A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews guys, I really appreciate them! When you're finished reading, let me know who you think has got it worse for the last two days.

I don't own the Kane Chronicles. Darn.

Carter

Yes, as Sadie explained in the last chapter, we're having something that's called a bet war this week. We bet against each other each day, and whoever wins at the end of the week, gets to open Amos's letter. Obviously, we all know who will be the winner. Sadie will be crying at my feet by the time we're done with this week.

[And no, Sadie, I will not quit smiling all "creepy".]

s/s/s/s/s

Today I woke up feeling refreshed and renewed. Talking to Zia today made me feel a little bit better about yesterday.

"So, Carter." Zia was helping me look through library books for spells. Her short black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had her robe sleeves rolled up. I knew from her tone of voice that she was going to ask me about yesterday.

She put down the book she was looking through and turned her attention to me. "Tell me why you wouldn't talk to me after you embarrassed your sister yesterday."

This was what I had feared. You see, Sadie and I made an agreement to tell no one about our bets for the week. After the week was over, I would properly apologize and tell her why I had actually ignored her. For now, I would have to come up with a tiny fib.

"I-I didn't hear you, Zia," I lied.

"Okay." She glanced at me like I was crazy. "I yelled your name once or twice. Are you going deaf?"

"Um yeah, that's it."

"I can perform a spell on your ears," she exclaimed excitedly. "Although I've never tried it yet. It's a new spell I learned the other day. It involves Sphinx breath and dog urine." She rubbed her hands together.

"Second thought, I don't think I'm going deaf," I said quickly. "I guess I just didn't see you or something." I thought about that for a second. "And no, I wasn't going blind either."

Zia sighed and suddenly slammed the books she was looking at down on the table. Her amber eyes glared at me.

"Carter, I know you were ignoring me," she admitted. "But what I want to know is why?" She got really closed to my face, and I found it terrifying since I was about an inch smaller than her.

"Zia, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

A low growl erupted in her throat. "Well, fine! Don't tell me. But you can enjoy searching for magic spells alone until you explain." She rolled down her sleeves and stocked out of the room angrily.

I groaned as I threw my own books down on the table. So much for having a new and refreshed day. I left the library in disgust.

"Hey," Sadie laughed. "Having fun?"

"Yeah," I said. "Lots." She didn't even give me a sympathetic look.

"Okay, so the bets for today." She looked at me seriously. "I know what you are going to do today."

"Please don't let it have anything to do with Zia," I pleaded.

"I bet you couldn't tell everyone you talk to today that you're retarded."

I mean, who even thinks of that? No one did, just my creep of a sister!

"Can I object to it?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Fine," I sneered. "Then I bet you couldn't hug everyone you looked at, even if you just accidently looked at their shoes or something."

"Gods, Carter that really is something a retarded person would make up!" she laughed.

I made a face at her. "So it's on?"

She eyes stared at me viciously. "You know it." Then she shook my hand and skipped off. I think she's the one who's retarded. But I couldn't wait to see her hug someone as embarrassing as Khufu or Walt.

Speaking of Khufu, I saw him jumping in joy to me. In his hands, he had a box of Cheerios. His Lakers jersey was smeared with Cheerio crumbs and baboon drool.

"Agh!" he yelled.

"Hey, Khufu," I greeted. "What's up?"

"Agh!" he screamed again.

"I see." I nodded in understanding, although I had no idea what he was saying. In truth, I had been trying to learn his strange short language and how he could get so much meaning in so little words.

Khufu, who was taking a sudden interest in picking his nose, turned to leave my boring self. [Sadie, I didn't ask you to agree with me.]

" Khufu?" I caught his attention before he fully left his interest in me.

"Agh!"

"I'm retarded."

I knew Sadie wasn't around and I probably didn't have to say it, but I did keep my word. Plus, Sadie could have hidden cameras around this place anyway. Who knew what she did in her spare time? And telling Khufu that I was retarded didn't embarrass me as much as it would to say it to an actual person.

Khufu nodded like he agreed and jumped away, a trail of Cheerio crumbs following his feet.

"Carter, Carter, Carter!" a voice I recognized as Alyssa ran up to me. "Guess what? I found a book for the ingredients of a sleeping potion. It has a lot of earth summoning, so maybe I could help. Perhaps it would be enough to keep Apophis asleep for some time!"

Alyssa, one of our trainees, studied the path of the earth god, Geb. So she was always looking for ways to defeat Apophis with earth-like materials.

"I doubt it, Alyssa," I said sadly. I saw her face fall a little, but we all sort of expected nothing to be effective against the great serpent. "But if we had a huge pot of it, maybe." I saw her spirits lift a bit.

"Okay, I'll look more into it!" She smiled.

