Chatterbox: Chirp at Cricket

“Five o’clock!” Cassia exclaimed. “Bye, Mei, I’m going to meet Sam at the pegasus stable!” She put a flower in her dark hair, giving it a quick comb.

Mei smiled knowingly. “You got to look good!”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Tucking a book under her arm, Cassia stepped outside. She was fairly happy, although a bit worried about Jarnen. Sam seemed like a nice AE, although she was a bit confused as to why he wanted to show her around.

Arriving, she saw that Sam was already waiting there. “Hi!”

“Hi, he replied, nervously looking down at his feet. What was there to be nervous about? It was just a tour.

They each chose a pegasus to ride. Sam seemed much calmer and more comfortable around the animals, confidently mounting, patting the horse. Sam had been right, Cassia knew a bit about pegasi, but not much.

“Fly!” he ordered, and they took off into the air.

The warm wind blew in Cassia’s hair, the bright sunlight bringing a smile to her face. But that was nothing compared to the look of joy that Sam had. He laughed, and the pegasus underneath him seemed to be smiling, too.

They flew into Chirp at Cricket. Threads hung, floating in the air, and Cassia’s horse almost crashed into the huge sign. “I’m fine,” Cassia responded to the stuttering apologies that Sam started to say.

Not before long, though, Sam’s pegasus got thirsty. “Let’s land,” he said. “I’ll take him for a drink. You can stay right here.”

Cassia dismounted, and Sam went off. Almost as if she’d been spying, Wildflower walked out from behind a tree. “Hey, Cassia! I’m Wildflower, Sam’s sister.”

“Hello,” Cassia responded. “Sam seems nice.”

Wildflower burst into giggles.

“What?!” First Mei, now Wildflower.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No.”

Wildflower tilted her head. She walked up close to Cassia, until they were standing almost face-to-face.

“Sam likes you.”