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"Elio?"

Elio started to stand "I a ht

Kip slugged the boy in the face, knocking hi the breath out of hi his arm in a wristlock He sat on the boy

Abruptly, Kip was cold, in control

Elio said, "I’ to ret the day you were born" Apparently he’d recovered froo ofto throw Kip off, but Kip hting He kneristlocks well, though it had always been frorind Kip’s face in the ground, make him cry, furious, hus for his aet up

The bully didn’t stop: "I’ to kill you, you fat little bastard You can’t holdto have to watch your back I’ll be there I’ll be waiting for you, and you won’t get off with a sucker punch next tier There was no winning here He was in a position of power, so he’d look the bad guy if he used it to his advantage The norive Elio an ulti similarly stupid Elio would refuse, and Kip would be stuck If Kip let hiet up, Elio would come back tomorrow--and he probably would beat the snot out of Kip If Kip tortured Elio by grinding his are, but many of the boys wouldn’t know that, and even if Elio submitted, Kip would look like a cruel bastard to everyone in the barracks Or worse, someone would interfere before Elio sub, Kip said, "Elio, I her than you, I’o further than you dare"

"Save it, shit-eater," Elio said, sensing weakness in Kip’s hesitation "O! Start begging now, you little bitch"

Kip was suddenly so tired of it all What had Ironfist said: ‘The winning is just the beginning’?

"Elio, I was going to give you oneto take anything back You’re too daao to the infir Elio’s wrist in the wristlock, Kip brought his left forearht behind it

Elio’s arasped A bit of bloody bone speared through the skin Elio screauessed the boy would sound like at all

Kip got off As forty boys watched, wide-eyed, Elio crawled away, bleeding, weeping He stood and lurched out of the barracks, cradling his broken arm None of the boys helped him No one in authority ever came

As Elio careened out of the door, Kip saw that his Blackguard--the sliainst the wall He’d watched everything, no doubt ready to er Other than that, he wouldn’t interfere He just watched, eyes glittering, face blank

With feigned nonchalance, Kip lay back down in his bed and pretended to go back to sleep instantly Just leave me alone He turned his back toward the boys hispering to each other, a They’d all seen it

Kip’s sleep was a lie Eventually the boys snuffed their candles In the darkness, Kip relived the battle at Garriston