I hated to admit it, but there probably weren't many ways to defeat Apophis. We were expecting the sun god, Ra, to heal and get rid of him. But with Apophis rising so fast, we didn't know if that was a possible answer.

"Oh and Alyssa?" I realized to my horror that I had talked to her. The bet was still in play.

"I'm retarded," I mumbled quietly.

"What?" She strained her ears forward to hear me better.

"I'm retarded."

She recoiled in shock and just stood there for a second. Starting with a small giggle, she burst out into laughter.

"Did I just hear what I thought I heard?" She covered her mouth to cover her squeals. I realized my face was turning an awful shade of red.

"Yeah, you heard me right," I told her and made my way to the next class I had to teach. I heard the laughter still ringing loudly in the living room. Talk about major embarrassment.

I entered the Boom Lab and found Sadie pacing the front of the room. (It's called the Boom Lab because Felix, the little nine year old, named it that when he found out we learned to blow up things there.)

"What are you doing?" I asked her. This was the only class we taught together, besides magic combat and defense, and so far she wasn't acting so well.

"I have to look at people to teach, now don't I?" she asked in horror. "I'll be hugging every trainee before we're out today."

"You have it lucky," I shot back. "Try talking to them and having to say you're retarded every time you talk to someone new."

She smiled with that evil glint in her eyes for a second, before pacing the room's length again. Well, I guess I should have been freaking out too, but I was cooler than Sadie. [Sadie, you get to talk about whatever you want to talk about when you narrate, so don't interrupt!]

Soon the trainees filled the lab desks and waited for further instructions.

Sadie, who had her back turned from the students, finally let out an "Aha!" of triumph. Did she find a way out of my bet?

She left the room quickly and came back a few minutes later with a blindfold on.

"Didn't think of this, now did you Carter!" she mocked.

I rolled my eyes and told her she could explain the lesson to the class today.

"No Carter, how about you explain today?" she hinted.

Usually I would be grateful to teach the lesson of the day, since Sadie always got into nonteaching related subjects, but I again told her she could explain it. I was not ready for more humiliation, and Alyssa was still smiling at me like I cracked her up.

"Sadie!" Felix's hand shot up like a rocket. "Why are you wearing a blindfold? Are we really that ugly?"

"Yes, Sadie," I repeated. "Why are you wearing a blindfold? Tell the class."

Knowing she couldn't tell about the bets, she grumped in frustration. "I have an eye problem for today, very serious."

Felix gasped. "Are you okay, Sadie? What happened?"

"We saw you with your eyes perfectly fine before you put on that blindfold," Jaz said wisely. It would be her to know the perfect evidence that Sadie did not have an eye problem. "Besides, how do you know it will only last one day?" Her eyebrows went up. Don't get me wrong, Jaz is very sweet, but when she's on to something, I would put your gun down as fast as you can.

Sadie thought of a comeback, but thinking of none, turned the attention all to me. "Carter will now start the lesson."

"Since I won't be talking to anyone in particular, I guess I will." Thinking quickly, I realized I wouldn't have to tell anyone I was retarded if I was talking to everyone. I hope Sadie overlooked it and accepted it.

Knowing Sadie, she wouldn't. "Okay, Carter, please start. But you are talking, so you have to say it to everyone.

I cringed and started the lesson of how to blow up an animal. Yes, it is evil, but sometimes you might experience an evil lion-dog, and it is not fun.

Felix raised his hand.

"If this question has to do with penguins, put your hand down," I said to the overly obsessed penguin lover.

Felix put his hand down.

We practiced on living mice and didn't do half bad. A few burn marks here and there, but soon every trainee blew up their mouse.

I looked at my watch. One minute until class was over.

"Gather your stuff guys, it's almost time to go," I told them. "One last thing before you guys leave though."

Sadie braced herself for laughter.

"Do I have to?" I whispered hoarsely.

"Yes!"

I turned to the waiting trainees. They all looked serious and worried, except for maybe Alyssa who was already expecting what was to come.

"I'm retarded."

There was a silence of confusion before Alyssa, who already experienced the joke, started to laugh. It was like a domino effect. One started and another one was affected by it and started in too. Soon everyone, including Sadie, was laughing their guts out like they never had before.

The bell rang (Yes, we have a bell.) and they filed out, still full of fits of laughing. I guess my face was pretty red and hot, because Sadie took off her blindfold and came over to pat me on the back.

"That was hilarious," she chided. "Do it again sometime, okay?" Not knowing that someone was still in the classroom, she turned around to find Walt behind her.

"Sadie," he started to say. But before he could finish, Sadie scrambled to put back her blindfold on. She quickly wrapped her arms around Walt and ran out of the room, bumping into things with her eyes blinded.

I guess Walt's expression was so priceless right then and there; I called it even between us for that day.