Disclaimer: I didn't write Gallagher Girls, if I had Zach would be in love with a girl called Laura not one called Cammie. Everything that's in the books belongs to Ally Carter. All I own are my original characters and the plot.
A/N: So I'm hoping to get another chapter up later this week but if I don't I won't actually be able to post anything until at least July 13 as I'm going on a trip to Europe (YAY!) Just know I haven't abandoned the story I just don't have time nor internet to post anything. Also, major thanks to everyone who's reviewed this story particularly angel4eva-15 who has reviewed both my previous chapters. I'm offering free virtual unicorns to anyone who reviews this chapter! So, yeah, please read and review!
Well that had turned out to be a relatively pointless exercise. He'd already taken out our bugs. And he'd guessed I'd be behind it. Damn this guy was starting to annoy me. Even though we hadn't confirmed it like I'd hoped, I was sure he was going to be the boy's king. While we had the advantage of having lived in this mansion for years, knowing many—no-one would ever know them all—of its secrets, there was no doubt in my mind that in the weeks before they'd arrived here they would've been studying floor plans . He was going to be somewhere safe, and probably high up. And I was going to be the only one who could take him out.
"So what's the plan sis?" Hazel asked me recognizing the scheming look in my eye.
"I think I know where he'll be." I said flicking through a floor plan of the mansion in my head. "How do you feel about a little trickery?"
Walking through this particular passage way was never a pleasant task but this time I was so focused on keeping up with the deaths from both teams through the comms that the spider webs and dank smell of mildew barely registered with me.
Both teams only have fifteen players as that's how many were in out classes. This meant there were only a few pawns. Pawns were also always the first to be targeted and while we had stuck Em one of our worst fighters as a pawn all the others were some of our best fighters. Challenging a pawn thinking they would be easy to take was the worst move they could make; after all, it was underestimating a Gallagher Girl. And the reports coming through my comms were saying this was exactly what they'd done.
Gallagher had taken nine of their pieces already and it was only ten minutes in. The number we had taken shocked me but they had taken seven of ours and by the sounds Alicia was making were about to take an eighth. Hazel and I were obviously still in it as was Steph. Em was long gone and Alicia was on her way to joining the deceased amongst us.
I was sure I knew where he was but I couldn't end the game unless I knew we had a lead on them. The game ended when one of the kings was taken out. If the king was smart they didn't accept any challenges unless it was from the other king, in which case they couldn't decline. No-one had seen nor taken Blackthornes king yet. Seth however, who had comically been made queen had been taken out by Angela, one of our best fighters who was a pawn and was now supposedly moping around petulantly.
I knew what I had to do however. So I kept pushing through the cobwebs.
There was only a small crack between the stone door and the actual wall but it was enough to see through. This was a room that was clearly marked on all the floor plans of the school. It was one of the towers in the mansion and the highest point in the school. It only had one exit that was obvious. And my entry obviously. There was one set of stairs that wound up to the room meaning you could hear whoever was coming. If you knew of the passageway I'd used this was great as you could escape. If not, well, at least you had a good heads up.
As I stood in the tunnel in the wall peering out through the crack I could see a hooded figure all in black. And while I wasn't sure I had a good feeling this was him, the pretentious jerk was going to get what was coming to him.
The footsteps of someone coming up the stairs were echoing up and I watched as his back stiffened.
Hazel stepped into the room dressed in the exact same clothing as me. From a distance anyone would think she was me. That was until they saw the eyes. Hers were a deep, dark blue you could possibly drown in. Mine on the other hand were such a pale blue it was startling and often referred to as grey.
This was all part of the plan. I'd been careful when explaining the rules. What we were planning wasn't cheating, it was strategic. He was no doubt going to challenge Hazel thinking she was me and therefore king, or he was going to accept her challenge thinking she was me and therefore king. Either way, they were going to spar. Then, I would come out of my hiding place and challenge him. Technically he couldn't reject my challenge and there was no rule saying he couldn't take us both on at the same time. Being twins meant Hazel and I had a uncanny sense of where the other was and what they were going to do next. This meant when we teamed up we were practically invincible. He was screwed.
Only, instead of challenging him Hazel ran up to him, threw her arms around his neck and started kissing him passionately. What. The. Hell.
And then his hood fell back. The hair wasn't brown but blonde. It was Seth.
I'd like to say I kept my calm. But, well, while Hazel has the red hair, I'm the one with a temper. I swore under my breathe and kicked the wall then swearing again, louder this time, as a jolt of pain rippled up my leg.
"You should wash that mouth of yours out with soap, it's filthy." A playful and condescending voice said out of the shadows. Stepping into the slither of light sneaking through the crack in the wall I'd been peering through, I could see this was the boy I'd thought Seth was. "I feel like I should've brought some popcorn with me if we're going to be watching a rom-com together." He said nodding to where Hazel and Seth were still making-out passionately.
I'm speechless for a minute wondering how everything could've become so screwed up. It wasn't really much of a mystery actually. We'd underestimated them. Then I regained my talent for sarcasm and satirical wit and once again all was right with the world.
"As much fun as it is to keep referring to you as Pretentious Condescending Dickhead I think it would be easier if you just told me your name. Then I can start coming up with more suitable nicknames. You know, ones that are alliterations or rhyme." I said.
"How about we make a bargain Wallaby? If you beat me when we spar I'll tell you my name." He said and I couldn't help the irritated twitch of my eye when he called me that again.
"Deal." I said without even considering it.
"Someone's confident." He said raising an eyebrow. "Shall we spar then?"
