Chapter 4: Clematis

(Hey everyone! How are you doing? Sorry I took so long to revisit this story but I needed to work on some other stuff. The good news is that I've added this story to my regular rotation which means you'll be seeing uploads much sooner now. For now, I mostly intend to play with the Hanahaki trope as Marie and Eddward grow closer. I'm not sure how many chapters that'll be but hopefully, they'll keep you entertained until the final arc. In any case, let's get on with the story, shall we?)

It was a quiet day in Ms, Alberdeen's class. It was the only class where the Kanker Sisters were on their own. No Eds and none of the kids who lived in the Cul-De-Sac. Just them and a bunch of randos who seemed to vanish after school ended, almost as if their only purpose in existence was to fill those empty seats.

Of course, such existential thought didn't appeal to the Kankers. They were much more preoccupied with the recent shift of power concerning them and the Eds. It had been a week since the whole videotape debacle and aside from trying and failing to build a rocket to shoot down Double D's satellite, the Kankers didn't have the slightest clue on how to turn the tide in their favor. Even now as she sat at her desk, Lee seethed with rage at the thought of being her man's personal lap dog to come at his beck and call while May had already let it go, choosing instead to focus on the butterflies she was doodling in her textbook.

Marie, on the other hand, was lost in thought for a different reason. Soon after they relented to the Ed's demands, Marie visited the nurse's office to find a way to relieve some of the symptoms that came with her puking flower petals. Of course, that Sockhead just had to be there and of course, he had to be curious about those damn petals. And thus, a new deal was struck. Marie would play the part of a lab monkey, bringing samples of the different petals she would cough up to him for study in the hopes that he would find a cure.

In a way, this new deal went behind the back of both of their friends. Eddy and Ed rather enjoyed being on top for once and were certainly in no rush to see Marie cured of whatever inflection she had. Meanwhile, Lee and May were gung-ho about solving the problem themselves and punishing the Eds later. They certainly wouldn't approve of any help from Sockhead, no matter how innocent and cute he was.

*Hlurk!*

"Dammit! Not again!" Marie thought as she felt more petals form in her throat. Part of her had since gotten used to the petals forming in her body and coming out in huge bursts but that didn't make it any less painful or embarrassing for the middle Kanker sister who swallowed hard to keep them down until after class. Nowadays, she couldn't even think of Double D without more of these dammed petals forming. It was painfully ironic in that way, The only boy she could count on to find a cure for this stupid disease was also the one who triggered it in the first place. Marie couldn't help but groan at the realization.

The rapping of a ruler against the teacher's desk brought her and her sisters back to reality.

"Alright, class!" Ms. Alberdeen spoke up. "The bell's about to ring so I wanted to let you know this now. On Friday, we will be taking a quiz based on what you've learned here for the past few weeks."

There was a resounding groan from most of the class, the Kankers included.

"Now, now! Don't fuss. It won't be too hard of a test. Just study a little and you'll be fine."

"Like I know how to study." Marie thought.

"That being said, I should mention that this test accounts for 80% of your overall grade."

A good chunk of the groans were replaced with gasps, among them being Marie's. "80%? That's more than half!" She groaned again, this time much more quietly. "I'm so screwed! I can't study to save my life!" It was at that moment that Marie felt an arm wrap around her shoulder like a snake. Suddenly, she was pulled against her sister Lee, who held May against her other cheek. "Don't worry girls! We'll find a way to weasel out of this stupid test if it kills us!"

"But didn't you hear what the teacher said?" May asked. "This test accounts for 80% of our whole grade!"

"So!?"

"If we don't take the test or pass it, we'll be on a one-way ticket to Flunksville and you know what Mom said would happen if we flunked."

All three sisters shuddered at the memory and Lee released her sisters, letting them drop to the floor.

"Alright, so we'll just cheat then. It's what Kankers do best after all!"

"But how?" May asked from the floor.

"I don't know but we'll figure something out!" Lee picked her sisters up again, both of them still seeing stars. "Just like we'll figure out how to make the Eds pay for their dirty little trick!"

Both Lee and May began to cackle in their usual Kanker fashion but Marie was feeling something different altogether at the mere mention of the word Ed. "Crap!" Marie wiggled out of her sister's grasp and bolted out the door. She rushed to the nearest trash can, made sure no one else was in the hallway to see what was about to happen, and allowed the petals to come out in choking gasps. Her throat burned but at the same time, her chest felt lighter as her lungs were eased of their burden. Once the petals were all out, Marie turned away from the trash can and allowed herself to slide down its side, panting heavily. She felt a bit of wetness on her lips and licked them, identifying it as blood. That had been happening a few times since last week as well, little droplets of blood joining the petals as they left her body. Most other girls, who would most likely already be unnerved by the fact that they were coughing up flower petals, would be terrified once the blood started showing up.

But Marie? She simply paid it no mind. Her sisters had drawn far more blood from her in the past through roughhousing. It wasn't even worth pondering. Besides, she had something else on her mind at that moment that took top priority.

"That stupid test...80% of my grade. If I could just pass," Marie got back up, fixing the hem of her shirt as it had ridden up a little when she slid against the trash can. "But I've never passed a test in my life, not without cheating anyway," She peered inside the trash can and recovered one of the many petals she had coughed up earlier. It was violet with a red middle, the whole thing vaguely shaped like the arm of a starfish.

"This one's new," Marie whispered. There was a single tiny blood drop to the right of the red line. Marie tried to wipe it away only to smear it against the petal. She sighed and continued to examine the petal until the bell rang. Once it did, she briskly walked toward the nurse's office. "I'll have to wait until Lee figures out how to cheat this thing. But for right now I just gotta give this petal to Double D." She felt more petals form in her chest and gulped as she continued down the hallway, losing herself in the growing crowd of students.

"18..19...20!" Double D exclaimed with glee as he slid the final tongue dispenser into the cup. "Counted and ready for oral hygiene!" He placed the full cup back on the nurse's desk and picked up the file that had been left for him. "Let's see here. Now what's next on the agenda for today?"

Double D's review of today's task was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the door being torn open and slamming shut in the span of 3 seconds. Double D practically jumped out of his skin but in reality, he had jumped into the ceiling with enough force to somehow embed himself in it. The file slid from his hands and fell to the floor as Marie looked up at her former object of torment with indifference.

