Snippet Update!

Happy Thanksgiving! To celebrate, I've finally updated the Snippet page! I'm posting the Snippet here as well for your convenience. Enjoy! (I don't own the picture)

Snippet One

The Pet Pebble began to kick furiously against my leg, and I whirled around, thrusting the knives up into the air. Metal screeched against metal and I found myself staring into a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

I grinned, “Hey, Cody.”

Cody grinned as well, “Hey.” He pushed deeper against my knives with his sword, testing my strength, but I kicked out, forcing him to take a step back.

He nodded, “Nicely done.” He twirled the sword in his hand, “I’ll admit, I’m surprised you responded in time.”

I shrugged, “Maybe you’re not as quiet as you thought you were.”

He chuckled, “Perhaps not.” He twirled the sword again and, without a word, leapt forward, slashing towards me. I blocked and spun, swiping towards him. He side-stepped and slashed again, his sword screeching against my left knife, moving rapidly towards my hand.

I swiped upward with my other knife, knocking his sword up and to the right while I jabbed out with the first knife.

He turned, and fabric ripped as Cody’s hand sprung forward, grabbing my wrist. Suddenly his face was only inches away from me, my right hand upright above me, where it had pushed his sword and my left knife held outstretched behind him, held in place by his left hand.

He stared down into my eyes, and a small smile crept onto the side of his lips, “You almost got me there, Elena.”

Heat crept up within me, but I smirked in response, “Careful, next time I won’t miss.” I tried to take a step back, but he kept the pressure from his sword on my knife and held tightly onto my wrist.

He narrowed his eyes, “Tell me, where did you learn to fight like that?”

My stomach dropped. I didn’t know. But I couldn’t tell him that. I smiled, “If you beat me, maybe I’ll tell you.”

He let go of my wrist, and we both stepped backwards, readying our weapons. Again, he twirled his sword, “If we are betting, I’d rather learn something more important than that.”

I flipped my knives in my hand, leaning back onto a nearby tree, “And what would you like to know?”

He furrowed his eyebrows, “Why are you hanging out with them?”

I knew exactly who he was talking about. I rolled my eyes. “Is it really that hard to comprehend? Because I want to.” I raised an eyebrow, “Isn’t that why you are friends with Jane and Jake? Because you want to?”

He scowled and pointed his sword at me, “Don’t ever call me Jane’s friend. I deal with her because of Jake and just barely because of that.”

I scoffed, “Wow. You sound like you dislike her just as much as she hates Lisa.” He just shrugged, and I stared at him quizzically, “So why do you hang out with her?”

“Because I want to know what’s going on at this school with the freaks.”

I sighed and shook my head, “They’re not freaks.”

“Do you say that because you’re one of them?”

His voice sounded strange....as if he was pleading with me...to say that I wasn’t. I stared into his eyes and readied my knives.

“I’ll just say this once, Cody. If anyone has any chance of fixing things, it’s them. So, if I was you, I’d stop interfering.”

His face contorted with anger, his voice low, “You know something, don’t you? You’re already in on it!”  He sprung forward, slashing with his sword. I barely blocked and dogged. He swung again, and the metal screeched against metal. He pressed against me, and thunder crackled through the sky as raindrops began to fall.

I kicked him away and swiped. He sidestepped and swung, almost catching my shoulder. For a moment, we paused, breathing heavily. He scowled, “What do they have to do with this? What’s going on, Elena? Tell me!”

I shook my head, refusing to speak. 

He yelled in frustration, renewing his attack in a fury, and as the rain began to crash down from the sky, I realized that he was much, much more skilled than me. I barely defended myself against his blows, sweat pouring down my brow, mixing with the rain. I jabbed and kicked, hoping to knock him off balance, but instead he grabbed my foot and pulled. I slammed into the ground, the air knocked out of my lungs. On instinct, I rolled, fighting the black spots that swarmed my vision as Cody pounced where I had been. 

(Not quite right but close enough 😜)

I went to stand, and he grabbed my hair. I yelled in pain, and he pulled me into him. I struggled, trying to free myself, but he locked my arms and I froze, knowing I was beat. Our breaths came out in sync, both of us breathing heavily from the fight. He spoke behind me, his breath tickling my ear. “I’ve won this round, Elena.”

I took deep breaths, trying to relax, “Yes, yes you have.” I turned my head slightly towards him, and smiled, trying to ease the tension, “I’ve never seen anyone with your skill.”

I heard a slight smile in his voice, “Few are capable of matching me.” But then the smiled disappeared, and he leaned in closer, “Now, are you ready to answer my question?”

“I don’t think you’d believe me.”

He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again, it was so soft, I could barely hear him. It was filled with a pain I don’t think he meant to reveal. “I think I might.”

“Cody...”

Screams filled the air from the north followed by the sound of a grating rattling. Cody released me, hissing into the air, “Syprents!”

Without a word, he dashed forward, unsheathing a second sword that matched his first. Lightning crackled overhead and he disappeared into the nearby trees.