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  He was sweating profusely, and noticed I hadn’t broken a sweat yet. He had to be wondering if I was really a Hunter though he hinted he knew more.

  I was going down fast and needed a quick “out” soon. I tried a few fakes but he was exceptionally good at the sword. Figures!

  “You’re good at this. And not an ounce of sweat,” he conceded.

  I blocked and harped out, “So shocked. But you are too—good I mean—at swords that is.” Fumbling words was very unlike me, but my sparring partners never chatted while we practiced and my enemies were not particularly chatty either. And I was short-winded, but I couldn’t show it no matter what. His emotions were out of control. My sugar highs were undefeated, but I hadn’t had any since yesterday. Preferably chocolate. Valkyrie women thrive off sugar for energy boosts. Any form.

  He’d never see my true wrath no matter how much I wanted to unleash it.

  “Can you go all day at it?” he asked.

  Absolutely not! But I’ll never let it show. “That’s classified. If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” I snapped stepping out of the ring for the first time. Dang it!

  “Four walls, miss I-can-do-anything!”

  Arrogant Hunters! He grunted, smiled like the devil, and threw a strike at me. I wished with everything I had the ability to read his mind right now so I could see his next move. I upturned and rolled landing close to his chest so the sword couldn’t get to me. Nor could mine come anywhere near him. In any other situation altogether, we looked as if we were tangled in an embrace. I took advantage of the situation and my sudden impulsiveness I whispered, “My secret is about why I am here.” Why am I putting myself in this danger? I don’t know. This boy with the disturbingly gorgeous dimples was causing me jeopardy on the first day of my quest for finding my brother. I was here to find him, not actually go to school or make friends. Being homeschooled as a child by private tutors that included the classics at the precocious age of eight, several languages, and skilled in almost every weapon didn’t make me much of a fan of being with inept Hunters. And now him. A Hunter. Screwing with my mind.

  My words, however rash, worked their magic as he paused just long enough I jumped behind him. I didn’t have the brute strength to hold him, tackle him, or hurt him with my hands, I knew this. I was a weapons girl, not a hand-to-hand combat Amazon-like one.

  I intended to sweep around and land my sword at his neck from the front and claim victory, but my plan failed. We were locked in a stalemate waiting for the other to make a move.

  He took the opportunity to use his hunterized brute and before I could move again, his hand was around my waist. I was pulled in front of him, yanked up close to his front, and felt the wind whipping my hair as both of our weapons flopped on the mat and we landed between them, with me lying on top of him!

  I was still in such a shock from the turn of the upper hand, that the first real thought that came to my mind was that he rotated me to save from landing on top of me. He took the brunt of the fall. But then my next thought quickly came in loud and clear! This was probably all thought out and on purpose. So I did what any “normal schoolgirl” would do and raised my head to look him in the eyes while laying full frontal on top of him in front of a hundred plus audience and opened my mouth wide enough a fly could shoot in. He was grinning too wide. I knew what the grin meant. And those eyes. I recognized that look. I’d seen it hundreds of times in the eyes of all the boys I sparred at court. My father sent many. And though they weren’t supposed to talk to me, they snuck in little snide and suggestive remarks when the guards weren’t looking. I gained most of my snarky attitude from them learning lots about their own attitude and keeping my guard up about “what boys want” from a girl. Well, the underlying wants.

  I reined in the inescapable female Valkyrie calling card to be sure I wasn’t making him my love slave. I couldn’t shake them after I screwed that up unless they had the ability to shield it. I’ve only seen it happen in the vampires. And that was experimental from battle strategy. I’d rarely had the opportunity.

  I beat his chest with my fist and stood with the small thread of dignity I had left. I let out a small grunt that even the nearest row could hear. He had no idea what I was capable of. Why did I have to hold back? I closed my eyes a second to refine my purpose.

  This was not me. And I’d definitely never been this coy with a boy in my life. Was I mad? I definitely wanted to knock a few extra holes in his head.

