Marie woke up aching as the bruises from the previous day protested any movement of her muscles or stretching of her skin. They had turned into ugly purple and light-brown spots, with her arms suffering the worst of it. Thus, it took her longer than usual to get dressed.

"Are you feeling better this morning?" Her mother asked. Her voice held no concern but it also lacked admonishment of her taking longer than usual to get ready.

"Worse," Marie said. "I'm glad we don't have gym today."

"Indeed."

Her mother placed her breakfast down in front of her then gently grasped her arms and examined them, frowning.

"Don't do anything too strenuous today. You need a chance to heal. Don't go climbing or playing any sports. Hopefully you'll heal enough over the weekend where it won't be an issue at school."

Marie just numbly acknowledged her and started eating her breakfast.

As her mother fixed her lunch for her she asked, "what do you think will happen at school?"

Marie paused. She hadn't thought about that. Obviously, the boys would be there, but what would happen when they arrived? How would they explain or justify their actions? Did they think they would get away with it? They probably did and probably would.

Marie's stomach tightened, bitterness churning deep in her guts, but what could she do? She was sure she was expected to do something, she was the granddaughter of a matriarch. If anyone was expected to come up with a solution, it was her. But if she tried something, and it didn't work and just made the situation worse, she would shame not only herself but her grandmother by extension. She couldn't risk that.

After having breakfast and getting ready, Marie and her mother went outside to meet with Callie and Aunt Mora.

Callie was noticeably subdued. Yesterday's events seemed to have finally driven home that Callie couldn't be everyone's friend, no matter how nice she tried to be.

"Feeling better?" She asked as they began their trek to school.

"I think so," Callie replied. "Still sore."

"Me too."

Callie lightly chewed on her bottom lip, her mantle swirling with deep thoughts. Finally, she asked, "do you think it was Floa bragging that made them do this?"

Marie's mantle darkened. "I'm sure that was part of it. I knew that girl would be trouble."

Callie looked at her, doubtfully. "Really? I don't remember you saying anything about it."

Marie grimaced. "Well… I know, but I really did think it."

Callie's mantle purpled. "How is anyone supposed to believe you if you don't tell anyone how you feel? Isn't that what you're supposed to do with me, Ms. Manager?"

Marie winced. She had her there. As Callie's manager, looking out for Callie's interests was part of her job.

"But you wouldn't have believed me. You were so excited about having her for a friend, like the only friend you have besides Tandi and Raven – real friends, I mean."

For some time, Callie stared at her, eyes burning into the side of her head. Eventually, Callie resumed looking forward and said, "I think you're wrong."

Marie frowned. "Huh?"

"Floa may be different, maybe a little rough, but she's not a bad girl."

Marie scoffed. "Why do you think that? Just because she didn't bully us?"

"And because she plays with us, because she stuck with us when we were being hit by rocks, and she backed us up whenever the boys tried to bully us. She never made fun of our eyes either, or our colour, and never said anything bad about our parents."

"That's just basic decency," Marie argued. "Nobody does that at congregations either."

"And aren't those the kinds of people we want to be friends with?" Callie looked at her again, firmly. "Floa might not be perfect, but she's more than good enough for a friend. I know you want to trust her too."

Marie gave her a bewildered look. "What?"

Callie grinned. "You like her. If you didn't, you would have for sure told me you didn't like her."

Marie turned her mantle red in denial but Callie grinned all the broader, and as they neared the school, she started to wonder if Callie could actually be right.

The parents at the gate all but ignored them as they went past. That was a sign that no fresh rumours had spread. Marie had feared that the bullies would have spread some odd story to try and cover up or justify yesterday's attack.

They got to the classroom and found the bullies absent for the moment. They quickly put everything in their cubbies then took their seats. Again, Marie noticed no hushed conversations around them and nobody seemed to be looking at them in particular.

Floa arrived a few minutes later, pausing in the doorway to glance around the room before stepping inside. Maybe she too was wary of more attacks.

She joined them at the table and asked, "anythin' 'appen yet?"

Callie tilted her head at her. "Like what?"

"I dunno', like maybe somebody pulled something on you, like a rotten fruit in your cubby or gum on your chair?"

Marie stood up instantly. She hadn't even looked.

Callie frowned. "Who would even do something like that?"

"I've seen it 'appen a bunch of times," Floa insisted. "It's 'ow things go. You can't –."

Marie put a firm hand on her arm, cutting her off. Her head snapped in her direction, and she understood instantly. The bullies had entered the room.

The three boys entered normally enough but slowed when they noticed them already in their seats, their eyes flashing with urgency, their mantles turning a mix of bright, energetic colours before they resumed their march to their cubbies and then their own seats, clearly avoiding eye contact with them.

