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"Are you Opal Cowan?" he asked His voice cracked midsentence

"Yes Can I help you?"

Sudden resolve hardened his features His hand dipped into his pocket, and the distinctive snick of a switchblade sounded "Yes You can die!"

18

I STEPPED BACK, KEEPING MY HANDS IN SIGHT AS THE student advanced He held the switchblade in front of hi his unfamiliarity with the weapon When he stabbed it toward rabbed his wrist with bothhim off balance Now I had control of his weapon and his ar a point on his wrist, I applied a little pressure He yelped and the switchblade dropped to the ground I pulled his thumb back and he went down on his knees in pain

"Why did you attack ic bloo this attack, I leaned into the power He sent another robust swell before stopping I Talk to roan I couldn’t believe I just quoted Janco

Silence

I increased the tension in his hand "Hard to finish class assignments with a broken thumb Last time Why?"

Pure hatred beamed froal face, which had sneered at hdawned I scooped up his weapon, then pushed Pazia Cloud Mist’s little brother away froround for ato his feet Ah, youth

I stood in a fighting stance, holding the knife close tomy free arm extended in front "Didn’t Captain Marrok teach you not to attack with a weapon until you learned how to fight with it? ’Cause now you’re unarmed and I’m not"

"I don’t care," he said "You ruined , he charged ed past He slid into a bush Once he regained his feet, he wheeled around and rushed I faked a dodge, tricking him to veer left where I clotheslined him He fell onto his back But this ti , he tried to pushoff his air