“Oh yeah,” he says. “I may not look it now, but I was someone in their circle back in the day. You say you’re in the Enforcer examinations? Following their footsteps, eh?”
I nod silently, not really sure what to say. Yes, no, maybe. I have to pass the thing first.
“You can be here anytime I am,” Poncho says. “And I’m always here.”
“Thanks,” I say.
“Can I help you with that information?” he asks.
I stare at him for a moment. He’s the librarian, so he knows how to find things that I can’t. But if I tell him what I’m looking for I don’t know how he’ll respond. “I’m good for now.”
He nods and I head to class.
There are fifty girls left in the running for the Enforcers examination, and no more than ten of us will make it. Maple and her friends saw me come in and moved their circle around me, and now I’m sitting in the front row smack in the middle of four of my competitors. They are going on about some of the boys from their courses who are testing down the hall.
“You know who’s smart?” Miriam, a girl with black hair and a big nose, chimes in. “Keith Collins in region two. He’s totally going to be Bonded to whoever he gets.”
Kessa snorts. I glance sideways at her. She’s one of those super-pretty girls with curly red hair that falls below her shoulders and freckles across her cheeks. “Smart boys aren’t necessarily the best. Not when it comes down to the two of us and a demon,” Kessa snaps.
Trina, the taller girl, shifts in her seat and pushes her glasses up to the bridge of her nose. I guess she agrees.
“He’s good kisser,” Beth mutters. Beth’s cheeks turn bright red, making her dark eyes and hair look brighter. The other girls laugh. I’m not into any of this. I want a good partner, not a make-out buddy.
“There’s a boy from region four—Jordan Stork—he’s really brave. His dad used to teach,” Maple says. She smiles and sips her water. “Sarah Jenks said he was a good kisser.”
Kessa squeals. “Sarah Jenks kissed him?”
My eyes drift to the window. I don’t know who they are talking about or even how they know each other. Our regions don’t get together that often, but even if they did, I didn’t. I was always training or studying. I don’t have time to meet people. This is my life. It isn’t about finding a boy I may or may not be Bonded with; it’s about finding demons. One demon.
Trina squeals beside me. The other girls are whispering and I missed whatever they said. They’re all excited—hands moving as quick as their lips. I curse myself as soon as I ask them what happened. Maple leans in to whisper.
“William Prescott is in our round of testing.” As soon as she says it, the other girls squeal again.
I nod my head. “Good for him,” I say. I have no idea who that it is.
All four of the girls look at me as if I have grown a second head. “You do realize how huge this is, don’t you?”
“Yeah, sure. It’s huge for all of us,” I say, trying to play it off. I have no idea what’s happening.
“Tell me you know who he is,” Trina says. I don’t need respond, because they all know I don’t. Kessa grabs my arm, her shimmering light-pink nails against my skin.
“William Prescott is the only son of Victor Prescott—you know, the Triad leader?”
I raise my eyebrows. A Triad’s son trying out for Enforcer? That’s a little strange. It’s pretty widely known that first-born children of any Triad leader or council member are automatically expected to take on the role themselves. It’s passed down as closely as our magic is. A boy trying to change that has got to mean trouble.
“William is apparently smart and powerful. He’s at St. Jude’s,” Trina adds. Ah, the private school.
“Not to mention rich,” Kessa adds. Definitely trouble.
“Gorgeous,” Beth says.
“Any girl would be beyond lucky to be Paired with him,” Maple says on a sigh.
I scoff. “I don’t care about rich and powerful. Those qualities don’t necessarily mean he’d be a good Enforcer. I care about having someone who can back me up if I need it.”
Kessa’s face is red, like she wants to explode or something. Even though I might actually like to witness that, I feel a little bad. Before anyone can blow a gasket, Mrs. Bentham claps her hands to get our attention.
“Today, girls, I’m going to test your basic skills of self-defense. Each girl alone must be able to protect herself in case her partner is otherwise involved. You must be strong individually as well as together. Any girl who does not perform to perfection will be dismissed.” Mrs. Bentham calls two names—Beth is one of them—and the girls both disappear into another part of the room.
The room is quiet while they are gone. Almost as if every girl is nervous to breathe. Miriam shakes her foot while we wait and stares at the door. For ten minutes. Then, the door opens and Mrs. Bentham comes out, clears her throat. “Jenna Lakes and Chrissy Jenkins.”
The girls pass us as they move toward the door. It clicks shut, allowing the silence to resume. I guess we don’t find out who’s left until class tomorrow. I stare at my feet. Looking anywhere else makes me want to vomit.
I’m in the sixth group that’s called to go in. The girl I’m up against, Edith Summers, is taller than me—about six foot two and fierce-looking. Her lip is slightly curled, her hair cropped short with red and black streaks. Her muscles are bigger than a lot of boys I know. She’s obviously been preparing for this, too—which means that I’m in a hell of a lot of trouble.
Mrs. Bentham stands close enough to see us, but far enough away so she’s not in our space. “This is a non-magical sparring test. You don’t know the fighting knowledge a demon can possess, so you need to be prepared for every move. Shake hands, ladies.”
Edith Summers could break my hand if she squeezed hard enough. That’s not intimidating at all. Nope. I bite my lip as we both get into block position. I breathe and try to focus. This is a make-it-or-break-it moment.
Edith makes the first move before I’m ready. Her fists of fury fly at my face. My arms are there to block her. Her punch has less force than I expect, which means she’s saving it for later. I’ll have to remember that. Dad used to say that when you were facing someone bigger, you had to let your opponents wear themselves out.
I move first. My foot shoots toward Edith’s left leg and she wobbles. She keeps herself from falling over, and when she’s regaining her balance, I strike with my other foot toward her right leg. She anticipates the move and bounces back to her left side. Missed. Edith reverses the move on me, twisting her body, and I jump over her while she’s down, so I’m behind her now.
I swing, leaning into the punch and using my legs to keep myself stable. She avoids each blow I make and I only get air. I need to go back to the defensive. As I decide that, Edith kicks her feet out toward me. I’m ready so I don’t fall like she intended. I step forward, keeping my balance and moving my feet despite her attempts to knock me over. She doesn’t land a hit on me either. I use a duck-and-jive method that Ric taught me. Edith and I circle each other, gliding above the mat.
“Helix,” Mrs. Bentham yells a fighting maneuver for us to do next. “Now!”
Edith pauses, it’s half a second. It’s all I need. I ram my fist toward her face and she blocks me; it’s too late. My fingernail grazes her cheek. Her face is red in the spot, blood starting to flow. She launches at me with her body twisted, feet toward my face. I duck. Edith lands. She looks ready to have a go at me again, but Mrs. Bentham stops us.
“Edith Summers, you’re dismissed.”
Edith drops her hands. “Why? She didn’t do anything!”
Mrs. Bentham points to Edith’s face, at the spot where my fingernail grazed her skin. Edith touches her cheek, her hand coming back with drops of red. “If Miss Grey had been a demon, you very well could be dead right now.”