In the corner, for all the world to see, it said: posted by Allison Black.
I quickly shut my laptop, lay down on my bed, and cried.
—
I went through the panel late. Eldon was waiting in the courtyard with his arms folded across his muscular chest. He did not look happy.
“We need to maximize your time,” he said sternly. “We don’t have much of it.”
“Sorry,” I muttered.
He just glared at me and gestured to the Way. “Get started.”
It was even worse than the day before. By the fourth time through I was walking, and Eldon disgustedly told me to sit down and take a break. Lee must have been back in Canada tonight because he wasn’t in the courtyard. The crimson-haired girl was there though, and when I glanced at her, she just shook her head and went inside.
“You should be getting better every night,” Eldon growled, appearing over me.
“I’m not going to get any better,” I said quietly.
He turned and walked away. “I hope you’re wrong.”
We trained for a while longer. He walked me through sword motions and how to use a bow, though he told me I would only really be using the Iron Hammer.
“So let me practise with that,” I said, frustrated.
He narrowed his blue eyes. “Only when you earn it.”
So mostly I just ran the course, stumbling and tripping and failing again and again. The other Monster Crushers and the Swords weren’t even laughing anymore—they just looked scornful. When I hit the ground on my tenth time through, I immediately stood up and started for the gate, my entire body throbbing with pain.
“We’re not done,” Eldon called after me.
“Yes, we are.”
He followed me through the village, and I heard him stop as we crossed into the meadow.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I looked back at him, scowling. “I can’t do this.”
“You have to.”
“I can’t!” I said, suddenly feeling my eyes well with tears. “Do you know who I am in my world, Eldon? A target. Girls make fun of me and call me fat and I just stand there and take it. Why? Because I’m a coward. I’m not a warrior—find someone else.”
Eldon stared at me for a moment. “You’re not a coward.”
I wiped my eyes. “And how do you know that?”
“Because you came back,” he said. He paused for a minute, but then didn’t say anything more, just turned and started back for Arnwell. “See you tomorrow.”
I stormed into the elevator, swung the lever, and shot back to the surface, not even saying goodbye to Porton, who was just watching me with a knowing look. He seemed to always know what was going on. When I got back to my bedroom, I climbed right under my blankets and thought about what Eldon had said, my vision still blurred with hot tears. Maybe he was right.
But if I wasn’t a coward, then why I was so scared to see Liam in the morning?
Chapter Sixteen
I didn’t eat breakfast the next morning. My stomach was too busy tying itself into some sort of pretzel to even look at food. I’d barely slept—which seemed to be a theme in my new house—and when I did, I had terrible dreams of Allison Black turning into a goblin and trying to eat me.
“What’s wrong?” Tom asked me from across the table.
“Evil girls,” I said quietly.
Tom nodded. “I figured they lived here too. Fat jokes?”
“Worse.”
He seemed to think about that. “Boy jokes?”
“Bingo.”
“What are you gonna do?” he asked.
“Probably take it and mope around all day. What else can I do? Punch her? Make up some nasty rumours and spread them around?” I paused. “Actually, that’s not bad.”
Tom looked at me with a very serious expression. “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind—”
“Oh, shut up,” I said, and he just grinned and went back to his English muffin.
But he was right. I wasn’t that girl. I hated rumours and gossip, and I wasn’t about to join the party now. When you spend your entire life as the subject of awful stories, you develop a certain sensitivity to gossip. Of course, Allison Black deserved all of that and more—I just wasn’t the one to do it. And so what did I do? I took it and moped.
They laughed in the yard when I got there. They whispered about it during first period. They drew pictures and threw them at me. Allison started calling me Mrs. Kelp, and Tim asked if I used him as a toothpick after our dates. I was used to name-calling. I was used to things getting thrown and laughter and dirty looks. But this was different today, because Liam could see it. He could hear them calling me Mrs. Kelp.
And that made it much, much worse.
But they didn’t really get me until lunch recess. I was sitting with Shal and Mia in the corner like usual, as far as possible from Allison and the other girls. It was cool today, and I had my jacket pulled up to my chin as we sat against the fence, watching the breeze rustle the leaves in the old maple tree that kept us company in the corner.
“So she didn’t exactly forget,” Shal said soothingly. “But it’s Friday. By Monday she’ll have moved on.”
Mia opened her mouth to say something, but she was silenced by a stern look from Shal. I just absently picked some grass and let it fly off into the breeze.
“It’s fine,” I said quietly. “I’m just not used to the boy jokes.”
Shal snorted. “Those are usually Allison’s favourite. Trust me, I’ve had plenty.”
“I’m sure I would too if she ever had a chance to talk to me,” Mia agreed.
“You really need to stop running away,” Shal said, glancing at her. “It’s sad.”
Mia shrugged. “It’s survival.”
Shal just sighed and shook her head. “I’m sick of school already and it’s Friday of the first week. That can’t be good.”
“Only ten more months
