Chemistry & Timing: A Miraculous Moment

En Garde! (8)

Sorry for being so infrequent with my postings. I've been busy with school and work. I've hardly had any time for writing, but now hopefully I can be more regular with posting each part. I might even have an idea for a sequel now. Anyway, enjoy!

Marinette POV:

Sticks slap together as I parry Tikki's thrust. Tikki shouts, "En Garde, nave!"

I smirk a little and return thrust, but she jumps back to dodge it. She raises her meter stick like an old time fencer and with the worst Spanish accent ever, she drawls, "My name is Tikki Fu. You stole my macaron. Prepare to die!"

Tikki lunges again and I smack her ruler away with my broomstick handle. I stab back and the tip buries into her upper chest. Her hand clamps over the 'wound' and she starts to gasp, falling to her knees while using her other hand to mimic blood gushing everywhere.

Tikki starts to fake croak, "Tell...Cary Elwes...I love him...bleh," her eyes roll back while I giggle at the whole spectacle.

"Sure I will, now come on and focus," I grab the list of fencing terms I printed out earlier this week, "That was a parry then a riposte, right?"

"Can't hear you. I'm dead," Tikki continues to lay on the floor playing dead.

I roll my eyes, trying to figure out how I gained a friend as silly as Tikki, then I walk over in the kitchen and grab the cookie jar in the upper cabinet.

I toss a raspberry macaroon at her, "Willing to return to the land of living now?"

Tikki perks up and catches the macaroon. She takes a bite, "Yeah, it was riposte. You won the point."

"Good, good," I chew on my lip as I reread the terms, thinking back to the mnemonic device I made for memorizing them.

Tikki stands up, "Mari, you're stressing way too much. You're gonna be fine."

"I can't just be fine! I have to be great!" I say, "The club is supposedly being taught by the fencing master, Armand D'Argencourt, the best fencer in the world! So I have to be incredible! Stupendous! Amazing! Basically the exact opposite of normal me."

"Come on, Marinette, you know you're all those fancy adjectives," Tikki swipes the cookie jar from the counter, "You're gonna blow the competition out of the water. Just show up and be yourself."

"Yeah, right," I roll my eyes, "If I try to be myself then odds are I'll trip over myself during a match and stab myself with my own saber."

"At least the tips are blunted," Tikki reaches for another macaroon, but I swipe the jar back from her, causing her to pout at me, "Also, you've been practicing all week. You're going in better prepared than anyone else trying out."

She's probably right. I doubt there's anyone else in the school that prepares for anything as much as I do. It's just second nature to me to consider every possible scenario that can happen. When I had my first date with Luka, I printed out a three-page, color-coded itinerary along with a list of potential questions and acceptable responses. I even wrote on my arm the WikiHow on proper kissing techniques (I really shouldn't have used a permanent marker for that).

Then what happened? I showed up to his houseboat and we went to the movies. Before we even got the popcorn, I forgot half of what my questions and responses said and jumbled together what I did remember. I will never forget the moment my heart stopped after I fused together "Who's your favorite singer?" and "Where's your favorite place to eat out?" (I'll let you imagine what I actually said, because I will never repeat it). Then the seat I sat in had soda on it, which ruined my pants, and the couple sitting behind us spent the whole movie making out (very. loudly.). So nothing went according to plan.