Valhalla High (A Magnus Chase Fanfic)

Right to Revolution

April 2

    The beginning of April meant that a huge topic of conversation was prom. The entire endeavor made me nervous. I didn't know how to dance at all (I think we've already established that) and going to Homecoming this year hadn't changed that. What if I made a fool out of myself in front of the entire school? What if someone took a video of my lame dance moves and it went viral? What if I became a meme?

The thoughts piled themselves on top of me and I was glad when my second block class started. "Today I will be taking the class over to the library," Forseti announced.

     "Don't we need signed permission slips or something for that?" someone asked.

    Forseti looked like he was trying not to roll his eyes. "The library is only a five minute walk away. I'm sure you'll be fine making it."

      "What are we going to the library for?" someone asked.

    Forseti's eyes gleamed. "I'm going to show you guys how to register to vote."

***
    Registering to vote, it turned out, was a fairly straightforward and rather boring process. "That's it?" I asked incredulously as Forseti handed his filled out form to the volunteer.

     "Simple as that," Forseti said, showing the volunteer his ID. "I needed to change my registration because I moved recently and precedent changed."

     "You have to update your voter ID every time you move?" someone asked.

    Forseti nodded. "In some states you'd be given an absentee ballot if your voter ID is expired and in others you'd be turned down from voting."

     "Can't you register on Election Day?" someone asked.

     "In some states, but not in Massachusetts," Forseti replied. "That's why it's important to register ahead of time."

    He took us back to the classroom. "Now I know you all are not old enough to register yet, but I'm going to pass out these registration forms. Those who fill them out and return them to me next Tuesday will be given extra credit. Bring an ID with you then too because we'll be going to the library again."

The bell rang and I sped off to my AP US History class. I found my usual next to Alex. "Guess what?" I said, leaning over.

"You're expecting a thirteen year old child named Heimdall," Alex replied.

"No," I said.

Alex shrugged. "You said guess, so I guessed."

I rolled my eyes. "Forseti is taking us to get voter ID cards next Tuesday."

Alex's eyes gleamed in interest. "He wants you guys to be politically involved."

Mallory, who had been eavesdropping on our conversation, leaned over. "I think it's a great idea. The best ways to make real change are to vote, protest, or revolt."

"Revolt?" I queried.

Mallory gave me a look like I was an idiot. "Seriously, Beantown. Did your school not teach you that John Locke believed humans have the right to revolt?"

I shook my head. "None of the many schools I attended ever mentioned that," I said.

Mallory snorted. "None of mine did either, but I read, Magnus. I figured if my teachers were going to lecture me on things, then I'd learn annoying facts to one up them."

"She's done it quite well," Halfborn said, joining in on the conversation.

I heard someone clearing their throat and I looked up to see Odin fixing his stern gaze on us. "Now if you four are done discussing philosophy, we're going to learn about the Great Depression."

***

"I can't believe it!" I said a couple hours later as we sat down in the cafeteria for lunch. "We have two chapters of math homework from Saga and that story to write for US History."

Odin had assigned us a two to three page short story based on a Depression era photograph. "I still don't know what I'm going to do mine on," Jack said. "Why couldn't he tell us to write a song like he did with the lesson on American Conservationism?"

Sam snorted. "You were the only one who enjoyed that. The rest of us just parodied songs and tried to make the lyrics not too similar to the original."

"I can't help that I'm musically gifted," Jack said.

"Well, I got an idea," TJ said.

We turned to look at him. "I found this photo of a little boy sucking his thumb. I'm going to write a story about how his father lost all his money because of the stock market crash."

"Cheery," Alex said. "I'm going to write a story about someone who gets a job constructing the Hoover Dam."

"Where do you all get your ideas?" Jack asked.

"Just search up Great Depression on Google Images," TJ suggested. "Loads of results will pop up. You're bound to find one that will work."

"Enough," Blitzen declared. "This is our lunchtime and I am entitled to my full twenty-seven minutes of it."

     Jack's eyes glinted mischievously. "You spilled some sauce on your shirt."

    Blitzen put down his sandwich and inspected his collared, dwarf-patterned shirt. "It looks fine."

    Jack was laughing. "Fooled you!"

    "Sauce stains are no small joke," Blitzen replied. "One mustard mishap and I may not be voted Best Dressed of our class."

     "Oh yeah," Halfborn said. "The surveys will be sent out soon."

    I just hoped there wasn't a most clumsy or least likely to succeed category or I'd win it by a landslide. "Well, I think I can snag most athletic," Jack said.

"Are you kidding me?" Halfborn asked. "Mallory and I will win hands down."

"You may be strong, but I am strong, agile, speedy, and a good singer," Jack said.

"What does being a good singer have to do with this?" Halfborn asked.

"Alright, calm down," Sam said, giving them both a stern look. "We are not going to fight over who might end up in whichever category for a school yearbook. There are more important things in life."

"You're right," Jack said. "Riptide and I should win cutest couple."

"She doesn't even go here!" Halfborn said.

The two spent the rest of lunch bickering over who made the cutest couple.