Page 79 of The Wild Zone

I Bond with Clarisse by Trying to Kill Her

My last lesson of the day was polearms with the rest of the Ares cabin.

I wasn’t anxious to hang out with my cabinmates, but since I’d been bouncing around on my own all day, I figured I should at least make an effort. Campers weren’t required to do all activities with their cabins. Still, the more I did my own thing, the more dirty looks I got from the other Ares kids.

Unfortunately, they’d all known one another for a while. They were quick to pair off for sparring practice, which left me with Clarisse as my partner. I just hoped my scythe lessons with Nyssa would give me a chance.

I smiled politely at Clarisse as we assumed our starting positions. She regarded me with indifference.

I saluted her by resting the base of the scythe on the ground in front of me. She curled her lip and dragged the butt of her spear across the dirt.

“What’s your problem?” I asked.

“You.” She whirled her spear around and charged. I sidestepped, caught her strike with the crook of my scythe, then pushed the tip of her spear into the dirt. She twisted her hips, arms straight, and swept my scythe aside. Then she came at me with a push kick.

I retreated, almost losing my balance before thrusting the pole of my scythe backward and planting it behind me like a third leg. I pushed off and lunged forward with it, jabbing at Clarisse’s face, but she raised her spear and locked our weapons together.

“I’m sorry I’m in your cabin,” I said while we struggled for control, “but I can’t help who my father is. Honestly, I don’t even want to be here.”

“I don’t care that you’re here,” Clarisse said through gritted teeth. “I care that you cost us the baton race and made us look like fools. You’re going to pay for that!”

She disengaged, causing me to stumble forward. Instinctively, I somersaulted across the dirt as she stabbed the air where I’d just been.

I got to my feet, positioning myself for another attack. “You all looked like fools way before I got here. And finding Grant was more important than your stupid…race!”

On the last word, I swung my scythe at perfect head-severing height and speed, but Clarisse made no move to stop me. I balked, not wanting to decapitate my counselor. The moment I faltered, Clarisse seized the opportunity. She lunged forward, stepping inside my guard, and shoved me backward onto my rear.

“You’re holding back, Katie,” she said. “That’ll get you killed.”

I blinked the red spots out of my eyes. For a moment, I was back in my own yard, splayed out on the ground while Olivia stood over me with her foil. Then I was back in the forest, the hooded man lashing at me with his chain as he said the same thing: You’re holding back.

I growled and clambered to my feet. I charged at Olivia—er, Clarisse, swinging the scythe in an upward motion to hook it around the shaft of her spear. When Clarisse retreated, I swept her legs out from under her, knocking her on her backside.

She grinned wolfishly, wiping the dust off her chin. I was vaguely aware of the other Ares kids fanning out around us to watch, their own duels forgotten.

“Not bad,” Clarisse admitted. “You aren’t using that weapon the right way for combat, though.”

I flicked the scythe blade forward, locking it parallel to the shaft, the way Nyssa had showed me. For half a second, a look of surprise flashed across Clarisse’s face.

“Get up,” I growled. “I’ll show you what I can do.”

The corner of Clarisse’s mouth curved upward. “Let’s do this.”

In one fluid motion, she rolled to her knees and swept her spear sideways, trying to catch my legs. I leaped over her weapon, spun, and brought my scythe down, the tip of the blade at her neck. If she hadn’t rolled out of the way, I would’ve sliced right across her throat.

She laughed with delight. “Now we’re talking!”

She stabbed upward with her spear.

I sucked in my stomach and leaped back. Then I swung my scythe again. She somersaulted backward and righted herself, but it was clear that I had the advantage. Fully extended, the combat scythe had a longer reach. I was actually winning.

She hurled her spear at my midsection—a desperate move that left her empty-handed.

I knocked the spear out of the air and advanced, my scythe leveled at Clarisse’s chest. In a low voice I said, “I’m going back to you-know-where tonight. With friends. We’re going to figure out what happened to you-know-who.”

I jabbed at her sternum, no holding back this time, but Clarisse managed to twist to one side, grabbing the shaft of my scythe and grappling with me for control.

“Why…tell…me?” she asked between grunts.