"Double D, I got another petal for ya,"

"Oh...H-Hello Marie," Double D greeted weakly as the ceiling around him started to chip, the only warning he would get before he felt gravity tugging on his body again. "Not good!" was all the smartest of the Eds had time to say before he peeled out of the ceiling and landed on the floor with a thud. He laid still for a few seconds before feebly picking himself up. "W-What brings you here?"

Marie sighed, lifted Double D back to his feet by the scuff of his shirt, and shoved the petal into his chest. "Here!"

Double D was knocked against the nurse's chair by the force of Marie's shove. He fell onto the chair, twirled around in it for a moment, shot a momentary glare at Marie without even realizing it, and examined the petal up close. "This appears to belong to the common Clematis. Intriguing." Double D took out a magnifying glass from underneath his hat and looked over the petal more closely.

"Clematis?" Marie asked. "What? Like the type of flower it is?"

"Precisely," Double D beamed. "Clematis flowers come in all sorts of colors and are considered the queen of climbers in some parts."

"Queen of climbers?" Marie mentally envisioned a sentient potted flower trying to climb a mountain, only to fall all the way to the bottom and crash into a mess of soil and shattered pottery. It was enough to make her giggle.

"Indeed," Double D answered, too caught up in examining the red and violet petal to hear Marie's laughter. "Clematis is a type of vine you see and grows over walls and gates as it grows older."

"You...sure know a lot about Clematis," Marie said.

"Well I don't mean to brag but I do have quite a strong body of knowledge when it comes to nature, physics, math, astronomy, history and the arts." There was just the slightest hint of haughtiness in Double D's voice and Marie realized that he was in fact bragging about his smarts. She murmured in annoyance and turned away. She wasn't sure what was worse. That Double D was actually showing off his nerdy trivia like it was something to be proud of or that, given the situation she had currently found herself in, she actually was jealous on some level. The thought made her blush with shame. "Damn Double D! I bet he'd ace that stupid test no problem."

As Marie was going through this inner crisis, Double D was placing the Clematis petal inside a small zipline baggie which he then placed in the relative safety of his hat. It was only when he was done with this that he noticed Marie acting strange. "Marie, is something the matter?"

"Huh?" Marie momentarily turned to Double D, felt the petals in her chest acting up, and looked away again. "It's nothing."

"Pardon my intrusiveness but it certainly doesn't seem like nothing." Double D challenged. "On the contrary, you look rather perturbed."

Marie groaned as she rubbed her arm. All she wanted to do was drop the petal off per their deal and leave. What business did Double D even have asking her such things? It's not like he could help. He wasn't the cheating-on-a-test type. And yet, when she finally decided to respond to his inquiry, she did so with, "There's this big stupid test in Ms. Alberdeen's class on Friday. It accounts for 80% of our grade."

Double D's eyes buldged. "80%?" Then, much to Marie's surprise and discomfort, a huge smile formed on Double's face. "Why Marie! That's excellent news! You have a chance to secure your point average for the semester in one fell swoop! You should be excited!"

"Excited? For a test?" Marie questioned. "Newsflash, Einstien! I'm not exactly an egghead like you!" Marie turned away again. "I'm not exactly good with tests."

Double D's enthusiasm died down somewhat although it wasn't totally gone. "Oh come now, Marie. A test is nothing more than a series of inquiries you've already been taught the answer to through the teacher. It's simply a matter of reinforcing your brain through rigorous studying!" He pumped his fist and threw it over his shoulder for added enthusiasm which deflated upon seeing what little change it made to Marie's demeanor

"I get you're just trying to help, Double D but I'm not exactly the studying type. I'm just gonna have to wait until Lee finds an easier way to get the answers."

Double D's eyes bulged again, this time out of fear. "Oh dear! You mean...CHEATING!?"

"Well, yeah," Marie turned back to Double D. "It's the only wa-

Without warning, Double D suddenly leaped onto Marie, hands and feet both on her shoulders and his face twisted in an expression of total panic. "You can't do that!"

"Double D!" Getting over her initial shock, Marie grabbed Double D by the ribs and attempted to pry him off. The physical contact caused the petals in her lungs to double but she paid it no mind. She moved throughout the room, trying to dislodge her former subject of amorous torment. "Let go of me!"

"You don't understand, Marie! Cheating, especially in Ms. Alberdeen's class, is a very bad idea!"

"Let..go...before...I..." Marie strained with each word, under the assumption that it was simply her efforts to pry Double D off of her shoulders. It was only when she felt a petal on her tongue that she realized her voice was really straining because of the building-up petals in her throat. She slapped both hands over her mouth in a futile attempt to keep them in and upon realizing what was happening, Double D finally let go, sprinted to the trash can next to the nurse's desk, and dragged over to Marie. "Here! Release them in here!"

Marie didn't need to be asked twice and for the second time today, she coughed out Clematis petals in a trash can. There was hardly any blood on them this time but the pain was the same, her chest aching with every heave. Double D went to pat her back, retracted his hand, and reached for a hankie which he then placed on her back and proceeded to pat her afterward. "Are you alright?" He asked as he started rubbing his hand up and down on the hanky.

Marie wiped the drool and stuck petals from her mouth and nodded. "Can...Can I have some water?"

"Of course," Double D sped toward the backroom, an extension of the nurse's office reserved for emergencies such as heat stroke or broken limbs. In the corner of this room was a water cooler equipped with small paper cups. Double D filled one up with water and delivered it to Marie who proceeded to crush the cup against her forehead and toss it aside when she was done. Double D glared at her for a few seconds for the careless littering before sighing and taking a dustpan out of his hat. He went to work, cleaning Marie's mess as the Kanker shakily returned to her feet. "So...what's the big deal?"

"I beg your pardon?" Double D asked as he dropped the crushed water cup into the trash along with the Clematis petals.

"So what's the big deal if I cheat on the stupid test?" Marie asked. "It's not like I'm hurting anybody!"

Double D shot her another glare, one she noticed and returned with a glare of her own. It felt weird to Marie, to be receiving a glare from Double D and for him to not be backing down under her own. This unnerved her as it gave her the impression that whatever Double D was talking about, he was dead serious. "I could go on a lecture about the importance of academic honesty as well as the necessity of tests in of themselves."

Marie rolled her eyes.

