Kelly met up with the gang in various classes during the afternoon, but she kept her head down and her mind on her work. She had one goal in sight for the end of the day and that was to beat Donnie in a duel.

A one on one purely friendly sparing match for it all, he couldn't possibly think of her as mean spirited or being ugly if he lost fair and square, could he? So what if the odds were stacked in her favor. That was life. At least she was giving him a chance, right?

As the afternoon progressed she became more and more anxious. How would she broach the subject with him? Would he accept the challenge in the manner in which it was intended or would he be even more insulted by the gesture?

There was no use agonizing about it, or even putting off the inevitable. In fact, she was too worried she would chicken out; so when she spied his dark head in a crowd of boys in the training gym she did a beeline for him and when he locked eyes on her she cocked her head to the side to indicate she wanted to speak to him alone.

He was still behaving coldly towards her and frankly it stung. She just hoped that offering this olive branch would salvage the friendship they'd created over the last several weeks.

When they were far enough away from the crowd, though not exactly out of earshot, you're never out of ear shot when you go to school with a bunch of magical creatures, she cleared her throat and dove in nervously," Donnie I'd like to challenge you to a duel."

He looked at her incredulously as if to say 'And' like he was saying 'it must be Tuesday' and who could blame him -- dueling was a common practice in their schooling.

His brows furrowed together as he seemed to puzzle out the outcome of the duel.

"Cara what do I win if I am victorious?" he asked as a tiny smirk bloomed on his lips.

Kelly cleared her throat again and said matter-of-factly, "I go to the Ball with you."

For some damn reason it was hard to keep a small smile from gracing her face when his eyebrows shut up to the top of his hairline in surprise.

"I accept your challenge. I'm sorry Cara, but only once I wish you do not win."

She was about to head over to her position on the mediation mat when she overheard the first whispers.

Khalan a fifth year Fury was whispering to Mackayla a third year Nix sitting next to her, "Did you hear what I heard? I just overheard the fourth year Norse demigoddess challenge the fourth year Cait Sith to a duel. And if he wins she'll go to the dance with him. Isn't that romantic!" she squealed loud enough for everyone to hear

"No way! When?"

"They didn't say, she staged whispered, "But if it's after training I'm not missing it." The fury declared.

Kelly groaned when she literally watched the rumor mill start its powerful engine. Next thing she knew she say Xander's head pop up out of the crowd like a gofer head pops out a hole, and his eyes lock on hers. He was nowhere in earshot, but since when did the Slavic Demigod of gossip need to actually hear a rumor to know it?

Kelly didn't know what to make of the look he'd given her. Was he actually going to play act the injured party after he had ghosted her. She hoped not, because she just wasn't going to buy any of that malarkey.

Soon everyone was whispering much to the displeasure of Helsing who was trying to get everyone settled down for group meditation.

Finally le Fay broke it up with an amplified, "You all sound like a bunch of cackling hens after a fox has visited the hen house. Does anyone want to elaborate?"

Kelly closed her eyes and groaned -- it was bad enough to have everyone whispering over her private challenge now the words would be spoken aloud.

The fury spoke up all too eager to bring the rumor to life, making Kelly wonder what she'd done to her, "Ma'am Kelly challenged Donnie to a duel. If he wins she says she'll go to the ball with him. If he doesn't he's out of luck."

Le Fay turned her cool gaze on Kelly making her blush five shades of red. Dang it all she was human or at least partly and she got embarrassed to.

When le Fay spoke you could tell she was repressing a mixture of disapproval and annoyance at the stupid interruption, but even she could not hide the curiosity in her voice.

"Is this true child?" the ancient druid addressed Kelly.

After Kelly nodded silently she continued.

"You know that dueling is not condoned on school property, sparing yes, but dueling no?" Le Fay spoke down her nose at the students.

But Knight spoke up saying, "Now Morgan it's a bit of harmless fun. I'm sure if the conflict is over a proposed date then it is safe to say they will not be battling to the death."

Knight actually looked over at Donnie like he didn't know whether to applaud his ingenuity or to admonish him for challenging a love interest to a duel, he didn't even begin to assume it had been her that had made the challenge, and wasn't that just so medieval of him.

Helsing their vampiric development and control teacher stepped forward then and said, "I can see having everyone mediate is a lost cause. And similarly I believe training will be just as unproductive, therefore I propose we have the match prior to training. All agreed?"

He addressed the other trainers who nodded their heads eagerly. None of them was opposed to a little harmless fun and the students started making little side wagers of their own, she could tell that the teachers were secretively doing the same.

At this time she witnessed a divide in the genders. The guys grabbed Donnie and took him aside, seeming to give him last minute tips and suggestions to gain the upper hand, perhaps they were even highlighting her weaknesses.

The female trainers and girls of the class took her aside and instead of automatically assuming she wanted to win they asked," Do you want to go with him or not?"

Kelly just stared at the bunch in slacked jaw disbelief, feeling like she'd never been put on the spot more thoroughly before in her whole sixteen years on the planet.

