FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A computer screen slowly flickered to life, dimly lighting the pitch-black room. Its user, whose identity will not be revealed here, typed a simple command and a chat window opened.

In a matter of minutes, three others joined the chat, all represented by names randomly generated from a list of English words. Our user, known for this session as "Book", was joined by "Snowman", "Glass", and...

POTATO: I would like to change my username.

Book chuckled as the first message appeared on the screen. It wasn't long ago that they had been given the random moniker "Sock" and raised a similar complaint.

SNOWMAN: Your username is randomized for each session to ensure anonymity. None of us chose ours.

POTATO: None of you are named Potato.

GLASS: It doesn't matter. Drop it. Let's move on to the actual important matter. Who asked for this meeting?

Book frowned. Nobody was going to be happy about what they were about to say. After a moment's hesitation, their fingers began typing on the keyboard.

BOOK: I did. It's over.

Nothing appeared on the screen for what felt like an eternity. The other names on screen didn't _need_to voice their displeasure to make it crystal clear.

GLASS: So soon?

BOOK: Yes. There was nothing I could do about it.

POTATO: What was the outcome?

BOOK: One.

SNOWMAN: That's the third time.

GLASS: Give us your full report.

And so, Book did just that. Uninterrupted by their peers, they spent the next ten minutes giving a detailed account. When they finished, the silence from the chat was deafening. Book wondered if they were still there, or if they had simply begun to chat amongst the three of them in a new window.

SNOWMAN: We're pulling the plug.

Book's heart dropped. They were afraid of that.

BOOK: You can't.

POTATO: We have to change our approach. This isn't working.

GLASS: Too much time and too many resources have been wasted already. We're ending this now.

BOOK: Give me one more chance. I can make this work.

SNOWMAN: It's clear that you can't. This is over. Our goal is too important to continue trying with a failed system.

Book began to panic. It couldn't just end -- not like this. In desperation, they tried one more plea.

BOOK: I have a plan. One more time. If you don't approve, we can pull the plug. But this time will work.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump. Book could hear their own heartbeat as they waited for a response, silently pleading with the unfeeling monitor before them.

GLASS: We're waiting.

And so Book began to type frantically again. Their plan laid bare, pending the approval of their peers. And again, they found the tension unbearable as the chat remained static, nobody replying, nobody saying anything. Until...

POTATO: This is your last chance.

BOOK: Thank you.

SNOWMAN: If this ends in another failure, not only will we change our approach, but we will remove you from our organization. Do you understand?

Book's blood turned ice cold. They knew exactly what "removed from the organization" meant.

BOOK: Yes.

GLASS: I can't approve of this plan. There's too much risk. Book could be exposed.

SNOWMAN: If Book is exposed, Book will be dealt with. There's no risk to the rest of us.

POTATO: I agree. We remain fully disconnected even when Book fails again.

BOOK: I'm not going to fail this time.

GLASS: For your sake, I hope not.

BOOK: Is the next batch ready?

POTATO: Your final batch will be ready tomorrow. I suggest you spend this time preparing thoroughly.

SNOWMAN: Then we have reached a consensus. Contact us when you have something to report. Ending chat.

Line by line, the chat self-deleted, as if it never happened. There was no record left of anything they discussed, but Book still smiled to themself. The screen went dark, leaving them in total darkness.

They won't fail this time.

The first thing the sheep girl was aware of was that her head hurt. Then came the full body pain, and the struggle to lift her head.

"Wha... what happened?" she groaned as her blurry vision revealed a solid wooden surface in front of her. She tried to raise an arm to rub her aching eyes, but found it impossible to move it; not just because it was also sore and stubborn, but both of her arms had been strapped down to the surface. In a panic, she tried to stand, only to find that her legs had been similarly bound to her seat.

As her vision cleared up, she realized that she had been secured to what looked like a school desk. Between her strapped-down arms was a small box with an unlit green light bulb on it. Her heart beat faster as she tried to figure out what was happening, thrashing in her seat to try and break at least one of the straps.

A voice called out from behind her. "Hey! Wanna cut that out? I've still got a headache..." they said, and the sheep's head whipped around. She didn't even realize that she wasn't alone in the room; all around her were more desks, with more captives strapped in. Most of them still looked like they were asleep, aside from the speaker, a raccoon girl wearing a shabby-looking hoodie, and who didn't look much older than her. "Besides, we're strapped in pretty tight."