  So there! I was a failure at something in his eyes and he’d never let me live it down. But I stood, picked up my sword, returned it to the place where twenty or so others were arranged in their slots, and walked straight out of the gym before he was even fully standing. I could’ve taken him, twisted his bones, and flattened it ten-fold. But then again, I couldn’t if I was to save my brother.

  Chapter Two …are not the same thing at all.

  A girl ran up to me. She was Amazon-like and shorter than the others with bright chocolaty brown eyes dancing at me.

  “That was some kind of awesome," she said breathing hard.

  Eyes down, I just nodded feeling defeated.

  “No one has ever tried to stand up to Calum, much less give him a challenge. Girl, I mean. You hold your own like a boy, but…” she looked me up and down, “…but you’re no boy.” She had the grace to offer me an apologetic giggle at least.

  Compared to this all muscle and brawn kind of girl, I appeared weak.

  “I’m Maze. Short for Mazzelle. Horrible, huh?”

  I did want to make at least one friend even if it wouldn't last long. I didn't have many. I stuck my hand out and offered the visible truth even if I hid my capabilities, “Stace. And compared to you, I’m sure I’m the weakling.”

  “Hardly. You’re amazing. Where did you learn to throw knives like that? And you’re arrows. Wow!” Maze marveled at my skills. It helped, a little.

  “My father.”

  “You’re dad must be some teacher. Can he come here? We need him something bad.”

  I smiled now, feeling better.

  Maze smiled back, “Why don’t you sit with me at lunch? I’d love the pointers.”

  I could afford the help. “Looks like I need the pointers with swords and Hunter boys.”

  “No way! I’d have done the same if I’d known it would land me lying on top of tall, dark and Calum.” She was smiling with a dreamy look.

  “I didn’t do it on purpose,” I snipped. That made me a little mad to think everyone thought I might have done it just because of Mr. Dimples.

  “No way! No one thought that. Just, it ended how every girl in the room would have wanted it too. No girl has ever fought him. You’re the first.”

  What? “Seriously. Then why did he do that?”

  “I have NO idea.” She was looking at my blonde hair and rather small build. “But I think he noticed you for sure. And everyone knows it. Lord knows no one else has caught his eye.”

  No one. Why? Oh, great! So much for being able to sneak around. I was no longer invisible because of my pride of standing up to a boy. Hyde boy that is. This Calum would ruin it all. And what’s with the fact that he looks different than any other Hunter in the place. I didn’t see this at first, but now that I pin it into a category, he is more like an unrealistic Greek statue gorgeous.

  “Come on. Let’s get back in there and get our things. All the nasty goulash will be gone and you’ll be sorry.”

  That sounded appealing. “That doesn’t sound like I’d like to hurry to lunch.”

  “It will if you’re stuck with the meatloaf. And after that fight, you’ll need the protein.”

  She didn’t understand how my body worked. I didn’t need that much protein. I needed only the will to do what I needed done. Protein wasn’t in my diet, nor much of any other food much. Except Italian. Pasta was my lifeline sometimes. I needed sugar and enough food to fuel my body equating to about one meal a day. Food for pleasure mostly, and a reason for the fight. That’s it!
>
  But don’t get me wrong, I believe completely in the idea of fighting only when one has too.

  I walked with Maze back into the gym only to have the entire echo filled room erupt into applause when I came around from behind her. I’ve attracted way too much attention. Shouts like when I’d thrown the knives reverberated throughout the gym once more. I bent to get my books. I stood back up freezing instantly when I knew someone was standing too close. Somehow, recognizing the kind of fear and who it belonged to even before I saw the source made my own fear swell. This stand in the shade and watch me squirm boy was so close I had to take a step back.

  “You are nothing like they said.” He threw me a look of pure disdain with a touch of confusion mixed in his words.

  I didn’t change my face to acknowledge his comment. Not that I knew how to react to the statement. I eventually said, “I wouldn’t be so fast to trust others opinions. Perhaps you should be more selective in what you believe.”