The only thing she could think to say was, "Pfffft . . . please I've never thrown a fight in my life, and I don't intend to start now."

There were quite a few moans of disapproval which went to show how many people thought Donnie had a chance in hell of winning. And if she had subconsciously intended to throw the fight before -- she most certainly couldn't do it now with everyone watching.

When Helsing blew the whistle and Murakami handed Kelly her weapons she knew only one thing. She couldn't lose even if she wanted to, but was it wrong that a part of her hoped that Donnie was having an uncommonly lucky day.

Kelly took her place on the corner of the gyms spring form sparing mat while Donnie took up position cater-corner to her. Le Fay stood on her corner preparing to coach her through the duel while Knight stood to the side of Donnie.

Their positions on either side of the mat made her wonder if this match was reigniting the medieval pair's ancient rivalry. And as she took in the menacingly gleeful looks Knight and le Fay directed at each other, she began to feel remarkably like one of the pawn pieces she had played earlier this afternoon.

She didn't want to show Donnie up in front of everyone, and she could tell he didn't want to fight her either, but what choice did they have now, she couldn't withdraw her challenge.

Donnie and she circled the square mat several times when someone from the crowd barked, "Get on with it already!"

Donnie went for her then, but he was slower than a Sunday afternoon, and she moved out of his way with ease. And bless his dumb heart, he was seriously trying not to hurt her, but they weren't human, she could more than take care of herself, and he needn't worry that he would even be able to catch her let alone hurt her.

When he went for her again and he did it halfheartedly all the onlookers groaned like they had caught on too, and she wasn't going to let him be the brunt of anyone's joke, and she sure as hell wasn't going to be either.

So she dove for him grabbing his training suit by the shoulders and falling backward, she threw up her legs, and fixed the balls of her feet firmly in his midriff to hear a satisfied rush of air escape his lungs as she threw him backward and rolled with him to pin him to the mat, but as she thrust her knife at his throat to take the point, he countered and blocked her blade with his own.

Then he threw both his legs forward and rapped them around her body flipping her on to her back and came up through her legs to straddle her, but when he tried to thrust his knife at her kidney for the point she blocked him and arched her back to throw him to the side and roll free.

She wasn't in love with the idea of wrestling with Donnie it was too intimate. From now on she would keep her footing and use one of a woman's most powerful weapons her legs and feet.

Kelly started her attacks then and she wasn't holding back. All of her inhuman speed and strength, and skills were on display, but strangely Donnie was blocking everything she threw at him.

He was fighting as if his life depended on it. And she was actually grunting and groaning with the effort it was affording just to try and make her strikes or block Donnie's Cait like reflexes

She would thrust her blade and then all of a sudden he was no longer there. It was an amazing feat of acrobatics and speed. The ring rung with the sound of steal against steal and Kelly didn't even notice when the tide turned and she was no longer the aggressor, but the defender.

She had no more time to strike her opponent. She only had time to block his many attempts to score a point, but she would be damned if  she would even concede one point to the guy.

Kelly realized almost too late that using her hands and legs weren't going to be enough. This match wasn't going the way she'd hoped. Obviously, she'd never seen Donnie so incensed. He was determined to win, and the crowd apparently were rooting for him too.

She didn't know how long the fight had gone on, but she was beginning to tire. The speed at which they were exchanging blows was beyond the capability of human sight. Not all the crowd could see what was happening in the blur of activity, so someone took it upon themselves to amplify their voice and provide blow by blow commentary like Lee Jordan at a Quidditch match.

And one point in a spectacular feat of strength and speed she had landed a blow to his head with her fist when he'd kicked her knife out of her hand, and her and Donnie watched as they commentator used their magic to rewind the moment into three separate instant replays.

Donnie and her could do nothing at the moment, but remain locked in time. At least it gave her a moment to suck some much needed oxygen into her lungs.

When time started normally again she was kind of disappointed that she hadn't had more time to rest and poor Donnie looked the same. He was frazzled beyond belief and in that moment she saw her opening, and out of instinct she went for it.

Her knife hit home right into his shoulder, making his beautiful brown eyes go wide with shock. He hadn't seen it coming so he wasn't able to block it. Le Fay crowed, "POINT Kelly!"

As the crowd groaned, Kelly felt a little hurt but she understood, who doesn't love an underdog?

Everyone cheered though when Donnie pulled the knife from his chest and threw it clear of their sparing mat.

Now she was left with one knife while Donnie still had his two blades and it was taking everything she had to move her knife arm fast enough to stop both knives from hitting home.

She needed to disarm him somehow and for a single second she considered kissing him. Knowing that would certainly disarm him mentally, but could she do that to the poor boy. She'd never play that dirty, would she?

Just the thought of kissing the sinuous Italian Cait Sith made her blush six ways from Sunday and her heart race, but it also distracted her as well, which allowed him the fraction of a second that he needed to slice her shoulder right through her body suit.

