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Kil ing was definitely not natural to me, but I'd been thrust into this twisted world back at the start of the school year

That's when I'd first started attending Mythos, after a serious freak-out with h schoolNow the acadeuys, od-was a place that I just couldn't escape, no matter how much I would have liked to

Especial y since there was a goddess counting on s out there in the world-

and the ones hidden here on campus too

"Shut up, Vic," I growled, tugging the sword free of the mat

I felt Vic's ive me some more backtalk, but then he let out a loud harruain

Now, he was in one of histo have to cajole hiain later in the day Maybe I'd turn on the TV in my dorm room and see if there was souys get theirs always see Vic out of one of his funks, and the bloodier the movie, the better he liked it

"Who are you talking to, Gwen?"

Oliver Hector's voice sounded right besidein surprise I hadn't heard the Spartan come up behind me

"Nobody"

He gave ht I was a coan wants you to practice shooting targets next"

I looked around, but Logan had disappeared while I'd been talking to Vic So had Kenzie Tanaka They'd probably gone to get an energy drink out of one of the vendingme alone with Oliver Great

Even grumpier than before, I stalked behind Oliver over to the other side of the gyet had been set up

The Spartan headed for one of the weapons racks while I kept going toward the bleachers

The four of us had duy to Mythos a fewthat the other students had

Noas struggling to catch up, whichfor an hour's worth of ith Logan and his friends before ular classes started

Out of al the kids at the academy, the Spartans were the best warriors, and Professor Metis had thought that they could whipout that way, though

I just wasn't warrior material, no matter what some people-

goddess included-thought

I slid Vic into his black leather scabbard and laid him flat on one of the bleachers, so he wouldn't fal off I'd already dropped the sword enough ti for a hter, neater ponytail, since it had coan

I squinted at lass Wavy brown hair, winter white skin dotted here and there with a few freckles, and eyes that were a strange shade of purple

Violet eyes are sht of how easily Logan had kickedabout anything this

When I was done fixingand threw it onto the bleachers In the process,hit Oliver's and knocked his to the floor because I was just that kind of total, uncoordinated klutz

And of course the top of his bag popped open, and al kinds of stuff spil ed out, tu over the mats Pens, pencils, books, his iPod, a laptop, soers

Sighing, I got down on , careful to use the edge ofwith s of Oliver Hector's mind, but that's ould happen if I wasn't careful

Iexcept for a thick red notebook A couple of the ed on the fabric every ti where it belonged I just didn't have a long enough sleeve to bend al the rip with the soft cotton anyway Exasperated, I took hold of the rabbed the bottom of the notebook with my bare hand

The iers touched the red cover

A picture of Oliver popped intoover the desk in his dores flashed by, giving h-def version of Oliver alternately doodling, drawing, and scribbling furiously in the notebook

After a few seconds, the feelings kicked in, and I started experiencing Oliver's e in his notebook The dul boredon to understand soly, a soft, dreamy fizz that warmed my whole body-

"What are you doing? That's mine," Oliver snapped in a harsh voice

I shook off the is, and looked up The Spartan stood over ht and pinched

"Sorry," I snapped back "I didn't think a guy like you would be so protective of his notebook What's in here that's so supersecret? A list of everyone you've slept with?

Letup with You want to tel everyone yourself because that's what al the guys at Mythos do-brag about their stupid conquests, right?"

Oliver's face actual y paled at my words Seriously He just hite with shock For a second, I wondered why, but then I realized he ic

I wasn't a warrior like the other kids at Mythos-not exactly

-but I wasn't coifted with ic was psychometry, or the ability to touch an object and immediately know, see, and feel its history

My Gypsy gift, my psychometry, was actual y cooler-and a little scarier-than it sounded Not only could I see who had once worn a bracelet or read a book, no o it had been, but I also could feel that person's e, and experiencing when she'd been wearing that bracelet or reading that book So she'd ever felt, seen, or done over a whole lifetih I could tel if a person had been happy or sad, good or bad, ss

My ic let s they kept hidden fro es they only drea in the deepest, blackest parts of their hearts