The quarter is finally over! Melody and her bf Nate are here to commentate the final assembly. Melody has an additional task to finish, however, and she only hopes it won’t end with everyone else dead…

NATE

Hey Manticores! My name is Nathaniel Bryant and in a few minutes I’ll be covering the end-of-quarter assembly held at St. Merlinda’s School. Where’s Melody, you ask? She’s actually right here with me. How’d I do with the intro, Mel?

MELODY

I suppose it’ll do.

NATE

What?? But I practiced for minutes. FULL MINUTES.

MELODY

Don’t worry, I’m just kidding. Although, I suppose “Manticores” might not be the best way to address today’s audience. The students are all in this room with us, not listening to the broadcast. We’re only streaming this for the sake of all the magical parents who can’t attend. Aside from that, your intro was great.

NATE

Thank the gods. I was afraid you’d need to kick me off your show for being so bad.

MELODY

I wouldn’t do that! Besides, I’m not so wonderful either. I passed out on my own show last week. How mortifying.

NATE

You hear that, Manticores? I mean, Manticore parents? You’re clearly in good hands.

MELODY

As good as they can be, I hope. At least I shouldn’t pass out this time. I’ve only had one cup of coffee today.

NATE

But your hands are still shaking.

MELODY

Well, that’s because…

NATE

Because you have to sing today.

MELODY

Yeah.

NATE

You’ll be fine.

MELODY

It’s not me I’m worried about.

NATE

I’ll be fine too. I brought ear plugs, see?

MELODY

Oh. I suppose that’s the smart thing to do.

NATE

Perhaps so, but guess what I’m going to do with them?

MELODY

I can’t believe you just threw them into the crowd! What if you’d hit someone?

NATE

Then someone gets a free pair of ear plugs. They were unused and I don’t plan to use them.

MELODY

But…

NATE

Melody, you’re overthinking this. You’ve been practicing all summer with your mentor, right? And she’s fine. You can control yourself now. What happened before was a mistake.

MELODY

A deadly mistake.

NATE

Really? I didn’t realize I was a zombie.

MELODY

Nate…

NATE

I’m serious. You’ll be fine.

MELODY

We’ll see. Anyway, how were your finals?

NATE

They were okay, I guess. My sessions with my mentor have focused on being able to control dreams. Not just enter them, but to change them. If I’d had this power back when we first met, I could’ve turned your nightmare into something more pleasant. And I can also make good dreams bad…

MELODY

And your final?

NATE

I had to go into someone’s head and change their dreams based on the instructions my mentor gave me. I passed.

MELODY

Wonderful. I hope I can say the same soon enough.

NATE

You will. You just need to have more faith in yourself.

MELODY

I’ll try. Oh, Principal Ravenstone is coming to the stage!

NATE

Forewarning to our listeners: the principal tries to speak in a British accent because she thinks it makes our school seem more “proper” or something. The keyword being “tries”. She’s awful at it.

MELODY

Shhhh. She’s about to speak.

RAVENSTONE

Dear students, parents, and other honored guests of St. Merlinda’s School. I am pleased to have you all here today and am happy to report that your students behaved admirably this quarter. The rate of catastrophic occurrences was lower than it’s been in decades and the majority of students scored highly on their tests. Scores are still coming in for some final assessments, but I expect our passing rate will also exceed the expectations set by our past. You and your students should all be proud.

Now, I could stand here and lecture you about the current state of our establishment and postulate the reasons for your students’ exemplary performances, but I believed you may be more keen to listen to the words of our students themselves. I have therefore invited two outstanding members of our institution to speak on our behalf. First, please welcome to the stage honor student Sydney Griffith.

SYDNEY

Hi everyone. I just want to say, I had an awesome time at the school this quarter. I learned a lot in my classes and gained more control of my powers as someone who is part-phoenix. This school is really invaluable for helping people like me and all of your children so we can learn about our heritages and master techniques for keeping our magic in check. It is thanks to this school that I can go into human society over the next few weeks and not worry I’ll accidentally set a building on fire. I can live my life without the fear I’ll lose control. I’m truly grateful for that opportunity. Oh, and I’m super sorry I burned the gym down on accident. I promise it won’t happen again.

RAVENSTONE

Thank you, Sydney. That was…touching. St. Merlinda’s is happy to help our students as they train to better themselves. We understand that growing pains can occur during the process. On that note, if you are interested in donating to the school, please check the receptacles in the lobby once you leave. It is due to your generous contributions that we are able to provide a safe place for our students to discover their true selves.

Before we disperse, however, we have a few more portions of the program to cover, including our second student speaker. Please welcome Petra Thompson to the stage.

NATE

I bet you’re happy about this, Melody.

MELODY

Shhhh.

PETRA

Greetings, inhabitants of the auditorium. I am here today to deliver to you an important message. St. Merlinda’s is not the open, caring environment Principal Ravenstone would like you to view it as. Discrimination is a regular practice here and this assembly is a perfect example of it. Have you noticed the adults seated around you are all of the human species? Yet, your children are not fully human. Where is the other source of their genetics? Why are their magical parents not allowed to attend? The barring of magical creatures from these halls is a discriminatory act, plain and simple. Do not support an institution so corrupt and ineptly-run as—-

NATE

Uh, I think they cut her mic.

MELODY

They definitely cut her mic. I kind of feel bad for her, honestly. As unbearable as she is, she has a good point. But this is hardly the place to promote it.

NATE

I don’t know. I think it’s the perfect place to promote it.

MELODY

Ah, she’s been escorted off stage now. Principal Ravenstone is back.

RAVENSTONE

My apologies. You know how these children can be – their emotions get the better of them sometimes. Ms. Thompson originally submitted a different speech that I believe is a much more reliable interpretation of her feelings toward this school. Given her current state, I will read the speech in her place.

“If you are sitting in this room, you should consider yourself blessed. Either you, your child, or a loved one are getting to experience the support and guidance provided to magical hybrids by St. Merlinda’s School. Every single staff member is an asset to the program and each one contributes to the school’s culture in their own way. At the same time, St. Merlinda’s varied body of students enables us to interact with diverse perspectives and become well-rounded individuals. I’m truly grateful I have had the opportunity to spend time at St. Merlinda’s and I’m looking forward to returning in the fall.”

Ah, what a wonderful speech. I am glad to hear that so many of our students are happy with their time here. We have had many individuals pass through our halls and emerge as exemplary leaders and intelligent workers. I expect that with the exceptional progress shown by the many students in this hall your children will be able to attain an even higher level of achievement. It has been an absolutely delightful quarter and I would love to see your bright, smiling faces back in this auditorium in a few weeks time.

Melody Martin, a stellar singer among our students, will close out the program by performing our school anthem. Please come to the stage, Melody.

MELODY

Oh no.

NATE

You can do it, Mel.

MELODY

We’ll see…

NATE

Mel’s heading to the stage now, listeners. And- oh, shoot, she tripped. But she seems to be fine and someone’s helping her back onto her feet. Honestly, I’m a bit worried about her, but not for the reasons she thinks. I talked with her instructor and I know Mel can do this without hurting anyone. But Mel…she doesn’t hold the same belief, and that can seriously mess things up. I’m sure the school has a back-up plan in case something happens, but I’d just feel bad for Mel. She loves to sing and I’d hate for her to have more reasons to avoid it.

Okay, she’s on the stage. It’s time. She can do this. I know she can.

MELODY

We have been conquered

But nothing can stop us

We have been challenged

But at St. Merlinda’s

This is our journey

We’ll face more battles