“Looking good,” Alexis says, patting Willow on the shoulder. “Are you sure you should be in Communis?”
I glance at Theo and see the smirk on her face.
Methinks my little Sparkle Princess has a plan up her sleeve, more than just making Willow score baskets.
“LARSEN!”
The ball whacks me hard on the side of my head and I taste blood in my mouth.
“And that’s game,” Lex announces. “Congratulations Ordinarii. Next up, get on the court.”
“Wow,” Naomi says, looking at Willow skipping back to the Communis bench. “I had no idea she had that much magic inside her.”
Donovan starts to say something lewd in reply to Naomi, but I strip off my barely-sweaty shirt and throw it at his head.
As Team Sparkles heads back to the Elite bleachers, I notice Theo’s gaze roaming over my muscles and tats. I don’t mind that at all.
Donovan also notices, so immediately strips off his own shirt.
We sandwich Theo between our bodies, and I can hear her pulse racing.
—Are you trying to get Willow on the fateball team, Sparkles?—I ask.
—I’m trying to get her promoted to Elite status…she doesn’t have the family power, but Fateball is such a big deal, they might promote her if they think she’s mega-talented—
—Clever girl, Tee-Tee!—
—Life would be so much better if Willow were nearby—
Between Crankshawe and Alexis, I bet they can make it happen. All they needed was an excuse and my clever girl found one.
“Are you excited about tonight’s cadet class?” I ask. Lex told us to start speaking aloud more often; otherwise we’ll draw attention.
“Like, totally,” Theo chirps. She’s adopted a new 'hypno-Valley-girl' persona this week—her way of punishing Donovan for constantly trying to make her break character.
“So like, I literallyhaveto ask Professor Gimble if we can get, like, custom-couture uniforms for the cadet squad. It would be, like, beyond iconic."
She follows this up with a hair toss and eyelash batting, as another group of Elites come and join us on the seats.
“Talking of couture,” Naomi says, “does everyone have their fits for Cosmo and Jordan’s party? And are you dressing as fire or ice?”
An Elite girl behind us overhears and starts harping on about fashions. Theo claps her hands together and gushes at her dress description.
You’d never guess we’ve spent the last few days plotting murder.
A screech cuts through my thoughts, and I can’t help laughing as I watch Cosmo valiantly trying to help Jordan with an air spell similar to the one Willow used. The ball tumbles to the ground, miles from the net.
“This is ridiculous. That Ordinarii girl must have cheated!”
I don’t hold back a snort as Jordan stomps her foot.
Enjoy your Elite status while you can, Jordan. If everything goes to plan, soon you’ll be just like everyone else.
—I got a message from the Unbound this morning…—
—Max! Tell me!—
—They’ve lookouts posted on every route into Ashgrave, and families are prepped and ready to hide their kids if necessary—
