Maybe it was just the aura of a future Seligo? He had the kind of perfection that could make any girl stare a little. Even though I doubted his motives, I didn’t hate the adrenaline surging through my system. This might actually be fun.

Who’d have thought?

The timer sounded and targets of random shapes and sizes materialized on the field, each showing a point value. I started firing, looking ahead through time to spot the next ones a split-second before they appeared.

Altair’s shots went off in an even rhythm and every one hit where he aimed. Even with my advantage, his score was close to mine—so close, I couldn’t spare more than a glance at the scoreboard.

Sweat dripped down the back of my neck.

I shot too soon, misjudging the timing between the future and actual mark as the targets spat out faster and faster. Not gonna cut it.

Moving for a better position brought me closer to Altair.

Big mistake.

As the distance closed between us, a wave of timeghosts choked my peripheral vision. More soldiers in the Altair army—shouting, whispering, and weaving in and out of my vision. Now I had to find the targets through layers of ghostly bodies and press through their ticklish blue-white edges.

I shot a teenaged Altair through the forehead to get to the target behind. That definitely deserved extra points if anyone could see what I saw.

A five-thousand-point target popped up high above, but I didn’t get enough warning and Altair dusted it before I could pull my trigger. The score chirped as his points rolled up.

His coming here was bad enough. Now he was trying to run the table on my home field?

No way.

I focused so hard on the present that my forehead pinched. Altair Orpheus was not going to beat me at my own game. I hit the juiciest targets I could find with my one-second warning, but he mopped up everything I missed or couldn’t hit.

And he kept pace.

When the buzzer finally sounded, my gaze darted to the scoreboard.

One thousand points. He’d beaten me by a thousand freaking points.

So much for seeing the future.

The winners and losers cried out in the gallery and I squatted down to catch my breath. My hair fell over my face in a sweaty tangle, hiding my face, but not my disappointment.

I hated losing, especially at the one thing I should win every time. Without the ghosts, I could’ve crushed him, but his being here made their interference so much worse.

“Are you okay?” Altair asked. “Your pulse is still high.”

He sounded sincerely concerned, but he was the last person I wanted to hear it from. “Fine.” I shambled over to the wall to lean while the stitch in my side worked itself out.

Altair followed.