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need to go."
    "Socialize?" I questioned, unsure of what he meant.
    "You know," Balor punched my arm playfully, "Hang out, listen to music, kick back with your friends."
    A hot flush spread from beneath my collar and crept up to my cheeks, the most telling part of the anatomy when it came to emotions. I could hide my eyes, but I couldn ' t hide my cheeks. I took a step back as my hands once again curled into fists. What was he talking about? Were the Students here allowed such luxuries, while I spent every waking moment earning energy? Athletes were never allowed to socialize. We didn't kick back, whatever that meant, and listening to music cost energy.
    "I want to speak to my brother." I could hear the steel in my voice as I addressed Ajax. It was easier to focus my anger on him rather than the grinning and likable Balor Marc. It was obvious he meant well, and every feeling I got from him was pleasant. He was truly happy to meet me and more than ready to protect me. I wasn ' t at all sure about Ajax ' s feelings, since he knew too well how to mask them. I stared at his face as he processed my request, his features gaunt and tired looking, as if he hadn ' t slept in ages. I wondered if my face looked the same way, for I rarely had a restful night ' s sleep.
    "Well then, I guess you ' ll have to wait until Professor Baal gives you back your mailbox," he answered, leaving me with my resentment as he stalked out of the room.

Chapter Three
    Tennis
    My brother often remarked that nothing solved a problem faster than a good right hook to the jaw. In my case, a good left hook. I ' d always discouraged his violent tendencies, especially since it was a waste of energy, but Tiergan could be short tempered and quick to solve disputes with his fists. Fighting was strictly forbidden in Athlete Academies, but impossible to control. Heavy competition, little contact with loved ones, and an endless training schedule bred a restless frustration that often resulted in physical skirmishes.
    I would be lying if I said I ' d never used my fists to work out a problem. If you picked a fight with Tiergan, then you picked a fight with me and vice versa. However, most of the fights I ' d been involved in were between Tiergan and me, the two of us stubborn and unbending and knowing all too well how to push each other ' s buttons as only siblings can. I knew how to take a punch and I knew how to give one.
    I sat across from Ajax in the cafeteria, fuming over his refusal to let me use his mailbox. Balor had offered me the use of his, but I didn ' t want to start off in his debt. What I wanted was to use my left hook just then, if only to let out my frustration on the unpleasant boy who made me feel insignificant, but I knew it wouldn ' t solve anything. I had to accept the reality of the situation. Ajax was not the friend I remembered, but merely a stranger doing his job.
    "You ' ll probably find him quite charming once you get to know him," Balor attempted to ease the tension between the two of us as we ate our snacks in silence. I didn ' t feel like eating, but Ajax insisted, knowing I hadn ' t eaten since early morning and reminding me of the long day ahead of me. We sat in a corner away from the other Students who seemed to be just lounging around as if they had nothing else to do. Were there no other Athletes at this University?
    "Why, does he become charming?" I reluctantly answered Balor, though I wanted to remain as silent as Ajax. Balor pretended to think about the question.
    "No," he answered truthfully, "he ' s pretty much always like this."
    "That ' s what I thought." I allowed a small smile to form on my lips in answer to the huge grin on Balor ' s. Ajax and I avoided looking at each other, and I took comfort in the certainty of Tiergan finding some way to contact me. I simply had to wait until he did. I should have never asked Ajax for a favor in the first place.
    Our next stop was the Athletics Building on the eastern end of the campus. The