Page 49 of Jinxed

THE ATMOSPHERE FOR THE SECOND Baku Battle has the entire school buzzing. In the hallways leading up to my locker, I pass by students making bets on their apps, trying to guess the strategies. Jakeis the mastermind of the gambling ring – I even hear some of the teachers are getting involved. With at least two bakus in the arena (Team Tobias and Team Gemma have three) per team, it’s going to be more hectic than ever – and there are two hundred points up for grabs this time.

‘I’m going to put ten bucks on Team Tobias,’ says one student in passing as I’m collecting my books from my locker.They stop a few feet away from me.

‘Nah, Team Gemma all the way. Have you seen how that guy with the hog baku has been walking around the school? He’s definitely got something up his sleeve.’

The guy looks up to see me staring. He’s weedy and tall, with lanky brown hair, glasses and a face full of acne. But he gives me a big grin when he sees me. ‘Hey, you’re on Team Tobias, right? Got any tipsfor us? Everyone on your team feeling all right?’

I press my lips firmly together.

Jinx, however, does a flying leap up into the alcove above my locker – something he shouldn’t be able to do. The guy’s smile widens even further. ‘Dude – you are so going to regret betting on Team Gemma,’ he says to his friend. He gives me a wink.

I glare at Jinx for showing off, but I can’t keep a frown on myface for long. Since last night, I’ve been floating on air. My teachers give up on getting me to focus – they blame the Baku Battle, but it’s not the real reason.

I can’t stop thinking about Tobias.

Tobias and me.

It doesn’t seem real.

I can’t wait for the final bell, not only because it’s battle time. It means that I will get to see him. Jinx makes a beeline for the team box. He weaves throughthe legs of the other students, dodging their bakus – he really is useful like that.

Thanks, J,I think.

>>You always seem so surprised when I’m useful.

That’s because most of the time I don’t expect it!

>>You wouldn’t change me for the world.

And the problem is that you know it.

My knees won’t stop shaking, my legs juddering up and down like I’ve had way too much caffeine. Jinx purrs, attemptingto calm me. He’s right, I need to relax before I see Tobias again.

It’s just going to be the two of us in the team box, after all.

‘Hey.’

My heart skips a beat as I hear his caramel-smooth voice. I spin around in my chair and match his wide grin. ‘Hey back.’

‘Excited?’

‘Can’t wait,’ I say. I bite down on my lip as he sits next to me, his thigh bumping up against mine. He leans forward overthe barrier, so he’s looking down into the arena, and the fanfare begins.

Focus on the battle, Lacey, I tell myself.

The players lift up – and gasps are audible from around the stadium. Team Elektra have come in fighting. Elektra is there herself, with her level 4 captain’s baku – a cloud leopard – to go up with her teammate Terence and his bulldog baku, against the teams of three. It’s theonly chance they’ll have of lasting the thirty minutes.

But they’re not the only ones using that strategy. Gemma and her tiger baku, Stripe, are in the arena too.

Team Tobias might be in big trouble.

The smugness on Carter’s face is unsettling. But between his boar, Hunter, Gemma’s tiger, Stripe, and Gemma’s third, Frank, with his German Shepherd baku, Bones... they seem unbeatable.

Besideme, Tobias tenses, his fists clenching together. ‘Dammit,’ he mutters. The buzzer sounds and instead of thinking about how close Tobias is, I’m swept away in the rhythm of the battle, the energy of the crowd. Using Jinx’s technology, I scan across the battlefield, able to pause and rewind key moments on impulse.

The action takes off as two cat bakus – a lithe Persian belonging to Team Dorianand the beautiful grey-white clouded leopard belonging to Elektra – go after each other in a whirl of claws and snarling teeth. Hunter is locked in battle with a Team Pearce baku, a lizard named Scythe, with Bones assisting. Scythe doesn’t stand a chance. It’s chaotic with twelve bakus in the arena, but bakus are going down like flies. After only five minutes, Team Pearce is out completely and Elektraand Dorian’s teams are down to one baku each. Only Team Tobias and Team Gemma are at full strength.

Even Ashley is holding her own, Jupiter hanging back as Oka and Lizard take down the other teams. I think the other teams have decided she is a weak link; someone they can pick off easily once they’ve defeated the other stronger bakus. They don’t want to waste any unnecessary energy on her. Theywant to use strength on strength, saving her for last.

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