Marie watched them the whole while, looking for further signs of guilt. She could see them, but only because she had the context already. Without something more tangible, there wasn't anything they could do to prove they were responsible for the attack. The only evidence they had were their bruises, and that wasn't enough.

Callie's eyes narrowed and then she rose. Marie watched, her own eyes wide as Callie left their table and headed towards the far corner of the room, where the boy's table was.

In the middle of their hushed conversation, the three boy's heads jerked as they saw Callie approach. Callie's mantle was its natural black but Marie knew her well enough to know that her stance was anything but friendly.

"What do you want, freak?" Admus demanded as she stopped at their table.

Conversation around the class faded as everyone turned to look at what was happening in that corner of the room. Floa gripped the table and back of her chair, primed, ready to intervene.

Callie said, "Tandi was really hurt, you know. She was bleeding really bad and she had to get taken to the clinic."

There. Marie saw the three boys, but particularly Admus, pale, their mantles turning white before they managed to hide it.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Murl interrupted. "Get lost. We don't want your freak germs on us."

"It wasn't nice what you did," Callie went on, ignoring him. "I know you're upset you lost the dodgeball game and Floa shouldn't have bragged like she did, but that's no reason to hurt someone."

There was the scrape of chair against floor as Murl stood up, facing Callie angrily. "You got something you wanna' say to me, Freak, hurry up and say it."

Floa rose fully now, mantle red and fists bared, more than ready to brawl. Marie ducked her head, watching everything happening with a mix of horror and sheer amazement at Callie's audacity.

She wanted to help Callie, she knew she should, but she couldn't get involved in anything like a brawl. She couldn't afford to cause trouble or get involved in fights, not the granddaughter of a matriarch. All she could do was keep away and pray for someone to dissolve the situation before it spiralled out of control.

Callie faced Murl unflinchingly, even though the other two boys were standing behind him. As if answering Marie's prayers, Ms. Walken arrived.

"Settle down everyone, it's time for morning announcements. Callie, you can talk to your friends later."

Murl huffed and sat back down, declaring, "we're not friends."

Callie lower lip rose and she said, "no, we're not," before turning on her heel with a whip of her long tentacles and walking back to their table.

As the announcements played, Marie whispered, "you shouldn't have done that. I'm sure they'll pay you back for it at recess."

Callie kept her eyes forward, not looking at her. "I'm not going to stay quiet when someone does something wrong, especially to my friends. I won't let them hide from it."

Floa turned green with approval. "Too right. Besides, we don't need to be scared of those groshgotts. If they try to mess with us at recess, I'll flatten 'em."

"We can't fight," Marie insisted. "We'll only get in trouble."

Floa looked at her scornfully. "Some things are more important than just worrying about detention. Seriously, you bookish types make no sense; would rather be bullied than get in trouble."

"That's not it," Callie said. "Marie's just afraid of making Nana look bad. Since she's a matriarch, Marie always feels like she has to be perfect for her and never get in trouble."

Floa's mantle displayed derision. "Pretty sure no matriarch want's a floormat for a granddaughter either."

Announcements ended and Ms. Walken immediately launched into the lesson, stopping any further conversation.

Marie wasn't really focused on the lesson. Floa's barbed words had penetrated deep. They were the words of a delinquent, yet that didn't seem to diminish how true they were.

Callie had gone up and faced the bullies as if it were the most natural thing in the world and Floa had been ready to support her without reservation, despite having known her for mere days, while Marie had known Callie all her life. Yet, what had she done? She'd cowered at the table, pretending not to be involved.

She knew what she'd done was right and proper, what was expected of her, what she'd been taught to do, and yet, never in her life had she felt like a bigger coward or a worse manager.

"What events are you thinking of entering?"

Floa marvelled how Callie could be so cheerful and unbothered even when there were pressing situations or significant events had just happened. One of those people who lived in the present. But she was finding she liked that trait in Callie.

It was lunch and they were looking at the sign-up sheets they'd been given for the upcoming Sports Festival. They had similar events at her old school and they'd been brutal contests as everyone pushed hard to try and beat everyone else. She doubted the contests here would be nearly as competitive but she felt much more motivated here because she had three people she absolutely wanted to beat. After how upset they got just losing a dodgeball game, she wanted to bury them during the sports festival.

You couldn't allow bullies to keep you down, you had to get back up and keep driving or it only encouraged them. Pressing on in spite of obstacles was what won you respect where she came from. For that reason, she gave kudos to Raven for coming to school today, despite her sister having to stay home. Tandi was having to take strong medicine to heal her beak, which had been badly hurt too.

"I'm pretty good at obstacle courses. I'll probably enter in that. I'm not sure what else to try yet."

Floa glanced over at Callie's sheet and found that she'd signed up for the maximum number of events. Rather ambitious but very like Callie.

"Sure you won't be too tired to do all those?"

"Nope, I always have energy to spare."