"S-sorry." The sheep took a deep breath, shutting her eyes to calm down. "I just -- panicked."

The raccoon shrugged. "Don't sweat it. I freaked out too when I woke up." she said, then glanced around the room. "Do you remember anything at all? Like how we got here?"

Taking a second to think about it, the sheep frowned, then shook her head. "No. The last thing I remember, I was with my friends at a... club. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in here." Again, she shut her eyes, trying to fight back the rising tide of panic. "My name's... I'm Ginger."

"Jo." The raccoon responded, then glanced around the room. "You said you were at a club? Was it Club Squalid, downtown?"

Ginger's eyes widened. "Yes... yes it was! We were there because my brother's band was performing. Were you there too?"

Jo frowned, then shrugged. "Kind of, I guess. I was... outside."

A groan to Ginger's right drew her attention. "Gah... hope you enjoyed the show. Damn, you're both loud..." Turning her head, she saw a rabbit lift his head, and immediately recognized him. It was hard not to, with the piercings lining his ears and the blue tips dyed into his hair.

"Oh! You're one of Dustin's friends!" Ginger said, the volume of her voice making the groggy rabbit flinch. "Um... what was your name? Nick?"

The rabbit groaned again. "Close. It's 'Kick'." He said, then just like Jo and Ginger had, he tried to lift his arms. As soon as he realized they were strapped down, his eyes snapped fully open and his voice filled with anger. "What the fuck?! The hell's going on here?"

Jo sighed. "Just calm down..."

"Don't fucking TELL me to calm down! I wanna know why I'm tied to this desk!" Kick shouted, apparently not concerned with his own pounding headache anymore. If there was a silver lining to his shouting, it was that it caused the rest of the room to stir, and one by one everybody else woke up and went through the same scene.

As heads raised off the desks, Ginger noticed two she recognized. "Zoe? Lorena? You, too?" she called out, drawing the attention of a shark and bat seated in the front row of the room.

"Ginger?" the shark -- Zoe -- replied, her sharp teeth clenched as she pulled against the straps holding her arms. "Gah... hold on, I'll get you out of this!"

Jo spoke up from the back of the room. "Save your strength! I've been trying since I woke up before everybody else, pretty sure we can't break these."

"_He_might be able to." Said a panda seated directly in front of Ginger, nodding his head towards a black-scaled dragon seated in the front row. "Dragons are strong, aren't they? Or you might be able to burn the desk with your breath?"

The dragon turned his head, his piercing red eyes locked on to the panda. Ginger couldn't help but flinch back as his intimidating gaze fell too close to her. "No, not all dragons have fire breath. And I can't break free of these either."

"A dragon can't break them, either?" said another voice, but Ginger couldn't actually see who was speaking now. "Hmm. I wonder what material they're made of?"

"More importantly, is everybody awake now?" asked a ferret seated at the front, wearing a cheap-looking polo shirt and a pair of glasses, which had gone slightly askew on his face. Unfortunately, with his arms strapped to the desk, he had no way to fix them.

Ginger looked around the room. "Yeah, I think so."

"Hold up, nope." Said a cow in the back of the room, her bulb covered by a cowboy hat that had fallen off of her head as she slept. "This guy's still sleepin'... I think. Doesn't look like he's budgin'."

Turning her gaze towards the desk in the corner, she saw that seated next to the cow was a muscular tiger, with a distinct pair of curved ram horns on his head. Once Ginger realized he was there, she gasped. "Dustin!"

All eyes were on the sleeping tiger now. "Is he... okay? Alive, I mean?" asked an elephant girl seated directly in front of him, the jewelry hanging from her tusks clattering as she struggled to turn her head.

The cow leaned over as best she could, eyes narrowed. "Not sure. I can't see if he's breathin', and obviously can't check for a pulse." Closing her right hand into a fist, the cow knocked on the surface of her desk as hard as she could. "Hey! You alive there? C'mon, say somethin'! Kitty kitty kitty!" she called out, but he didn't budge.

"Oh dear... I think he might be -- might be dead." Said a voice seated directly behind Ginger. She thought it sounded familiar, but just like the elephant in front of Dustin, she couldn't turn her head well enough to see who was speaking.

"He's... dead? Are you sure?" asked a cockatiel girl, her head decorated by a headband of flowers and wearing a long floral-print vest. "That's awful! Somebody needs to help him!"

"How are we supposed to help a dead man?" asked the bat up front, who Ginger had named as Lorena. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but softened to a concerned tone quickly. "Hey, Ginger! Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine!"

