Cheerleader Kait Dredd [patched] -

Kait straightened up, smoothed her skirt, and re-tied her ponytail. She walked over to Coach Henderson, close enough that the coach could smell the spearmint gum and something else—a faint trace of ozone, like after a lightning strike.

Kait leaned against the bleachers, chewing a piece of gum with the slow, deliberate menace of a predator sizing up a herd. Her ponytail was high and sharp, not a single strand out of place. Her uniform—a vintage, slightly-too-small black and crimson squad issue—was pressed within an inch of its life. She didn't smile. Cheerleaders were supposed to smile. That was the first rule Kait Dredd had decided to break. cheerleader kait dredd

Kait watched them, her head tilted. She didn't move. Kait straightened up, smoothed her skirt, and re-tied

Then she smiled—her real smile—and walked home to sharpen her poms. Her ponytail was high and sharp, not a