“Halt!” Liu says, and Brendan stops just before he collides with me. As the sparring at the ropes subsides, a few frustrated groans escape the fighters’ lips. Did Liu stop the challenge because I ran? I look from Brendan to the professor. I doubt Liu is going to let it pass without broadcasting my fear in detail to the whole class. And after the confrontations I’ve already had with Brendan, this might be one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I can almost feel myself shrinking.

“November is the winner.”

Hold on, what? My head whips toward Professor Liu so fast, I’m lucky I don’t wrench my neck. I open my mouth but quickly shut it again before an admission of complete confusion comes tumbling out.

Brendan looks at me like I just solidified my role as competition, and I get the sense that the last place I ever want to be is between Brendan and his glory. I would back up another step, but the table and the wall make that impossible.

“Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west—from the Thirty-Six Stratagems,” Liu says. “We will be studying them closely over the next few months. These psychological tactics aren’t new. In fact, they were compiled somewhere around 500 BCE. What is interesting here is that you all are still falling for the same tricks people used twenty-five hundred years ago. People don’t change, the props around them do.” She smiles an amused smile. “I spoke so much about the flag that the only thing you focused on was how to beat each other, not on what I was actually saying. Think about it: I never said you needed to capture the flag to win. I said you needed to touch the table. However, I must admit that I’m shocked that only two of you were truly listening.”

I want to laugh at my pure dumb luck, except it’s not funny. Had I actually participated the way I intended to, and the way most of the students had, I would be knocked unconscious right now.

“And I’ll hand it to you, November,” continues the professor. “You acted naïve, and the way you protested about getting an advantage was brilliant. You demonstrated tactics in keeping with this class’s lessons. I look forward to seeing what else you’ll contribute.”

The other students’ frustrated expressions intensify, and I’m now getting openly nasty looks. I wish I could crawl under the table and pretend this never happened.

I try to catch Layla’s eye to see if she’s okay. But she won’t look in my direction. Brendan does, though, and he winks at me. But it’s not a friendly, flirty wink. He’s throwing down a gauntlet—he’s powerful, he’s smart, and he’s after me.

Chapter Fourteen