“Okay, but if you need me to help slash him up, I’m all for it. I got your back,” I tell him as a chill runs down my spine.
“I know,” he whispers against my hair, squeezing me back before letting go and tilting his head in concern. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah,” I reassure him.
“Rez!” Moni yells, zipping back and forth between Chester and JP, leaving her green dust trailing behind her.
I grab Knox’s hand and hurry over to the rest of the group.
“This is insane,” Moni shrieks, twirling in a circle and immediately fainting straight into Chester’s arms.
He almost drops her, but JP is there to help take her weight as they both gently wake her up, and she zips straight to me.
“Can you believe it. It’s about to start, and my heart is going to explode.” Her eyes dart up for a quick second, and I throw my hands out, but Chester beats me to it.
“Damn, that’s six just while waiting for the Gauntlet to start.” Chester’s tone shows some worry.
“Then it’s a good thing I brought some of this, else she might not even get to the Gauntlet,” a familiar voice says.
I turn to find Gus walking up behind me. Smiling big, I turn to hug the Sphinx who owns Sparks Coffee.
“Gus! What are you doing here?” I ask, surprised to see him.
Before he can answer, Moni pops up like a possessed Cracker Jack and spots him. “Gus! Coffee! I need coffee!” she yells, making a beeline for him. He laughs and pulls out a smaller cup than her usual gallon, and tells her to drink it all. You don’t haveto tell Moni to drink her Nectar of Life twice. She downs her drink in one go and flies off to throw away her cup.
I squint after her and then at Gus, feeling something is off. Turning to face the old Sphinx, I place my hands on my hips.
“What did you give her?” I demand.
He gives me a small smile.
“Why do you say that?”
“Answering a question with a question is deflecting and is a way of lying. Out with it, old man,” I call him out, and he straight up laughs at me, throwing his head back.
“It’s a mixture of decaf and a new bean. It should help with her fainting spells, at least for today,” he admits.
“You gave Moni DECAF?” Chester says in horror.
“Dude, you broke the coffee code,” JP inhales sharply. “I’m ashamed to call you a friend.”
“I’m not. If it helps her, I’m all for it. This place is dangerous, and I want her to survive,” I admit, not letting the distrustful looks I’m getting bother me.
“That’s the type of thinking you have to have, Rez. You guys will be lucky to have half of the students make it back.” Gus sighs as he looks over the crowd around us.
“You sound like you’re talking from experience,” Lynx points out.
“I am.”
“Ladies and gentlemen. If you would please find your seats. Contenders, please come to the stage. We are about to begin,” Dean Caldron announces.
“Here. Give this to Moni,” Gus says, handing Chester a pack of three canisters of emergency coffee. “Good luck, guys. I’m sponsoring you,” Gus calls out as he heads towards that platform.
“Did I hear that right?” Moni says as she zips back up to us. “I get emergency coffee from Gus during the Gauntlet? He’s a sponsor?”
“It seems so,” Knots assures her.
We all gather on stage as Dean Caldron starts his announcements.