That stopped his pin wheeling arms in their tracks as Knight bellowed, "POINT Donnie!"

They were even now. The first to three points would win. And at this rate it could take them all week to get there.

Donnie had backed off to his corner of the mat and was looking at her with a hurt expression. He looked really pained to have hurt her and she knew if she didn't do something soon he would throw the match and for some damn reason she didn't want that to happen. She was starting to believe that he might have a chance to win it too, and darn it all she liked an underdog as much as the next person.

So she yelled out, "Troll bile," to her coach and thrust her arm to the side as she circled Donnie on the mat. Le Fay tossed it through the air in a high arc and the vile landed with a soft thud in the palm of her hand. She ripped the cap off and downed it in one. Tossing the empty vial to the side.

Taking a moment she showed Donnie there was no harm done when she pulled the split material aside to show him her arm was in one piece.

He smiled at her and she returned his devilish grin.

She held up her hand and gestured to him to 'bring it' like they do in the movies and you know what he obliged in true cat form he leapt and tumbled his way like an Olympic gymnast to her corner.

He was all arms and legs she didn't have any clue where to strike next. She blamed his next point on his amazing show of acrobatics, because he landed the next slash across her belly making her bring her hand to the stinging spot reflexively.

She hissed a breath but kept on going.

Knight bellowed again, "POINT Donnie." The crowd erupted then. The cheering was deafening.

There were nearly a hundred halfbloods in her school and it would seem that every one of them was rooting for Donovan Alfero.

If she had ever felt more alone before, she couldn't remember when, but what did she expect? She'd spent the last three years in school totally distancing herself from everyone.

At that point one of her kicks hit home hard and knocked one of Donnie's knives from his hand. It went flying nearly hitting a nearby Brownie. The crowd erupted with laughter when they saw what happened to the hapless bystander.

She ducked just in time but not fast enough it sliced through the air catching the top of her high ponytail and slicing it right off her head. She held the severed hair up like it was a missing appendage. Ms Long took the shocked girl aside no doubt to try and remedy the situation with a little magic.

Kelly wished her good luck in her head as she watched her go. No one deserved that awful fate.

Now it was Kelly's time to shine. Now that he only had a one knife left, Donnie didn't stand a chance, but apparently no one had told him that, because he moved with lightening speed around the ring blocking everything she threw at him.

But finally she found her moment and struck faster than even she had imagined she could move. Donnie was really testing her limits today.

Her knife found its way home as she slashed his face cutting his cheek open in a deep gash.

This time it was her that sucked in her breath reflexively at what she had done. Suddenly her stomach knotted and bile rose to the back of her throat,and when she saw his hand go to the cut and his fingers come back dripping with blood, she wanted to toss aside her knife and go to him.

What was she doing?! Why did she always have to show people how unfeeling she was? She knew it was a defense mechanism to keep people at bay. Now she'd gone and hurt the only person who considered her a friend, and why, because she couldn't simply say yes to a friendly invite to a damn dance that's why? There must be something fundamentally wrong with her.

Donnie looked at her and when he saw her face and the tears that she tried to hide, he reached out to her.

"Cara I'm good." He grabbed the troll bile Knight held out to him and bit the cap off with his teeth and spit it aside before he sucked it back. The wound healed almost instantly and he smiled at her as he wiped away the offending blood, and said, "See all better Cara."

Le Fay disrupted the intimate moment they shared when she yelled in her amplified voice, "POINT Kelly!" 

The next strike would win the match.

Now the crowd was divided. Some were cheering on Donnie, but now others were cheering on her. She had done something that won their hearts, but she could not imagine what.

The match went on for what seemed like forever Donnie and her exchanging blows, but no blood was spilled.

Even the crowd was getting tired of waiting. She could tell because all the owww and awws and verbal responses to their moves were becoming less and less frequent.

She was exhausted the troll bile had done very little to rejuvenate her energy levels and the barely eaten salad at lunch had done even less. For once she was regretting her dietary choices, but she was thankful this match wasn't really to the death, because even though she was clearly the better fighter she was quickly running out of steam.

Just as she was thinking protein is good Donnie grabbed her and flipped with her to the mat and she thought this is it, it's now or never, so she spun him in mid air and landed with her full weight on his chest pinning his upper body to the mat.

She had both knees on his upper arms and even though he tried to buck her off he couldn't get enough of an arch to throw her off balance.

Suddenly his eyes were as big as saucer, he knew he was done for, but instead of whining about it, or crying out in frustration, he smiled a slow sexy smile of encouragement, and that was it, she knew what her answer had to be.

They were both breathing heavy, her heart was already racing, but seeing that smile made it race all the more.

So as Kelly reached over slowly and nicked his chin with her knife, she also bent forward to whisper inaudibly in his ear:

"Donovan Alfero I would be honored to go to the ball with you."

Wow that was some fight. 

I think Kelly is developing true feelings for Donnie.

What do you think?

Tune in tomorrow to find out.