Nadia climbed down the tree carefully. The muscles in her abdomen tightened with each shuffle against the trunk until her sneakers plopped into the grass. While halfway down the poorly paved drive back to her house, thoughts drifted to the medicine cabinet. She heard Josh holler. Dew chased him. He swung his sword while Josh dodged each swipe of the blade with swift retreats. Joshes’ fierce counter punches couldn’t land either. They fought their way in front of her.

“You’re a vile slanderer. My love is not a case of hair moans! You will take that back or forfeit your life.”

“Come on monkey butt face, you swing like my grandpa!”

Dew’s sword swung for Josh more fervently. He Dodged to the side of Nadia as she approached. Momentum carried the tip of the blade against Nadia’s upper right arm as she pulled away, but not enough to avoid a sliced sleeve and the smallest cut. She felt the wound. Blood stained her fingers as she gasped before furrowing her brow and clenching her teeth as her fists curled. She kicked Josh deep into the yard without holding her power. He essentially flew backward. Then she clutched Dew’s arm before he could swing his sword again. As soon as he saw the sliced sleeve and the slight line of blood oozing from the scratch, Dew went to his knees and begged her forgiveness.

“This is my world now. So please refrain from trying to kill people you don’t like,”

Dew took hold of her arm and slid his hand toward the wound. Nadia closed her eyes, clenched her teeth while remaining still.

“I was only trying to humble him in defense of your honor. He called you a crazed moaning hair! Is the wound deep? Can you move your arm?”

“Let’s find out,” she pulled out of his grasp and smacked him in the jaw with the back of her hand. The force with which she hit him was sufficient to knock him backwards. It felt just as good as the first time she slapped him silly, actually better because she backhanded him. Nadia clenched her fist and made a muscle.

“Hmm, works perfectly, it’s probably fine.”

She walked back to the house flexing her fist proudly. Josh strolled calmly back from the yard and waited for Dew to revive. Blood dripped from Dew’s nose as he stood.

“Like I said, violently hormonal.”

“How dare you sully her name! Raise your fists cur!”

Dew sniffed blood up and wiped his face. A light streak of blood smeared across the hairs of his right arm. Josh made his fists ready. Dew jumped back to his feet. They resumed the fight, but this time with fists.

Nadia entered the kitchen through the garage and retrieved her favorite glass from the cupboard. Orange juice filled it before she sat at the kitchen table. Barely a sip later, Delia rushed in from the back door.

“What type of girl are you?”

“Huh?”

“No, what kind of monster are you that you would attack your own ally as he tries to defend your honor? I think you should go back out there and apologize on your hands and knees this minute.”

“To Dew?”

“Who else?”

“Are you ignorant!? Mister ‘control your anger’ nearly cut off my arm. Maybe next time he’ll think about being more careful. As far as I’m concerned, he deserved whatever I gave him.”

Delia thrust her spear through the table without care for the violence or the noise, “You’re such an ignorant peasant girl, completely unworthy of Dew’s reverence.”

Nadia pretended to be calm as she finished off her orange juice with shaking hands. Delia pulled her spear from the jagged hole in the center of the kitchen table.

“This is my house!” Nadia screamed as she slammed down her favorite glass, “My house!”

Delia stared at her angrily before retreating outside.

“What is wrong with you people!? I can’t take this anymore!”

Nadia charged through the garage without looking for anyone, hopped on her bike, and rode away as the fist fight in the yard continued.

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A large square building adjacent a large parking lot served as the gymnasium of the public high school. The road leading to the school rose in a steep incline, but she climbed it easily. Anger assuaged her pains. The racks outside the gymnasium provided a safe place to deposit her bike. The parking lot remained empty, but she didn’t care because she had some peaceful time to fall into an uneasy sleep while sitting by the door.

An hour later, the sound of the big metal double doors slamming shut woke her. She found them unlocked and went inside. A teenage boy in a red ball cap and brown glasses looked over the gym. He held a vinyl case designed to protect delicate clothes while he stared toward the basketball hoops that had been folded into the ceiling. Nadia waited by the door until he gave her attention.

He waved with his left hand and spoke in pleasant high-pitched tone, almost singing his words, “Hmm, would you be Nadia?”

He put his case down to offer her a hug, but since she refused to accept it, he offered his hand instead.

“I am. Who are you?”

“I’m Geoffrey, Darrell’s best friend. Well, not really but anyway. I’m here exclusively because Darrell asked me to design a uniform that would boost team morale. You’re his new cheerleader, right? I never heard of having a cheerleader for fencing, but with Darrell there’s a first time for everything.”

