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It was Queens' week. A longstanding week-long celebration of the queens in the old days of the mageocracy of the city. In particular the Queen Annalise; the last Queen of the city who abolished the monarchy and finalized the conversion to a democratic government in 157 CY.
To the kids it was just a week off school.
Alexis Bailey was just about to leave her father's house when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey Alexis, want to play cards at the HQ?" Lily Windham seldom minced words over the phone. The 'HQ' in question was a gaming store referred to as 'The Headquarters', Lily's haunt of choice due to its proximity to the Cardboard Creations' offices and the fact that CC was heavily involved in its management.
"I'm glad you called. I have something I have to do first and I'd rather not do it alone if you're willing to come with."
"Then why didn't you call me?"
Alexis didn't want to admit she had pretty bad phone anxiety and never called anybody unless she had to.
"I didn't think to. But if you can come, meet me at the Future's Promise track."
"What do you have to do there?"
"Nothing big, shouldn't take 10 minutes. Can you come?"
"Ok."
"Alright, I'll wait for you on the track."
Alexis grabbed her Magical Girl Power Battle decks, "Maybe somebody sold a Speed Courier to the store so I can complete my set". Alexis thought as she stuck them in her bag and went to the Tram station.
* * * * * * * *
Alexis arrived first, which gave her ample time to survey the monumental task in front of her.
"You're not better than me. You're not stronger than me. I will not let you defeat me. I will not let you beat me down. I will destroy you."
She was so intent on her goal she didn't hear Lily sneaking up behind her.
"Lexi, why are you staring a hole through the grass, and why are you wearing safety gear?"
Alexis and Lily stood (and sat) at the far end of the track. Alexis stared at the grassy patch between her side of the track and the other side. She was adorned with elbow pads, knee pads and a bicycle helmet. She was grateful that Lily was here so she could get this damn thing done with.
"Lily, welcome to the 10th ever stubborn day. I am your host Alexis Bailey and today I will be walking from one end of the track to the other."
Lily was incredibly confused by approximately everything Alexis was telling her.
"If you're walking around the track why are you staring at the middle of the track? What's the big deal about walking around the track anyway? Why are you wearing bicycle gear?"
"Because Lily, I am not walking around the track as the track is made of asphalt. I will be walking on the grass between one side of the track and the other because grass is softer than asphalt. I am wearing bicycle gear so I do not hurt myself...also my parents insist. And I'm not sure why I have to tell you why walking is a big deal."
"I mean it's easy isn't it? You just transform and walk from one si..."
"Gonna stop you right there Lily. Here's the thing...I'm not transforming. I am walking. Across this goddamn field. To the other side. Because I do not give a SHIT today because today is a stubborn day and neither my body or gravity is going to stop me."
"Walk without transforming?" Lexi can you even do that?
"I can stand up can't I. I don't see why not. Walking isn't that much harder."
"Don't you...um...fall over when you try to walk?"
"A lot yes."
"So how are you walking all that way. Arn't you going to fall over a lot?"
"Yup. Now if you could bring my wheelchair around to the other side when I get up you'd be doing me a solid."
Lily was aghast that Alexis would be attempting such a stupid, reckless, dangerous thing.
"Lexi, you'll hurt yourself..."
"That's why I'm walking on the grass and wearing the pads." Alexis realized Lily was not to understand this sort of thing unless she clearly explained it. "Lily...sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, I get really sick of being forced to accept my limits. When that happens I have a 'Stubborn Day', a day where I decide that I'm going on a walk and damn the consequences."
"But I thought you though walking is stupid and having a wheelchair is cool?"
"Oh it is. But see sometimes...sometimes I want that to be my choice. This isn't about walking. This is about not letting my stupid body, or gravity, or the gods telling me what I can and can not do."
"Oh ok. Promise not to push yourself too hard."
"Can't promise that Lily, now then; onwards and UPWARDS!" Alexis stood up from her chair, took 2 stumbling steps forward and promptly did a nosedive on the grass.
"LEXI! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine Lily. Grass, bicycle helmet. I'll manage."
"This looks like it's gonna be really, really hard."
"I've done it 9 times before, I'll do it this time." Lily slowly made her way to her feet, trying desperately to plant her legs in such a way as to stabilize herself against her chronic vertigo. She took 3 laborious, ponderous steps before stumbling and falling on her knees again.
"I can't watch!" Lily said as she looked away.
"Lily, we get knocked around worse than this on patrol. Way worse, why are you like this now?" Alexis said darting up and taking several running steps before falling flat again."
"We're TRANSFORMED then. We're magical girls. We can do anything when we're transformed!"
"Lily, you know I don't like the dime-store inspirational poster crap but can you maybe stop believing in my powers and believe in me! I know I look frail but I'm not some kind of wilting daisy just because I'm not Pixel Victory at the moment?"
Lily took the notion that Alexis thought she only believed in her because of her powers as a personal affront. Until she realized that maybe, maybe she might have a point in this one particular instance.
"I DO believe in you Lexi!"
"Great, now please stop acting like I'm falling off a building every time I stumble and please bring my wheelchair around. This will mean more to me if I don't have to transform at the end to fetch it." Alexis stabilized herself again and took several steps, all the while looking like she was walking in twice earth's gravity, before inevitably collapsing again.
