ONE
I stared into my cereal with a considerable lack of interrest.
"Fi, what do you wanna do today?" Cake stretched across the table. "It's a big day, you know."
"What's today?" I groaned, still tired.
"You're sixteenth birthday, girl." I shook my head and pulled off my hat, long curls grazing the floor.
"Sixteen?" I laughed. "Well, Gumball probably has something planned, don't ya think?"
Something hissed across the room and I flew out of my chair, pulling my sword free from my skirt's belt loop. "Who's there?" I asked, exasperated.
"No one." I relaxed against the chair and sighed as a smirking Marshal pulled himself out from under the couch. He floated over to the table. "I suppose I'm not invited to Gummy's little party for you?" He ruffled my hair. I glared at him and pushed my hat on, most of my hair still showing.
Cake hissed. After all this time, she'd never been fond of Marshal Lee. Oh, well. Vampires. I shook my head and shrugged at him. "Not my party to invite people to."
"Oh, yeah..." He pulled a black box from his jean's pocket. "Happy birthday, Fionna. Sixteen, right?"
I took the box from the palm of his hand and smiled sheepishly at him. What the glob was he up to? I opened the box slowly. A black bracelet shimmered, reflacting back my stunned expression...but it almost looked...alive...like inside it, something was MOVING...
I gulped and made a choking sound, my cheeks were burning. Okay, so say thank you. Oh my glob, it's just MARSHALL! Why does it matter how he's looking at you? Or that he gave you...this...
"Oh, uh, thanks, Marsh." He shrugged, then snatched the box from me.
"Well, you didn't look like you were gonna put it on." He tied it around my wrist and nodded to himself.
The black beads seemed so ALIVE...I shook my head and smiled at him. "Thanks, um, it's pretty." 'Pretty'?, wow that's lame.
"Yeah, Fi, so about Gumball," Cake said loudly, "I was thinking maybe you'd like to go say hello. I'm sure there's something going on down there, right?" She eyed Marshal cooly.
"Actually, I was hoping you'd invite me." Our heads wipped to look at Marshall. Cake's eyes were wide.
"Uh, well," I frowned.
Cake came to my rescue, or actually just to make things worse, laughing, "Well, ya know, Marsh, Gumball doesn't exactly love you..."
"So? If I came with you and Fionna he'd have to just deal." Marshall turned towards me, his eyes asking. I stared at the floor, my cheeks turning red.
"The more the mathmatical." I smiled. So, we left for the Candy Kingdom, Marshall floating beside me, trying to make conversation under his black umbrella.
"Why do you hang out with Gummy Buns, anyway?" He whispered.
I giggled. "He's an old friend."
"Yeah, old! He's five years older than you. Why do you chase after him?" White-hot rage filled my chest, but I sighed.
"I dunno, ML." I stared at the clouds above. One looked like Cake. Sorta. "I dunno."
"I'm still eighteen." He whispered, and right as I started to grin and laugh, I saw his face was stern and sort of serious. I blushed and looked away from him.
"And?"
"You shouldn't go for older guys, Fi." He frowned. I stared at him.
"What are you kids talking about?" Cake called, she was ahead of us by nearly a half mile. I groaned.
"Nothing cat," he said, and winked at me.
"Just hands off my girl, vampire." Cake hissed, and with that, stretched out her legs and left us staring ahead at the colorful kingdom of PB's.
Marshall glared at Cake, and floated ahead of me, mumbling something like: 'She wouldn't touch me anyway.'I kicked at the grass.
"Watch it!"
"Oh, sorry, snail." I bent down and sat beside the snail.
"It's okay." It crawled up into the palm of my hand and sat with me. "Aren't you Fionna?"
I nodded. "Happy birthday, Adventuress!" I laughed, and sat the snail down. "Goodbye, snail! See you later!"
It was my birthday. Why should I let Marshall confuse me? Or Cake and him fight? It's my day. So it'll be fine.
...
"Happy birthday, Adventuress Fionna! Welcome companion, Cake!" He ran up to me and hugged me, Marshal Lee slowly comming into the room. "I have a wonderful banquet for you, my candy chef, best of course, has made it all! Come-" I turned to Marshall. PG was glaring at him. "Oh, how are you, Marshall Lee?"
"Awesome as ever," Marshal looked at me with a smirk on his face.
Alright, so what could go wrong? I sighed and smiled at Bubblegum to continue.
"And anyway, let's go now, and picnic. Peppermint butler is outside preparing the gardens. Everything will be just perfect. Happy sixteenth, Adventuress!" He took my hand, his warm hand sliding tightly around mine, and lead me out to the castle's gardens. Candy people rushed around, but all cleared the path as PG lead me to a pink tree shading a checkered blanket. The butler smiled and nodded birthday wishes before hurrying away.
"Why's everyone so quick to leave?" I asked.
"Oh, I wanted you and I to have some alone time."
"For my B-Day." I finished.
"I was hoping we'd get more, maybe. There's a ball comming up, maybe we could attend...together?" He slapped his forehead. "Right now, let's jsut enjoy the food! It's all your favorites." My favorites? What are my favorites? Going to a ball, a DANCE, with...Gumball. Oh. OH. I think I ate. I don't know. Gumball's hand lead me back to the castle and Cake thanked him. I wonder where she was...probably with her boyfriend. Then I knew, when she smiled at PG, that she'd helped with this little plan.
"Anyway, Fionna," oh, he was talking??? "there's a ball I'm hosting tomorrow night...would you come as my..."
"Date?" I choked.
He smiled. I opened my mouth to say yes, when suddenly a dark figure landed on the stairs across the room. It chucked, the little bat, and transformed into Marshal Lee. "And here I was thinking I was sooo your type, Gummy."
My cheeks flamed red and I turned to a smirking vampire. "What do you want?!" I screamed.
"Hey, birthday girl, just checkin' up on ya," he frowned. "And apparently seeing that little Princey is cheating on me."
"Please, Marshal, go away."
"Aw, why, want some alone time with Bubble Butt?"
"Don't call him that!"
"Just why not?" He flew up to the ceiling and through a window, umbrella unfolding above him. "I'll see you later, Fi!"
I considered stomping the little black bracelet. Cake looked upset, too, but she shook out her tail and looked back up, as if prompting Gumball.
"Anyway, what do you say?" He said, turning to smile at me.
"I'll be here." I said, glaring up at the window. "I'd love to."
"That's just great---" I tuned him out and smiled at the idea of Marshall seeing me with Prince Gumball. Why was the thought so tempting?