I was trying to memorize the twenty words around the circumference of the outer circle when the floor flowed back into an abstract tiled design as it was when we first arrived. I became aware that my Grandma was hugging me tightly and her eyes looked strange. Was that fear or was she worried I would cause more problems. Yes, the problem maker that must be it. Of course she expects me to break some school rule and get expelled.

“Tegan, don’t let any boy touch your navel piercing.” Grandma said. ‘As if!’ No boy is getting anywhere bloody near me, I thought.

“That’s too much. The younger girls might not know…

“Dorothy, there is no reason for a younger girl to be around her, and they would ask, and be told not to. Boys though, you know they rarely ask.”

The Headmistress seemed to almost hiss. “Fine!” she growled out. “Tegan don’t let anyone touch your bling. If you deliberately cause a student major bodily harm I’ll expel you.”

My Grandma and the Headmistress were in a staring match and I’m left wondering on the dichotomous sentences. After the Headmistress seems to defer, my Grandma turns back to me and says. “Oh, also before I forget Tegan. Tegan Allana Lesley Wehl’s fourteenth birthday was yesterday, June second. Happy belated birthday…

“Grandma my birth…

“No Tegan, Thomas’s birthday was last year on November fourteenth. Please tell me your fourteenth birthday was yesterday, and thank me for wishing you a belated happy birthday.” My Grandma quickly stopped my interruption. Obviously this, like owning my name, was important. When she would decide to clue me in on why it was important was anyone’s guess. Well I better use my full name.

Trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, I went ahead with the latest lie needed to be a dagger to cut through a prior truth. “I am Tegan Allana Lesley Wehl, and my fourteenth birthday was yesterday June second. I thank you Grandma, for wishing me happy birthday for yesterday.”

“Oh, Tegan Allana Lesley Wehl, I wish you belated happy returns for your fourteenth birthday, that was yesterday on June second.” My headmistress stated in a perfectly normal voice. How she could say it without a hint of sarcasm or trace of jest was beyond me.

That reinforced how important this must be. Especially as my Grandma gave a go on gesture toward me, so I realized I needed to obviously reinforce the lie some more. I had difficulty keeping all the sarcasm dripping out the second time I quoted my full name and apparent birthday. While thanking my headmistress for remembering it, and offering me belated returns, a few drops sneaked out.

“Next time young lady, keep the attitude out of thanking someone that is doing you a huge favor. I am sorry Dorothy for Tegan’s lack of manners, and hope you can teach the tomboy, how a young lady should behave.”

“Think nothing of it Brin. Tegan may be a rough stone, but I will ensure adequate polishing is applied to allow a young lady that can be accepted in society’s highest courts, and hallowed halls, graduates from Bellmare Moor.” Misses White, told my Grandma. Her eyes promising I wouldn’t enjoy the needed polishing to remove any unwanted rough edges. “Anyway Beatrice Walker will be here shortly. Remember, nothing mentioned about Gwithial Ylt, magic, the third year’s trial or Thomas and any of your relations. Except of course the one question on where Thomas is, when asked by Beatrice only.”

My Grandma then spoke. “Refer to me as Misses Goss, and just take this bag. I packed it while you were busy. It has your change of clothes I want you to wear this evening and toiletries for your shower. You don’t need to lug a suitcase around while being given the school tour. This is your first day at Bellmare and you will need the fifth year prefect to show you the school.” My Grandma informed me this while I was still worrying over the headmistress’s desire to polish away my rough edges. I accepted the bag as a knock on the door happened.

“Come in,” Misses White called out while taking her seat behind the monstrous desk. “Oh, and here is the fifth-year prefect, Miss Walker. Beatrice this is Tegan. She will be with you in Seagull dorm. Could you give her a tour of the school’s library, assembly, dining and the three female recreation rooms? Wrap up by ending the tour with Seagull.”

Misses White then turned to me. “Tegan follow Miss Walker. She will get you settled in at Bellmare Moor.”

I noted how she had twice given Miss Walker’s last name and not mine and recalled how I was not to offer any information. It would seem that included my last name too. Well I assumed so when coupled with how my Grandma had wanted me to not let out being closely related. Not wanting to give anything away I figured I would be mute, but for the one question. Hopefully, I would work things out before I gave myself away. Now, I had another question to add to the millions or so I’d already collected. Why was I being placed in the fifth year girl’s dormitory?

