Friday, October 2nd, mid-morning homeroom

Classroom 2-C

The next morning while waiting for homeroom to start, Joel strode into the classroom and sat down at his desk with a grin that showed he was extremely pleased with himself. “You’ll never guess what happened before literature class!”

I knew what was coming next… and Jack saved me from having to pretend to be surprised, by saying, “You look happy, it must have been good! What happened?”

“This girl in my class asked me to help with her term paper,” said Joel.

“Anyone I’d know?” asked Jack.

Joel shook his head. “I don’t think so. If you remember me telling you about chasing off some guys who were bothering a first-year girl, that was her, Violet.”

“Nice. Are you going to help her?” said Jack.

“Sure, why not?” asked Joel.

“So, I’ve got to ask,” said Jack, “is she cute?”

Joel hesitated just a little before answering, “Yeah, she’s cute.”

Jack grinned, and then shook his head a little. “I’d wish you good luck with her, but I think you’ve got more than your share already.”

The conversation turned to Jack’s lack of luck with girls, at which point Kai joined in - teasing Jack about a girl he’d had a clear crush on last year but had never approached. Our homeroom teacher’s arrival to take roll ended the conversation, and I realized with some relief that the mystery of Tess’s letter had been forgotten.

The rest of the day went by quickly, and after Calliott’s history class, I had a few quick questions for her about her latest notes on my outline. When we finished, I noticed Tess was waiting, and Ms. Calliott asked her if she needed something.

“I was waiting to speak to Mark,” said Tess, and after a skeptical look at the two of us, Ms. Calliott left, leaving Tess and I alone standing in front of the empty classroom.

Tess looked at the printout in my hand. “That’s the outline you were telling me about?” she asked.

When I nodded, she went on to ask, “Do you always get this much done in advance?”

I thought for a second; ‘I wasn’t given a choice’ would be a bad answer here. Instead, I shrugged and said, “Not usually, but I didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot at a new school.”

“It’s a good reminder to take mine seriously,” said Tess. “If you don’t mind my changing the subject, did Joel say anything about Violet to you yet?”

I tried not to smirk; I’m not sure I succeeded. “You should have seen him when he came into homeroom. He seemed stoked about her asking him and wanted to tell me and another friend of ours about it right away.”

“Stoked?” Tess looked skeptical.

“Sorry, excited.”

“No reason to be sorry – I know the term, it’s just… that’s something my grandfather would say.”

I shook my head, embarrassed. I guess some slang has aged on this side of the gate!

Tess shrugged, and asked, “Did Joel say anything else about Violet?”

Was some of that “she’s cute” just for Jack’s benefit? “Not really. Another classmate kind of hijacked the discussion.”

“OK,” said Tess. “It sounds like things are going well. I guess we should just let them get to know each other.”

I nodded.

“Thanks again,” she said, and before leaving, “Good luck on the paper.”

Since it was Friday the other PE folks wouldn’t be at fencing practice, and I figured that Saturday would be better to try to ask Gwen about the play. After dismissal, I biked home - trying to keep the pace I managed on days when I was following Gwen. It was harder to keep to it on my own.

Joel was still at soccer practice, so after catching an early shower I decided to try eating my dinner out on the back porch. I put a bowl of cat food out – with a slice of ham on top – and the cat came up and started eating its dinner a little way away.

Saturday, Oct. 3rd, after classes

Fencing club room

As I entered the fencing club room, I was glad to see that even though this wasn’t a regular PE day, I wasn't the only one there beyond the core members. Galen was suiting up near the lockers, and a few other PE students milled around, chatting and helping each other with their gear.

As people finished preparing, Cory told us, "Listen up, everyone. Since we've got a smaller group today, it's a perfect time for our new members to start sparring."

My stomach churned a little when she said that. We'd been practicing basic techniques for weeks, but the idea of facing off against someone made me nervous.

Kai nodded in agreement. "Pair up, and we'll come around to observe and offer feedback."

The only one of the other new folks I knew was Galen, and he must have been thinking something similar. "Hey Mark, want to be my partner?" he asked, his voice friendly but with a hint of challenge.