Floa didn't doubt her for a minute. She doubted even being sick could keep Callie down much.

She glanced to her right where Marie was working on the homework they'd been given. Her sign up sheet was already filled out, but only with the minimum of three they were required to do. Typical.

Callie said (and Marie claimed), that she was trying to live up to what a matriarch's grandchild was expected to be like, but as far as Floa was concerned, and Callie seemed to subtly agree, Marie was almost as far removed from what one would have expected a matriarch's grandchild to be like as could be imagined.

Matriarch's were the voice of entire peoples, starting out as informal leaders of groups, then communities, then being recognized as a matron by the Ecclesiarchy and government, giving them official powers and authority, and from there, if they had several matrons following them, then they could become Matriarch's, among the most highly respected and revered people in the whole country.

There was little respectable about Marie, a timid creature too afraid of rocking the boat to so much as speak up in her own defence or the defence of her friends. Callie, she thought, was a better representation of what a matriarch's grandchild should be like. Not perfect, but much closer to the ideal, willing to stand her ground.

Marie was the kind of girl who preferred to be out of sight, in the background, hoping that trouble would simply pass them by. She'd probably chosen only three events because she was afraid of a repeat of what happened with the dodgeball game, which meant she probably wouldn't try her hardest at the contest either.

Floa leaned towards Callie and whispered to her. "'ave you actually met Marie's grandma?"

Callie swallowed a mouthful of lunch meat before answering. "Nana? Yeah, lots of times. She's great!"

Float bit her lip, wishing Callie would have taken the hint with the whispering… no, wait, maybe she could use this.

"You call 'er 'Nana' too?"

"Yeah, she lets me. She's been kinda' like a grandma to me too."

"Oh yeah? What's she like?" Out the corner of her eye, she saw Marie perk up slightly. So she was listening. Good.

"She's the greatest! Smart, beautiful, and everyone listens to her. She stands up in front of the whole country and tells people what they need to do."

Callie probably meant the Assembly, where all the matriarchs gathered to argue and makes laws or whatever it was that happened there.

"Right, so, I was thinkin' that I might get a chance to meet her one day, like at the sports festival. I mean, family shows up to watch the festival, right?"

Callie's eyes sparkled. "Oh, for sure! I know she'd want to be there if she could. She always tries to come to any concert or performance that Marie's in. You know, Squidmas concerts and stuff." She frowned. "Huh, actually, I don't remember her ever showing up for a sports festival."

"That's because she has an annual meeting on the same day," Marie replied dryly. "It's the same every year."

Floa cursed silently. Of course, if her grandmother showed up Marie would put a lot more effort behind her sports festival in the first place.

"So, she never 'ears how well you did every year?"

"She knows which events I win. That's good enough."

There it was, something else for Floa to sink her hooks into and pull on.

"So, the bare minimum then."

Marie turned and looked at her with a puzzled frown. "What?"

"I mean, that's pretty pathetic for a matriarch's granddaughter. I guess you don't feel like you gotta' try since your grandma's so special, like she's done all the work for you. Just wining one event and only entering the bare minimum of three? Ha! You don't become a matriarch by doin' the bare minimum. That's just sad."

Marie jerked, mantle turning bright orange with alarm and blotches of guilt mixing with denial. Floa expected Callie to come to Marie's defence and tell Floa that she shouldn't be so mean, but for once, she stayed silent. And from the look Marie gave her cousin, Floa guessed she noticed it to.

Floa turned back to her lunch but watched Marie out the corner of her eye. When she saw the other girl reach for her sign-up sheet and start adding her name to other events, Floa grinned like a shark.

The sports festival was one of the biggest school events of the year. Family and extended family all came to join in the festivities, setting up picnic blankets on the grass between the playground and playing field where most of the events took place. Families who were friendly with each other would often cluster together, creating small islands of people. This year, there were reasons for doing so beyond making it easier to socialize.

The Cuttlefish's, Seansea's, and Abbelorés clustered closer to the playing field than usual when they usually preferred to be more isolated. Since the rock incident a month ago, they had been keeping closer tabs on their children and the going-ons at school and wanted to be close enough to keep an eye on them, lest any funny business occur.

This year, they were joined by the Kelpgarden family, sans Floa's father who had to work, but that wasn't unusual. Falu Kelpgarden was glad to finally meet the families of her daughter's friends and didn't appear to hold Mora in any contempt, so Silvie was glad of that.

Silvie's brother, Gren, had also been able to attend and was also acting his usual cheerful self, so long as he didn't have to talk about work.

"Been doing too much of that lately," he said. "I'm surprised they even let me come here without making something up about violating the conditions of my assessment."

Silvie turned burgundy. "I fail to see how being a good father could negatively affect your assessment. Is it almost over?"