  He took a step back, narrowing his eyes at me. And then he walked off and returned to his friends. I didn’t want to gawk, but watched to see who he went to stand with. If I was going to complete this mission, I’d have to know every angle and who was who.

  One boy, tall and darker headed, watched me with blazing almost orange eyes. He scared me with his glare. The other boy, shorter, with longer hair and a round mouth, was laughing. I couldn’t tell what they were laughing at, me or him so I kept walking.

  I found Maze standing with her other friend by the door, waiting for me.

  “Stace, Liz. Liz, Stace.”

  Liz nodded cautiously. “That was impressive. The weaponry too. Not many can catch Calum Green’s eye and meet his match in one day.” I felt the anger, seeing quickly this Liz was a tougher cookie to crack. She hadn’t warmed up to me quite as much as Maze.

  “Did you say Green?” I gaped at her.

  “Yeah, you nailed it, headmaster’s son. Double the trouble, right?”

  “Let’s go.” Maze was already walking.

  This is Master Green’s son? Oh, no. Bad. Very bad. Like Jekyll/Hyde boy is just that, double trouble. I couldn’t be followed around by the very one whose father helped me get here. Did Calum know anything?

  We headed to the cafeteria located back across the grounds on the far side from the gym. Somehow, Calum was already there and in line for food with his two buddies. I fell in line for the drinks with Maze and Liz. They’d just been drooling over the thought of filling their plates with mountains of food.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” Liz asked as I noticed Calum paid nothing for his lunch. Betting he wasn’t short on money as the headmaster’s son, I shrugged it off moving my interest away from him. He was attractive, but it wasn't just that making him stand out to me. He was just too good at things. Like me.

  “I’m not that hungry.” They were both wide-eyed and looking at each other and back to me.

  “How? You just fought like this was a battle of the gods and you’re not the least bit weakened?”

  I realized now that this looked odd to them. Perhaps too odd.

  I made a plan to pull some more food on my plate and recanted, “Maybe I am. You’re right.” This seemed to appease them, but they were still somewhat curious in the glances between each other. The desserts seemed to all be at the table luckily, so when I eyed chocolate cake, I took a large piece and settled to eat it.

  Sitting at a table across the cafeteria from Calum and his friends, I didn’t know a single other soul except the red-headed know-it-all from English lit class and he was with some other geeky looking buffed up guys and girls at a table between mine and Calum Green.

  I watched the red head for a second. He mounded the food and shoveled it in faster than a wolf on its prey and I prayed they didn't expect that of me.

  My eyes moved back to Calum. He was laughing at something short, longhaired boy pointed out in focus from the other direction. He wasn’t shoveling his food in like a rake. He seemed to have better table manners. His tall friend though, shoveled with great ferociousness. Gross!

  I tossed back and forth between the groups but turned to zone in on his group as a whole and heard their talking stop altogether. When I looked back at them their laughter had indeed ceased and several solemn tight lipped smiles were aimed at me.

  I shifted back to the girls. Maze had just told me that her next class was geology. I have chemistry. I hoped I could go to this class maybe knowing someone. Why? I was always a loner before. Being a royal’s daughter had always gained me very little fame…or friends.

  “Man! But you’ll be glad. Calum’s in that class. You’ll be the center of attention today.”

  Great!

  My eyes went back to him. He was staring straight at me still. I stopped chewing the bite of pear I’d forced myself to chew on for two minutes now and swallowed.

  Hiding behind my wall of iron-flat blonde hair, I tempted a glance back up. He was still watching. And grinning!

  Arg! Man, oh man. Where did this schoolgirl stomach flip flopping behavior come from? There were plenty of military guys like him back home. They’d never done this to my psyche. Or if they did, I’d never noticed. Or wanted to notice like I am right now at the beautiful, menacing, Hunter boy who wouldn’t stop staring.

