Did I say anything?" Parker grinned. "Ooo. Looks like something's happening. YAY CLASS OF 2008! WOOOOO!"

Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2008, Saturday Afternoon (Part II)

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Re: Audience: Oh noes, where are the graduates going?