"I hope so. Right now, I don't want to think about it. I just want to spend the day relaxing with my family and seeing my daughter tear up the field."

Falu asked, "oh, is Callie athletic?"

Natam remarked, "oh, if anything, athletic is an understatement. She's pretty strong for a girl her age and plenty energetic."

"And Marie?"

Silvie sighed. "She's not the competitive sort. Which is unfortunate given that she isn't exactly lacking athleticism herself. She prefers to exercise her brain instead, which at least means her studies go well but –."

Silvie cut herself off as she saw someone navigating the islands of picnic blankets and heading in their direction. Abruptly, she stood and greeted them, trying to keep her voice from trembling. Her husband, however, was immune to the burst of anxieties attacking her at the moment.

"Mum!" He rose and gave the approaching inkyora a big hug. His mother returned it, wrapping him up tightly and kissing his cheek.

"Hello, Son. It's good to finally be able to make it for one of these."

Natam shared a quick hug with his father before asking. "So what changed for this year? What about the annual meeting?"

"Delayed at the last minute. Didn't learn why, didn't care, because it meant I could finally come and see my Marie compete."

Silvie made a space for them and they sat on the Seansea's picnic blanket. Falu was the only one who didn't know who Reina was so Reina introduced herself to her first.

"How do you do, I'm Reina Sansea. This is my husband, Baron."

Falu returned the greeting, seeming relaxed. She still didn't know who Reina really was.

Reina sat and looked over the mass of assembled children. "Where's Marie?"

Silvie indicated the third-grade group. The children were in the middle of doing warmups.

Reina took a camera from her purse and started taking pictures.

"Oh, I'm just so glad to finally be here," she said. "It'll be a nice surprise for Marie too."

It'll be a surprise alright, Silvie thought. How Marie would actually take it however was another story.

Marie felt like she'd just been hit with a large rock when she saw her grandmother waving from amidst the quilt islands of picnic blankets spread out on the grass. Instantly, her heart cycles accelerated and waves of distress rippled throughout her mantle.

"What's up?" Callie asked.

Marie swallowed anxiously. "Nana's in the crowd."

Callie perked up instantly. "Wow! Really?" She stood on her toes and looked out. "Wow! You're right! That's amazing! She never comes to these."

"I know."

Marie's voice came out in a shudder. She'd already felt pressure to enter as many events as she could and to do well in them. Now, with her grandmother watching, she had to do more. She couldn't merely participate and do well, she needed to excel. She could comfort herself that she had already signed up for the maximum number of events allowed. Had she only taken the three while Callie did eight, it would have looked terrible! She'd dodged a shark and she found herself being grateful for Floa even while she cursed her.

Floa was standing just behind Callie, talking with Tandi. The two had gotten a lot closer over the past month, despite being very different. Their whole little group had been pretty inseparable since the rock incident, except for herself.

Marie subconsciously brought a hand up to her chest. While she remained close to Callie and her friends, it felt like she was being left behind somehow as the odd one out.

A matriarch was the kind of person that drew people to them, who improved the lives they touched. Marie was starting to feel as though she was the opposite. Hardly what was expected of the granddaughter of a matriarch, a matriarch who was present at that moment. Would she notice?

Kindergardeners were too young to participate in the sports festival events so they were given the jobs of holding signs and flags and acting as helpers for the teachers.

First graders started the event off. A team event where each team had to cross a section of field to a basket of beanbags, pick one up, then return to deposit just one beanbag at a time in their home basket. After that, the entire home basket had to be carried across and the contents dumped back into the far basket before the empty basket was carried back to the home location. At that point, the first team to complete this sequence won, and everything was ready for the next group to use the field.

Many of the first graders became confused as to the sequence of events and some even deposited their beanbags in the wrong basket. Marie was glad she had never made such mistakes back when she had been a first-grader.

When it finally became the third graders turn, Marie was third in line behind their basket. She wasn't on a team with any of her friends. The teachers did try to keep the teams even. Marie actually preferred team events because it meant she didn't stand out as much and she it wouldn't matter as much if she lost. Still, with her grandmother watching, she had to make sure that she personally did her best.

The buzzer sounded, and the first in line on each team was off, with the rest being sent off at five-second intervals. Marie saw that Callie was the first one sent off on her team and had already made it to the far basket by the time Marie started, and going full speed by the look of it.

Marie didn't have nearly as much energy to spare and had to pace herself. Although their team did well, they only ended up in the lower half of all the teams. Callie's team had come out on top with the winning time, which wasn't surprising, but it had been a close call. Even so, Marie started to feel worried. If she didn't win at least some of the events, she wouldn't be able to prove herself to her grandmother. She couldn't beat Callie, that she knew, but she'd purposely entered some of the events that Callie hadn't. She was happy to be able to sit in Callie's shadow most of the time, but not today.