  I looked back down and promised myself, no matter what, I wouldn’t look up again. But I couldn’t have predicted that Liz would comment the following, “Looks like Calum the mysterious allusive one, who has never wanted any of us, has his eye on someone.”

  And without fail, my eyes were on him, again.

  “And it’s you, Miss Outcast,” her thin lips pursed as she considered this.

  “Liz!” Maze hissed.

  “What? It’s true. She doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of us. Look at her.” Liz was looking me over like everyone else had all day. I did expect it, but it was getting a bit annoying.

  “Be nice. She can’t help that. And she is beautiful. She just doesn’t look like all the rest of us. That’s a bit of freshness we needed around here.” She aimed to me again. “Do you have any brothers?” she squealed eagerly.

  I laughed unexpectedly. I needed that.

  The room was starting to thin out when Maze stood and ruled, “Time to go.” She looked at my plate. “You still didn’t eat much.” She seemed bothered by this so I thought quickly.

  “My hunger usually catches up to me in the middle of the night. Right when I can’t get any food.”

  This perked her. “Well, looks like I can help with that. The kitchen sneaks me food all the time. I’ll take care of you.”

  “Great!” I gulped.

  Standing now, I rotated to remove my tray and food to the clean up area seeing I’d have to walk by Hyde to do it. I let Maze and Liz lead. I walked by not giving him the chance to see me give him an inch, but just my luck, the long haired boy across from him disapprovingly said to no one in particular, “Guess we know who’ll you’ll partner with in chemistry today.”

  How did he know I was going to chemistry? He didn’t comment or look or smile. Not that I noticed, right?

  Still walking leisurely towards the hallway and room my new friends sent me towards alone, I kept pondering the whole way about this supposed seating arrangement.

  I arrived knowing that most of the class was already there but stood taller when I heard who the teacher was. This was what I’d been waiting for. The only other blonde haired creature in the whole compound of Hunters. Dr. Mar Quinn. He was here. Standing right in front of me largely the size of a true Hunter like them all.

  I reached my hand out and announced, “Stace Rohkea." He stared at my hand. Darn. Forgot this was a school. A life of tutors kept me from understanding this very informal setting.

  I pulled my hand back.

  “Fine, Miss Rah-keee! You’re seat will be to the left back three labs. You’re partner has graciously offered to catch you up for the semester with extra tutoring sessions after school every day this week
and next, so pay attention closely.”

  Manners anyone? I was faltered by his abruptness of apparent immediate hatred. What are these rumors, I wondered, that could make me be such a hated one already?

  Reluctant, but knowing the outcome, I turned to face my ever so gracious chemistry partner. And there he was. I quickly glanced around the room at all other seats, no faces, and saw that everyone else was already paired in twos. How did they do it before I came? Surely Mr. Greek God with the dimples wasn’t alone before today?

  My eyes settled back on him. He had that horrid, not really, grin spread out upon his face.

  I headed that way as the teacher was grunting, “We’d like to get started, Miss Ro-kee! Can you please be seated?”

  I pulled myself up on the stool and rested my feet on the metal bar not reaching my feet to the floor even though I could have. Settling my things and looking for the chemistry book, I listened as Dr. Quinn spouted off today’s lab and the ingredients. Will the real Dr. Jekyll please stand up? Oh wait, he’s a two-for-one special. Hyde boy next to me was pulling different water substance items from the glass containers in front of the two of us. Not knowing where to start, I stilled myself and watched him work.

  He finished in time with the rest and sat with his hands folded on top of the desk, and turned to look at me. Not moving, I stared at the little glass containers before us. I wanted to be the silent type a little longer, but knew I’d be forced to pay attention somewhat if my part was to be played in this class.

  “What are we making?” I could afford a small amount of nicety!

  “Water safeness. What is in your water and what’s not in your water? Spiked or not to be, that is the question.” He read the sheet that was lying in front of me and then studied my face longer than I would have liked. Dork! Now I look like I’m total lammo.