I roll onto my stomach, hoping that I can get to the edge of the circle, that if I get close Jackson can push me out and end the bout – But suddenly he’s on top of me, holding his staff in either hand and looping it over my head so that it presses against my neck. When he pulls back, I’m lifted on
The rest of the bouts around us begin to end pretty quickly, with Lieutenants moving around the room recording the results. Rafe and I sit quietly together in my circle and, even as my mind whirls fruitlessly, trying to figure out what the hell just happened, my eyes scan the room for Jesse and for
“Maybe you should learn not to underestimate me so much, Grant,” I say, my voice dry as I pretend to concentrate on my food. “Or I’ll take you out next.” Luca laughs a little at my hubris and grins at me. I can’t help the little smile that pulls at my lips. My brother looks up at me then with a sm
“Well?” Jackson says, his voice low, and I flinch again – god, that’s getting annoying – as I snap my head up to look at him. He gestures towards the head table. “Hand in your test.” “Um,” I say, and then another chair scrapes in the room. Someone else is finished too, and headed this way. “You ta
“We’ve got an hour,” Rafe says, flicking on the lights and striding into the room. “Let’s go.” “Wait, what is this?” I ask, looking around, confused. “Look at it as…extra credit,” Jesse says, turning to grin at Ben and me as he walks backwards into the room after Rafe. “You both need the extra w
I’m almost too exhausted to notice how fast the next week passes. Jesse wakes me up early every day, and I scowl at Rafe, who snores peacefully while Jesse drags me out the door for our run. He seriously puts me through my paces, too, not even relenting when I try to bribe him. “Please,” I beg, “I
I bite my lip, hoping to hell that I get sorted into the espionage track. Because while I am clearly not a warrior – I don’t have the brute strength for that – the hours spent learning how to spy, or to craft poisons, or become an expert sharpshooter, or a master of any variety of tiny, obscure weap
The next morning I wake up with a groan, because they really did torture us yesterday. It was an endurance competition that lasted pretty much all day. We had to stand on a balance beam with a pail of water, of all things, on our heads and a staff stretched across our shoulders. At regular intervals