“Come on, let’s get started, follow me, and I’ll show you our school.” Beatrice briskly turned back to the door, and re-opened it. The fifth-year prefect was a blond bombshell with all the right curves and the subject of numerous prior wet dreams of mine, I must confess. Now for unknown reasons, I get to share a room with her. Magic was soooo good! I thought mentally giving myself a high five.

Well that was what I’d initially thought I would be thinking when informed who was going to be showing me around. Then the reality that she was somehow an enemy and the undercurrent that something was fishy in Denmark had destroyed that hot fantasy along with the side of I no longer looked like a boy. Sure as long as my eyes were closed and mirrors weren’t around to reflect my new image I still thought myself a boy. I thought that until I felt my small but far too large breasts move within their captive bra cups, or the swish of my skirt upon my newly hairless legs. It’s sad how easy a dream can turn into a nightmare.

I saw my Grandma and headmistress turn toward each other, to obviously discuss me once I was gone. I wondered how I could stay and ask more questions, but Beatrice was scowling at me, holding the door, and waiting me to follow. Seeing as she was in casual clothes and we only had to wear school uniform outside school hours, while traveling to and from school, I shrugged off my Blazer. It had the added benefit of making Beatrice wait, holding the door open for me until I’d dropped the blazer on a chair.

As I considered working out how to undo the ribbon bow tied around my neck I saw her open her mouth. I guess the ribbon could wait. Beatrice closed her mouth when I headed toward the exit. Seeing I was coming, she stiffly turned and left the room, not holding the door for me. Meaning I had to catch it as it swung closed and reopen it to exit the office.

The black and white tile floor of the manor house hall had warped and sunk in places over its centuries of life. The hall widened at the staffrooms exit due to the stairs that ran back toward the front of the manor house ending, allowing the rest of the hall running to the sixth form terrace at the rear of the building to be a triple wide hallway.

“We use last names or nicknames. What’s your last name?” Beatrice said from the far side of the wide section on the hallway.

Well as I was clueless what I was supposed to say and obviously not wanting to lie I just looked at her. When she folded her arms in front of her chest, likely not liking where I was looking, I smirked and leaned against the wall beside the headmistress’s doorway. Hopefully she would give up and start showing me the females sections of the school. I knew where they were, but it would be nice to actually see the inside of them. Of course I already knew what the library, dining and assembly hall looked like inside as they were used by both boys and girls. I just needed to be shown where they were located so I could let people know I knew where they were and how they looked.

“Your last name will be found out and I’ll make sure to ensure the worst possible nickname is associated with you!” Beatrice decided to offer as an incentive to get me to talk. “Are you dumb?” She then asked as I just smirked at her.

“Why the hell would Thomas, chose you!” Beatrice screamed.

Well that seemed to confirm the horrible suspicion I had been getting about why I had been enrolled in this school. The annoying thing is if I challenge Grandma about it, I can hear her now saying I was given a choice between this school and an all boys’ boarding school. It would seem that Grandma stacked the deck to ensure the correct choice is made. I twisted away angry that I found her beautiful, and annoyed my Grandma had apparently been arranging a marriage with her mother. I was trying to work out why I was angry about something I would have wanted.

“Come on Dumbo!” Beatrice growled turning toward one of the four doors opposite the headmistress office. I didn’t really need to see one of the three music rooms, nor the ‘L’ shaped library that wrapped around them. I was more interested in the door next to the main stair case that led to one of the three girls’ rec rooms, but I didn’t even want to turn back to face her again which was needed to get there. Petty, but to keep my back to her I really only had two choices. Not wanting to return to the Headmistress’s office I walked to the glassed porch that led to the rear door and steps down onto the sixth form terrace.

“You can’t go out onto the sixth form terrace until next year, Dumbo.”

Obviously with me being added to the fifth form girls’ dorm she thought I was in the fifth form like herself. Unfortunately classes tomorrow would end that fallacy. It would save me some grief tonight though if I let her continue with the wrong assumption though. After looking through the glass windows of the exit porch and door I deliberately ignored her. It seemed to be really ticking her off. I also knew that I would have a better chance of not getting ‘Dumbo’ for nickname if I didn’t let her think it bothered me.