"Sure," I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. We claimed an open spot at the end of one of the strips and began our final preparations. After saluting, we put on our masks, and as I adjusted my grip on the hilt of my foil, I mentally ran through everything I'd learned so far. Footwork, posture, grip. I knew I still had a lot to improve, but I was determined to give it a real shot… or at least not look like a total idiot.

Galen and I took our positions, foils at the ready. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Kai's voice rang out, signaling for us to start, and we began to tentatively step towards one other. Possibly a little too tentatively; I attempted to lunge, and found I’d misjudged the distance. Galen beat my foil away with his, but even if he hadn’t, mine would not have connected. No riposte followed, and we each stepped forward again. This time, Galen made the first move, and his lunge was fast enough I could barely block it, and then he blocked my own riposte with seeming ease.

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This repeated a few times with neither of us scoring a touch, but Galen clearly being the quicker of the two of us, especially to respond and block. It went downhill for me after that; by the time he’d scored five touches on me, I had only scored one in return. Kai, mercifully, suggested we take a break. I shook Galen’s hand and said, “Good match.”

Kai came over to debrief with us and gave us each some advice. Both of us needed to practice the fundamentals, but beyond that in Galen’s case it was mostly to be more aggressive. In mine, he asked if I was thinking about which block to use. I was, and he told me the main thing to work on was to recognize the line of attack and train my body to use the appropriate block; if I had to think about it consciously, I was always going to be slow to react.

Sadly, while I have an easy time at some academic skills, being able to get out of my head and learn physical skills is not something natural for me. This made gym class sports torture since the early days of elementary school. I’m not even particularly good at arcade-style video games. Still, I wanted to make the most of this, and if I could manage bicycling in Manhattan traffic without getting killed, I couldn’t be completely devoid of reflexes, right?

After a break, at Kai had us go back to practicing our basic moves. We also got to watch some of the other pairs sparring. The competitive fencers were incredible fast and precise, and I realized just how far the gap in ability was. At the end, we got to see Cory and Gwen do a match that was quite different - unlike the foil fencing we had been doing, which was purely thrusting and took place on a straight strip or lane, their bout took place in a marked circle and seemed to involve both cuts and thrusts.

The match ended with Gwen landing a cut to Cory’s shoulder. It must have been legal hit in that form because Cory tapped her shoulder to acknowledge the hit, and the two of them shook hands.

As I helped with cleanup, I asked Kai, “What style were Cory and Gwen using?”

“Dueling sword, although they were using sabers to practice it. Cory’s specialty – I think she’s helping Gwen practice looking good for the play, since there’s no way Gwen would have normally gotten a hit on her.”

“She’s that good?”

“She’s off the charts. She got invited to compete in the Union Games two years ago.”

The Union Games were the closest thing this world had to the Olympics; just like at home, multinational sporting events were a big deal. “Did she go?”

“No, and it surprised all of us in the club – she said it would interfere with her studies too much. Which hasn’t stopped her from going to nationals every year.”

Once all of the gear was packed away, Kai asked the group who remained, “Anyone up for grabbing a bite at Riva’s? I think we earned it after today’s practice.” Cory and Galen both nodded in agreement, and I found myself doing the same.

Cory shot a glance over to Gwen, who shrugged. After that, Gwen said, “Why not? I have to be back for rehearsals later.”

After everyone changed, we walked to Riva's, the conversation flowing easily among the group. The four competitive members discussed an upcoming tournament, while Galen and I chatted about our respective classes. We were coming In a little later than usual, and the restaurant was crowded with students compared to how I’d seen it before. Despite that, we were seated quickly.

After we settled into our booth and ordered, I couldn't shake the question that had been nagging at me since the festival. I decided to try asking again about the play. "Hey Gwen," I said, trying to sound casual, "I've been meaning to ask you about the play your club is putting on. It’s called 'The Lost Princess,' right?"

Gwen's eyes lit up at the mention of the production. "Yeah, that's it! Sorry that I had to run last time you asked. It's going to be quite the show. We've been working hard on it."

I nodded, taking a sip of my soda to buy myself a moment. “So, uh, I was wondering...”

I hesitated, unsure of how to phrase my next question without seeming weird. Gwen raised an eyebrow, encouraging me to continue.

