Will you?

All throughout the week, Mischa had been wondering just how to go about the situation. She had put it off for days, but now it had become unavoidable.

She had to finish this essay.

But what to write about? The notorious essay on the Globe Theatre and how it affected the Shakespearean plays of the time had a minimum length of 750 words, and Mischa was just short of 500. She needed to concentrate. But how?She'd written through the night, and into the early hours of the morning, but somehow she was getting nowhere. She was sitting in the Library, scribbling furiously.

Artemis and Olivia were both experienced in writing essays and were quite good at them. They finished theirs at least a week ago.

"Misch, I still can't believe you're still working at that. I need you!" exclaimed Artemis. Mischa put down her pen and paper, and looked up at her friend.

"You know how I am at essays. Besides, what do you need me for so desperately that it can't wait until after class finishes?" Artemis rolled her eyes.

"You're so thick, sometimes. The dance! In a few days... we need dates!"Crap. She hadn't thought of that. "Oh, right. Um, just give me a couple of minutes to finish this up." Mischa sat back down, and wrote a few lines more. Artemis bent over to read over her shoulder.

"And that's why Shakespeare's plays changed the Globe theatre and the English Culture? Is that even in relation to the essay topic? Besides, you can't write like that in an essay! It doesn't even make sense!"

In response, Mischa just shrugged.

"Oh, it's not that bad, isn't it?"

Artemis nodded. "Sorry, it is that bad."

"Who cares? I would've gotten a bad mark for it anyway."

"No, give it to me." Mischa handed the essay to her, and she crossed out the horrible ending. She thought for a while, and then wrote about half a page.

"There. At least that makes sense."

"Thanks. But it's a half a page!"

"You said you were short. But never mind. Young lady, you're coming with me. Now, where do you think Sander would be before breakfast?"

"I dunno Artemis, perhaps he might be at breakfast like normal people."

"Perhaps."


Mischa's morning

Tancred was reading a book, while finishing his toast. A gentle breeze blew though his light, messy hair. His eyes saw Mischa and twinkled. The rest of his face followed.

"Hi Mischa!"

"Hey, Tancred..." Why did her lips have to freeze now? Why?

"Um, what's that you're reading?"

"A book. On hurricanes. Really, quite interesting."

Mischa rolled her eyes.

"Okay, enough with Mr. look-at-me-I'm-smart-I-read-books-in-my-spare-time, you should probably be in the drama department. Don't think you can impress me just because you have a book in your

hand."

Tancred was baffled. "What?"

"Never mind," said Mischa. Maybe he really does read books in his spare time.

"Do you need something?"

Yeah, I do. I know there's a spark between us, Tancred. I think if we work at it, the small spark could turn into a steady flame. So I'm asking you to accompany me at the Bloor's Dance. Mischa thought. Yeah, that's what I could say. A little rehearsed, but the moment's just right. It'll be so romantic. Here goes.

Mischa opened her mouth, but instead of those words, all that came out was a loud belch.

Mischa PoV:
Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. Crapness. That was NOT what I was about to say. Now he thinks I'm a pig. Of all things to come out! What happened to the spark? What the hell happened to the spark?!

Okay, let's try again.

End of PoV.

"Misch! Was that what you were about to say? What a ripper!" Tancred laughed, as Mischa's hand flew to her mouth.

"No, that wasn't what I was about to say. God, where did that come from? Anyway, I wanted to ask if you-"

"Of course!"

"You haven't even heard what I'm about to say!"

"I'll still say yes, I do want to take you to the dance. Whatever else would you ask me that would get you that nervous?

And the fact that you were asking me gave it away."

"You've got such an ego, Tancred Torsson. I don't believe you."

"I believe me." Mischa smiled and rolled her eyes, then walked over to her first class.

Artemis's morning

Sometimes, life flings an overly crummy day in your face and laughs at you for the sake of it.

For Artemis, today was one of those days.

There is one thing one must know in order to understand the inner workings of the mind of Artemis, friend of Mischa. Her life revolves around Lysander Sage and her being right. Artemis simply MUST be right. Of course, she is generally wrong. But today, she was particularly wrong. Add a certain disappointment involving Lysander Sage, and the stage is set for a meltdown.

It was just before breakfast, when Artemis was in the library helping Mischa with her essay. In the king's room, Inez tugged playfully at Lysander's sleeve with her endowment.

"Lysaander…" She batted her pretty, long eyelashes as Lysander turned to face her. She was wearing a strategically picked low-cut top and miniskirt, for better results.

"Oh, er, hey Inez." Lysander smiled briefly then went back to what he was doing.

"Do you think this top's too tight?" There, that should do the trick.

"Oh," Lysander's eyes flickered to the top, where he stuttered, "No, I think it fits you fine."

"Good," she purred. "There was also something I'd like to ask you."

"S-sure, anything," stuttered a bewildered Lysander.

Inez's red lips curled into a sly smile.

Olivia's eyes narrowed and her mouth curved into a frown, as she slipped away from the king's room un-noticed.

It was French class, and the three girls were passing notes.