Events came and went. Marie did her best, trying to pace herself throughout the events and managed to win a singles event: the beanbag toss, giving her at least one ribbon to show her grandmother.

Lunchtime came and all the kids went to their families. All anxiousness vanished as Marie leapt into her grandfather's arms.

He laughed. "Easy, Marie, you need to save your energy for the rest of the events."

"I love you more than the events, Papi."

He laughed again and kissed her forehead. "And I love you too, little princess."

He sat down and sat her across his lap while her grandmother rubbed her mantle lovingly.

"I'm glad we could come today, Marie. We've been so busy lately it's nice to just be able to relax with the family and watch you kids have fun. Nice to see you again too, Callie."

Callie was in the middle of ravenously attacking one of her sandwiches, to the mild admonishment of her mother. She paused mid-bite and flashed a warm greeting through her mantle.

Her grandmother chuckled. "You should eat too, Marie. Lunch break is only so long and you need fuel for that quick little body of yours."

Marie looked towards her own mother but found her staring off in the distance. Marie followed her gaze towards the treeline bordering the school in the direction of home. Instead, her father reached into the basket and handed her the sandwich she'd been designated.

"Silvie? Is something wrong?" Her grandmother asked.

Marie took a bite of her sandwich as her mother slowly turned her head back towards them. "No, nothing at all."

Marie finished eating her sandwich and noticed her grandmother appeared to be examining her.

"Nana?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing, I was just looking at you."

"It's okay. My bruises are gone now." They'd been ugly for several days before the worst ones finally began to fade. In just over a week they vanished completely.

Her grandfather said, "well, what happened seems to have lit a fire under you, Marie. You look like you've really been trying hard out there."

"Well of course she is." Her grandmother patted her head. "Marie always does her best." She raised a finger, drawing Marie's full attention. "If you try your best always, then you don't have to worry about having regrets later, because that way, you'll never wonder how far you could have actually gone had you tried your hardest."

Marie stared into her grandmother's byzantine-purple eyes, those eyes that never looked at her with judgment, but caring, as they always did when she was imparting wisdom to her. Marie felt undeserving. Would she be so affectionate towards her if she knew her granddaughter was a coward?

After a decent lunch and some time to rest, the kids were all called back to the field to resume the festival. Callie, Tandi, and Floa had run off ahead, leaving her and Raven to walk across the field.

She looked at Raven. Her friend had been quiet all day, even for her. Marie wondered if she had some of the same concerns as her. Raven hadn't won any contests herself but despite lacking in athletics, she had still been trying hard.

Marie moved closer to her and whispered, "Raven, are you scared? We're doing so well in the festival, are you worried the bullies will come after us again?"

The girl looked at her hands and slowly curled her fingers before flashing green. So it had been on her mind too.

"I don't think the others have even thought about it," Marie said. "Or maybe they don't care."

Tightening her hands into fists, Raven met her eyes and spoke, slowly and softly. "This way we can fight."

Marie leaned away from her slightly, mostly from surprise hearing such determination in Raven's voice. She rarely spoke at all.

"But what if they come after us again? What if one of us gets hurt even more than last time? Aren't you scared?"

Just for a second, there was a flash of fear in Raven's eyes, swirls of white passing through her mantle like turbulent currents. But then her mantle turned a fiery red and she said, "Mama never stops painting."

Despite the apparent non-sequitur, Marie understood. Marie had never asked the family about it but she had seen a documentary explaining the difficult journey of Elliana Razorbeak, who'd been different from everyone else since hatching.

Quiet and reserved in a family of boisterous athletes and security officers, her family hadn't supported her pursuit of art, to the point of even sabotaging her efforts. The quiet Elliana could do little else but endure, knowing only how to express herself through her art.

Despite her handicaps, Elliana left home at fourteen to strike it out on her own as an artist. She lived alone in poverty for nearly a decade, enduring further ridicule and scorn, buyoed only by the occasional support of her eldest brother, the only family member who even desired to maintain contact. Then, she met Destini Abbeloré who helped support her financially by taking her in as a roommate and emotionally as well. Destini's help soon led to Elliana's first art piece to gain true fame: Sanctuary.

Marie felt a bump and nearly stumbled. She looked to her left and saw Admus sneering at her. "Stay outta' the way, freak. It's bad enough everyone has to see you."

Marie watched him go and to her chagrin, he went to where her next event was taking place, a solo event. She would not be on a team this time.

Raven patted her arm and gave her an encouraging smile. Marie managed a weary one back, but she wasn't feeling good about this.

The event was a simple foot race, going from one end of the designated field and then back.

Marie stood in her position at the start line, making sure not to stand next to Admus. Of the three bullies, he was easily the most antagonistic and she was willing to bet that he'd been the one to come up with the rock ambush scheme.

"Go!"

