Page 25 of Forgotten Sacrifice

She’s hired.

Chapter

Twelve

Luna

Day two of myblandexistence.

I’ve already checked my insufferable tutor off the schedule, and that leaves the well-meaning but completely inept chess coach. I watch with disbelief as she makes the biggest blunder in opening principles—moving her white pawn to f3.

I move my black pawn to e5, now occupying the center of the board.

My coach considers, and I watch in complete horror as she moves her pawn to g4.

“Checkmate.” I almost feel bad announcing as I move my queen to h4, capturing her king.

“Uh, right you are,” she bumbles. “I was testing you to see if you’d catch that.”

Suuuuuure.

Thankfully, Vince arrives home and my chess “training” comes to an end for the day. The two chat, and I excuse myself to the kitchen, grabbing a soda.

“You drink too much soda,” Vince says from the doorway.

Ignoring him, I pop the top, taking a big sip and making anAhhhsound.

“How did tutoring go?” he asks.

“Fire the tutor,” I tell him bluntly.

“Why?” He raises an eyebrow.

“I don’t like her,” I admit.

He snorts. “You don’t like a lot of people.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You and my tutor hardly qualify as ‘a lot’ of people.”

“The answer is no,” he says with finality, loosening his tie.

“Why do you always wear a suit?” I wonder.

“Clothes are a representation of your image.” He looks me up and down, clearly unimpressed with mine. I’m wearing an oversized hoodie and skirt; the skirt I love, but the hoodie is out of habit: long sleeves to hide the scars. I’m no longer cutting, but I still have to live with a permanent reminder that I used to.

“What’s the image you’re portraying?” I return the favor, looking him up and down; he’s wearing what I’m learning is his favorite three-piece suit. “Criminal accountant?”

Vince crosses the kitchen in the blink of an eye, snatching the soda from my hand and pouring it down the sink.

“Asshole,” I mutter.

“How was chess practice?” he asks, tossing the empty can in the recycling.

“Fire the chess coach,” I tell him with a frustrated sigh.

Vince raises an eyebrow. “Why? You don’t like her too?”

I shake my head. “I like her fine; the problem is I bested her with a Fool’s mate.”