Hey Mischa

I have bad news. Bad for Arty, anyway. I was in the kings room when Inez asked Lysander to the dance!

Crap, what did he say?!

Yes, of course!

Artemis scrawled a note and shoved it toward Mischa's direction:

Hi Misch

You haven't seen Sander anywhere, have you?

She worriedly wrote a reply-

No I haven't seen him.. Heehaw, so much for asking him before class.

(After Class)

"Hey Arty!" Olivia bounced over, dragging a terrified looking Mischa in tow.

"Don't, Livvy! No! She'll find out anyway… Eurgh! Let go!" Mischa struggled against Olivia's iron grip. Artemis tilted her head to the side, peering at her redhead friend in concern.

"Hey, Mish, done any good burps lately?" Artemis joked, earning a glare from a rather annoyed Mischa.\

"Arts! Honey! We've got tragic news!" Olivia was halfway between hyper and sympathetic. This attitude put Artemis on edge.

"Uhhh…?"

"Lysander," Artemis twitched, "and Inez are going to the dance together! Horrible!" Olivia finished with a hand flung dramatically over her heart, but once the little bit was over, actually did feel rather sorry for her friend.

At first, the green haired girl didn't respond, her eyes full of shock and disappointment.

And then…

"AIERGH!" Artemis emitted a screechlike sound of fury, and proceeded to stomp, scream, and as a grand finale, fling her cape to the ground and stomp on it.

"Art, Art, calm down. It's no big deal," Olivia smiled, patting the livid green girl on the shoulder reassuringly, "really, who needs him? I mean, besides Inez."

Artemis' eyes narrowed.

Mischa was trying hard not to hit Olivia, as she had known that Artemis would take the news badly, and Olivia had not been very tactful. She herself was quite surprised, even if Lysander wasn't as obsessed with Artemis as she him, he did like her, and Artemis'… Artemis-ness… didn't give him a lot of choice.

"Artemis," Mischa tried desperately, "you'll find someone else to like. There are other guys that will take you to the dance."

"Liv, who are you kidding?" Artemis' words were greeted with silence, "I mean, you have Tancred, and Livvy has a drama troupe, I don't really have much besides Sander. I'm shallow, Mish, stuff like hoping Lysander will suddenly turn around and ask me out keeps me going… And now even that won't happen." Artemis grimaced, and lumbered away pathetically.

Mischa annoyedly turned to Liv, as she shook her head, and at the same time, they said…

"She's going to do something stupid."

That something stupid that everyone expected to happen didn't occur in the manner or time frame that was expected.

Artemis sat up in her tiny academy bed, everyone else was asleep, and it was rather late. She was brooding. She knew this was not wise, she did stupid things when she obsessed over stuff. But she was so angry. On a page in her diary, she had scrawled in huge, aggressive writing 'DIE INEZ' and 'I HATE LYSANDER SAGE' followed by 'love, Artemis' in tiny print at the bottom.

And then Artemis was sure of one thing.

She was going to destroy Lysander Sage. Now. Tonight. The boy's dorms were only a flight of stairs away, and it was safe to say that due to her previous perverted excursions, she knew exactly which room Lysander resided in.

She was going to show Lysander exactly how she felt about him.

And as Artemis crept down the halls, she felt no remorse for what she was doing, just exhilaration. She rushed up the flight of stairs that separated the two dorms, and crept down the hall. She passed the seniors rooms silently, and drew to a halt at the room that held her ex-obsession.

Flinging the door open and letting it slam against the wall, Artemis marched into the room. Several boys bolted upright in their beds, including Lysander, but not Tancred, who was like a rock.

"Who's there?"

Someone flicked on the lights.

"Who's she?"

"I know her, she's that weird girl who's obsessed with Sander!"

"Artemis?" Lysander asked, sounding a little intimidated, and shirtless. Usually, Artemis would have felt like she had died and went to heaven at such a perverted opportunity, but not tonight.

"Yes." Artemis hissed.

"Er, are you okay?" he asked naïvely.

"Oh I'm fine. Just peachy."

"Well… er…"

"INEZ!?!?!?!?!?! INEZ BRANKO?!?!?! ARE YOU SICK!??! DERANGED?!" Artemis screeched. Anyone who was still asleep was awake now.

"Oh, hi Artemis." Tancred waved cheerfully.

"You, er, heard about that?" Lysander asked nervously, getting up and slowly approaching Artemis as though she had a knife.

"Oh yes. I did."

"Art, come on, I'd be rude if I said no." Lysander begged.

"You could have told her you were going with me!"

"But you didn't ask!"

"You should have asked!!! Plus, you know I would have said yes!" Artemis yelled.

"Inez asked!"

"Oh, I know she did!!!"

"You're clearly upset; can you please go back to bed? We can talk about this tomorrow." Lysander reasoned.

"Oh, but I'm nearly done." Artemis' tone abruptly became sickeningly sweet.

"Well… er… go on." Lysander said awkwardly.

Artemis smiled, and with a loud 'THWACK' slapped Lysander across the face.

"IDIOT!!!" She yelled.

NOW she could sleep.