"I accept your challenge. However, I would like to change locations. I want everyone to be witness when I kick your ass." Without waiting for him to agree I slip out of the passageway and into the room, walking straight down the stairs completely ignoring the gyrating couple.
I stalked straight past all the people at the base of the stairs. Being the middle of the night, when we'd started the game most of the student body had been in their dorms, but the noise we'd made had changed that and they were all crowding around the most intense of the spars. As I walked past them all and down the corridors with Pretentious Condescending Dickhead following me we started to attract a crowd.
When I was finally in the middle of the foyer, the closest large open space I could think of I spun on my heels to face him and straight away throw out a kick intended for his stomach, He hadn't seen it coming until the last second but that had been enough for him to move slightly and cause my heel to glance off the side of what I could feel were some very hard abs. Damn. I tried not to be distracted and think about that but me telling myself to focus took up the moment of my time he needed to throw a punch into my shoulder.
I acted like I lost my balance for a second and pretended to crumple to the ground instead going into a crouch from which I quickly extend a leg and trip him making a grab for the chess piece in his left hand with my right, which wasn't holding mine. I hadn't bothered to confirm it before but I could now see that as I'd suspected, he held the king. Seeing what I was reaching for he pulls his hand back at the last second this time genuinely causing me to collapse onto him.
I'd been extending so far to reach the piece that when I'd lost my balance and fell on him it was at such an angle as to press my chest in his face. Awkward. I attempt to jump back up so as to put an end to this situation that deserved my cringing and blushing, but instead he rolls us so he's on top and attempts to pin my arms down so as to grab my piece. I'm not that easy to take down.
I slid my left arm, the one with the chess piece under my body so he can't get to it and throw my head forward so that it collides with his. While this hurt me I'd braced myself for it. He hadn't and the surprise he got was his weakness. He relaxed his grip on my right wrist and the pressure he'd been putting on my shoulder. Wrapping my legs around his waist I use a lot of energy to flip his bulk off of me. I spring back to my feet knowing that on the ground he had the advantage. While we're standing I'm able to dodge out of his range.
He's slower to climb back to his feet and I attempt to stand on his wrist as he gets up. Choosing to drop his chess piece momentarily he dragged me back to the floor by grabbing my ankle. I fell at an awkward angle unable to get my hand underneath me in any way that would help absorb the impact. Vaguely I hear something crack and register pain but am so focused on the fight and so hopped up on adrenaline I hardly notice.
I'm cradling my left arm under my body and the can feel where the king piece is moulding into my stomach. I recognise that I can hardly move my left arm and have to bite my lip to stop from crying out in pain when he put his weight on my again to keep me down while trying to make a grab and my chess piece. I could've made a big deal of my injury and forfeited or had him surrender for unfair play but I had too much pride for that. No way was I going to win by default. I was going to beat him fair and square. I throw as much force as I can muster pinned as I was into elbowing him in the solar plexus. I feel reasonably satisfied when I hear him groan in pain and shuffle his weight. He moved just enough for me to wriggle out from under him.
Cradling my useless left arm to my chest I push back to my feet and watch him lithely jump to his feet. We circle each other. I'm intensely aware of the fact that he still hadn't picked up his piece after dropping it to drag me down. It was at the very centre point between us and we both knew that whoever bent to grab it would be taken out by the other.
I stepped towards him at the same moment he steps towards me. I can see the muscles in his arms ripple as he went to pull it back to throw another punch at me. But I'm faster. I spin around and into a round house kick that clips him in the forehead. Not enough to knock him out but definitely enough to stun him. I quickly duck down to pick up his piece and hold it up triumphantly as I back away.
He's staring at me with a look of shock and a tad bit of admiration as a cheer goes up from the assembled crowd of Gallagher girls. We're both breathing heavily and staring at each other. He looks like he has something to say. Just as he opens his mouth to say something to me Emma comes up from behind me and throws her arm around my neck in a congratulatory hug. I let out a cry as an intense pain shoots through me.
Now that a little of the adrenaline has faded I can feel the pain radiating from my collar bone. Gently I feel around the bone and can feel it's odd angle. A bend where it should be straight and then I recall hearing that crack.
"You broke my collar bone you ass hat!" I exclaimed glaring at him.
He looks genuinely upset at this and comes closer to me to make sure I'm okay. "I'm sorry." He said.
"For what?" I asked curiously. "You don't really have anything to apologise for, this wasn't deliberate and it was my falling not you that broke my bone, it is actually broken." Don't take the wrong impression from me saying that to him. I still didn't like him. But what I like even less than him was people apologising when they had no reason to.
"I'm sorry for underestimating you Wallaby." He said seeming to realise I didn't want his apology for a broken bone but would gladly accept it for low expectations.
"Well that's a mistake you'll never make again." I said quietly
"I definitely won't. And as promised: My name is James." He gave me a warm, almost nervous smile instead of the smirk I'd already learnt to associate with him.
I turn away quickly so he wouldn't see the annoying and completely traitorous blush that I could feel spreading across my cheeks at that smile.
"So now the real question is, who the hell won?" I asked turning back to the crowd where Emma and one of the Blackthorne Boy's had been counting the pieces. The game had ended as soon as I'd grabbed James chess piece. But that didn't mean we'd won.
So who do you think won? I had to leave at least that little bit hanging :D Review and let me know who you think won as well as what you thought of this chapter! I love hearing what you guys think and that is really one of the major things that keeps me writing these fics. That and a deep love of reading and writing. SO please, if you want to see more chapters review!
