Dizzy’s voice made Julia edgy. Meredith, standing next to her, bumped her shoulder.
“We’re going to stage a battle. Some of you are going to be Nephilim, others will be Chosen. And sometime during the fight, there’s going to be a twist .” Dizzy arched her skinny brows, reminding Julia of a stern sixth-grade teacher she hadn’t liked. “That means you need to be on your best behavior. Fight hard , like it matters.” She threw up her hands, looking as loose and jovial as Julia had seen her. “Get started! If you have questions, ask me. Nathan’s occupied.”
Dizzy strode over to a corner of the small, glass-ceilinged room, yammering more instructions and swinging a contraband magazine. Julia wondered where she’d gotten it.
I need to see Cayne . She pictured herself saying so to Nathan. Not just saying. Demanding. I’M GOING TO SEE CAYNE OR I’M LEAVING. She’d been up all night, trying and failing to Float through any wall, driving herself crazy worrying about what was keeping her from Floating what had happened to Cayne. And when she’d gone to look for Nathan this morning, she couldn’t find him.
“Earth to Julia.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Did you hear?” Meredith asked. “We’re both Nephilim.”
She grabbed a metal basket from Charles and handed Julia a long, curved knife. It was dull, but it was real. “What do we—”
“Nephilim!” Dizzy bounced on her heels, clapping her skinny hands. “What you do with the daggers is your choice. Just partner with a Chosen and start sparring when I blow the whistle.”
Dizzy sank to the floor, thumbing through her magazine under the crystalline glow of the ceiling while the Candidates buzzed. Most everyone seemed confused.
“Is she saying we fight each other with a real knife?” Poor little Marilee looked horrified, although she was assigned to be a Nephilim.
Charles was rubbing his forehead. “No way am I getting stabbed with one of those things.”
Julia looked at Meredith. “Why doesn’t Dizzy have to do this? I mean, she is a Candidate, right?”
“Yeah. But she doesn’t always do the stuff we do.”
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“It’s not,” Anise said.
And then a whistle shrieked.
When everyone just stood there, Dizzy jumped back up and waved her arms. “Go, go, go!” She pulled out a twisted blade of her own, and when still no one moved, she lunged at Monte .
Within seconds, Monte’s forearm was bleeding, and everyone else was backing away, open-mouthed.
“You’re a Chosen,” Dizzy taunted, moving toward Anise. “Why don’t you act like one?”
She took a swipe at Anise as Julia heard Monte say, “The cut’s gone .”
Charles heard that and started going playfully for Carlin’s blade.
He got it, and Carlin turned and went for Julia’s. She seemed surprisingly adept for someone so passive-seeming, but Julia wouldn’t give it up without a fight. Dizzy had taken Meredith’s blade, leaving Mer with a bright red slash across her hand.
“There are more Nephilim than Chosen!” Meredith shouted, and she lunged at Dizzy.
Julia had slowed to watch, so she didn’t see Drew coming at her. He had her blade in seconds, but he didn’t cut her—just hopped around her, smiling in a way that seemed almost sympathetic.
“So this is kind of freaky,” Julia said, needing to raise her voice to speak over the eerie school-yard sound.
“Dizzy can be intense.”
“No. I mean the fact that this is even acceptable.”
“Oh, of course.” But to Julia it was clear that he hadn’t considered it odd; and what did that say about this place?
“That’s even freakier,” she said.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s weird. And probably not as weird to me. But believe me, this is a first.”
Julia glanced at the others, to get their take, and realized Drew had been leading her away from the group. She turned back to him, and his face was serious. Future-seer + Intensity = OMG. She went insta -tense. “What?” Her first thought was Cayne,
“We’re going to stage a battle. Some of you are going to be Nephilim, others will be Chosen. And sometime during the fight, there’s going to be a twist .” Dizzy arched her skinny brows, reminding Julia of a stern sixth-grade teacher she hadn’t liked. “That means you need to be on your best behavior. Fight hard , like it matters.” She threw up her hands, looking as loose and jovial as Julia had seen her. “Get started! If you have questions, ask me. Nathan’s occupied.”
Dizzy strode over to a corner of the small, glass-ceilinged room, yammering more instructions and swinging a contraband magazine. Julia wondered where she’d gotten it.
I need to see Cayne . She pictured herself saying so to Nathan. Not just saying. Demanding. I’M GOING TO SEE CAYNE OR I’M LEAVING. She’d been up all night, trying and failing to Float through any wall, driving herself crazy worrying about what was keeping her from Floating what had happened to Cayne. And when she’d gone to look for Nathan this morning, she couldn’t find him.
“Earth to Julia.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Did you hear?” Meredith asked. “We’re both Nephilim.”
She grabbed a metal basket from Charles and handed Julia a long, curved knife. It was dull, but it was real. “What do we—”
“Nephilim!” Dizzy bounced on her heels, clapping her skinny hands. “What you do with the daggers is your choice. Just partner with a Chosen and start sparring when I blow the whistle.”
Dizzy sank to the floor, thumbing through her magazine under the crystalline glow of the ceiling while the Candidates buzzed. Most everyone seemed confused.
“Is she saying we fight each other with a real knife?” Poor little Marilee looked horrified, although she was assigned to be a Nephilim.
Charles was rubbing his forehead. “No way am I getting stabbed with one of those things.”
Julia looked at Meredith. “Why doesn’t Dizzy have to do this? I mean, she is a Candidate, right?”
“Yeah. But she doesn’t always do the stuff we do.”
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“It’s not,” Anise said.
And then a whistle shrieked.
When everyone just stood there, Dizzy jumped back up and waved her arms. “Go, go, go!” She pulled out a twisted blade of her own, and when still no one moved, she lunged at Monte .
Within seconds, Monte’s forearm was bleeding, and everyone else was backing away, open-mouthed.
“You’re a Chosen,” Dizzy taunted, moving toward Anise. “Why don’t you act like one?”
She took a swipe at Anise as Julia heard Monte say, “The cut’s gone .”
Charles heard that and started going playfully for Carlin’s blade.
He got it, and Carlin turned and went for Julia’s. She seemed surprisingly adept for someone so passive-seeming, but Julia wouldn’t give it up without a fight. Dizzy had taken Meredith’s blade, leaving Mer with a bright red slash across her hand.
“There are more Nephilim than Chosen!” Meredith shouted, and she lunged at Dizzy.
Julia had slowed to watch, so she didn’t see Drew coming at her. He had her blade in seconds, but he didn’t cut her—just hopped around her, smiling in a way that seemed almost sympathetic.
“So this is kind of freaky,” Julia said, needing to raise her voice to speak over the eerie school-yard sound.
“Dizzy can be intense.”
“No. I mean the fact that this is even acceptable.”
“Oh, of course.” But to Julia it was clear that he hadn’t considered it odd; and what did that say about this place?
“That’s even freakier,” she said.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s weird. And probably not as weird to me. But believe me, this is a first.”
Julia glanced at the others, to get their take, and realized Drew had been leading her away from the group. She turned back to him, and his face was serious. Future-seer + Intensity = OMG. She went insta -tense. “What?” Her first thought was Cayne,
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