A filthy hyena to Ginger's left spoke up. "Yeah, he ain't dead. He's just always been a heavy sleeper. Hey, Kick! Wake him up!"

Kick grinned. "On it. Okay everyone, you might want to cover your ears for this."

In front of the rabbit, a chimpanzee girl in a leather jacket suddenly turned her head. "And how do you propose we do that?"

Kick's grin got even wider. "Not my problem. Okay, here goes..." he said, and inhaled deeply. Thinking quickly, Ginger dropped her head back to the desk, reaching with her fingers to try and plug her ears but coming up frustratingly short.

"HEY, DUSTIN! WAKE THE FUCK UP! SHOW'S ON IN FIVE!"

Despite her best efforts, Ginger's ears were ringing as Kick's voice filled the room completely, echoing off every wall and making her teeth rattle.

"Ow..." she said, lifting her head again with a shake. "I didn't know it was possible for anybody to be that loud..."

As everybody turned towards Kick to complain, the rabbit only laughed. "Hey, I warned you all! Besides, it worked, didn't it? So don't bitch about it!"

Turning back towards Dustin, Ginger saw that the tiger's head was now raised from the desk, and he let out a loud yawn. "Oh wow... how long was I out? I didn't sleep well at all..." he said, then just like everybody else, went into a panic as he found his arms strapped down. "H-hang on! Why can't I move?"

"We don't know." Ginger answered. "We're all tied up like this."

As soon as he heard her voice, Dustin turned towards Ginger. "Whoa! Ginger? How come _you're_here?"

"Wait, do you all know each other?" asked the panda in front of Ginger, turning his head to the side slightly. "You know each others' names... and that hyena knows he's a heavy sleeper... and that bat --"

Lorena sighed. "The bat has a name."

"Is everybody awake now?" the ferret asked again, unable to hide the impatience in his voice.

Jo spoke up from the corner of the room. "Yeah, all fifteen of us are awake now."

"Sixteen!" said the voice that Ginger couldn't locate. "I'm here too! I'm just... closer to the ground." Stretching her neck up as far as she could, Ginger was finally able to spot a pair of mouse ears in front of the elephant girl.

With a sigh, the ferret nodded. "Good enough." He said, and cleared his throat. "My name is Edison Neville. I graduated high school with a perfect GPA and I'll be attending Stagsworth Academy in the fall." He said, and as soon as he finished, the green light on his desk lit up. "Good. Okay, who's next?" he asked.

The room fell silent, until Kick spoke up. "The fuck you mean, 'who's next'? Who cares what school you're going to?"

"And did you say 'Stagsworth Academy'?" the dragon asked, turning his terrifying vision towards Edison. "No offense, but you don't look like the type of person they'd accept."

"That's rude!" the chimpanzee shouted, and Ginger thought she saw the dragon flinch. "Apologize right now!"

Edison sighed again. "No, it's okay, don't apologize... and I obviously introduced myself because... did none of you read the blackboard?"

For the first time, Ginger glanced towards the front past the desks, and realized that they were in a classroom... which should have been obvious in hindsight, considering they were all strapped to school desks. But what had her attention now was the huge blackboard occupying the entirety of the far wall from floor to ceiling, and the words written on it.

GOOD MORNING! I HOPE YOU ALL SLEPT WELL!

ONCE EVERYBODY WAKES UP, GIVE A SHORT INTRODUCTION. YOUR FULL NAME AND ONE PIECE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION WILL CAUSE THE GREEN LIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU TO TURN ON.

WHEN ALL SIXTEEN LIGHTS ARE ON, ALL OF YOU WILL BE UNSTRAPPED FROM THE DESKS!

The mouse boy low to the ground spoke up. "Um... I can't actually see it past the shark."

"Well, excuse me for being bigger than you! I didn't even WANT to sit here, you know!" Zoe snapped back. "I never sit in the front row of any class."

"It says we all have to introduce ourselves if we want out of these desks." Jo explained. "Full names and a piece of personal information. So let's just get this out of the way. I'm Jo Walker, and I've been living on the streets for seven years now." As soon as she finished, her own light lit up. "Next."

Ginger turned toward her. "Living on the streets? So... when you said you were 'outside' Club Squalid..."

Jo sighed. "Yes. I was living in the alley. Can we move on to the next --"

"For seven years? So you must have just been a kid. That sucks." The hyena in front of her said. "So what happened?"