The race was off and the kids began their run. Admus was quick off the start but Marie wasn't about to go full speed right away when it was such a long sprint. She would catch him before the end. But should she?

Admus would be furious with her if she beat him, and that would translate into consequences for her and maybe her friends. She didn't want to disappoint her grandmother, but surely she would understand if she held back for the sake of her friends. Maybe she was a bit of a coward, but she liked to think she at least tried to be a good friend.

They reached the end of the field and quickly turned around, running back the other direction. Marie continued to hold back, close to Admus but not overtaking him. Her eyes moved to other kids waiting near the finish line, and she found her friends there, cheering her on, cheering her on. Even Floa.

They hadn't been holding back; they'd been pushing to win regardless of who got their feelings hurt or what the consequences would be. Callie might be oblivious too it, but Tandi and Floa, certainly not.

Mama never stops painting.

Raven's words came back to her. She said she wanted to fight, and it was clear the other did too. In that moment, Marie realized that she wasn't willing to hold back for her friends sake as much as her own. She was the one who was scared of getting attacked again, she was the one who was afraid to hurt the feelings of her tormentors. She was the one being selfish and cowardly, and that was not how the granddaughter of a matriarch should be.

She thought again through what Elliana had endured, and how she had turned out in spite of it all. Compared to that, she had friends and the support of her family. That made her remember what her own mother had endured when she had to become head of the family at age nine when her own mother, Granny Soreela, had passed away. Marie wondered if she was the weak link in the family chain, the one who couldn't measure up, despite how petty her own problems seemed by comparison.

Up ahead, the finish line was rapidly approaching. Admus, someone who had tormented her and Callie for several years now and constantly pushed her around was about to win unless Marie passed him. But again, should she? If she failed, she was the weak link, if she passed him, then maybe she could actually be what she wanted to be: someone worthy of being Reina Sansea's grandchild.

"If you try your best, always, then you don't have to worry about having regrets later…"

Her grandmother's words fuelled a fire in her. She could win if she actually tried, she knew it, and she was going to prove it, to her grandmother, to Admus, her friends, to everyone. Marie Sansea was not going to be a weak link.

Marie's feet pounded harder, tearing up the grass as her shoes clawed for every scrap of traction they could get. She pushed her muscles harder, faster. She caught Admus in seconds and passed him so quickly that he had no time to react. Barely three seconds later, she crossed the finish line.

Marie took longer than usual to slow to a stop. It had been a while since she'd felt such adrenaline surging through her. Even the rock incident hadn't triggered so much.

She looked behind her and saw the other kids panting near the finish line. Admus looked spent himself. His face was blue, his mantle displaying anger and frustration. Marie decided that it might be better to be with her friends at the moment, so she made her way to them.

"That was awesome!" Callie gave her a quick hug and Tandi clapped.

"I thought you weren't going to make it at first, but then you just blasted past him."

Floa smiled with satisfaction. "Too bad their feet can't run as well as their mouths. They're all talk. We can crush 'em."

"We're just trying to have fun and do our best," Callie chided her. "This isn't about being better than them."

Floa looked at her with an expression that bordered exasperation. "But you still wanna' beat 'em, don't ya?"

Callie's cheeks tinted blue and she gave a kind of apologetic shrug. "I mean, I can't not do my best. It's not my fault if I'm faster than they are. Oh! I've got to get ready for the next event. See you soon!"

Callie ran off and Marie watched her go. When she was gone, Floa remarked, "does she really not care about sticking it to those guys? This is like the perfect way to get back at 'em."

Marie smiled. "Callie doesn't have a vindictive cell in her body. She thinks that being angry at someone is just a waste of time."

Floa gave her a look that showed more than exasperation. "Where do you learn all these fancy words?"

"I read, remember?"

"I do too, but I've never seen that word."

"Try reading something other than Saturday comics."

Tandi and Raven giggled while Floa's face flushed.

"'ey, words ain't gonna' keep those boys away. If they come after us again we'll 'ave to answer with our fists."

Tandi turned red with disbelief. "You really aren't scared of them at all, are you?"

"Pits, no. At my old school, only weak boys picked on girls, and then they'd get attacked by all the other boys in the grade as the girls who were bein' picked on. 'Course, some guys did it on purpose just to start a fight, but everyone knew who those guys were so it wasn't as big a deal. Besides, a lotta' girls liked it."

Tandi was even more bewildered. "They liked being picked on?"

"No, they liked watching the boys fight. It 'elped 'em pick boyfriends. 'Sides, the boys liked fighting, especially in front of girls. Most of the boys in this school are weenies. If they 'ad 'alf the guts of my dad they'd defend us like they're supposed to."

"We're too young for boyfriends," Marie protested, more than a little disturbed by what Floa was telling them. She was probably exaggerating, but even if only half of what she told them was true, her school sounded like an arena of tribal warfare. Though she had to admit that the behaviour of the boys in their school didn't measure up to examples like her father and grandfathers.