"But considering how little many folks, such as you and Eddy, care for such matters, I will bring up a crucial piece of information that will hopefully grab your full attention." He continued as he began to pace back and forth between the room. "You see, Marie. The school has been suffering an imbalance of sorts. Test scores have become unreliable due to excessive cheating amongst the student body."

Marie wasn't even looking at Double D anymore. She did hear him and decided to mock him by lifting her hand and moving it up and down in a talking motion. Double D noticed but decided to continue regardless.

"In order to combat this unfortunate trend, a lot of the staff had a meeting with the school board. Being as close with many of the teachers as I am, quite a bit of the details of the meeting trickled down to me and let me tell you Marie, it doesn't bode well for your little plan."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Marie challenged. "They cracking down on cheaters or something?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Double D suddenly got into Marie's face as he shouted this, startling the Kanker. "They discussed various methods to catch cheaters in the act, all of which are sure to be implemented within any future test. Not only that, but they all agreed on the same punishment for anyone caught deliberately eschewing their academic integrity!"

"W-What?" Marie asked. "Juvie? I can handle juvie Double D. It's no big deal."

"No. Not juvie." Double D spoke gravely.

"E-Expulsion?" Marie asked unnerved.

Double D shook his head. "Any students who are caught cheating from here on out will have to report for mandatory tutoring..." He stopped himself for a few seconds as if he needed to brace himself for the awful words about to leave his lips. "in the Pink Room."

Marie's heart practically stopped as Double D finished his sentence. "T-The Pink Room? As in...Mr. Lesley's class."

"Yes," Double D answered. "I've only been in there myself once or twice to drop off supplies for Mr. Lesley at the behest of the principal mind you but I know what horrors lie in there. The walls. The ceiling. Even the floor. All dyed different but equally blinding shades of pink. It's enough to drive even the most resilient of students mad, the colors worming their way into their skulls, overcoming their vision, their thought patterns until there is nothing left but...pink."

Marie broke out in a cold sweat. Her heart had started again but now it was racing inside her chest and her body began to tremble. "N-No way! That can't be! Not the Pink Room!" She grabbed her own hair and started to pull. "What do I do?"

"There's really only one safe course of action," Double D said. "You have to study for the test like a normal student."

"Easy for you to say, Mr. Smartypants!" Marie snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly an egghead." Marie sighed as her gaze became downcast. "But I don't want to flunk either. I just don't know what to do."

It was at that moment that Double D came up with an idea. He didn't speak it out loud at first for most of him was against it. It was ludicrous to even consider, even given the current circumstances. And yet, he couldn't ignore a fellow student in need when he had the power to help, even if they were a Kanker. He studied Marie closely and decided that he couldn't ignore her plea. He just hoped this idea wouldn't come back to bite him in the behind as so many others had. "Well, if you want, I suppose...I-I...could tutor you."

Marie, who up until that point was still panicking and on the verge of pulling her hair out, stopped and looked at Double D as if he had just laid an egg right there in the nurse's office. "Come again?"

"I-I said I could tutor you. Help you study for the test." Double D explained in a somewhat shaky voice. "I've helped many a student before in the past and while I certainly don't mean to toot my own horn so to speak, I've been told I'm a rather superb tutor."

Marie pondered over Double D's words for a moment. "Tutor me?"

"Yes, that would be correct." Double D confirmed. "And if we start today, I'm certain you'll be more than ready for the test by Friday. So what do you say?"

Marie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Double D's actually offering to tutor me? For real? He would have never done that before," Marie felt more petals form in her lungs. "Then again, he probably would have. He's always been like that, way too nice for his own good. It's cute honestly." Marie allowed a small smile to form on her lips, a smile which vanished as she felt her chest grow heavier with petals. "Well, what choice do I have? I'll never pass that stupid test on my own and sure as hell don't want to end up in the...the Pink Room." Marie shuddered at the thought. "Guess I know what I gotta do." Marie sighed and said. "Alright, let's do it."

Double D smiled at Marie's answer. "Very well! I promise you won't regret this!" He said ecstatically.

"Part of me regrets this already," Marie thought. Just then, the warning bell for next period rang, putting Double D on high alert.

"Good lord!" He exclaimed. "We're gonna be late for our next classes!" He scrambled around the nurse's office, fixing every paper, pencil, and tongue dispenser back into place, all while a dumbstruck Marie watched. Once he had made the office speck and span, he ushered Marie out of it with a surprisingly strong shove. Well, surprising enough for him anyway considering he was actually moving her.

"Hey! What gives!?"

"We'll have to continue this discussion after school. Meet me at my house around 5 o'clock!"

"Your house!?" Marie asked.

"Where else!? My attic is fully equipped for the tutoring experience. You could ask Ed and Eddy yourselves." Double D said. "Well, maybe just Eddy. Ohh! Nevermind. Just please come at 5 and bring your school supplies!" It was then that Double D realized he had pushed Marie into the middle of the hallway and finally let her go. "Sorry." He dusted his hands off and sped off into the next hallway far faster than Marie had ever seen him go, even when she and her sisters were chasing him and his friends.

"Now there's a guy who takes school way too seriously." Marie thought. She continued walking on her own toward the next class, ignoring the growing sea of students around her as they flooded into the hallway. "But then again, if anyone can actually help me pass the right way, it'd have to be Double D." She felt her chest tighten as a result of the growing petals and knew she would have to release them soon. "Better make a quick stop to the restroom before I head to class."

As 5 o'clock neared, Marie found herself standing in front of Double D's house. Of course, it wasn't exactly the first time she had been here, not by a long shot. She had discovered its location along with her sisters and paid unwelcome visits here multiple times, sometimes even making her way into Double D's room. But this time wasn't different. Today, for the first time since they met, Marie had been invited to this house. By all rights, this should have been the smoothest entry into Double D's abode that she had.

So why did she feel glued to the sidewalk, backpack clutched nervously in her arms?

"What's wrong with me?" She thought. "Why can't I move? I've been standing here for 10 minutes like an idiot!" She lifted a foot to take a step forward then placed it back down again. "But why do I feel so frozen? It's not like I'm sneaking around this time." Marie looked around nervously, afraid of someone catching her in this awkward situation. "If I don't move soon, someone's gonna call the cops on me! Come on, feet! Move!" Marie lifted her other foot, raised it over the grass, and then slammed it back down with a frustrated sigh. "What's the point? It's not like Double D is just gonna hand me the answers on a silver platter. Why the heck am I signing up for more school anyway?" She turned to leave. "I better go."

