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"Oh yeah?" I retorted. "Huh. Well, I guess this is a good time to think about me naked, then.”
"It's always a good a time to think about you naked," added someone nearby, breaking the
tension further. Eddie Castile. Another friend of mine.
Dimitri shook his head and walked off, muttering something in Russian that didn't sound
complimentary. But as for me…well, just like that, I was one of the novices again. They were
an easygoing bunch, less focused on pedigree and politics than the Moroi students.
The class engulfed me, and I found myself laughing and seeing those I'd nearly forgotten about.
Everyone wanted to know where we'd been; apparently Lissa and I had become legends. I
couldn't tell them why we'd left, of course, so I offered up a lot of taunts and wouldn't-you-liketo-knows
that served just as well.
The happy reunion lasted a few more minutes before the adult guardian who oversaw the
training came over and scolded Mason for neglecting his duties. Still grinning, he barked out
orders to everyone, explaining what exercises to start with. Uneasily I realized I didn't know
most of them.
"Come on, Hathaway," he said, taking my arm. "You can be my partner. Let's see what you've
been doing all this time.”
An hour later, he had his answer.
"Not practicing, huh?”
"Ow," I groaned, momentarily incapable of normal speech.
He extended a hand and helped me up from the mat he'd knocked me down on—about fifty
times.
"I hate you," I told him, rubbing a spot on my thigh that was going to have a wicked bruise
tomorrow.
"You'd hate me more if I held back.”
"Yeah, that's true," I agreed, staggering along as the class put the equipment back.