Balling her hands into fists, Jo clenched her teeth. "If you really want to talk about that, let's do it later. For now can we all just introduce ourselves and get out of these desks?"

As if to break the tension, the cockatiel girl spoke up. "My turn, then!" she said, and then sat up a bit straighter, putting a cheery chirp in her voice. "Hello! I'm Summer Song, and I absolutely love plants of all types! I'm happiest when I'm in my garden!" Once she finished, her own light lit up. "Viola! Just that easy!"

"Thank you, Summer." Jo said with a weary sigh.

Suddenly, Summer let out a loud gasp, drawing everybody's attention to her. "I just realized! If I'm here, I can't tend my garden... somebody might find my, um..."

"Your what?" the elephant girl across the room asked.

Summer blushed, though it was barely visible under the naturally red circles on her cheeks. "Uh... let's just call it an 'herb patch'."

Kick groaned. "Really? That's_what you're worried about right now? Not that we're... you know what, fuck it, nevermind. I'll just keep things going. My name is Kick, and I'm the bass player for the band _The Shit." After he finished, he stared down at the dark bulb on his desk. "The fuck? Why isn't my light turning on?"

"Because you didn't give your full name, man." Dustin said from the corner. "I don't think they're gonna accept 'Kick'."

The incensed rabbit turned towards the horned tiger. "And who the fuck are 'they'?" he yelled, his voice nearing ear-splitting levels again.

"I don't know, whoever put us in these desks! Would you just say your name?" he yelled back.

Turning his gaze back down towards the bulb, Kick shut his eyes. "Fine. My name... is... Clover Wakefield. And if I hear even one of you fuckers call me that, I'll kill you. It's 'Kick' or keep your fucking mouth shut." He said through gritted teeth, and his bulb lit up.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Zoe said. "That's not bad as far as names go."

"And_I_ don't give a fuck what you think about it!" Kick shouted back. "Next person!"

The elephant girl next to Kick spoke up. "I'm Elena Dallmier. My grandfather Errol is a high priest in my church, and I'm in training to join the clergy myself." Another green light went on, and she smiled.

In front of Ginger, the panda boy turned towards Elena. "You're in training as a priest? That's amazing! What religion --" he began, but the bat in front of him cut him off.

"If you're going to talk," she said, her voice impatient. "At least get your introduction out of the way at the same time. My name's Lorena Payne, and I'd love to be released from this desk so I can use the bathroom." She said, and then laughed when her bulb didn't light up. "Yeah, I didn't think that would count. I run a support group in my college for people struggling with their self-image, whatever form that takes." This time, her bulb turned green.

Elena's face lit up. "Oh! That's very admirable, Lorena! I'd love to get involved with that if you need extra help!" she said cheerily, then turned to the panda. "And in response to your question, we elephants worship the moon and divine guidance from it. Although there are also a few practitioners of other species in our congregation."

The panda nodded. "Yes, I think I've heard of that before! Oh, um, I'm Chen Bao. Truth be told I don't know what to say here... my family always moved around a lot and I never had a chance to have any lasting relationships or experiences. I've just always been kind of an outsider by default everywhere I go." He said, and seemed to jump in surprise when his light illuminated. "Oh! That counts?"

Kick groaned. "That's really fair. I have to give my fuckin' name, but Chen here gets away without giving an actual personal detail."

"Um... it's actually 'Bao'." The panda corrected. "My family puts our last name first. Calling me 'Chen' is the same as if I were to just call you Wakef--"

"You'd better mean to say 'Kick' there." The rabbit said, glaring. Bao immediately stopped and slumped in his seat. "But yeah, I get your point. Didn't mean to do that, Bao. My bad."

Bao nodded. "It's okay. A common mistake."

"Anyway," Lorena said. "It's touching that you two are bonding like that, but I was serious about having to use the bathroom. Can we speed this up at all? Please?"

Ginger opened her mouth to give her own introduction, but the hyena to her left beat her to it. "Sure! I'm game! Hey everyone, my name's Rex Logan, but I'm sometimes called 'Wreck' on stage! I play drums for our band The Shit with my buddies Kick and Dustin there!" he said, nodding his head towards the rabbit and horned tiger. "I write all our music, but they don't actually let me sing or anything, all I do is drum."

"Rex..." Dustin tried to interrupt, but the hyena kept talking.

"I'm also the nephew of Rotten Sam, who's a bit of a punk rock legend, if anybody here's a fan of the genre. In fact, he's the reason I'm so into it!"