Floa smirked. "If you 'ad a boyfriend 'e might actually be able to protect you from the other scary boys." She was teasing her.

"I don't need a boy to protect me." Her father and grandfathers were different. They were full inkyar, not mere boys.

Floa pointed to where Callie was about to start her next event. Drang was one of the other competitors. "Prove it then, or are you gonna' be one of those girls that says they're going to marry their daddy when they grow up?"

Marie narrowed her eyes, a concoction of mild fury bubbling in the bit of her gut. "I will."

The afternoon ground on and Marie put her full effort into every event, reserving herself only when she was leading so as to preserve some strength for the next event.

It was oddly liberating, putting herself out in front, crossing first, leaving everyone else choking on her dust. The anxieties that normally plagued her: fear of being seen by everyone and the fear of her bully's wrath, felt more like memories of another time, like remembering she'd been afraid of the dark when she was little. She felt alive, she felt free.

At last, it came time for her last event, the relay race, but this event had a bit of a twist: Callie was also in the event and she was on another team.

Callie was on a team with two boys from their class, selected to try and keep the teams even. Marie was on a team with Floa and and a girl named Benda. They were both their team's anchors, which meant that she and Callie would have to face off at the end.

They were using the school's crude racetrack for the event. Each member of the relay would have to make a full lap of it, which was a lot to ask for the third-graders, especially after a full day of activity, but Callie appeared eager for the challenge.

"You're nah gonna' 'old back just cause it's Callie, right?" Floa asked her.

"No," Marie said. "Callie wouldn't like that." Though the truth was that Marie didn't think she had a chance at catching her cousin. Marie would try her hardest for her team but Callie was faster than her. The manager didn't have to worry about outshining the talent today.

The event began and Marie waited for her turn as everyone made their way around the track. All too many made the mistake of going into a full out sprint at the start, even though the track was much longer than that of any other race event that day. The result was as expected, they soon found themselves trudging along by the time they'd made it halfway around, after which the kids who'd done track and field passed them and continued on, none of which belonged to Callie or Marie's teams.

When their runner finally arrived and handed off to Floa, they were in last place. Marie didn't think Floa naturally athletic but she was certainly more mindful than their previous runner, measuring her pace to maximize her endurance. She managed to catch up and pass some of the other racers, putting them in the top half by the time they reached the final straightaway.

Marie readied herself and watched as Callie received her baton and dashed off. With her boundless energy she'd be able to keep a fast pace around the whole track.

Floa handed the baton off and Marie was away, quickly gauging speed and distance with the rest of her opponents and quickening her pace to make sure she passed them in good time.

She passed the second-place runner halfway around the track and saw Callie up ahead, and was surprised to see she was actually gaining on her. If she kept up this pace then she'd arrive at the finish line right behind Callie, and if she could push just a little more…

Did she dare do it? Callie was the one who was supposed to be in the limelight, the one in the winner's circle, the one who was supposed to shine. Marie was destined to be in her shadow, to support from behind the scenes, not take the spotlight. And yet, Marie's pace increased, her feet hammering the ground faster than they ever had before, hear hearts pumping furiously, and she started to gain faster.

As they rounded the last curve of the oval circuit, Marie managed to run closer to the inside than Callie, allowing her to catch up even faster until Callie began her last sprint towards the finish line, but by then, Marie had caught her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see surprise on Callie's face as they ran alongside each other, pushing to the finish line. Then, Callie smiled a little before she started to pull ahead.

Marie's lungs burned, her muscles strained, her face felt like fire just from her current effort, and yet, she pushed harder, faster, keeping pace with Callie, refusing to let her get ahead.

Everything else was out of sight and out of mind, except for her, Callie, and the finish line. It was just the two of them, out in front, together, all eyes upon them. It was the most amazing feeling Marie had ever experienced. It didn't matter who crossed the finish line first, she felt like a winner.

"You girls did wonderfully!" Nana said as they left the school grounds.

The festival was over, Callie and Marie both limping wearily carrying a score of ribbons, the green ribbons showing victories and the red ribbons indicating contests where they'd beaten times set by kids in grades above theirs.

"You'll join us for dinner, won't you?" Mora asked Reina.

"Of course! I finally get to see these girls at the sports festival I'm going to make the most of it."

As they passed the line of trees that ran along the school grounds, Silvie came to halt, prompting everyone else to stop also.

Natam frowned. "Silvie?"

Silvie turned to stare at a tree among the many lining the schoolyard fence.

"Dad, get down from there before you hurt yourself."

There was a rustling of leaves and branches, and then a tangle of limbs fell to the ground before getting up with a groan.

"Gramps!"

Callie and Marie left the road and ran over to the newcomer, trapping him in tight hugs.

