Night came while the girls waited in line for the midnight premiere. The mall was packed, fans swarming even from the next city over to see the cinematic version of A.K. Yearling’s thriller installation of the Daring Do series. Mystery, adventure, and tension. Anything to get the blood pumping.
Marionette cupped her hands together in a heavy pair of winter mittens. Of course, she had her own reasons to be excited. The theatre didn’t let people start lining up until three hours before midnight, so the two girls had a lot of spare time after their fencing practice in the morning.
So they went window shopping. Dresses, boots, and all the other bright new outfits that two college students could never afford on their budget.
As their phones ticked down to midnight, Sunset stepped behind Marionette and adjusted her new scarf, one of the few things they found on sale.
“How are you not freezing?” Sunset asked, wrapping the wool fabric around Marionette’s face. “The back of your neck wasn’t even covered.”
“Well, England has about only one week of summer,” she replied, “so I guess I’m used to it.”
“I could never,” Sunset turned her face away from the chilling wind. “Sometimes I wish I could just cast a spell and make the winter go away. I like staying warm.”
Marionette smirked, casting her eyes down to the shimmering orange gemstone that hung from Sunset’s neck. She reached out and thumbed the unusual pattern. “Cast a spell, huh? Controlling the weather a common thing for you?”
“No,” Sunset took her hand and pulled it away.
She expected more, but when Sunset let the topic drop, Marionette raised a brow at her. “You ever going to tell me more about that world you came from? I get that it’s in your past, but you can’t just give me proof of a magical world and leave me hanging.”
Sunset laughed. “You ever going to stop asking me?”
“I have never,” Marionette gasped, her eyes bulging at the audacity to accuse her of such pestering, “asked more than once-”
“Twice,” Sunset corrected.
“-more than twice!” She pitched up in a fake shrill voice. But Sunset just looked away, smugness written all over her face.
“Well, you still haven’t told me why I couldn’t keep up with you this morning when we were fencing. Felt like the year got reset and I was the newbie on the team again.”
Marionette’s face twisted with disbelief. “You’ve been thinking about that all day. I know you figured it out.”
“But more fun when you say it!” Sunset whined.
The back of the line crowded as the last of the fans poured in from the street. Drivers from online services like Ober and Swift dropped off crowds of high-schoolers bouncing with energy. This was their winter break too.
They were kids in their late teens, nearly matured into adults, but Sunset could see the difference. It was an element in how they carried themselves. Maturity, experience, or something else, Sunset could just sense it. And then she thought about herself, and all the things she learned since she went to CHS. The need to show Marionette that she had grown has a fencer slowly crept up on her again.
Sunset took Marionette by the hand. “The grass was wet when we fenced. That made it hard for me since I put a lot of energy into my footwork. I’m normally fast on a fencing strip, but with wet grass, it’s a different story.”
“See? You got it!” Marionette cheered. “Anything else?” She watched Sunset’s brow furrow with deep thought. Filled with more passion than classical training, Marionette saw her friend like a glowing piece of iron yet to be forged into the perfect blade.
Giving tests was a bit of a habit she picked up from Crystal Prep and all the pressure to go to college. But in this case, it was a good test. If Sunset could see what she saw, there’d be no stopping her when she hit the fencing strip.
“You seemed better on the grass than me,” Sunset finally said. “I mean, technique was always more your thing than mine, but is there really a technique that stops you from slipping?”
Marionette smiled and shrugged. “Close. It’s not really a technique against slipping specifically. The key is focusing on your balance and footwork.”
“Yeah,” Sunset made a funny face at her, “so is half of all fencing.”
“Ah-ah,” Marionette waggled her finger, “you need continuous control. Your kind of balance is a bit, well, explosive. You power through your advances and lunges, meaning you start and end with good balance, but there’s a lot of in-between that you don’t focus on. You might not be slipping over when you’re on a fencing strip, but being off-balance becomes draining over time. And with your aggressive fencing style, you need to save as much stamina as you can, since you use so much power.”
Sunset looked down. Her coaches at school said her technique was on par with other top competitors, but one trip in the park managed to reveal a whole list of flaws she needed to fix. The wet grass was the perfect setting to test her footwork.
