Solving For X
An alphabetical short story by Cardcaptor Mars

“Azuma-san,” Gabrielle said, hoping she had the suffix right.  “Beverly said you would know where the microphone is.”

“Can’t tell you, I’m afraid,” Mika replied in somewhat perfect English.  “Don’t tell me it’s lost again.”

“Evan’s looking for it to use for his performance thing. French horn piece, I think, although I don’t know why he even needs a microphone for an entire musical piece that involves a loud instrument such as a French horn, which, by the way, is the most annoying instrument that has ever been made past or present and I would be so much happier if they just took every single French horn in the entire world, crushed them together with one of those car crunching things, melted them into a ball and dumped them into the Hoover Dam where the fish can eat them up or they could just rot.”

“Gabby, you’re getting way too worked up over something as lousy as a French horn. How in the world do you hate something like that?”

“I have a brother who plays it, although his playing sounds more like a sick goat shredding a bagpipe than a Jazz musician.”

“Just like you to despise something if your brother is involved,” Mika laughed.  “’Kick a valuable treasure and you make a grown man cry’, as my dad would say.”

Leaning against the wall, Gabrielle raised an eyebrow and stared at her friend as if she had said something completely idiotic.

“Mika, are your parents always this weird?”

“No, not really; it’s as strange as they get.”

“Oh.”

“Probably even less than that.”

“Quiet down!” Ms. Ukeli hissed from the seats in front of them.  “Really, if you girls are going to be the sound directors, you both will have to learn proper manners!”

“Sorry,” chorused the girls.

“That’s alright, but don’t let it happen again.”

“Ukeli seems a bit crabby today,” Gabrielle whispered after their teacher turned her back to them.

“Very. With the talent show coming up and everyone not ready, she’s pretty stressed out.”

“Xander’s group is up right now, but they’re singing; oh, shoot, we really need that microphone right now.”

You know, I just realized something,” said Mika.  “Zoë took the microphone home with her yesterday.”