Maple Faucher's Arc

Chapter 2 of 3

Practice ended, and the other girls filed out of the gym. Maple lingered by the low beam, replaying the pyramid drill in her head. Maya had vouched for her. That word still hung over everything. But being in the pool meant nothing if she froze Thursday. She pulled her bag onto her shoulder and turned for the door. A girl blocked her path. Muted pink hair, a cutesy face, and eyes that did not match the face at all. Maple had seen her fly during the drills, hitting every mark clean. This was a flyer chasing the same open spot. "You're the vouch," the girl said. Flat. "Katharina. I want to know how you got it." "Maya saw me balance," Maple said. "On the beam." Katharina didn't move. "Nobody gets vouched off a beam walk. You have something on her." She stepped closer. "Tell me the dirt. I won't say a word. Then we both get what we want." Maple's stomach turned. "There's no dirt. I didn't blackmail anyone." "Everybody has something." Katharina's voice stayed soft, which made it worse. "Just tell me." "There's nothing to tell," Maple said. "She watched my tail work. That's all." Something shut behind Katharina's eyes. The cutesy face went cold. "Your tail," she said. "Right. The tail." She looked Maple over slowly, the ears, the tail, the whole of her. "So the captain's charity project is a house cat. Do you nap between drills? Chase birds on the field?" Maple's tail puffed before she could stop it. It swelled thick behind her. Katharina saw it and almost smiled. "There it goes. Cute. They'll love that Thursday. A jumpy little animal on the mat." She let the words sit. "The other girls will hear how you got in. I'll make sure." Maple felt the old comment rise. Too much to deal with. She had spent months turning that over, letting other people name her first. Her tail shook with anger, and for once she looked straight at it instead of hiding it. "You want the truth?" Maple said. She climbed onto the beam in one move. Her tail snapped out and held her steady, dead level, six feet up. She walked its length without a wobble, turned, and walked back. "This is why she vouched. Nobody handed it to me. I earned it up here." She dropped down and faced Katharina. "Tell the whole squad if you want. I'll show them the same thing Thursday. Under pressure. You'll be standing right there when I do." Katharina's jaw tightened. She had no answer. The soft face had nothing left. "We'll see," she said, and cut it off there. She walked out. The doubt did not spread. Maple had shut it down in the empty gym, alone, on her own two feet and one steady tail. But now Katharina wasn't just a rival. She was an enemy with a reason, and Thursday she would be watching for Maple to slip.