it wasn’t just his lack of shirt, either. He was too fast. As soon as the third contender landed on his feet and winked, Poe realized what it was. Rufus was a halfdead as indicated by his short fangs. Fuck me. I’m dead.
Poe gestured to Joseph for a timeout.
“Why? It’s almost over, Poe. Do you think you’ll get a break during a vampire attack?”
“This isn’t a vampire attack! And that guy is a halfdead!” she screeched. “It’s not fair–”
“That’s how life is sometimes,” Joseph smiled patronizingly. “Now get in there and fight the mutha!”
Poe held her tongue and gave him the finger instead. She looked up at Sainvire staring intently. The vampire looked nervous for her. For good measure, she flipped him one. At least I’m not the only one afraid for me, thought Poe. Taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly, Poe faced the half-vamp. There are guns for these sorts of things.
“I’m the Great Ali’s daughter,” Poe mumbled to herself. “I’m too pretty to…”
Rufus flamboyantly cartwheeled toward Poe, stopping directly in front of her. Quick as a flash, he kissed Poe on the tip of her sweaty nose. Everyone in 150
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the gym roared with laughter, except for Sainvire.
Humiliated to say the least, Poe lashed out, slapping the beaming halfdead.
Rufus’ expression soured. He grabbed Poe by the shoulders and hurled her in the direction of her three companions. Her shoulder blade hit the back of a metal chair, igniting an electric shock of pain.
“Aray ko!” she said in Tagalog.
From the floor, Joseph loomed over her with his yellow smiley Watchmen t-shirt, raising his eyebrows as if to say, “Well, what are you waiting for?”
Despite the pain, Poe got up and spat a thick one on Joseph’s bare feet. She jogged to the bastard, Rufus, and snarled at him. Poe easily dodged the lead straight punch he threw at her, watching the cords on his neck instead of his eyes. The tightness of the neck was a more accurate gauge of where the next punch would originate.
As soon as Rufus retreated, however, Poe executed one of the dirtiest tricks she knew. She stomped hard on the tender part of his foot. Rufus’
scream didn’t matter, for she knew that the pain in his foot would keep him occupied. She made sure to maintain the pressure on her Adidas. One second, two seconds, a punch. The halfdead tried to pull away but couldn’t. The girl hung on his neck, and he was stuck like an Everlast punching sack, just like in Lesson 32.
She was the most lowdown fighter the gym had seen yet. The halfdead had to grab Poe by the neck and lift her off the floor to pry her off of him. Poe’s sore knuckles were worse than useless. She couldn’t even pry Rufus’ big fingers off her neck. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Perla and Maple looking tense, and Joseph, for once, didn’t have a trace of a smile. But the weirdest of all was Sainvire. He was no longer sitting and looked positively murderous. Before the pressure 151
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around her neck could make her pass out, Master Lee’s voice rang in her ear. Remember the three-pound pressure rule.
Her eyes widening, Poe grabbed Rufus’ left ear, and with all her might, pulled down. She came tumbling on the floor, her fist grasping the halfdead’s ripped ear. So it was true. It only took three pounds of pressure to pull someone’s ear off. She did learn a lot from watching videos and reading books. Who needs to go to school?
Rufus’ wail was deafening, as his hand tried to cover the gaping hole made on the left side of his head.
Sainvire was beside Poe, helping her up. At least three people tried to calm the distraught Rufus, but he would have none of it. Poe dislodged Sainvire’s hand from her elbow and walked toward her fallen nemesis. Rufus looked up at the small woman, five-foot-two and three-quarters to be exact, who had ripped his ear off and belted out a murderous series of curses.
Poe forced herself to smile sweetly and say, “This is for kissing my nose without my permission you disgusting halfdead!” She hurled the bloody ear in the daywalker’s face and strode out of the gym.
(((
She didn’t really know where to go, so Poe decided to go back to Sainvire’s room. She could check on Penny and use the bathroom. Her hands shook. The rich meal and the bodily injuries she had received seemed