This one is dedicated to my wonderful reviewers! THANK YOU! 3
Lucy had a warm and fuzzy feeling inside for the first time since arriving in London. She was wanted by these people. But she had learned the hard way before about trusting too much in humans. Eventually they find someone better than you, and once again, you find yourself alone. Lucy was smiling at Lockwood and he was smiling back. Let's just see where this takes me, she thought.
"So..." She dragged the 'O' out in a question.
He cocked an eyebrow, still grinning.
"So..." He mimicked her.
"What are practicals like here?"
"Same as anywhere else, I think. Fourth Grade is almost all practicals."
"Good. I don't know how many lectures I can stand."
"Well you don't have to worry about that next hour. It's rapier practice."
A shot of nervous adrenaline rushed through Lucy.
"Fun." She said shortly.
Just then, George arrived with a load of papers.
Lockwood gave him a lazy grin.
"Did you get our course work too?"
"No, do I look like your secretary?"
George flopped into a nearby desk and shoved the papers messily into his backpack. Then he looked at Lucy.
"You should look forward to rapier practice. They'll for sure put you with someone really good to see how you are."
"Wonderful."
George pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah."
"Come on you two, it's actually fun!"
George rolled his eyes.
"Only because you're good."
"Who knows Lucy, maybe they'll pair us together. Lucy...?"
Lucy had been staring past Lockwood's shoulders, lost in thought. She had caught Angela's eye, who glared harshly and turned to her friends around her. It looked like they were gossiping. They all four tittered loudly then turned to stare at Lucy.
She blinked a couple of times then looked at Lockwood.
"Hm? Sorry, got a bit distracted."
Math passed too quickly for Lucy's taste, and all too soon the bell rang. She never thought she would think that, ever. But she inwardly dreaded having to spar with someone from the London Agency, someone better than her, someone who would want to make the fool of her. It seemed Lockwood had read her thoughts.
"Lucy..."
He stopped her from walking out. George looked back and gave Lockwood a smug, knowing look. Lockwood ignored him.
He wasn't that much taller than her but she still had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye.
"Yeah?"
"I know you'll kick some serious butt."
Lucy gave a snort of derision.
"How could you possibly know that?"
"I'm psychic."
She rolled her eyes to heaven, but grinned despite herself.
"That, quite possibly, is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. And I saw the first Twilight movie."
Lockwood grinned.
"It was still motivational right?"
"Barely."
Lockwood shrugged.
"I did what I could. I've got to go to my dorm before heading to the gym. You think you can find your way to the locker rooms without being late?"
Lucy smiled wryly.
"Maybe."
"Good luck."
The he was gone, jogging down the hall, weaving skillfully between the tide of people.
Lucy had stuffed her gym clothes in her small locker without looking at them, in the locker room a day ago. She only hoped she could find it.
When she finally did locate the room, she only had a minute to change. That was fine. She could change that quickly because she did it almost every morning before rushing out the door.
She would have been fine- if it wasn't for the stupid lock. Combination locks are the absolute worst, she thought, as she rattled it loudly. There was an awfully familiar titter behind her, plus a lot of whispering.
"You need some help?"
A high, sweet voice sounded behind her. Lucy turned around to find a girl already in the gym uniform, with perfectly smooth dark skin, curly hair neatly in place, with a polite smile on her face.
"No."
The girl gave a tinkling laugh then stepped forward, a gave the lock a look.
"What's your combination?"
"3672"
The girl put a slender, perfectly manicured hand on the lock and gave it a swift jolt to the left. It clicked open.
"How?"
"The trick is to know which way to tug it."
"Oh."
The girl stepped back and gave Lucy an elegant shooing motion.
"Hurry or you'll be late. I'm Holly Monroe by the way."
"Lucy Carlyle."
Lucy turned her attention to the clothing at hand. They were simple black running pants and a short sleeved white shirt. Both, of course had the symbol of the Academy on them.
No time to be picky. She stripped and flung them on. The shoes were just as standard. The bell rang just as she was tying her second shoe. Great, she though sarcastically.
She sprinted out, and to the center of the gymnasium. It was huge with lots and lots of faceless training dummies and mats for sparing. The whole of the Fourth years were already assembled. The instructor had not began class yet so she got lucky.
She found Lockwood and George, outfitted in the same uniform as she was.
Lockwood grinned, impressed.
"You made it."
"You doubted me?"
George frowned.
"We had a bet. Lockwood said you would make it fully dressed and before class started."
"George, you owe me five pounds."