Before she could take another step, however, the door to the house slammed open and a rolling chair spun toward her. It was spinning so fast that Marie could barely see the giggling boy seated on it until it stopped next to her. Its spinning slowed to a crawl and once it had stopped, she found herself staring at an almost mischievous-looking Double D, spouting a brown sweater and glasses, no doubt to give himself a more teacher-like appearance.

Marie wasn't sure whether she found it creepy or adorable

"Good evening, madam!" Double D greeted in an enthusiastic voice uncommon for him. "Are you ready to begin a delightful escapade into the world of education and academia?" He pointed at Marie as he asked this which only further unsettled her.

"Um...sure?" She answered uncertainly as she shakily offered her hand.

"Wonderful!" Double D grabbed her hand and jumped out of the chair while pulling her towards it Now he was the one standing on the sidewalk and she was in the chair, albeit upside-down. Double D paid this no mind as he grabbed the chair from the back and made it face the open doorway. "Let us begin!"

"Wait!" Marie wanted a few seconds to fix herself into place but Double D had already spun the chair with far more force than one would think possible of him. Marie screamed as the world blurred around her, shades of color being the only indicator that she was still outside. Once the colors melded into a sickly green, Marie knew she had entered Double D's home just as the sudden bumping of her chair told her she was ascending the stairs. They stopped and Marie allowed herself a small sigh of relief, only to be sent screaming off the chair as the rolling wheels hit a blockade on the floor. She was sent flying into the open attic door and landed at a convenient desk. Even though she was no longer spinning around at the speed of sound, Marie's head still needed a few minutes to stop spinning her vision, giving an apologetic Double D enough time to shimmy up to the attic and next to Marie.

"Oh dear! Please forgive me Marie, it would seem in my excitement for knowledge, I let myself get careless with my arm enhancers."

"Arm...enchancers?" Marie asked while still in a daze.

"Indeed! One of my latest inventions actually," Double D rolled up the sleeves of his sweaters to show off four metal braces around each of his arms. Each of the braces had a rubber middle to allow for bending and movement. "They're still a prototype mind you but so far I've been happy with the field results."

"Good for you," Marie breathed. By now her vision was clearing and her head slowing to a stop, allowing her to fully take in the room that she was in. It looked about as boring as any old classroom, all the boxes and other attic crap pushed to the back. There was a single window to her left where she could see an admittedly nice view of the Cul-Dee-Sac. Before her and behind Double D was a mobile chalkboard. As she watched, the sock-headed Ed removed his braces, walked up to the chalkboard, grabbed the half piece of chalk resting at the bottom of it, and wrote his name. "Good day, class! You may call me Mr. Edd and today's subject will be History!"

"Oh brother." Marie felt like taking a nap already.

"Now, if you can just open up your textbooks to...um..." Double D temporarily left his teacher's state of mind with a sheepish question. "Um, Marie? What are you currently studying in Ms. Alberdeen's class?"

"Huh?" Marie needed a minute to fully absorb Double D's words. "Um...I think we were talking about that Napoleon guy. Something about water loos..."

Double D's eyes brightened up. "Ah yes! The battle of Waterloo! One of the grizzliest battles of human history I might add!" He walked up to the chalkboard and drew a small picture of a short man in a hat holding a sword. "Now, if I remember correctly," He wrote the number 1815 on the board. "The battle was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 by Napoloen's forces and...

Marie yawned as her mind began to drift away from the room and from Double D's lecture. "This is bullcrap. I thought the guy was supposed to help me but he's just playing teacher." She rested her head on her hand and looked out the window. "To think Lee and May are out there right now, egging the principal new car and I'm stuck in here."

Marie was so caught up in her thoughts that she failed to notice the shadow looming over her until it lightly bopped her on the head with a ruler. "Ouch! What was that for?" She glared at Double D who, in any other circumstance would have most likely broken into a cold sweat and started spewing out apologies.

Today, however, the expression on his face was not fear but rather annoyance.

"Am I boring you, Miss Kanker?"

"Yeah, you kinda are." Marie confessed flatly. "I just don't get it! Why should we learn about some dead guys who fought each other a hundred years ago? Who cares!?"

"Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it," Double D answered. "But I understand your frustration. I should have known better than to think that the usual classroom treatment would be of any benefit to you. It is simply the way I go about with other students under my tutelage. Please forgive me."

"Um...ok?" Marie replied. It occurred to her that Double D had indeed taught other students before her in this room. Were any of them girls, she wondered. Cute girls?

The petals formed in her lungs again.

"So instead, I recommend that we take on a different approach. May I see your textbook?"

"Um..sure." Marie produced the textbook she had snuck from class and handed it to Double D. He opened it up and flipped through its pages until he found what he was looking for. Chapter IX: Napoleon's Hundred Days" headed the title. Beneath it was a picture of a short man with a sword, not unlike the drawing Double D had made on the chalkboard.

"Now I'm going to read you the contents of the chapter," Double D said as he lifted the book to his face. "Think of it as me reading you a bedtime story. Maybe that will help you focus on the subject matter better."

"Maybe," Marie muttered. She could hardly remember the last time her mother had read for her and her sisters and the only story she could really recall from that era of her life was the Three Billy Goats Gruff. May apparently had nightmares about the troll underneath the bridge which Marie and May used to torment her.

Good times.

Double D cleared his throat and began. "Once upon a time, there was a man named Napoleon. He was not only a skilled military officer but the Emperor of France. He was born..."

Once again, Marie found herself drifting away. Try as she might, she could just not muster any interest for the Emperor of France whose time had long since passed. However, she did enjoy hearing Double D's voice in her ears. There was something calming about the way he breathed life into the words he spoke, almost as if he were narrating the events described in the textbook as a documentary. One Marie imagined playing on the TV solely for the sake of background sound as she relaxed and relaxed she felt. She made it a point to stay awake despite this as she didn't want to offend Double D. It seemed almost unfair really. She was more relaxed now than she could recall ever being and she couldn't even sleep.

All she could do was enjoy the sound of Double D's voice and let his words unconsciously sink into her brain.