"Can you tell me more about where the story came from? And, um, was there a specific reason your group picked this play?”

Cory laughed, patting Gwen on the back. Her laugh was a sharp contrast with Gwen’s, more of a soft chuckle that made her eyes sparkle rather than a boisterous sound. She covered her mouth briefly with her hand, a gesture that seemed at odds with her usual serious style.

Before I could ask what brought that on, Gwen gave an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Cory. I know you’ve heard this a million times.”

Cory gave an amused shake of her head, “It’s fine, really,” she told Gwen, and then to me, “She’s been talking about putting on a production of this play for as long as I’ve known her.”

“Guilty,” Gwen said with a smile. “You didn’t know me in grade school, but I probably talked about it even more then. It’s been a big inspiration to me. When I saw the play as a little girl, I knew I wanted to be an actress. Plus, Isabella’s story is so empowering – after Jack dies, she picks up his sword and goes on to protect herself and her best friend.”

After a pause, she went on, “Wanting to play Isabella is at least in part why I got into fencing and part of why I ended up coming to this school.”

I still didn’t really know what the play was about, but something about that last statement demanded a follow-up for Joel’s sake. “What was the connection to our school?”

Gwen smiled. “I guess you probably wouldn’t have heard about it, but there was a big scandal here, a little less than twenty years ago. This school has always got its share of big shots, and sometimes that includes royalty. There was an Obdresti princess who went here, and who disappeared right after graduating… and disappeared really thoroughly.”

She raised an eyebrow. “To this day, it’s still a mystery. So, the author of The Lost Princess decided to write a story inspired by the event. It’s not set in our real school, and Isabella isn’t the princess of any real country, but the connection is obvious if you know about what happened.”

“I was too young to know any of this when the book came out, but when it became a stage play my parents took me… I must have been nine at the time, and it’s stuck with me ever since.”

I nodded, thinking about what she’d said – it was clear that this play held a special place in Gwen's heart. The timing of this to Joel's return was all a coincidence, but the parallel to what Joel knew of his mom's situation was a little creepy.

Gwen paused, glancing around the bustling restaurant before continuing. “I guess that’s why it’s such a big deal for me to play Isabella. It’s like... I’m honoring that legacy in a way, even if it’s just a story.”

I nodded, trying to think of a way to keep the conversation going without stumbling over my words. “That's really cool that it inspired you like that. It must be exciting after working towards it for so long."

She smiled, though with a bit of tension, “It is, but it’s also a lot of pressure. If I can pull it off, maybe I can show that I’ve got what it takes to be a real actress.”

Cory nudged her friend. “You are a real actress, Gwen. Remember those commercials you shot last summer?”

Gwen's smile relaxed. “Thanks, Cory. That means a lot coming from you.”

I wanted to ask more, to dig deeper into Gwen's connection to the play, but I was all too aware of how awkward I can be at times. I'd made friends since coming to Queen Sara, and the last thing I wanted to do was be seen as the “weird guy” like I had been at home. Especially by Gwen!

So, I simply smiled and said, “Thanks, Gwen. I'm really looking forward to seeing it.” I wanted to add ...I'm sure you'll be amazing! Why was it so hard to give a compliment?

Gwen returned my smile, and just said, “Thanks, Mark!”

As our food arrived, the conversation shifted to other topics. Galen entertained us with a story about a mishap he'd had in the darkroom during the festival, and Mina asked about our upcoming exams, which Kai and Cory were happy to explain in a lot of detail. Throughout it all, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Gwen's story, and to the connection between the play and Joel’s mother.

After the meal, Gwen was also walking back towards campus and asked, “I guess you must have biked today?”

“Sure did.”

Gwen had to get to her rehearsal in the Arts Center, so we parted ways at the bike racks alongside the gym. Gwen gave me a friendly wave. “See you at practice, and ride safe!”

I waved back, feeling a sense of warmth despite the chilly autumn air. With a final glance at Gwen's retreating figure, I mounted my bike and headed back towards the apartment. There was a lot still to figure out - we'd have exams soon, and Joel's family remained a mystery, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was somewhere I belonged.

End of Part II