The Unseen Blade

d came down, and

three. A massacre. The kind of bout that made people whisper about the fut

otten, pulled off his mask. His face was red. Sweat dripped f

ut," he

st looked at him, head tilted

it?"

was still clapping. Some of them were laughing. A few parents glared at me, but I didn't care

e gym floor. Brian, the captain, gave me a tight nod. He was decent. Not great. He knew

I wasn't there

there

man, bald, with the kind of deep voice that made you want to sit up straight. He'd

on," h

oa

e muffled behind us. He had that look on his face. The one I'd seen a few times before. Disap

said. "He's fifteen. It's h

d. "Not m

walked onto the strip.

uldn't have

encer I've ever coached. You know that. But you're also the most

laughed. "It hasn't

ill smiling. Teachers always said stuff like that. They acted like being the best wasn't enough. Like you needed

stares from my teammates, and walked out into the

t money on the counter fo

second. Then I shoved the phon

-

s empty when

e was sleeping. I couldn't remember the last time we'd had a real conversation, the kind

go to Westbrook. Driven me to practices when she was so tired she could barely keep her ey

was here. She was the

hing. And I inten

e TV flickered on. Some basketball games. I didn't care. I stared at the screen, but I wasn't really w

at's going

to be untouchable. To walk onto the strip and know, absolutely, that you were goi

ust because some washed-up coa

-

up to an email from the s

third time. Then I threw

cracked. I

ltiple complaints" about my conduct. It said I was being placed on probation pending a rev

he best fence

shoes and ran

oring the stares, and burst into Coach Hensley's office without knocking. He was sitting at his

own, C

the cracked screen still displaying the

the screen, and set it down

do anyth

their fencer after the bout. They said you refused to sha

se it

ust looked at me. That same look. Disap

"I'll go to the review. I'll tell th

chair. "I've been asked to submit a recommendatio

"What history? I hav

our mask at a referee. This year, you've received three warnings for unspor

re all ju

at me. "

wo years ago had been cheating. The referee last year had been biased. The warnings this year h

d. "That's what this is. They can't stand that s

said, "You're not being punished for being the be

hit me li

sed that gift to make people feel small. To humiliate them. To show the world that you're better t

urning. I didn't know if I wanted to hit him or run aw

" he said. "I don't want to see you thrown out

ything. I turne

-

couldn't be alone with the email and the look on Coach Hensl

y. The air smelled like grass and car exhaust. I sat on the curb and

had broken Marc

ored that last touch, when he'd smiled and reached out his hand like he'd already won the whole thing, someth

maybe they were right. Maybe I had. Maybe that's who I was. Someone who c

ue

ed through my contacts, past Mom, past the few numbers I'd saved

scrolling through a school database and your eye catches on something. Darius Reed.

been the bes

I just needed to hear someone's voice who understood what it felt like

Then a voice. Calm. Qu

el

I didn't know what to say. I did

zed a moment

. Come to Northwoo

sing now. The sky was turning orange and pink. Somewher

everything I

the dust off my jean

orthwood was. But I w