It was around 8'clock when Marie left for home. The Sun had set yet the blue-haired Kanker had no problem retracing her path home to the Trailer Park. As she kicked the door down and stumbled inside she noticed her two sisters on the couch, gorging themselves on one of their mother's ice cream tubs. "Hey jerks!" She called out. "I'm home! What's for dinner!?"

"Tuna casserole!" Lee shouted back without taking her hidden eyes off the TV. "Whatever's left of it!"

Marie marched to the kitchen and sure enough, there was less than a plate worth of the casserole still left in the pot. It was smelly and cold yet Marie helped herself to the rest of it, wanting to sate her hunger. As walked back into the living room, plate in hand, she jumped on the count between her sisters. "So what's going on with you two?" She asked casually through another mouthful of tuna.

"Nothing much," Lee answered as she continued to flip through the channels. "Just cooking up a plan to get those test answers by tomorrow."

"Yeah!" May shouted, her mouth full of strawberry ice cream. "And then, we'll be home free!"

"The answers huh?" Marie thought back to her tutoring with Double D, his voice still fresh in her ears. They started to burn and to ignore the sensation, Marie gulped down the last bite of the casserole.

"So what about you?" Lee asked. 'Where the heck were you all day?"

"M-Me?" Marie coughed a little as the tuna made its way to her stomach and set the empty and mostly clean plate on the table. "Should I tell them I was with Double D today?" She felt petals form in her lungs again and resumed coughing. She pounded her chest hard in a desperate bid to clear it but had no such luck.

"Hey, you alright?" Lee asked.

"I'm fine." Marie lied. "Just swallowed a bug."

"Heh." Lee gestured to their blonde sister. "Just like May over there."

"Hey!" May shook her head, wanting to forget the unfortunate incident with the fly at the library today. "So where were you, Marie?"

"Oh, I was just out...in the woods...uh...poking a dead animal with a stick!" Marie suddenly exclaimed, her face flushed and eyes wild. Lee and May studied her carefully as she waited for their response, part of her convinced it wasn't going to hold through. Thankfully, she chose a bad habit of hers as an excuse.

"Heh. Same old Marie." Lee chuckled.

"Yeah. Same old me." Marie returned the chuckle uneasily.

Lee stretched "Well I don't know about you girls but I'm just about done talking about dead animals." She got up from her seat. "So let's talk about fresh meat!" She marched toward the front door, swung it open, and leaned toward the side. "Word from the grapevine is that those two little ankle-biters Jimmy and Sarah are planning a picnic tomorrow after school near the brook." She came back inside cradling a jar of moving, dirty earthworms in her arms. "I was thinking we could help those kids with an extra dose of protein!"

May giggled. "Good thinking Lee!" She tented her hands. "I've been meaning to get back at that little snot-nosed brat for gluing Ed to the science lab ceiling last month!"

"Ah get back, snet hack. I just want to watch them squirm." Lee replied almost longingly "What about it Marie? Are you in?"

"Huh?" Marie asked. "Me? But I-

Lee seemed to sense that something was amiss with her sister because she suddenly got to her face, their foreheads touching. "Unless you've got some...prior commitment?"

"Uhh..." Marie felt her cheeks burning and turned away to the left so her bangs would cover her face. "Shit! What do I do? I told Double D that I'd be at his house tomorrow! But I can't just blow off my sisters like this! Shit!" As Marie mentally toiled with what to do, Lee grew impatient, handed the jar of worms to May, and shook Marie by the shoulders. "Today, sweetheart! Are you in or out!?"

"I'm in! I'm in!" Marie shouted, her voice vibrating through the shakes.

"Good!" Lee stopped shaking Marie. "I knew I could count on you!" She planted a giant wet kiss on her sister's forehead and dropped her hard on the couch. She tore the jar of worms from May's hands, (a few had somehow gotten in her hair) and stood up on the coffee table. "Then it's settled! Tomorrow, we're serving those tykes the Kanker Special!" She started to laugh evilly and May joined in. Marie found herself somewhat hesitant, already feeling guilty about the prospect of flaking out on Double D.

Of course, the thought of that loudmouth Sarah and her wimpy friend screaming as they're forced to swallow handfuls of worms brought her out of her guilty funk. She started to giggle, then chuckle and finally howled in laughter along with her sisters, all thoughts of Double D and the upcoming test long gone.

But within her lungs, the petals remained.

It was Tuesday afternoon and Double D was back at home from his long yet productive day at school. He was in the makeshift classroom in his attic, dusting the desk carefully while humming a happy tune. He felt on top of the world and once he had completed his task, he stuffed the duster into a safety bag and wiped his brow free of sweat. The room practically sparkled under the radiant light of the Sun through the window and Double D allowed himself a contented sigh as he relished in the thought of helping another young mind cross the threshold of learning.

The fact that said mind belonged to Marie Kanker did nothing to quell Double D's spirit.

The attic door suddenly slamming open startled him back into the real world, however.

"There you are, Sockhead!" Eddy shouted as he threw himself through the doorway. "Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you!?"

"Like finding a needle in a chicken stack!" Ed added as he popped his head through after his pint-sized friend. He tried to climb up himself but slipped and fell back into the hallway, prompting Eddy to laugh his ass off. Double D simply watched on unimpressed as his friends struggled to get their minds together and enter the attic. Once they were both inside and dusted themselves off, Eddy focused his attention back to Double D. "I thought I told you we were meeting in the alleyway to cook up a scam for the Gruesome Twosome."

"I thought we were going to scam Jimmy and Sarah, Eddy." Ed asked innocently. Eddy responded by grabbing his friend's tongue, stretching it out, and letting it go, allowing it to hit Ed's head with full force and send him tumbling back into the hallway.

"I'm sorry, Eddy." Double D said. "But if you may recall, I made you and Ed privy to my prior obligation to tutor a fellow student."

"Oh come on!" Eddy whined. "You're seriously blowing off some serious scamming time for tutoring!? Get real! Who's this jerk that's more important than hanging out with Ed or me?"

Double D opened his mouth to respond, only to stall as he pondered whether telling his friends about his tutoring one of their sworn enemies was a good idea, especially given the circumstances as of late. He decided it was better to keep it a secret for now and clammed up. "J-Just a student assigned to me by the teachers that's on the verge of flunking. Never you mind." Double D realized at once how commanding, almost defensive his tone sounded and slapped his hands over his mouth. Sweating bullets, he waited for Eddy to shout at him, remind him of who was boss in their friend group, and more than likely, demand that Double D give up the identity of his sole pupil.

