richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02

"Go ahead," he said. "Try to hit me.”
I didn't need to be told twice. Lunging forward, I tried to land a blow and was promptly blocked
and knocked down onto the mat. Pain surged through my body, but I refused to give in to it. I
jumped up again, hoping to catch him off guard. I didn't.
After several more failed attempts, I stood up and held out my hands in a gesture of truce.
"Okay, what am I doing wrong?”
"Nothing.”
I wasn't as convinced. "If I wasn't doing anything wrong, I'd have rendered you unconscious by
now.”
"Unlikely. Your moves are all correct, but this is the first time you've really tried. I've done it
for years.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes at his older-and-wiser manner. He'd once told me he was
twenty-four. "Whatever you say, Grandpa. Can we try it again?”
"We're out of time. Don't you want to get ready?”
I looked at the dusty clock on the wall and perked up. Almost time for the banquet. The thought
made me giddy I felt like Cinderella, but without the clothes.
"Hell, yeah, I do.”
He walked off ahead of me. Studying him carefully, I realized I couldn't let the opportunity go
by. I leapt at his back, positioning myself exactly the way he'd taught me. I had the element of
surprise. Everything was perfect, and he wouldn't even see me coming.
Before I could make contact, he spun around at a ridiculously high speed. In one deft motion,
he grabbed me like I weighed nothing and threw me to the ground, pinning me there.
I groaned. "I didn't do anything wrong!”