“Guess I can’t be surprised,” Sunset smiled, “I bet you already had an idea on what I needed to work on, right? That’s why you picked the park.”
“To be honest, most fencers struggle with it,” Marionette said. “It’s easy to lose control in the heat of the moment. Sometimes you see an opening, and you just want to take it.”
“Yeah, I can get like that sometimes,” Sunset chuckled. “One time, I let my opponent catch up three points just because I was at fourteen and wanted to finish the bout.”
“Speaking of rushing into openings,” Marionette frowned as she checked her phone. “It’s a minute past midnight already. When are they going to start letting people in?”
The two girls swung their heads to the front of the line, where a mob of fans were pushing against each other in a slow shuffle into the theatre.
“Huh, I guess they just don’t have enough ushers to handle everyone,” Sunset mumbled as they eagerly awaited two hours of Daring Do thriller.
Marionette watched the line and felt chest tighten. She wanted to see the movie with Sunset. She thought she’d be to eager to focus on anything but getting to their seats. But when their arms linked together to stay close inside the pushing crowd, Marionette realized she couldn’t take her eyes off the woman next to her.
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The musical composition of the movie was, as always, phenomenal. Heavy rows of brass instruments filled the audience’s ears as the first scene opened with Daring Do investigating some kind of high-class charity ball.
The image on the screen was spectacular, the camera panning across the entire scene, not cutting once. The tension was palpable. Every element clear to the audience. Where the goons stood, where Daring Do was searching.
And Marionette found it hard to focus. She had imagined going to the movies with Sunset, but this was a different feeling.
“Oh, shoot look!” Sunset squeezed her wrist, pointing to someone in the background. It was Shadow Spade, who had joined the Daring Do cinematic universe a year ago when the Shadow Spade author sold the film rights.
Her heart kicked her in the ribs when Sunset leaned closer out of excitement. “She’s actually here!” she whispered.
“I thought the leaks were just rumours!” Marionette replied.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t excited over Daring Do. Far from it. The character was an excellent role model for young girls and Marionette was no exception. But at every lull between the stunts, fighting, and rope swinging out of the ballroom to escape the thugs, Marionette caught herself stealing glances at Sunset.
Their hands were still locked together, and it was getting warm. The theatre was packed, and Sunset’s knee couldn’t help but be brushed up against Marionette’s thigh. She ate her popcorn and drank her slushie all with her left hand so she wouldn’t have to let go of Sunset.
This could be enough, right? She thought to herself. They spent the whole day together, fencing and shopping and now seeing a movie. And they were even holding hands for what seemed like the first half-hour of the movie.
They were both students. So, they were both busy. Plus, they went to two different universities. Marionette swallowed her emotions. This had to be enough. It could get dangerous if she tried to push too far. She was just letting all her buried feelings drive her crazy.
But the scene was alight with fire and explosions. Daring Do threw sticks of dynamite from the back of a truck while Shadow Spade drove. They crashed through a midnight forest while being chased by giant hounds, the mutant creations of one of Shadow Spade’s enemies.
The plot had something to do about Caballeron working with a rogue scientist to create weapons that could defeat the guardians surrounding a priceless artefact. Marionette realized she had missed the name after ogling Sunset for so long.
They were sitting almost shoulder to shoulder now. She could feel Sunset’s warmth. It took less than a second for a fencer to cover a meter and find their target. Yet, crossing just a few inches to reach her now seemed like an insurmountable feeling.
The risks and reward had to be balanced on a scale. Is it worth it, to tell her what I think? Marionette recalled the first time she met Sunset. It was infuriating. She, a fencer from Crystal Prep, couldn’t believe she had lost to a CHS amateur. Her form was sloppy and inconsistent.
But then she talked to her. Sunset had a way of drawing out feelings from the people around her. They were strangers then, barely even acquaintances. She only talked to her because she didn’t want to be embarrassed by losing to a fencer who didn’t take first place. But somehow, she felt comfortable around Sunset and told her more about herself than she did to her classmates.
Passion and energy, that was Sunset. Marionette found herself mesmerized by Sunset as a fencer, and then as a friend. As crazy as it seemed, Sunset even shared her own secrets. Secrets of another world, with different people and different rules. She came from a world of magic. And sitting beside her, Marionette believed it.
