Chapter 1 I glanced at the time on my phone as I strode for the exit of the high school. My Kings and Castles after-school club meeting had run a bit long thanks to some over-excited nerds who didn't like a few rule changes the national committee had passed down. As if the committee cared what Justin Case and his fellow nerds thought. Now I was running late for "sword" practice with my two best friends, Mark and Harry, and dying to test the new foam sword I'd constructed for the upcoming tournament. The squeaky wheel of a mop bucket echoed faintly down the empty grid of halls, the soft step of my sneakers on linoleum making the only other sound as I strode for the exit. Something clattered ahead. Shoes scuffled and a girl squeaked in alarm. "Nathan, I'm not kidding! Let me go," said the girl. Not just any girl. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was Katie Johnson. I'd had a crush on her ever since first laying eyes on that angelic face my freshman year. Her voice emanated from Mrs. Dalton's classroom so I hurried to the doorway and gaped at the scene inside. Nathan Spelman had wrapped one of those meat-hooks he called hands around Katie Johnson's narrow waist. He grinned. "You know you want to kiss me, babe." I stood in the doorway for a