Elizabeth sat by herself in the refectory, viciously glaring at Thomas and his new friend Joshua as they sat and ate, laughing.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoApsJz6xOt
It didn’t make any sense!257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATHWs0aFnS
Thomas must have cheated somehow or there must have been something wrong with her sword. Why hadn’t her light gone off when she hit him? The two hits that he scored should have been doubles or points for her. It didn’t make sense for her to lose. At the very least, it should have been a draw. Joshua spotted her continuous scowl and whispered something to Thomas who turned around and gave her a mocking grin. Elizabeth wished she could slap it off his face. Her view of Thomas was then blocked as another woman sat opposite her.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCQ08je8Vc
“You find him annoying too?” the woman asked, dipping her spoon into her soup.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKZzta4hkv
As soon as she said those words, Elizabeth knew she liked this girl. “I just don’t think he should be here. I think he cheated”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPC2wXHaih
“Oh?” the girl asked.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfuYtlyOt7
“I looked at the national club records and even FIE registrations. His name doesn’t even appear on either. The first time I saw him was at the Invitational”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SaHxR2SOP
“I think you’re right. I watched his duel. His technique is all over the place, incorrect en garde, overextension on the lunge. How did he even get in?”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3ICwWZutg
Elizabeth had the same thoughts ever since she laid eye on him during a duel. This woman, whomever she was could prove a useful ally in her fight to get rid of Thomas. It was at this point that Elizabeth decided to introduce herself.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8qtlA0ksx
“I’m Elizabeth Kent by the way” Elizabeth offered her hand, smiling while emphasizing her last name.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyX7400dL0u
“Elizabeth Kent, as in daughter of Leslie Kent, the former UK Women’s Foil and Epee champion?” the girl asked in astonishment.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1Fiqp0OpO
Her ego boosted, she grinned and replied “Yep and you are?”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKjtXwdGJb
“Alice Kwon, Macau Siver Medalist”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJM0zf9dxyz
“I won the Hong Kong gold” Elizabeth replied, playing the game of oneupmanship.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkx3Ksab3Ol
“By the way, do you know you’re with?”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqRJbweoLA
“What do you mean?”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtN1FR9W9Pt
“The dormitory assignments have just been posted”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumVcfLtX97
Rushing to the giant board posted on the wall, Elizabeth scanned through the list of names.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UTIA3Kevl
What she saw next made her blood boil - the dorms were arranged according to province and that meant he was with Thomas. Then a malicious thought slipped into her mind.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5zeOlaeX8
If I can prove he’s cheating or doping or lacks any skill, he’ll be out of here in a heartbeat.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsnYMJwAhR
Allowing the cruel grin to spread across her face, she turned around to face Alice.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFQefWq3Lv
“I’m going to get him kicked”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRBpKzLpsM
“Elizabeth! Thomas!” Louis screamed. His French accent was starting to get on her nerves. It had been nice at first, a reminder of true fencing lineage as the French were known for being expert duelists but he had shown his lack of class by yelling at her in front of her peers. Not that she cared what they thought - queens didn’t care what peasants thought and she was better than all of her classmates.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ8xfCGG90
“Thomas, it’s clear from today’s display that you need additional training. Your skills are unquestionable but unrefined.” Thomas nodded at Louis’s words before Louis turned towards her “Elizabeth, from your actions today, I have decided that you need to learn a little discipline. Until I say otherwise, you will supervise him during his training sessions and report back to me about whether he is doing his scheduled exercises”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrEiQOCPyu
A look or utmost horror etched itself across Thomas’s features and Elizabeth allowed herself a predatory grin. She would make his training hell. Maybe then he would throw in the towel and show the world how pathetic he was and that he didn’t deserve to be here.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1AONntQ3K
Elizabeth’s eyes shot open at the sound of hammering on the wall. She reached for her phone, arm shivering under the cold and what she saw turned her annoyance into anger. For heaven’s sake, it was 7 AM! On a Saturday! Bouncing out of bed with fury in her head, Elizabeth flung open the door with enough force to make it ricochet loudly off the wall. Glancing around the hallway, she noticed the lights in Thomas’s room were on. Furiously pounding on the door and impatiently waiting for it to open, she pulled her arm back to sucker punch him in… his mask. Elizabeth immediately recoiled from the pain, moving back and gasping and wincing in agony. Under the mask, Elizabeth swore that she saw Thomas letting a victorious grin. Grasping her hand as Thomas casually walked away and returned to his previous action, she caught a glimpse of what was producing the hammering - he was lunging at a lunging pad and judging by the curvature of his blade, he had no idea that he was too close and that was making that horrible drum-like rhythm.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBGfMobVl2
“Hey idiot, do you know what time it is?” Elizabeth asked, still clutching her wrist.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrMbAO5t4A
Thomas didn’t even glance at her but continued lunging into the wall “7 AM”.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhFIYSCQEz
“Some of us need sleep. By the way idiot, you’d be less loud if you used proper technique”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1p1wrLGPds
Thomas turned around to face her, pulling off her mask and giving her a questioning look.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcu2SGWdUM2
“You are standing too close to the target. Your blade shouldn’t bend like that. Your blade should only bend a little bit, if at all. You only need the button to go off”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wBwVQyyuh
“Thanks for the advice” His words sounded genuine. Elizabeth’s only reply came in the form of a wince as a bolt of pain shot up her arm. “Let me get you some ice for that, as thanks” as he disappeared into the kitchen. “I didn’t give you coaching for your benefit, I just want to be able to sleep!” she called after him. She heard him chuckling lightly. 257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0C3mFeYRh
As Thomas rummaged around the refrigerator, Elizabeth took a look around his room. There was nothing to describe about it. In fact, the only interesting part was how bland it was. No photographs of loved ones, of course, Thomas probably was unlovable anyway, no awards, probably because he hadn’t earned any and there was no decoration. In fact, everything in the room was practical and nothing was decorative. There was a lunging pad on the wall, a cheap smartphone on the table and a cheap laptop. Both the smartphone or the laptop had generic backgrounds. He was probably poor and a charity case if he wasn’t a cheat.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyT4IKWHdIw
“Are you done going through my stuff?”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbGx8Qe5FZ
Elizabeth nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden noise. Whirling around to face Thomas, she fell off her feet, almost banging her head against the wall… only for Thomas to lunge forward with surprising speed and cradle her.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7MoNqfaNO
That’s when she caught a whiff of it. His scent. He had a deep spicy and woody aroma that smelt strange, but at the same time, good.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8yynuOyUf
“Umm, Elizabeth?”257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsYeWoXfZo
“Thanks for the ice” Elizabeth replied awkwardly, snatching the cool bag of ice as she scurried back into her room.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiRkx96wbD