"Rex."

"Yeah, my uncle Sam was a huge part of my childhood, and I grew up listening to his music. In fact, he's the one who taught me the drums!"

"REX!" Dustin shouted, and got his attention. "Your bulb's been green for about thirty seconds now."

Rex looked down at the lit bulb on his desk. "Oh! Whoops. Guess I wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, guess not." Dustin said. "Anyway, keeping things going. I'm Dustin Campbell, and yeah, these horns are real." He said, turning his head to the left and right to show them off, along with the stickers placed on them. "I let younger fans put their own little decorations on them after each show, and keep them in place until our next performance ends. Just a way to bond with our fanbase and let them feel like they're part of the show." His own light lit up, and just like that, the group was over halfway finished with their introductions.

Grinning, Dustin looked over to Ginger. "Okay, sis, you're up!"

"Hang on. 'Sis'?" Jo interrupted, leaning forward a bit. "Ginger,he's your brother? The one with the band?"

"Um... yeah." Ginger said, looking down awkwardly.

Jo looked back and forth between them. "But... he's a tiger and you're a sheep. Are one of you adopted or something?"

The chimpanzee girl looked back at Jo. "That's kind of a personal question, don't you think?"

"In case you haven't been paying attention," Jo countered, "personal information is the name of the game right now."

Taking a deep breath, Ginger laid her palms flat on the desk. "I-I'm Ginger Townsend. And no, neither of us are adopted. Just like Dustin's half sheep, I'm... I'm half tiger." She said, and couldn't help but feel relieved when her bulb lit up.

"Well I'll be damned." Jo said, leaning back. "You really don't look it."

"Except for the stripes -- the stripes in your wool." The voice behind her said. Ginger wished she could turn her head enough to see behind her and at least know who was speaking; she kept forgetting he was there and being startled. "They show up a bit around -- around your neck. They're very striking."

Ginger's face flushed. "Um... thank you?"

Zoe looked back from the front of the classroom. "Hey, just so you know, she's pretty sensitive about them. Ginger's stripes are like Kick's real name for her." She said.

"Oh, is that right?" Kick said, looking next to him at the clearly flustered sheep girl. "Alright, in that case, nobody say a goddamn word about her stripes. Got it?"

"But I was only -- was only trying to..." the voice behind Ginger said timidly.

"Did I fucking stutter, bugbrain?" Kick shouted. "I said they're off-fucking-limits!"

Zoe grinned. "Looks like you've got two guardians now, girl!" she said, then cleared her throat. "I'm Zoe Williams, self-appointed best friend and bodyguard for Ginger there. I've always been a protective type, especially for those who need it." Looking down, she saw that her bulb was still dark. "Oh, come on! How does that not count? Okay, okay... let's see... one time in sixth grade, I beat the hell out of a couple guys who were trying to steal lunch money from a kid I didn't even know." This time, her bulb lit up. "That got it!"

Behind her, the small mouse boy took his turn. "I'm Jamie Horton. Technically James, but I prefer Jamie. I always make it a point to understand every bit of technology on the market, and I've even been offered a job by Pineapple as a tech consultant." He said, lighting his bulb.

"Pineapple? The computer company?" Edison said, glancing at the mouse. "That's very impressive. For a company that big and influential to want you as a tech consultant is quite a feat."

Jamie smiled. "Says the guy who's been accepted to Stagsworth Academy."

"Oh great, more bonding." Lorena said, then looked over at the intimidating dragon on her left. "Hey, big guy, help me out and introduce yourself while these two geek out, would you?"

The dragon looked up, his black scales catching the green lights all around him -- somehow, it made him look even more frightening. "Oh. Of course. My draconic name is Ra'Barad'Tul, but if I were to translate it into a more relatable format, then I would be Barad of the Tul clan, second of my name. The 'Ra' prefix functions the same as a 'Jr' suffix. You all can just call me Barad, though." He said, then tapped his clawed toes on the ground. "Anyway. I'm the heir to the Tul clan of dragons, with all the privilege and responsibility that... burdens me with." He said, and his own green bulb lit up.

Behind him, Summer chirped. "The Tul clan?! I've heard of them! They're pretty huge, right? Like, in politics and junk?"

"I think we've _all_heard of the Tul clan. They basically run several countries." Edison said. "And you're their heir? That's... even more impressive than Jamie and I."

Barad looked back down at his desk, mumbling something low under his breath. Ginger wasn't sure, but she thought he sounded a bit troubled.

