Page 68 of The Tribes of Magic
I sighed. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
I jogged up to the red Knight and asked him out. It went even worse than the last time. This Knight did laugh, and it wasn’t just a little.
Kato and I spent the next hour on the Hex. He had me ask out every guy who passed by. Even though I didn’t know most of the Knights and didn’tlikeany of them, the rejections burned. And so did my cheeks. I’d thought I had a deep, personal understanding of rejection before, but I was wrong. So very wrong.
This was the most humiliating day of my life.
“No. This isn’t working,” I said.
Kato already had my next target picked out: a Watcher this time—oh, joy—but I was having none of that.
“It can work, Seven. You just need to have conviction when you cast a spell.”
“I’m trying.”
“Ok, let’s try something a little different.” He set his hands on my shoulders, turning me toward him. Then he dropped his arms to his sides. “I want you to try the spell on me.”
“On you?”
“Yes, on me. I think this isn’t working because you’re so embarrassed, your magic is stuck.”
“And you think askingyouout to the Ball is less embarrassing?”
“Of course. I’m your friend.”
Actually, asking Kato out was evenmoreembarrassing than asking out a total stranger. Way more embarrassing. But I couldn’t tell him that. So I played along.
“Kato.”
“Yes?”
“You know how the Masquerade Ball is coming up soon? And all the Knights will be there. I mean, of course all the Knights will be there. Knights don’t just wear helmets. Knights wear masks!”
He chuckled. “You’re babbling.”
I met his blue-diamond stare, and suddenly I forgot what I was supposed to say.
“You were talking about the Ball.”
“Right. The Ball. So you’ll be there.”
“Yes.”
“And I’ll be there.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t continue.
“Savannah?”
“Sorry, I was just…”
“Practicing magic,” he reminded me.
“No. I mean, I was…but then I remembered something the General said the other day. He accused me of bewitching you. He said that’s the only reason you awarded me all those points. He said it’s the only reason we’re…friends.”
“That is ridiculous.”
