Ava walked straight into the ring, and everyone in the arena started to quieten down.
She told herself to breathe. This match would be her real test after fighting the beginners, so she had to let all her fear drain away as she had been taught to do. She told herself she didn’t need that vampire’s blood; she could fight under her own steam.
In the silence of the arena, with all the students and faculty looking on, she concentrated on counting her breaths so she wouldn’t have an anxiety attack. To be more effective, she had to do what she told Robert that morning. She had to pretend no one else was in this room except her opponent, whoever that would be.
As she waited, she started her stretches. She was lucky that she was flexible, but sometimes fear made her body freeze up. That could
