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The Draug snarled and inched forward She grabbed my shoulder and shrieked, "Throw them You have to throw theina to the monsters and was startled when she reached around ertips and whipped the injured, they were even more riled

"Don’t you touch my stars Ever" I had no choice I had to throw the other two A quick thunk-thunk, and the stars struck flesh--the neck of one of the older Draug and the chest of the younger They swatted my shuriken away like they were mosquitoes

We couldn’t run, but I needed rooina’s wrist to hold her close as I edged us away The only thing keeping away the Draug was e Not scared Not scared Not scared I repeated the words in ina’s arm "What’s your weapon?"

"My weapon?" Her other hand foundinto my biceps I doubted she’d really even heard me

"Listen Do you have your weapon?" I prayed it was so I could use, unlike the flute that’d been given to Mei-Ling, my roommate of last semester

"My weapon?"

"You know Your weapon" Jesus This girl How had she survived her first day? "You did get a weapon, right?" The Draug shifted fro us in I let go of her wrist and shoved it away "Whatever it is, get it"

"Weapon" She dug frantically through her pack "Weapon, weapon"

"Not to stress you out or anything," I whispered tersely, "because, please stay cal day now"

"Got it" She pulled her hand out and shoved it towardwhat looked like some sort of esoteric kids’ toy

I peered closer Tooden handles with a cord strung between thearrote?"

She nodded, and the hopefulness in her eyes killed arrote was a weapon of elegance and subtlety thattheir quarry silently and at close range "What the hell are we supposed to do with this?"

She unwound the wire, her hands shaking "It’s used to choke--"

"I knohat it’s for" Ih "Not for these guys"

"Why not?"

I ignored her There was no ti scared, and that was a very bad thing to do with Draug around

"Ah," I chirped as lass bottle with a colorful Irn-Bru label "Iron brew?" It was the toxic orange soda they served in the dining hall "You drink this?"

The moment I’d taken to ask such a stupid question was one ed The young Draug lunged I acted instantly, instinctively s Just a dull clonking sound…The bottle didn’t break and the Draug didn’t blink

All three of the ain, and I slass still didn’t break

"Daina I wanted to protect her, but she was also a liability She was sain,into ainst?"

They were about to attack But I didn’t tell her that

She pressed closer, and as she did, I felt ," I said "In ainst et?"

"So to my key chain "That My keys"

There were just two keys on , one for the dorm front door--which was never locked anyway--and the other forshafts Taking the soda bottle in ers so they poked out like spikes fro aboutsnapped Like a pack of rabid wolves, they lunged on us at once One of the older, grizzled ones was the first in ht, and as he pounced toward round between the tendons of ive as the keys punctured his heart I flung hi in hter, but the noise cah fro two creatures As the pale, bloated one came at me, he did an aard amble over the body of his fallen buddy, and I used the half second to strike ainst the neck of the bottle, and hairline cracks appeared in the glass I hoped it’d be enough I sla on the temple as he lurched at me It dazed him for only a moment, but the neck of the bottle finally snapped off I ilass

I knelt, scooped up one of , but stopped short, needing aA pencil stuck out of his chest--Curly had already dealt with hiaveher in a new light I realized she was treet out of here"