Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

41. Intruder

Casey gave the string at the bottom of the device a hearty pull, and exploding out of its lid was a fistful of flashy confetti, jetting into the air before falling to the floor to join the other confetti mounds the girl had already amassed around the room. 

Much to Elaine's surprise, when they arrived at the Aire Club meeting room that afternoon on Wrez, they were immediately bombarded with cheering and compliments; apparently, word had already reached Casey and Raine that they had passed the Vice President's task, which meant the club itself was in the clear...for the time being, at least.

Casey was beyond excited, and Elaine chuckled as the girl pulled Custas into a tight and spontaneous hug. Even though it was a regular school day, she had somehow managed to find the time to deck out the club room with an impressive display of decorations. The space was adorned with colorful balloons, some of which had already drifted up to the ceiling, while others were tied down to the edges of the tables. 

The tables themselves were covered in a thick layer of confetti and glitter, giving off a festive vibe that was hard to ignore. The attention to detail was impressive, and it was clear that Casey had gone above and beyond to commemorate the occasion. 

The room was adorned with drapes of streamers that had been strung up on the walls like multi-colored curtains. The streamers were joined by numerous other flowery paper ornaments, which added to the vibrant and festive atmosphere, and the air was filled with the sound of an arcanetech device—a box-shaped thing with a shiny disk rotating on a mechanism on top of it—playing an old-time melody with rolling lyrics. The tune was unfamiliar to Elaine, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was a local melody from Casey's hometown, wherever that may be. Despite not recognizing the song, she found herself tapping a foot to the beat.

"Oh, boy! I knew I could count on you guys!" Casey cheered, raising a glass of purplish drink overhead. "I thought those weasels in the Council would for sure try and pull something funny on you. Sabotaging their competition ain't out of their capabilities. But, man, you showed them what's what, didn't you!" She nudged Custas in his waist with an elbow, laughing as he cringed from the minute gesture. "From now on, those cowsuckers will think twice before they try to mess with us."

"We're not out of the wood yet, ma'am," Kliff said. Elaine found him standing across from her on the other side of the table that separated them, leaning a shoulder onto the bookshelf with a drink in his hand. "The Vice Principal made it quite clear that he is still more than willing to disband our club should he think his reason for doing so is justified. Even though we've eluded him thus far, I do believe he still intends on watching over us, waiting for us to slip up."

"Aptly put," Raine said at the rear of the room. Elaine noticed that the tall boy barely spoke to anyone unless he was addressed or asked a question. A man of few words though he was, Raine still had an air of politeness about him, even if he commonly kept plastered on his face a distant expression. He was carrying a large paper box in his hands, fingers held tightly underneath it. "Concerning our future, the most crucial problem to address is that of attaining more job requests; the club cannot function without them."

"He's right," Casey nodded. "We won't last long if nobody even knows we exist. Don't worry, you guys. I have a plan I'm thinking of putting in motion soon. But let's save all of that complicated stuff for later." Spreading a grin below her cheeks, Casey motioned to the box Raine rested gently on the table. "Right now, we're celebrating. And no true celebration is ever fully complete without something to stuff into our bellies."

As Casey opened the box, Elaine's eyes stretched as wide as they'd ever gone. Before them, sitting elegantly on its dish, was a decently sized cake covered in white icing and a colorful array of sprinkles jammed into its frosty hide. Meanwhile, spilling over the top of it were bloated, darkish globs that she could only suspect were meant to be a kind of chocolate.