Instead, Eddy just growled in frustration and headed for the attic door. "Whatever! Go ahead and drown yourself in those books! See if I care! Come on Ed, let's catch a movie."

"Oh boy!" Ed beamed as he popped his head out from the attic door once more. His face sported a black eye and multiple bruises. "Can we see Return of the Sea Cucumbers from Outer Galaxy 4?"

"Depends. Is it R-rated?" Eddy asked as he hopped down the doorway, planting his feet into Ed's head and knocking him to the floor a final time. The attic door slammed shut behind the two and once again, Double D cleared his brow from sweat.

"That could have gone much worse." Double D said to himself before sitting at the teacher's desk to await Marie's arrival. "Now to await Marie's arrival and then off to the road of knowledge!" Double D clasped his hands together and waited.

"Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!" The Kankers chanted as they Lee lowered the wiggling worm toward Jimmy's open mouth. As with last time, they had twisted his retainer so that it forced his mouth open with May and Marie holding down his arms to prevent escape. Tied to a tree behind them, her screams and threats stifled by a handkerchief was Sarah who struggled as violently as the worm against her binds.

"Aw! What's wrong?" Lee asked mockingly. "Need a little extra flavor?"

Jimmy shook his head hard, tears streaming from his eyes but this only earned him a sadistic smile from the ginger Kanker.

"Alright, how about some...ketchup!" Lee produced a bottle of ketchup that had been sitting in her pocket for who knows how long and squirted it into Jimmy's gaping mouth. A little bit of it got on the worm as well which Lee proceeded to drop in after the tomato paste. Only then did she fix his retainer, causing him to unconsciously swallow the whole thing. The three sisters cackled as Jimmy crawled toward the creek and tried to wash the taste of ketchup and worm from his mouth. "Didn't I tell ya this would be a blast girls?"

"Yeah!" May beamed. "We're having more fun than a barrel full of monkeys, right Marie!?"

"Yeah," Marie agreed half-heartedly. While she was enjoying this quality time with her sisters and enjoying the look of pure devastation on Jimmy's face, part of her mind couldn't help but go back to Double D, who was no doubt waiting for her in his attic. Guilt was a feeling so alien to the blue-haired girl that she hardly even registered it as an emotion but more like an illness. An illness that could only be treated if she went back to tutoring like she said she would. The sound of muffled shouting caught her attention as she turned around to lock eyes with a still-trashing Sarah.

Then again, it was probably best to just build an immunity to this illness.

Feeling her sadistic Kankerness return, Marie grabbed a couple of worms from the jar and waltzed toward Sarah who, upon realizing what was about to happen, increased her trashing and screaming tenfold. "Open wide," Marie chuckled. "Here comes the wormplane! Hahahaha!"

It was 9 o'clock now. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, surrounded by countless stars. They worked in tandem to bathe Double D's otherwise totally dark attic in a blueish tint. The Straight-A student himself was still sitting at the desk., his eyes tired and his neck craning forward. He grabbed a candle for himself a few hours earlier in the event that Marie was running super late and still needed his help. Now that candle was little more than a blob of hot wax with the flame in the middle desperately fighting for what remained of its life.

"Onward to the path of learning," Double D repeated with a yawn and sank his head to sleep. At that exact moment, the candle gave up its fight as well and went out.

It was Wednesday now, the midway point of the week, and marking a day closer to the dreaded test in Ms. Alberdeen's room. Marie wasn't able to sleep as well as she had hoped after force-feeding Sarah those worms. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself of the opposite, the fact was she still felt guilty about ditching Double D. She hadn't had an episode concerning her strange new condition since yesterday but the petals remained in her chest, making her short of breath. Ignoring both the physical and emotional discomfort she was going through, Marie made her way through the hallway toward her next class. She turned the corner and froze like a deer in headlights.

Before her, getting his textbooks out of the locker, was Double D.

He didn't notice Marie at first, far too focused on not only grabbing the textbooks he needed but bookmarking the sections he was already aware would be needed for his next classes. Only when he closed the locker shut and turned did he notice Marie. There was no fear nor happiness in his eyes or face. Only a quiet look of disappointment. "Hello, Marie."

"O-Oh hey Double D," Marie said nervously. Her guilt had increased tenfold and she found herself gulping. "H-How are you?"

"Can't complain, I suppose." Double D straightened out his books and walked beside her. "Now if you'll excuse me, some of us care about our educational futures."

Marie bit her bottom lip. "Double D's peeved!" She thought. "And why not? No guy likes to be stood up. But still," Against her better judgment, Marie found herself following Double D through the halls, her footsteps one second out of sync with his. He ignored this for a time until they turned into the next hall. With a heavy sigh, Double D asked her, "Do you need something from me, Marie?"

Marie fought the urge to gasp and looked away, one hand clamped tightly on her arm. Never in a million years did she think she'd be put in a situation like this and she hated every second of it. Gulping once more, she began to speak. "Look Double D, about yesterday..."

Double held out her hand to stop her midsentence. "I had entertained the notion that an emergency of some kind had come up but if that were the case, you wouldn't be in the best of shape mentally or physically at this moment. The fact that you are tells me you simply abandoned our tutoring session of your own volution," Double D turned to her. "And I'm willing to bet it had something to do with Jimmy and Sarah being found near the creek coughing up worms."

Marie's face heated up and she looked down. She was reminded of when her mother would scold her as a little girl, one of the few times in her life she ever felt truly remorseful for her actions. The fact that this time she was getting the lecture from Double D of all people made it ten times worse and not just because of the growing amount of petals in her lungs.

She wanted to die on the spot.

"Double D, I-"

"Oh no!" He interrupted again. "You've made it perfectly clear what your priorities are and far be it from me to interfere. I just wish you had at least the common courtesy to alert me to your intention to leave hanging high and dry like some overused towel. I wish you the best of luck on that test Friday."

"Dammit!" Marie thought. "This jerk's milking this for all it's worth! Why I outta...I outta..."

