Daphne looked down at her shoes with disdain. They were ridiculous clogs, ugly brown clunkers, and apparently someone thought that they needed a touch of redundancy and sewed on some laces. She was just thinking what a travesty to footery they were when the bus pulled up. And she spend the rest of the bus ride contemplating the likeliness of “footery” being a word.

Eventually, all of the high school kids on the route were stuffed into the bus like a sardine can, mostly freshmen, sophomores, and juniors without any senior friends (all of which owned a car). The bus heaved itself up to the curb in front of Umbra High School, throwing wide its doors and spewing the students all over the front entrance. Red-bricked and oozing all-Americanism, to open glass doors welcomed the students and swallowed them up for another day of lessons.

Daphne trudged up the concrete steps, through the doors, and into the locker lined hallways she went. Past Principal Balder's office, cafeteria, and gymnasium, to her locker she lugged her book-filled backpack. Curse her love of reading.

Against the locker next to Daphne's, leaned a tall, slim figured girl with deep red, curly hair. She ssmiled at Daphne, “Good morning, beautiful!” she said.

Daphne smirked at here best friend, Minny, “Well look who's cheerful this morning.” Daphne said, trying to neatly deposite her books into the foot-wide locker.

“Oh, pffft,” Minny waved her hand, “I'm not the one that should be especially cheerful this lovely morn.” She winked at Daph, like they had a secret understanding.

“Uh, well who is?” Daphne asked, raising a brow in confusion. She grabbed the notebooks she needed for first period and they both started walking down the hall.

“Really Daphne, you aren't even going to be happy on our birthday?”

Daph stopped, “What? No, today isn't my birthday. It's not until-”

“The seventeenth of October. That's today, honey.” Minny looked at Daphne incredulously, “Did you really forget your birthday?”

“Wow, yeah, I guess I did.” Daphne blinked.

“Well...” Minny trailed, and then threw her arms in the air and said “Happy Birthday, sweetie!” and linked arms with Daph.

As the girls turned into the hallway of their first classes, Minny reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small box wrapped in newspaper. The duo paused in the hall as other students began to dispurse.

“Here you go! A little gift from me to you.” Minny handed Daphne the box with a wide grin.


Daphne looked at the box, then back at her friend, “Minny, you really didn't have to...”

“Well I did!” Minnys red curls bounced vibrantly as she urged Daphne to open her present.

Daphne eyed Minny for a moment, shrugged, and crumpled the paper from the box. When she took off the top, she found herself staring at a small silver circle attached to a thin silver chain. There it lay, glinting in the florescant light, surrounded by white gauzy-fluff.

The late bell rang just as Minny opened her mouth to speak. Daphne looked up at her as she turned her head toward her classroom.

“Gotta go, but I'll see you in lunch, 'kay?” And with a smile she disappeared into the doorway.

When Daphne stepped into her first period, and sat in her assigned seat (next to the boy who always falls asleep and drools all over his desk, of course). She took the necklace out of its box and looked down at it in her palm. After closer inspection, she found, at the bottom of the ring, a snakes head. It's mouth was open, apparently eating his own tail.

“Interesting...” Daphne muttered to herself, her curiosity peaked.

The boy sneezed and slept on.