[Silver]

This was going to be the best day in the entire history of days. Mimsy was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. It was as if she might burst at the seams, shooting off into the stars like a rocket full of confetti and enthusiasm.

She had been preparing for this for weeks, which is usually longer than something could hold her attention. It was obvious that she cared very much about what she was doing. Everything had to be just right, and she personally made sure of it every step of the way.

[Silver]

There was probably nothing in the world that Mimsy liked more than Gira. Not napping or coffee or even her favorite ribbon. That’s what made this day so important. It was Gira’s birthday! She had to sneak into the school records (with help from a clever friend) in order to find that out. Once she did, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Clearly, she had a very different idea about birthdays than Gira did. They had different opinions about almost everything, though, so it didn’t really bother her. Gira did not want to tell Mimsy when her birthday was, but she found out anyway.

[Silver]

Now Mimsy quite liked Gira, but she didn’t know anyone else who seemed to know anything about her. She asked all of her classmates, and even some strangers. Most of them didn’t even know who she was talking about. Gira liked to be quiet and read, so this wasn’t too much of a surprise.

Since she couldn’t find all of Gira’s best friends, she decided to invite her own. She told everyone she knew about the party she was planning, and asked them to tell people they knew, as well. It didn’t really matter to her who showed up. She just wanted there to be a warm welcome for the birthday girl.

[Silver]

It didn’t seem to occur to Mimsy that perhaps Gira liked not being surrounded by strangers on her birthday. She just thought it was a terrible tragedy to have to spend the day all alone. Besides, maybe she could make a friend at the party. Maybe.

Her good buddy Alpha was the first to arrive. He had a small dragon on his shoulder who Mimsy excitedly waved to. Alpha and the dragon both grinned, clearly excited about the havoc they might be able to cause. She liked Alpha because he was fun, but she also knew all about his ability to cause trouble. For some reason, she didn’t seem worried about it.

[Silver]

Alpha and his friend were quick to disappear as other guests began to arrive. Mimsy zipped back and forth between hanging up streamers and saying hello to everyone who walked through the door. She recognized everyone who came, even if they were only classmates or people she passed by often in the halls.

“Okay, okay,” she said in a loud voice. “Now we’re all going to have to hide for about five minutes. She’s always on time, so don’t be fussy! Thanks everyone.”

The party guests dutifully ducked behind tables and crouched around chairs and couches. None of them were comfortable, but they were all happy to do it. It wasn’t like surprise party etiquette was that hard to understand.

[Silver]

True to Mimsy’s word, Gira came down the hallway after class just on time. She was very predictable in her schedule. It suited her to be precisely on time everywhere she went. What she did not know was that anyone had taken the time to learn her schedule. Though it probably shouldn’t have surprised her, knowing who it was.

Gira frowned at the doorway to her dorm, not sure why it was dark. The lights were almost always on. Something felt amiss. She was especially careful as she stepped into the room and reached for the lightswitch. For all she knew, there could be a huge magical monster in her chair.

[Silver]

The truth was actually far, far worse than a huge magical monster in her chair. All at once, everyone in the room jumped to their feet and shouted, “Surprise!” Gira’s face changed from curious to astonished to furious all in a matter of seconds.

Mimsy skipped across the room and threw her arms around her friend. “Happy birthday!” she squealed excitedly.

To her surprise, she was immediately shoved off so hard that she nearly tumbled to the floor. Her face clearly showed that she was confused by what was happening. As if she couldn’t understand why Gira might be angry with her.

[Silver]

The silence in the air was a near tangible presence. Nobody knew what to say or do. They all stood still like someone had pressed pause on the party. Even someone who was precariously perched was frozen in place, fearing awkwardness more than a growing cramp.

“I can’t believe you!” Gira shouted. She took one last glance around the room full of shocked guests before stomping back down the hallway.

Mimsy looked truly heartbroken. She slumped to the floor and stared at the ground for a long, somber moment. A few of her friends exchanged concerned glances, not sure whether or not they should try to comfort her. Others were beginning to whisper, wondering if they were meant to leave.

[Silver]

“Go after her,” a voice from the crowd finally said. It was a normally quiet older student who knew Mimsy only tangentially.

“Right,” Mimsy said. At first it didn’t seem like she really heard what was said, but soon enough she got up and raced out the door.

Gira would likely not be hard to find. Just like her schedule, she was generally predictable. Mimsy ran off in the direction she thought Gira might go when she was upset: to the library. Sure enough, she caught up with her as she was running down a hallway that led to the school library.

“Gira, Gira wait!” Mimsy said. The two of them were in excellent athletic shape which served to make the chase much more interesting. An out of shape person surely would have become tired and out of breath by now.

[Silver]

Gira clearly did not want to wait. She sped up the pace, running as hard as she could to avoid confrontation. She wanted to run until she disappeared. She wanted everything to melt away beside her. Why couldn’t it have been a monster?

Mimsy didn’t like what she was about to do, but she saw no other option. She used her telekinesis to pull a ribbon from her hair and used it to restrain Gira. Her precision with it was so good that Gira was dragged to a stop without having to be tripped and crash tot he ground.

“Why do you always do this to me?” Gira shouted. It was clear she had been crying.

“Because I love you…”

[Wild Pet Found]