"Good day Marie, you really should be heading back to your own class now." Double D turned away and continued walking, leaving Marie shaking with her fist on either side of her body. She gritted her teeth, fixed her footing and when she couldn't take it anymore, she shouted it loud enough for it to echo through the hallway.

"I'M SORRY!"

The silence that followed that declaration was deafening. Double D had one foot raised above the ground where he intended to take a step. He was frozen, his face fixed in surprise. Marie was hardly better, gripping her arm tightly enough to hurt and her face as red as a tomato. She was breathing heavily as if she had just run a full-length marathon and still needed to keep going, mostly because she still had plenty to say.

"There's no excuse. I ditched you to mess with the babies with my sisters and I didn't even give you a heads up." Marie paused for a moment, as if waiting for Double D to respond. "But I still need your help! I'm...I'm too dumb to take this test alone, ok? For Pete's sake, I can't even pass a personality quiz correctly!"

Double D placed his foot back down but did not acknowledge Marie. Realizing this, she sighed.

"But if you don't wanna help me, I get it." She continued. "I'll just back off to the trailer park like Napoleon went back to Elba. Sorry for wasting your time." Marie turned around and started walking away only for Double D's words to stop her in her tracks.

"Marie," He said. "Did you just mention the island of Elba?"

"Huh?" Marie asked. "Y-Yeah. That island that Napoleon got banished back to after the Hundred Days right?"

"By George, that's correct!" Double D rushed in front of Marie. "You actually absorbed the information I taught you!"

"I did?" It was then that what Marie had just said hit her. She smiled, realizing that, as boring as hearing about the life of some old dead guy was to her, hearing it from Double D's lips allowed the information to sink it. "Hey, I did!"

"I don't think you're nearly as dumb as you claim to be Marie." Double D continued. "You simply lack the motivation to seek out this knowledge. But if my tutoring can actually be of help to you, then I would be more than glad to offer my services," Then his face saddened, "Provided of course, they're appreciated this time around."

Marie felt herself blush again as she realized what Double D was getting at. "Yeah, sorry about that...again."

He smiled once more. "Apology accepted." He once again sped past her. "Meet me at my house at 5 sharp! Don't forget to bring your textbook!"

"I won't." Marie awkwardly called back. "I...I won't...Well, that went...well." Marie felt as if a weight had been lifted from her. She smiled and headed back for her own class. No sooner had she turned the corner into the next hallway than she literally bumped into the stomach of one Lee Kanker. "Well well well, if it ain't little Miss Flower-puker!"

"I told you not to call me that!" Marie snapped. "What do you want?"

Lee opened her mouth to speak but May beat her to the punch. "We found out where they're keeping the test answers!"

"Huh?" You did? Where?"

Lee grabbed May's face and shoved her to the lockers relentlessly. "They're in a safe deposit box in the library." She wrapped an arm around Marie and pulled her close then pulled a dazed and bruised May in as well. "Alright, so here's the plan. After school, we sneak in through the back window. I'll bring Mom's safe cracking kit and-

"Sorry," Marie said as she ducked out of her sister's arm. "I got plans."

"Plans?" Lee asked as she tossed May aside again. Despite the curly bangs covering her eyes, Marie could tell that one of her sister's eyebrows was raised. "What plans?"

"I...I..." Marie racked her brain for something to say. Part of her wanted to tell them the truth, that she was going to take the honest road for once and study with Double D. The rest of her didn't even want to consider the fallout. "I-I got a gig for extra credit alright?" She said. "Figured I could use it."

"But Marie," May asked as stars danced around her head. "How are you gonna pass the test on Friday without the answers?"

Marie felt herself blush and looked away, once again grabbing her arm. "Well...I...I'm just gonna study...I guess..."

Lee and May stared at their sister for an uncomfortable amount of time. Then the once-silent hallways were filled with their unrelenting laughter. They held each other close as their eyes watered and the blush on Marie's face burned hotter, helped along by a healthy dose of annoyed anger.

"S-S-Study? For the test?" May asked.

"Well excuse us, Little Miss Einstein." Lee cackled. "Didn't know you wanted to do things the right way."

"Could you do our math homework while you're at it!?" May and Lee's mocking laughter intensified as Marie sulked away.

"Screw you guys! I'm going to class." She shouted as she walked past them, her fist and teeth clenched and her face steaming. May and Lee continued to laugh their asses off even as the final bell rang.

Despite the embarrassment from her sister's taunting, Marie kept up her end of the deal and arrived at Double D's house that evening and the following one as well. These next two days were interesting, to say the least. Having gotten used to the drone of another voice talking about dead people from Monday, Marie found she was able to take in a lot more information than she ever had before. Part of her thought it was simply because she had decided to pretend like it was just a story. A weird little story about a general final battle. But the rest of her knew better. It knew it was Double D that kept her attention from wandering.

Every so often, they would take breaks, during which, Double D would provide snacks. They were simple things like rice crackers and cheese but they tasted great nonetheless. During these breaks, Marie found herself looking out the window next to her desk, taking in the tranquil scenery of the Cul-Dee-Sac at dusk. Sure, every now and then, someone would come along to ruin it like Kevin riding loudly on his bike or Jonny trying to steal back Plank from one of her sisters but mostly, it was a beautiful sight to enjoy crackers and cheese with.

Even with her lungs full of petals, Marie had never felt more relaxed. When they finally came out while walking home on Thursday night, she watched as they rode the end into the starry night. She found herself staring at the stars, really comprehending that they were all giant balls of gas that most likely weren't there anymore, survived only by a dim light that would one day go out forever. She had been to science class and had learned of these things already but never until that moment had she really pondered them as reality and taken in how shocking, frightening, and awe-inspiring such knowledge could be.

"I wonder if this is how Double D feels all the time." She whispered to herself. Marie suddenly realized Double D's nerdisms were starting to rub off on her. She flushed and rushed back to the trailer park, hoping that no one saw her at that moment.

Aside from a lone owl in a tree, she got her wish.

It was Friday and Marie stood before the doorway leading to Ms, Alberdeen's room. From outside, she could already see the teacher prepping the sheets of paper that would decide her educational future. All the confidence, all the knowledge she had built up with her tutoring from Double D had vanished once she approached this classroom. She found herself gulping and tried to will her limbs into moving inside to no avail.

