Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 1)

The crowd cheered as I stepped up to the potion pong table.

A brief image of my lonely, lame flat flashed in my mind, along with the memory of how everyone in the London police force thought I was loony.

How the hell had my life changed so much?

Whatever, I was going to enjoy it.

As much as I could, at least. Mary’s smile was making me uneasy. She looked like a cat who was about to play with a mouse…in a way that punctured a few of the mouse’s vital organs.

I looked down at the red plastic cups full of potions. There were fifteen in front of me, all lined up to form a triangle. A ping-pong ball sat nestled against one of the cups, about to roll off the rocking table and into the water. I picked it up.

“I’ll let you go first,” Mary said.

“Get ready to have your ass kicked.”

Mary laughed, sounding slightly crazed.

Oh, she was definitely getting her ass kicked. I aimed my ball and threw it, holding my breath as it sailed through the air and landed in one of her cups.

She groaned and tilted her head back, then picked up the potion and drank it.

Immediately, her head shrank to half its size, and she screeched, the noise much higher pitched than it would normally be. “Coraline, you bitch!”

I laughed, and the sound drew Mary’s attention. Despite her tiny head, I could see the murder in her eyes, and it was enough to shut me up. She squinted her little eyes and tossed the ball. It sailed through the air, landing in a cup full of gleaming black liquid.

Shit.

“Drink up!” Mary shouted.

I picked up the cup and fished out the ball, then slugged the potion back. It slithered down my throat, and I nearly gagged. The taste was a combo of old shoes and gummy bears, and I was damned certain I’d never eat another gummy bear ever again.

I set the cup down and gasped, trying to get control of my gag refle

x. I wanted to puke.

I began to float instead, rising slowly out of the water.

“You still have to play your turn,” Mary shouted. “If you fail, you lose!”

“Crap.” I raised the little white ball and aimed. I was up to my knees now, way too aware that my crotch was at eye level with every person in the place.

Quickly, I chucked the ball.

It bounced off the table and landed in the water.

Mary laughed like a maniac and threw her ball. It landed in one of my cups, but I was floating too far above the water to reach the cup.

“You’ve got to drink it or you’re out,” Mary called.

I tried to swim through the air, but all I managed to do was point my ass to the sky. All around, people cheered.

At least it sounded friendly.

“Don’t worry!” Mac shouted. “I’ve got you!”

She stood on the edge of the pool, holding the long handle of a pool net. I grabbed the rim of the net and used it to drag myself within reach of the cup Mary’s ball had landed in. I raised the cup to my lips and chugged it, grimacing at the sour taste.

Immediately, gravity grabbed me again, and I plunged into the water with a splash. I shot upward, kicking as hard as I could. The pool water glittered blue and bright as I swam toward the air above. It took ages to reach the surface. Finally, my head broke through, and I gasped.