Chapter 4. Winnie?

An eerie feeling shrouded Edwina and the appalling voice of Delphine was all that rang in her head, she was hypnotized by the movement of her lips that she could only agree to whatever she had asked of her. She reached to the fencing mask that she had on and removed it.

"Yes, I accept" it was only after she'd said so that she realized what she'd done. Her heart pounded in fear knowing what Delphine had just done to her. But still, she was anxious and excited to fight Delphine. Her pores itched irritatingly as the images of how she'd suffered so much molestation in the hands of the siren before her resurfaced once again. Now was the time to pay her back. These thoughts rang and grew in her mind and she was determined to crush Delphine, totally.

"Huh?"

"She's so in trouble" The other students commented with a shake of their head. They all knew Delphine enough to understand what she was trying to do to the new girl.

Sir Pogarth who was about to refuse the idea of both parties not putting on their fencing masks only stared at Edwina in surprise, seemingly unaware of Delphine using her powers. Nonetheless, he could always stop the fight before it got out of hand. Sir Hogarth sighed and raised his hands before...

"En guarde!" He signaled the start of the spar.

"Haaah!" Delphine lunged forward instantly following Sir Pogarth's signal of the start of the battle and she poked her sword straight at Edwina's face. Not caring about the fact that she wasn't putting on a mask or not.

Edwina's eyes glowed golden slightly and she, for the first time in her life, saw the world differently. Everything in her sight kind of paused, and Delphine's movement could be seen in a very slow motion, as if she was paused. 

What was even more shocking was how Edwina's speed underwent no change at all. Hence, she easily dodged and moved aside to avoid Delphine's attack and through few years of learning to fence, she swiftly turned to counter. At last, she has a chance to defeat Delphine and her excitement only grew.

Strike, parry, plunge, counter attacks! The sound of metal clinging on another resounded afterwards. Unfortunately, Delphine's reflexes were exceptional. Despite her unruly behavior, she isn't any less talented. Edwina couldn't help but take a reproach as to how she viewed Delphine. This was her bully and her enemy? Indeed, she wasn't any typical loser.

Delphine wasn't any different as she took a step back and appraised Edwina once again.

'Fast...' Delphine was shocked. She didn't know what to believe of the new girl, is she a freak? Delphine looked towards the other student and could see them expressing disbelief. The look of contempt, even though slight, infuriated her and reminded her of someone.

"Hey, is it just me or is that new girl better than Delphine?" Kalen asked with a look of sheer disbelief on her pretty face with slightly excessive make-up. 

"Tsk! It's just a coincidence, none could match Delphine in fencing!" Venus, the third of Delphine's group, was quite firm in her belief of Delphine. Though deep in her heart, she knew otherwise.

'Who is this girl, feels like I've seen her before somewhere and more frequently at that...' 

Delphine charged once again and the two continued to dance around one another with swords en guarde. Sir Pogarth was surprised at the intensity of the battle, so much that he forgot that they were both fighting without masks on. His heart raced in excitement as he watched the two students battle each other out. With Delphine's swift reaction matching Edwina's even more swifter dodges, parry and counter style.

The others were the same as everytime the swords clashed their minds went "Delphine...new girl!" They were unable to pick sides but deep down, they wanted to see the siren lose for once. At least, to satisfy their secretly hidden hatred for her.

And at the moment, a slight slip in defence, a simple mistake in fencing was made by Delphine and her eyes constricted at the sight of Edwina's sabre approaching her neck in a swift poke that even her sharp reflexes could only do so much to guard. Edwina gnashed her teeth as she thrusted her sabre forward. Her veins became even more visible and spread like black branch all through her body. Her green pupils turned a darker shade.

"Game!" Sir Pogarth announced the end of the session just as Edwina landed a clean hit. The whole gymnasium was silent. And even Delphine couldn't believe her own defeat as she stood frozen like a deer in headlights. 

"Edwina! To my office right now!" The intercom system resounded and it brought everyone out of their daze, though they were still zoned out and were still unable to relate with the sudden announcement. They'd just witnessed Delphine, the class tyrant, lose in a fight after all.

Edwina who was panting from the course, and smiling in rejoice at her win over Delphine, suddenly froze. Hearing the principal's seemingly angry tone through the intercom, dropped the fencing sword and ran out of the gymnasium. The principal was very cruel and she knew not to keep her waiting when she was angry.

"Edwina...??" Sir Pogarth muttered, seemingly dumbfounded. It wasn't until a while later that he recollected where she'd known the strange new girl from. 

"It really is her!?" he stared at the door to the gym where Edwina had just left through. Disbelief very evident in his expression.

"Winnie? Eh? Was that Winnie??" Everyone seemed to realize later and they seemed to have even forgotten Delphine's loss as a more baffling matter had occured. That wasn't the Winnie they all knew!

Only Delphine knew how much anger, pain and embarrassment she suffered. She threw her sword hard on the floor and matched angrily with clenched fists out of the gymnasium. She'd never suffered so much in her life and it was certainly a feeling that left her irritably hot.

'I... I lost to Winnie? It couldn't have been. That's not Winnie, certainly isn't!!'

Venus and Kalen quickly hurried behind her.

Sir Pogarth didn't comment as to them leaving the class as he understood how Delphine felt. The siren girl was from a prestigious family and he could only do so much to oppose her. Moreover, the class was almost over.

"Oh? Interesting..." Vista muttered to himself in a playful smirk. His hazel eyes shone with intense curiosity.