That’s why I can’t just tell her I like her. She knew it. Their lives were different. They could sit together and enjoy a movie, but more than that? Even if Sunset felt the same way, now just wasn’t a good time.
Marionette reached for her slushie with her right hand, letting go of Sunset. She would enjoy their night together and that would be it. A good memory.
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“That last chase scene was so good!” Sunset threw her arms up to the night as they walked to the car. It took a lot of convincing, but Marionette was able to borrow her parents’ car for the night.
Marionette smiled. “I know, right? I almost dropped my popcorn when the mutants started crawling from the ceiling. Eugh, they were so squishy and silent, it was unnerving.”
Sunset squirmed at the reminder of the movie’s horror elements. “I almost forgot it was a Daring Do movie for a moment. The creatures were just so creepy.”
“I just wonder what they’re going to do with Shadow Spade now. The whole movie was just a massive reference to Hounds of Mutant Town, but none of the other books has as much horror or thriller stuff.”
“I don’t think it’ll be that hard,” Sunset said as they got to the car. “I think if she gets her own movie people will know it’s going to be different. But, I guess this wasn’t the best way to start a new franchise.”
Marionette kept a smile on her face but sighed under her breath as she got in the driver’s seat. Winter break would be over soon. She’d have a few more days with her parents and then there was a flight waiting to take her back to New Trottingham University. Perhaps the next vacation they could do this again.
“Hey,” Sunset asked as she got in the passenger seat, “everything okay?”
Marionette turned her head. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m just tired is all.” She checked her phone. It was ten minutes past two in the morning. “Dang, it’s pretty late.”
Sunset quietly pulled out the gemstone on her necklace from under her jacket. “I know I don’t like to use this a lot, but sometimes I can’t help but hear other people’s thoughts. It’s like really strong feelings just get picked up too easily.”
Marionette froze. A dozen thoughts rushed through her mind, but mainly she just cursed herself for not remembering that Sunset could read minds with her magic. Quite frankly, it was unfair.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Sunset asked, reaching out her hand. “You know you don’t have to say anything if it’s too hard.”
Don’t fall for it. Sunset’s hand was too inviting. She still had no idea how to understand or explain magic, but she knew that once they touched, all her feelings could be read like a book. Just drive, moron. Don’t fall for it!
Marionette reached her hand out tenderly. Gah! What are you doing? Her body refused to listen to the storm inside her head. It was just too easy to let Sunset know. She wanted to do it so badly that it hurt to think about pulling away from her hand. Come on, it for both our sakes! It’s a trap, don’t fall for it. Don’t fall in love!
A jolt shot through her arm at the last second, and her hand slunk back. “I do have something to tell you, but not with your magic.”
She took her necklace off immediately, tossing it up on the dashboard. “Not a problem. I just want you know I’m here, whatever it is.”
Marionette nodded. “Sunset,” she took a deep breath, “I’m gay, and I’m pretty sure it’s because of you.”
“Oh, I see.” Sunset blinked. “You’re only pretty sure it’s me?”
“Wha…” Marionette sputtered. Of all the things Sunset could have said, she didn’t expect to be teased.
“Damn, I thought for sure I was your gay awakening,” Sunset muttered. “If you’re only pretty sure, what’s the other part? Is it Dash? Yeah, she gives off some pretty big lesbian vibes sometimes.”
“Hold on,” Marionette blurted out, staring at Sunset. She wasn’t entirely sure what was happening anymore. “I’m trying to tell you that I like you, Sunset. Like, a lot.”
Sunset smiled. “I know. Thought if I made you feel awkward you’d stop being embarrassed.”
“You don’t sound very surprised.”
She shook her head. “I might not use my gemstone all the time, but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell people’s thoughts. I think I’m just kinda good at reading people. So yeah, I had my suspicions. I couldn’t be sure though until you said it yourself.”
“O-oh, o-okay,” Marionette stammered hopefully. “So, does that mean you like me too?”
“Tell me if this is clear enough.” Sunset leaned in.
And finally, Marionette found herself across that barrier she could not cross on her own. Inside her car with the smell of popcorn on their lips, embracing, the two of them decided that they didn’t need to go anywhere for a little while longer.