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feeling defeated.
    “No one has ever tried to stand up to Calum, much less give him a challenge.  Girl, I mean.  You hold your own like a boy, but…” she looked me up and down, “…but you’re no boy.”  She had the grace to offer me an apologetic giggle at least.  
    Compared to this all muscle and brawn kind of girl, I appeared weak.
    “I’m Maze.  Short for Mazzelle.  Horrible, huh?”
    I did want to make at least one friend even if it wouldn't last long. I didn't have many.  I stuck my hand out and offered the visible truth even if I hid my capabilities, “Stace.  And compared to you, I ’m sure I’m the weakling.”
    “Hardly.  You ’re amazing.  Where did you learn to throw knives like that?  And you’re arrows.  Wow!” Maze marveled at my skills.  It helped, a little.
    “My father.”
    “You’re dad must be some teacher.  Can he come here?  We need him something bad.”
    I smiled now, feeling better.
    Maze smiled back, “Why don’t you sit with me at lunch?  I’d love the pointers.”
    I could afford the help.  “Looks like I need the pointers with swords and Hunter boys.”
    “No way!  I’d have done the same if I’d known it would land me lying on top of tall, dark and Calum.”  She was smiling with a dreamy look. 
    “I didn ’t do it on purpose,” I snipped.  That made me a little mad to think everyone thought I might have done it just because of Mr. Dimples.
    “No way!  No one thought that.  Just, it ended how every girl in the room would have wanted it too.  No girl has ever fought him.  You ’re the first.”
    What? “Seriously.  Then why did he do that?”
    “I have NO idea.”  She was looking at my blonde hair and rather small build.  “But I think he noticed you for sure.  And everyone knows it.  Lord knows no one else has caught his eye.”
    No one.  Why?  Oh, great!   So much for being able to sneak around.  I was no longer invisible because of my pride of standing up to a boy.  Hyde boy that is.  This Calum would ruin it all.  And what’s with the fact that he looks different than any other Hunter in the place.  I didn’t see this at first, but now that I pin it into a category, he is more like an unrealistic Greek statue gorgeous. 
    “Come on.  Let ’s get back in there and get our things.  All the nasty goulash will be gone and you’ll be sorry.”
    That sounded appealing.  “That doesn ’t sound like I’d like to hurry to lunch.”
    “It will if you ’re stuck with the meatloaf.  And after that fight, you’ll need the protein.”
    She didn ’t understand how my body worked.  I didn’t need that much protein.  I needed only the will to do what I needed done.  Protein wasn’t in my diet, nor much of any other food much.  Except Italian.  Pasta was my lifeline sometimes.  I needed sugar and enough food to fuel my body equating to about one meal a day.  Food for pleasure mostly, and a reason for the fight.  That’s it! 
    But d on’t get me wrong, I believe completely in the idea of fighting only when one has too.
    I walked with Maze back into the gym only to have the entire echo filled room erupt into applause when I came around from behind her.  I ’ve attracted way too much attention. Shouts like when I’d thrown the knives reverberated throughout the gym once more.  I bent to get my books.  I stood back up freezing instantly when I knew someone was standing too close.  Somehow, recognizing the kind of fear and who it belonged to even before I saw the source made my own fear swell.  This stand in the shade and watch me squirm boy was so close I had to take a step back.
    “You are nothing like they said.”   He threw me a look of pure disdain with a touch of confusion mixed in his words. 
    I didn’t change my face to acknowledge his comment. Not that I knew how to react to the statement.  I eventually said, “I wouldn’t be so fast to trust others opinions.  Perhaps you should be more