"Alright, test day here we come!" Lee shouted as she and May walked by their stupefied sister. Lee stopped and produced a small sheet of clipped paper, the treasure they had stolen from the safe the other day. "Last chance for the answers, Marie.

Oh, how tempted Marie was. But simply thinking of the lessons Double D had given her was enough to stop it in its tracks. "N-No thanks! I'll do this on my own!"

"Suit yourself!" Lee giggled as she followed May into the classroom. Marie sighed as she watched her sisters take their seats.

"Pre-test jitters hm?" A familiar voice spoke from behind. "I fully understand."

"Gah!" Marie jumped up to the ceiling with enough force to embed herself within it. Being as strong as she was, she was able to pull herself out without much difficulty and landed on her feet to meet Double D. "Gee, Double D, you sca-you s-surprised me." She blubbered.

"Forgive my abruptness but I wanted to check on you before your academic trial began so to speak." Double D took a peek behind Marie's head as Ms. Alberdeen fixed the final stray test sheets into place. He faced Marie again, concern in his eyes. "Although it would seem you're starting to become unnerved.

Marie wanted to argue that she was fine but she knew it would be pointless. She had been caught. Instead, she sighed and started rubbing her arm. "I guess I'm just...nervous about the test is all. This is the first time I studied for anything before and I'm just not sure it's gonna be enough." She let out a single harsh laugh. "You know, I even had one of those nightmares last night."

Double D flushed. "Oh dear, do you mean the common anxiety dream where one arrives for their test...um...in a state of nature?"

"Yeah, only I wasn't the one going au natural." Her face soured. "Ms. Alberdeen was."

Both students cringed in horror.

"Um well, far be it from me to be superstitious." Double D reached into his pocket. "But it has been scientifically proven that one's attempts to complete a difficult task are usually made easier with a lucky charm of sorts." He pulled a bookmark out of his pocket and handed it to Marie. It depicted the infamous photo of Einstein playfully sticking his tongue out. "Perhaps this could bring some luck to you, metaphorically speaking of course."

Marie stared at the bookmark and then back to Double D. "T-Thanks, Double D." She intended to say more but the bell rang.

"Oh dear! Class is starting! You better get going on that test now! I wish you the best of luck!" Double D rushed over to his own class, leaving a trail of cartoonish dust behind. Marie waited for the dust to settle, looked at the bookmark, and with a smile, planted a kiss on it. "I can already feel the luck pouring in." Marie turned around and headed into the classroom, her confidence restored.

It was near the end of the school day and while Double D had been busy with his daily routine of attending his classes, aiding the nurse, and minimizing the damage his friends caused, in the back of his mind he remained worried about Marie. It wasn't that he didn't think she couldn't pass the test. She was more than ready with the tutoring he had given her and she even had his lucky bookmark, silly as that seemed. He was worried because Marie didn't look like she believed in herself and he knew better than anyone that self-doubt could be a most frightening foe indeed.

That's why he found himself walking toward Ms. Alberdeen's room as the final bell rang. He tiptoed out of the way of every student walking opposite of him while his gaze remained glued to the space in front of him. He wanted to ask Ms. Alberdeen how the testing today went, hoping he wouldn't hear of any outbursts or cheaters caught. But, as luck would have it, he would never reach the classroom.

From the crowd of students, Double D spotted Marie. Her gaze was downcast, staring intently at the paper she held in her hands, no doubt her graded test. Double D couldn't make out what her facial expression was but her body language didn't look good.

"Oh dear! Marie!" Double D called out as he rushed over to her. She apparently heard him because she stopped walking but didn't look up from her paper. Double D stopped a few feet from her and lowered his head to try and look at her face. "Marie, are you ok?"

Marie remained still for a few seconds, then slowly raised her single exposed eye to meet Double D's gaze. It seemed mournful at first and Double D, fearing the worst, was already preparing to choose the words to best comfort the blue-haired girl. Before he could utter any, however, her face brightened and her mouth curved into a smug smile as she turned the paper around and proudly displayed the perfect score on the top-right corner. "Never better Double D! Read it and weep!"

Double D grew equally excited. "By George! You did it!" Without thinking, Double D pulled Marie into a giant hug. "Oh, Marie! I knew you could do it!" It was only when their cheeks were touching and started to burn that Double D realized what he had done. Blushing violently, she pulled himself away from the equally reddening Kanker. "Oh my! I'm sorry, Marie! I don't know what came over me."

Marie's expression once again returned to smug and she pulled Double D in for a giant kiss on the cheek. "It's fine. After all, I did have a great teacher." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the bookmark he had given her earlier. "Thanks for the good-luck charm by the way," She said as she handed it back to him. "I think it really helped out a lot."

Double D smiled and shook his head. "No thanks. You keep it. You never know when you might need a little bit of luck."

Marie snickered and placed the bookmark back in her pocket. "Well I know my sisters could sure use some luck right now."

"Really? Why's that?"

"They got caught cheating almost as soon as the test started," Marie said. "And you know what that means."

Double D gulped. "The Pink Room?"

"The Pink Room."

"Ugggh!" Lee cried. Even through her curly hair, the harsh pink of Mr. Leslely's classroom ripped into her vision. "All this pink is giving me a headache."

"Come on, Lee!" May begged. "Just a few dozen more worksheets and we can go home." May placed all of her focus on the paper before her. "If Jonny has eight apples and Mary asks for half, how many will Jonny give her? She placed her pencil onto the paper and scribbled out her answer. "Pink."

It took May three seconds to realize she had gotten it wrong and another two to realize she had answered "Pink" to each and every answer! Oh no! I got it wrong!" May cried. "That means I have to do it all over again!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Lee couldn't take it anymore and grabbed May's hand. "That's it! We're busting out of here!"

With frantic shouting, Lee and May crashed through the front door, which was also a harsh pink. The two sisters lay there on the floor amongst the shattered remains of the door, shaking violently as they whispered to themselves. "Pink...pink...everything...pink..."

Jimmy and Sarah happened to walk by and noticed the two girls. "What a couple of babies," She muttered as they both went on their way, leaving the traumatized Kankers to rattle on the floor.

(As you might have noticed, I'm gonna try to start putting the character's thoughts in italics to better indicate them as such. The next chapter will be a reversal of this one with Marie being the one to help Double D out of a jam. Until then, this is BloodySimpsonChib saying have a good one!)