Kaderra Academy ?

After our date, Luke and I were so tired that we crashed almost as soon as our heads hit our pillows. Well—our pillow. Because, despite both of us desperately needing the rest, Luke insisted on squeezing into my bed again. Not that I really minded, but it did get a bit stuffy. And don't even get me started on how much he fidgets.

When I woke up, he was already dressed and ready to go, practically bouncing on the spot as he watched me drag myself out of bed.

"Finally! Hurry up or they'll run out of everything and we'll be stuck with toast again," he whined, arms crossed like some long-suffering parent.

I groaned but got ready as quickly as I could. Not quickly enough for Luke, though. The second I pulled on my shoes, he was yanking me out the door. I barely had time to run a towel through my damp hair—guess I'd just have to hope I wouldn't catch a cold.

Luke, on the other hand, was absolutely buzzing. After all, today wasn't just any day. It was the day the Proelium officially began.

I knew I wasn't the only one feeling confident. Our whole team had been training for this, and we were sure we'd win our first duel—no matter who we were up against. We wouldn't find out our opponent until lunchtime, but that wasn't a problem. We'd beat them, then our opponent for tomorrow would be announced. I could only hope it would be as simple as it sounded.

"Why do you walk so slow? Stop spacing out, Nate!" Luke groaned as he dragged me along like an impatient child on Christmas morning.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," I muttered, though I couldn't help the tiny smile tugging at my lips. His excitement was contagious.

And okay—maybe the tournament wasn't the only thing putting a bounce in my step. Today was also the day we'd finally tell everyone we were officially dating. I know it sounds silly, but somehow, that excited me even more than the Proelium ever could.

God, when did I become so sappy?

***

The morning dragged on at a truly painful pace, but eventually, lunchtime rolled around, and we all made our way to the tournament board.

"Who do you think we'll be up against?" Nilla asked, bouncing excitedly beside us. Even Alec had come to check.

"No idea," he said, but being our resident expert (and the only one of us who'd done this before), he soon began to explain, "There are loads of teams this year, but they usually match you up against someone from your own school first."

Mara hummed in thought, already strategizing in her mind. As our unofficial team leader, it was her job to make sure we were ready for whatever got thrown at us. She'd put us through hell during training but, thanks to that, I knew we were in the right hands.

Alec liked to think he was in charge, being the oldest and most experienced, but even he listened to her every command. Not that it stopped them from arguing constantly.

"Here we go," Luke announced, reaching the board first. He ran a finger down the list, searching for our names. "We're up against... oh. Beast's team."

Mara shoved him aside to see for herself.

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered. "There are dozens of teams, and we get them?"

Before she could start dissecting the logistics of fate, Blake tapped my shoulder and passed me a hastily scribbled note.

"Uh... Blake thinks Beast pulled some strings to get matched against us," I translated. "He wants revenge for before. Public revenge."

All eyes turned to Mara again.