Thad Penguino referenced a campus map and led the band to a visitor’s center. Candii approached a student receptionist sitting with a worried expression at an information kiosk and asked her about the pearl.

“A meteor-like glowing pearl?” the student asked. “Yeah, I know what you’re talking about. There are a couple of those floating around campus.”

Candii laughed as she slapped her knee in relief. “Wow! I’m so glad this was simple. I was sure you weren’t going to know what I was talking about.”

“It was a pretty big deal and everyone was talking about it. One crashed into the clock tower the other day and the Party Planning Committee plucked it out."

Candii smiled from ear to ear. “Where is it now? Can we have it?”

“Of course not! We’re using it as a disco ball for the school dance that was supposed to be tonight.”

Candii’s smile did not break. She nodded patiently and said, “Okay. Well, how about after the dance?”

The student thought for a second. “I don’t see why not. I’m on the planning committee so I can just ask to give it to you when we’re done. I can’t imagine what else we’d use it for, but it is saving us hundreds of dollars versus buying a professional disco ball.”

Candii clasped her hands together. “Excellent! This is still the easiest pearl we’ve recovered yet. So, when can we pick it up? I suppose we could use a little rest and relaxation and enjoy your beautiful campus for just a bit until tonight.”

“Tonight? The dance has been delayed. We were supposed to have the dance tonight, but Queen Morgana blew up the guest band because they changed their sound on their latest album. We got a couple feelers out there, but we probably won’t be able to sign a contract with a new band until next week. I don’t know. Maybe if we could find a band faster, then we could hand it over sooner. But I don’t know where we’re going to find someone so last minute.”

“A whole week?” Candii cried. “We can’t wait a whole week…”

Key Gullz grabbed Candii’s shoulder. She spun Candii around and rolled her eyes.

“What? What is it?”

The band gave her stone-faced glances. Key Gullz pointed to her. Then she pointed at herself. Then she pointed at Thad Penguino and Sir Taco.

“Oh!” Candii shouted. She turned back around and pounded her fist on the desk. “Kid, you ever hear of The Non-Traditional Key Gullz?”

“OMG! Like, my roommate, Becky, the one with the good hair, and I love classic NTKG. Why? Do you know them?”

Begin Wonderwall by Oasis

INTRODUCTION & VERSE 1

Today … now.

The band agreed to play for the college’s school dance after dinner. After a simple setup and sound test, the show was ready to begin. Hundreds of students crowded into the gymnasium and mingled among the flood of locals who were lucky enough to hear the NTKGs were playing.

“Wow, I’m surprised how many people are here for a last-minute concert,” Candii said.

“I heard flyers with our name were plastered all over town,” Thad Penguino said. “I guess word gets around fast.”

As the curtains rose, they played the one song they knew every collegiate fan in the room knew by heart.

Students raised lights into the air and sang along. Nowhere else but at a bro school would one-hundred percent of the student body know every single word to Wonderwall.

Candii looked up at the ceiling and saw the unicorn pearl hanging, emitting beautiful blasts of color all over the room. “Alright band. Keep our eye on the prize.” She strummed her bass and sent good waves reverberating throughout the crowd.

VERSE 2

Backbeat … now.

Key Gullz was bopping her head to the beat when she glanced up momentarily. She was startled to see a shifty shadow walking among the rafters and meddling with the unicorn pearl.

“Hey, look!” she pointed out for the rest of the band.

PRE-CHORUS

And … how.

“Hey, you! Leave that alone!” Candii tossed her bass guitar to Sir Taco and waved for the crowd to separate below her. She hopped down onto the dance floor and ran to beneath the unicorn pearl. The crowd watched with excitement at what the cool Candii of NTKG would do next.

“Shoot!” a crackly voice above said. “Queen Morgana’s not going to be pleased if that woman gets in my way.”

Candii pushed further through the crowd and found a ladder along the wall that led up to the rafters. The crowd cheered and danced unaware of the gravity of the situation. She climbed to the top and hopped onto a rickety metal catwalk. The attached spotlights swayed about and created a club-like atmosphere down below.

CHORUS

Because … wonderwall.

“Who the heck are you, buddy?” Candii asked.

“I’m just a humble aspiring servant of the great Queen Morgana. There’s a bounty out for these glowing pearls. Why ask questions when the pay is good?”

“Because I’m probably going to kick your gnarly behind?”

“I think I’ll take my chances,” he snarled. He unhanded the pearl and faced her with his fists out.

VERSE 2

Today … now.

Candii rushed at the hooligan and tried to tackle him, but he dodged and spun around. He grabbed her shirt and pulled her off balance.

Candii fell on the hard metal but managed to pull herself free. She hopped up and again faced him.

He laughed in jest.

Candii reached into her pocket and the hooligan did the same. She paused dramatically and then whipped out a guitar pick. He whipped out a dagger.

Candii frowned. “Well, this isn’t going my way.”

PRE-CHORUS

And … how.

The hooligan took a swipe at Candii’s chest, but she backflipped out of reach.

Candii aimed and flicked her guitar pick at the hooligan’s face. It hit him in the eye!

“Geeze! Watch the face!” he said as he dropped his weapon. “Oops!”

Candii rushed him and picked him up by his waist. She slammed him down on the platform and sent the whole thing rocking.

Students down below hollered with delight as the two of them scrambled to grab onto anything to prevent them from falling. The hooligan kept cupping his watering eye with one hand and was unable to keep his grip. He slipped and fell in between the crowd below.

“What a rock show flunky. Anyone who’s been to enough concerts knows how to fight!”

CHORUS x3

I … wonderwall.

Candii stayed up top and riled the crowd up with some sick dance moves. The band played the song out and bowed to the crowd. She untied the knot suspending the shining unicorn pearl and slowly lowered it to the band. Sir Taco took it into his hands and waited patiently until Candii descended as well. The band congratulated her and the crowd lifted them all onto their shoulders.

As they were carried outside to the after party, Sir Taco handed Candii the pearl.

She cupped it in her hands. “This one’s for Shimmer.”

After the crowd put the band down, a group of students threw the hooligan on the ground in front of them.

“Have mercy!” he cried kneeling before them.

Candii grabbed him by the collar and shook him. “You tell Morgana this: we’re getting the unicorn pearls and coming for her next!” She released him.

The hooligan scrambled to his feet and ran away.

“That puts us at eight pearls,” Thad Penguino said. “We just need to keep hunting these down and we’ll have them all in no time!”

The band hit the road and headed back east toward a large cache of unicorn pearls.

End Wonderwall by Oasis