Before she could ask if he was okay, the cow seated next to Dustin took her chance to speak up. "Well, I'm Mae Chapman, and I'm not some impressive tech guy or politician's kid or Stagsworth alumnus-to-be! Nah, I'm just a girl from my family's ranch, and I'm in college to become a veterinarian. Save my family the hassle and cost of hirin' one every time one of our ferals is under the weather." She said, lighting her bulb.

"Feral ranches creep me out a little." Elena said with a shiver, then quickly turned her head towards Mae. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I just have trouble keeping thoughts inside sometimes!"

Mae simply laughed. "Oh, don't worry 'bout it, I get it! It hits too close to home for a lot of people, don't it? Especially me, as a cow. It's a bit awkward when I gotta milk a feral that looks like me! But it's one of them things you get used to after a while, an' if it weren't for ranches like my family's, nobody would be able to pick up a gallon of moo-juice at the store, would ya?"

"I... suppose not. It is a valuable service your family provides." Elena said. "All the more reason I shouldn't have said anything."

Looking around the room, Ginger realized she could only see one unlit bulb left, on the chimpanzee girl's desk. Counting the guy seated behind her, whom she couldn't see but knew didn't introduce himself, there were only two more before they were all freed.

Right on cue, the chimpanzee girl took her turn. "I'm Charlene Cross. I spend most of my time with my motorcycle, either riding it or doing general maintenance. In fact, I'm taking classes to give me the skills I need to open my own repair shop, and turn my passion into a career." She said, lighting her bulb.

"Didn't expect a biker to call people out for being rude so much." Rex said, prompting Charlene to turn her head and glare at him. "Wait, I meant that in a _good_way!"

Charlene continued to glare. "And what's good about how you phrased that?"

"There's only one of us left to give their introduction, right?" Jamie spoke up from his nearly-unseen position close to the floor. "Why don't we finish up here, and then we can all fight with each other afterward?"

Ginger heard the voice behind her speak up. "I guess I'm the last -- the last one left. I didn't mean to take so long, but I didn't want to interrupt anyone."

"Whatever!" Lorena said, squirming in her seat now. "Just hurry up and get it over with! We're almost out of these desks!"

"Very well. My name is Gregory -- Gregory Gibbs. Nobody likes me." He said, then stopped.

Ginger immediately realized she was still strapped in place. "Um... Gregory? I think they want a bit more detail than that."

"Oh! My apologies. Nobody likes me because -- because they think I'm a bad person. But they're all wrong, they don't even know me. It causes me a lot -- a lot of trouble." As soon as he finished speaking, Ginger immediately felt the straps on the desk loosen, and slid her arms out from inside them. Just about everybody shouted in victory as they reached down to uncuff their legs and stand up.

Lorena immediately ran towards the door, throwing it open. "FINALLY! I'll be back in just a moment, everyone!" she said before disappearing outside.

As she rubbed her sore arms, Ginger couldn't help but feel bad about what Gregory said about himself. She felt a pang of sympathy towards his story, and turned to face him for the first time... and let out a gasp.

"Oh!" she said, taking a few steps backward and covering her mouth. "It -- it's you?"

Gregory's appearance was unmistakable to her. A thin moth, with an extra-fluffy neck that obscured most of his face, and a generally timid appearance. At her reaction, his eyes went wide. "You know -- know me?"

Ginger shook her head. "No! I've seen you, though... you're the stalker!"

"The what?!" Zoe said, immediately charging to the back of the classroom next to Ginger. "The... this guy? He's the one?"

All eyes were on Gregory now, and Ginger nodded to her shark friend. "Yeah... he's the one who keeps following me around..." Dustin also pushed his way between Ginger and Gregory, his large, striped frame completely obscuring his sister from the moth's view.

"No! It's not like -- not like that! I didn't even know she ever saw me! I'm just --" Gregory began, holding his hands up defensively.

Zoe scowled. "You're just creeping on my friend, is all! Give me one good reason not to kick your ass, you creepy... bug!"

"Before you kick anybody's ass, look at the blackboard." Edison said from the front of the class, raising his voice to be heard. "Everybody look."

Summer chirped in confusion. "Why? We all already read -- oh!" she said, raising her feathered hands to cover her beak. "When did that happen?"

All conflict was forgotten as the fifteen still left in the room all followed Edison's instructions, looking towards the front of the room... and what happened when nobody was looking.