"Oof, easy, easy there. This ol' squid ain't as spry as he used to be, though it seems those genes are rooted nice and deep in you two, eh? You girls really tore it up out there."

Reina huffed, dark-brown blotches appearing in her mantle. Her good mood had left her. "What were you doing creeping in that tree?"

Craig Cuttlefish huffed in turn as he hobbled up to the road. "I know everyone makes a fuss whenever I show up. I just didn't want to make a scene."

"I don't think it would have been a problem," Mora said quietly. "Even I showed my face."

Craig reached over and patted her arm. "Don't be like that; you're welcome to the family and a fine addition to it, I say. The proof is right here." He pinched Callie's cheek and the girl giggled.

Mora smiled and rubbed Callie's head fondly. "Thank you. You'll be joining us for dinner?"

"I'd never turn down your cooking. Besides, I wanna' know more about what my grandkids have been up to, besides winning."

"I'd be able to tell you if it were easier to get a hold of you," Silvie pointed out. "So what have you been up to. It better not have been trouble."

"Bah," her father waved his hand dismissively. "I've given up trying to convince the government of anything. Too scared to leave the safe harbour they've created for themselves to see what's just beyond the horizon." He looked sideways at Reina, she gave him a frosty glare in return.

"Okay, that's enough," Gren said. "Let's just focus on what matters: celebrating the hard work our girls put in today." He touched his father's shoulder, reassuringly, then motioned back down the road.

The now larger party resumed their walk, and the adults quietly agreed that they didn't need more drama.

Murl squeezed through the small gap in the fence between his house and the back lane. He would be glad to turn fourteen and gain the ability to squeeze into such spaces effortlessly.

The moon was high and few kids would be allowed to wander around outside so late at night, but as long as he was in time for bed, his mom didn't particularly care where he went or what he did, so long as it didn't make her look bad.

Bitterness broiled in his guts like a cantankerous volcano as he went down the back lane and crossed into another yard. The yard was empty save for a small shed with a window. It generally held gardening supplies, but it also served as a convenient clubhouse.

Murl knocked on the door in a practised rhythm then waited. Seconds later, the door opened, a shaft of moonlight revealing Drang's drawn face.

Murl slipped inside and the door was quietly closed behind him.

Admus was crouched in the far corner, just outside the moonlight streaming in through the window. He barely looked up as Murl came in.

"Guess we've all been dealing with the same thing today," Murl said in a low voice. They'd all expected it before the sports festival was even half over. They had all been pretty consistent as far as their performance was concerned, but only Drang had managed a win in a singles event, and that competition hadn't included either Callie or Marie.

"Mom talked my otliths off about not winning any events and making her look bad," Admus said, his expression as sour as Murl had ever seen him wear.

Nodding, Murl said, "My mom was all about how I could let myself lose to 'that tramp's daughter'. I wish I knew what her issue was with Mrs. Cuttlefish."

"I don't really care," Admus growled. "I don't like losing to those freaks! I thought I had that one race but then Marie – the old-looking one passed me out of nowhere. I don't remember her ever being that fast."

Drang nodded, agreeing, then slapped his fist into his palm.

"He's right," Murl said. "If we don't bring them back down, hard, then they might actually start acting like they're better than us. It's bad enough the speckled freak already acts that way. I don't know how, but the grey freak seems like she's gotten some guts all of a sudden. We can't let that happen. We've got to put her back down like she was before, or she might actually start acting like she's a matriarch's granddaughter and that won't be good for us."

"How?" Admus asked. "I'm all for it, but you know what our moms said about going after her. Her grandma's a matriarch and if we bring her down, our mom's will lose their lids."

Admus rubbed his chin with the back of his hand, thinking. "Let's worry about making our mom's happy. That's the most basic thing. Besides, the grey one we know we can control if we can get her back down, so we just have to scare her."

Admus lips curved in a slight smile. "Okay, but how? We can't touch her."

Murl grinned, a plan forming in his head. "Her, no, but we can go after the girl our moms hate the most. If we can keep her away for a while then we won't have to worry about her again, and it'll scare the grey one down even more than she was before. Remember when we hit Tandi?"

Admus scowled. "Only 'cause I missed. We just barely got away with that."

"As long as it's our word against theirs, we can get away with anything and our moms won't care either."

So Murl outlined the plan, the most devious and nastiest plan he had ever conceived.

Author's Notes:

Not a whole lot to say about this chapter despite all that happened, but I hoped you enjoyed the little backstory on Elliana and Captain Cuttlefish just being plain odd.

We also get to see a bit of the bully's perspective this chapter, helping make their motivations a little more apparent and setting stuff up for the next chapter.

Those of you coming from earlier installments in this series probably didn't expect Floa to be quite this manipulative or nasty, but that's part of the fun of it all for me ;)