Really I think Taranee/Martin is the craziest pairing in W.I.T.C.H. Crazier than Blunk/Nerissa. Crazier than Caleb/Eric. There simply IS no worse than that, and so I just had to write some friendship!Fic for them. I just don't do nerd romance, but otherwise I'd make sure to write that down, too.

Also it is longer than the other chapters. I felt like it.

The best friend complex

Now it's not like Taranee's a coward. A reasonably calculating person, rather. She's just a smart girl that would rather stay safe, thank you very much, and avoids getting hurt at any prize possible.

Paranoia, however, is a thing she couldn't exactly deny having. Spiders, darkness, worms, lightning – no matter how hard she studies the laws of nature, or how desperately she researches the causes of things happening, she can never prevent but be afraid of.

Having witnessed her fair share of supernatural happenings might've made matters even worse; for how could she ever be safe based on the nature laws, when she had a friend shooting lightings from her hands, saw unnatural, earth-eating monster worms that ate people, and fought giant, transforming spiders on daily basis? No, no, there were things not even science could predict, and so Taranee felt betrayed and alone. For a while.

You see, when a girl studies too much – which is a thing you can accuse Tara of any time of day – she is bound to have a grudge against the real life. Real life takes away her precious time. Real life is used to make her jealous. The real life people – the non-studying ruffians like Irma, or sophisticatedly-uneducated Will (who made up the title herself, proving that at least her vocabulary was at the level) – would prove demanding and in senseless need for friendship just when she hoped on doing extra credit.

So one day when Cornelia needs to go shopping, and literally pulls Taranee out by her coffee-stained pyjama sleeve, Taranee swears revenge on the real life, on all the shopping-obsessed self involved people, on popular music and fashion, on everything. She first deals with the mall, much to Cornelia's horror; then she continues her fiery rampage on hairstylers, music shop, and finally the nightclub where Irma so often dragged her to listen her DJ abilities…

There, however, stands a certain boy that wears a coffee-stained pyjama too; a boy whose glasses are also displaced and whose hair is untidy. He's standing with a yellow plastic lighter in his hands, trying to burn a hole in the walls; sadly, the nightclub was made of metal. Interested, Taranee directs her glare at him, and sees the oh-so familiar despair of her study books calling, mirroring in his glasses.

And so she approaches him, and they stand silently watching the real-lifers having "fun" and barbarically shaking on the sound of some bad music, like they were having a group epileptic seizure. Both the dark skinned girl and the pasty white-skinned boy lock troubled gazes.

"Martin" Taranee says firmly, straightening her glasses, and shakes his hand, "Let's be best friends forever."

Yeah well, I grew to adore Taranee/Nigel, but I still have a healthy appreciation to male/female friendship. This is also a pun to two nerds in my own grade-school class. They became best friends while preparing for regional History competition. And frankly, can you NOT see Taranee and Martin interacting like that? They even go to the same grade.

Please review! The next chapter belongs to Corny; it's called Reflections. In it, she goes to the mad house.

Stay strong Corniella (I also love C/C fans. They make the most random of misspellings).

DISCLAIMER: I thank you, whoever you are up there in the sky, that you made me so I don't own W.I.T.C.H. If I did, I'd just go kill myself.

Rock on, dearies!