“I suppose so.”

“I have a completely sensational outfit ready. It’ll fit you like nothing that has ever been made. Don’t worry, Jody gave me your measurements and description beforehand. That girl has an eye.” He pulled her hand up and examined her fingers. “You have such gorgeous little fingers; do you mind if I paint them tropical colors for the matches? Would you be okay with that kind of style for the summer?”

She pulled her hand away.

“I’ll wear what I have to wear within the bounds of decency, but I won’t let you use make up.”

“It would have highlighted your appeal so much. Not that you need it, you’re absolutely perfect the way you are. I’m only here to adorn said perfection, not make it. Now, I’m glad you remember that you agreed to wear a uniform, because I would be absolutely forlorn if you rejected my masterpiece.”

Geoffrey opened the long bag and pulled out a hanger with a dark plastic dry cleaner’s cover hanging over it. The utmost of care and caution went into its handling. He placed it ceremoniously in Nadia’s arms before escorting her to the girl’s locker room.

“You’re clean right?” He sniffed.

“I showered this morning, but I’ve been pretty active most of the day.”

“Well, it is for you so I suppose there’s no helping it. Once you get it on, come out here and I’ll adjust it. It may seem a little complicated at first but you’ll grow to love it. It’s a good thing you came early so we could straighten this out.”

For the first time, Nadia found herself in a girl’s locker room, even if it did happen to be empty. She found a bench near the shower and pulled the outfit out of the plastic covering. There was a pink ruffled mini-skirt, a dark purple tank top, a pair of heavy pink workout socks, and a swimsuit slathered with colorful triangles of every type in the pattern. An empty bag labeled clothes had been provided for her street clothing. She took a deep breath before pulling herself into the swimsuit first. She was surprised how well it fit once she buttoned the straps in the back correctly on the third try.

As she faced her back towards the mirror, she could see the two triangular holes that displayed the base of her shoulder blades and the two long oval cuts centered over her spine. The strap between the two cuts was almost completely invisible. In the front was an open triangle along her waist that served as a window to her navel. Another strange feature of the swimsuit was the tight sleeves that extended to her elbow. But she liked them because she could lift her arm and easily examine the various neon-colored shapes on the fabric. A fencing rapier centered each shape.

The colors contrasted as well; hot pink triangles had electric blue rapiers. Neon green triangles held an epee of a flashy red. Next, she placed the ruffled mini skirt and the loose, short sleeved, halter top on over the swimsuit. Lastly, she changed into the new socks and pulled them up over her calves. When she came outside, Geoffrey approached with a judgmental eye.

“Shocking. Fabulous. Amazing. May I make some adjustments?”

“Sure, I guess.”

He adjusted her skirt until it fell diagonally from left to right. Then he folded her socks back down until they hung loosely over her sneakers before asking her to sit down.

“Can I have permission to braid your hair, it’s literally essential to the vision I have in mind for a cheer leading goddess.”

Nadia relaxed, “Sure, go right ahead.”

He gently pulled at her hair and started to quickly yet gently braid it into one massive tail. Armed with a comb, he began to remove unwanted remnants of nature from the poorly kept strands with a heartbroken expression.

“I’m surprised. You must have put a lot of work into this. Are you sure you’re a high school student?”

“It’s nothing. I live for this kind of thing.”

“Will this damage my hair?”

“Honey, the leaves and twigs stuck in it are going to destroy it, not a braid. You can undo it any time as well. Forgive me if I request you to use a little conditioner and take better care of this hair. It’s positively beautiful but you mustn’t abuse it so. You are far too lucky to treat it like this.”

Geoffrey finished braiding her hair by tying a thick yellow ribbon into a bow. She pushed herself up, stood on her toes, lifted her arms level with her shoulders, surveyed herself calmly without the aid of a mirror, and smirked.

“All I need now is a space ship.”

“Was that a compliment, because I’m taking it as one. It took me far too long to find that pattern for it to be otherwise.”

“So besides wearing this uniform, what else am I supposed to do?”

“Not much except serve as a backup for the fencing team. You’re the lucky one, last time I lost a bet with him I had to work on his father’s farm for a whole summer.”

“That was you!?”

"So you've heard, well most rumors are completely unfounded."

Nadia couldn't help but giggle, "Well, I haven't heard any rumors aside for some poor guy got stuck with the most horrible farm internship of his life."

They sat down, she relaxed as they continued a light conversation around farm work, fencing, fashion, and other small talk while waiting for the others to arrive for practice.