Lockwood nudged George in the ribs,
"This is what you get for not believing in people."
George just shrugged,
"Being pessimist is fine with me. I'm either always right or pleasantly surprised."
Before Lockwood or Lucy could comment on the paradox, class started.
"Hello Fourth years, and welcome back. I am Mr. Rotwell as I'm sure all of you remember. Well, all of you except one..."
Lucy felt a horrible jolting sensation in her gut. Any second now he could call her out. She set her jaw and glared fiercely ahead, hands in fits at her side.
"Lucy Carlyle, please step to the front. Everyone else, get your warmups done."
She dimly was aware that Lockwood said something in hushed tone. Trying to look unperturbed and in control, Lucy walked forward.
"Miss Carlyle I have never seen you fence. You did pass your Third Grade rapier practice class?"
This, of course, was a rhetorical question. Lucy wouldn't even be at the Academy if she hadn't passed.
"Yes sir."
"After we break to warm up, know that you are going to be the first to spar with someone."
"Yes sir." He started to walk off but she stopped him.
"Who is it going to be?" At a glance from Mr. Rotwell she hurriedly added, "-sir?"
"Who's who going to be?"
"You said 'spar with someone', and I just want to know who."
A frown deeped his face, and it was obvious the the question displeased him.
"It'll be me if you aren't careful."
"Yes sir."
"Now get going!" He barked. "You have five minutes Carlyle."
Lucy found Lockwood and George, doing standard warmups, or at least she guessed.
Lockwood dusted his pants off, and grinned at her.
"How'd it go?"
"I'm sparing with an unknown person in five minutes. Also, I think I got on his bad side."
Lockwood grimaced for her, but George just shrugged.
"Only a select few aren't, so you're in good company. Lockwood and I are good examples."
Lucy walked over to the nearest rack of rapiers and grabbed a random one.
"Well, how do London people normally warmup?"
A lopsided grin appeared on Lockwood's face.
"You do a bit of prancing here," In a fencer's pose, he shuffled around the training dummy, rapier at the ready. "and some waving around," He struck the dummy like a viper, left hand behind him to counter his stroke. ",don't forget a fake or two," He twisted to the right and feinted. "then, you know, a bit of this and that," his hand cut in swift movements that were hard to follow, some complicated ward knot.
George just rolled his eyes, and Lucy couldn't help but share in the sarcasm.
"Just a bit of haphazard movements really? That's all that's too it? Wow."
Lockwood shrugged, obviously pleased with himself.
Lucy hefted the light weight sword in her hands and stared at the dummy, still swinging slightly from Lockwood's attacks.
"Well what are you waiting for? You don't have a lot of time."
"Yeah yeah."
Lucy got in position, and made a few standard cuts, a feint, then a twisted away as if dodging an opposing stroke. She crouched low, then slashed a backhand attack. The dummy jerked on its chain.
She paused to wipe perspiration from her forehead, and look at the boys.
Lockwood was the first to speak,
"That last move was really unorthodox. Where'd you learn it."
Lucy chuckled lightly, and shrugged.
"It's not really that I learned it from a teacher, more from trial and error actually. There was this huge guy in my fencing class, and well-"
Lucy was cut off by a shout from the middle of the room. A slightly built younger man, with red hair, thin face, and a blingy rapier bedazzled with fake jewels, was standing on a sparring mat. He looked around expectantly.
"Lucy Carlyle, come forward with your choice in training rapier."
Grimacing, George noted,
"That's Quill Kipps. He's a grad, good fencer but not the best. He's also a pig-nosed, pimple-faced, pompous idiot."
This assessment earned a chorus of laughter from Lockwood and Lucy.
Lockwood looked down at the sword in her hand and shook his head.
"That'll never do. Here," he offered his to her. She took it.
"Thanks."
Quill Kipps was standing tall and proud waiting for Lucy as she walked forward. A crowd gathered around the mat.
"This is how it works Carlyle. When you step off the mat and you lose, When your rapier is in my hand, you lose."
A voice from the assembly shouted,
"Bets on how long she lasts?"
"15 seconds!"
"That's a bit farfetched! I'd say 10."
Laughter erupted. Lucy took a fighting stance.
"Ready when you are, Quill Kipps."
OOO GO LUCY GO! Oh wait I'm writing it...heh. Anywayssss, this is a long chapter just for y'all! Honestly I can't even believe the number of review I got! You lovely people made my day! Thank you thank you! Lucy's showdown with Kipps is going to be so fun to write! MUHAHAHA