Lily didn't reply with words. She simply did as she was told. She got to the other side before Alexis did but Alexis was close. Several falls did little to hamper her slow but steady pace. And before long Alexis was 10 feet away from the other side!
"GO LEXI! I BELIEVE IN YOU!"
"Thanks," she said as she took the final stumbling steps between her and the 'finish line' of the asphalt. Her final collapse was half on the track, half on the grass.
Lily reacted like the most amazing thing she had ever seen.
"YOU DID IT! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! YOU'RE AMAZING LEXI!"
This wasn't the first time she had heard an outpouring of support upon completing this task but it felt nice coming from somebody who wasn't her parents.
"...thanks. But I need a minute to catch my breath and also kinda...realign. I am extremely dizzy right now."
"I thought you only got dizzy when you stood up."
"Falling down a bunch of times makes you dizzy sometimes. I don't recommend trying it for yourself to see if I'm right. Just trust me." Alexis said, resting her head on the pavement. She would stay that way for five minutes.
"Lexi, are you ok. It's been awhile now..."
"Ok yeah I think I'm fine. I just need one more thing from you before I get up though."
"Name it."
"You seriously don't know?"
"Nope."
"Lily...YOU ARE SITTING IN MY CHAIR RIGHT NOW!"
Lily jumped up with a start.
"Whoopsie, completely spaced out on that. Need help up?"
"Don't. Getting back to the chair is part of it." Alexis propped herself up and sat back in the familiar confines of her wheelchair. Ok, enough of that bullshit. Let's go to HQ.
"Are you ok? If you need to rest we don't have to do it."
Alexis needed to admit to herself that she'd need a little time.
"...you might be right. I'm tired. And still a little dizzy. Also I don't really want to wear this stuff into HQ. So I'm going to head home, put this stuff away and take a nap. I'll head to HQ after I wake up. Sorry. I guess you kinda came for nothing huh?"
"It was NOT for nothing. This was important and you needed somebody here!"
"I didn't need somebody here. Though I appreciate you coming."
"But who would have brought your wheelchair to you?"
"I would have transformed."
"But you said not transforming was important."
"I would have dealt. This is the first time I've had a stubborn day since I became a magical girl. Usually I bring either my mom or dad with me to handle wheelchair duties but I figured 'hey I can bring the wheelchair to myself right now. But then you called and things worked out."
Alexis placing the time table made Lily think about what Alexis told her.
"This is your tenth time? What about the others."
"Well times 2-9 went the same way more or less. We didn't use the Future's Promise track because I wasn't enrolled here, we used another track. But this one is closer to home. The first time though...my 8th birthday. That stubborn day, it wasn't about a small walk through grass. I wasn't always as at peace with the whole wheelchair thing as I am now. But back then I felt like I couldn't make friends because of the chair. Kids want to run and play and do sports and stuff and I...can't. So when I turned 8 I decided. "I'M GOING TO LEARN HOW TO WALK PROPERLY AND NOBODY IS GOING TO STOP ME!" I walked down the sidewalk in front of my house. Got all the way down the road before I was too dizzy and beaten up to continue. A neighbor found me and helped me to her place while she called my parents to come get me. My hands, elbows and knees were badly scraped up and bruised, my pants got torn from all the times I fell and I broke my wrist on the last tumble. And when my parents got me and took me to the ER I cried. A lot . I was never going to walk and I was never going to have friends. And you know how sometimes you sorta blow these things out of proportion? I didn't. I didn't really have any friends until I got the dream. I just spent most of my time hanging out at home with my cat and my video games. Once I turned 13 and my parents let me go to the arcade without supervision I made some chums...but that's not really the same. My parents were my best friends. I mean they still are but then they divorced so I can't be with both of them at the same time."
"Kids didn't want to be friends with you because you're in a wheelchair? That's horrible. You're great."
"Maybe...sometimes. But I'd be lying if I said it was just that. I just didn't...let's be honest I don't have the confidence to make friends or approach people. The chair's part of that of course but the rest...I dunno. I probably could have made friends if I tried harder of gave people a chance but I'm just not good at that sort of thing."
Even though the story was making Lily very sad a suddenly revelation made her quite happy.
"Wait...does this mean I'm your best friend?"
Alexis looked perplexed.
"Yes...of course. I mean by default but really even if I had other friends you'd still be my best friend. In all likelihood."
"What about Maria?"
"Maria's amazing and I love her. But she's like, a big sister more than a friend."
"True."
Alexis took a moment to ponder a troubling thought that popped into her head.
"What are we going to do without her Lily? She probably has less than a year left of being a magical girl and..."
"That's still a long ways ago and we got stuff we have to deal with before then and now. So let's just...do that instead of panicking over something that's still aways away. Now come on, this is Queens' Week. Time to relax for once."
Alexis agreed. It was time to leave the heavy stuff behind. It was all either in the past or in the future.
"Yeah...let's just enjoy the now for now. And right now I would enjoy a nap."
"And I want to try out my new Alexis-heavy Team Victory deck!"
"If they have a Quick Courier can you buy it for me and I'll pay you back when I get there?"
"Sure. If they have the choice do you want the foil or special art versions?"
"...heck I've got some money to burn. If they have both foil and special art, get the art."
Lily couldn't help herself.
"HURRAY FOR FRIENDSHIP!"