“Dumbo, the music rooms are over here. I have been told to show you around, and I don’t want Ma White to have reason to get cross. You’d be wise to not cause problems. Being new you will need allies even if you don’t have the worry of third year trials, you should know witches are still known to go ‘missing’ even if it’s individuals verses the culling of the weaker pre-fifteen year olds. Accidents can still happen, and I’m sure my Mother will allow Misses Goss a drone for the resurrected contract, once you are out of the picture…

I couldn’t help but start laughing. I mean with me out of the picture, there would be no Thomas for her to get engaged to. To think before I’d have thought I’d won something amazing if I’d known I was getting her as a girlfriend. Now with the demeaning ‘drone’ name I wanted nothing to do with her. I was also a little nervous as to the choice of words like culling and the Rawcliffs sales associate’s death rate question earlier today made the third year witches’ trials appear to be extremely sinister. When Grandma stated only a third of Gwithial Ylt passed, she’d never mentioned that two thirds failed. I’d assumed that and I was noticing that it seemed witches avoided lying and offering information by getting the other person to make incorrect assumptions.

The laughing annoyed Beatrice no end. I thought better of using the sixth form terrace, as that would yield power to Beatrice, and my laughing allowed me to feel justified walking back toward her. Then to carry on looking down on her I past her and the music and library doors and opened the door at the base of the main staircase opposite the staff room door. The door I had always been curious to enter.

Walking into one of the girl’s rec room I released the door as she had done to me earlier and entered the room. There were several groups of girls clustered around. They all stopped talking and stared at me. I ignored them and strode toward the opposite door I’d seen upon my entry that likely led to the next girl’s rec room. I figured they would chalk it up to me pretending to act as if I was supposed to be there and knew where I was going, which I sort of was as I had never been in these rooms.

I was opening the second door when I heard Beatrice call out to me from behind in frustration. Obviously the worry of not doing as she was told competed with her likely desire to let me fend on my own. I guessed the first rec room was the social meeting one as it had coffee tables sofas and arm chairs in several arrangements throughout. The next room was darker with no windows and its lights off. A TV blared out some advert, the chairs and sofas all arranged to face the right hand corner, where a large flat screen TV hung bathing the room in coloured light. The TV looked considerably larger than the boys’ one.

In the middle of the left hand wall of the room was a door likely to the third girls’ rec room. Ignoring the girls’ that queried who I was I wound my way around the chairs toward that door.

“Hey you’re the new girl from the staff room. What form are you?” Sharon asked getting up from a seat and stopping me from approaching the door. Turning I saw Beatrice arriving through the door I’d entered. There was a third door that likely led out to the stackyard, but I’d have to cross the rec room that had a dozen or more witches to pass to get to it. However, only the second year Sharon prevented me from gaining this closest exit.

“Way older than you, dreg!” I pushed Sharon back into her seat and made my exit leaving a fury of angry conversation behind me. Well Grandma and Ma White had say act a bitch. Mission accomplished, I think.

Entering the third rec room I saw a group of first years playing monopoly, and some primary children in the back corner playing another board game. A few older girls were playing cards. Likely Bloody Mary* seeing Christine’s bloody knuckles. Before any could call out to me I made the way to the door that most likely led back into the Library. I’d considered going through one of the veranda windows out onto sixth form terrace but thought that might be pushing my luck too far when it was found out I was third year. This door was also closer and by tipping over the unused card table before it, I’d likely buy myself some time.

“Fuck!” I heard Beatrice yell as the door was closing having been correct in destination as I entered the library. I considered running, but thought that would appear like I was scared so I walked across the library ignoring the girls and boys that called out at me, but knocking over chairs to hinder them trying to follow.

Behind there seemed to be several people hurrying after me. Thankfully I exited the library back into the original hallway before they caught up. Hearing some of the boys joining though I decided it was time to climb the main stairs. I wasn’t scared of the girls even if they were witches. I probably should be scared of them. I couldn’t stop myself of being scared shitless of the boys though, and knew I could put up a better false front as long as there were no boys ogling me.

I’d climbed the main staircase and got to the first half flight landing with view of the ‘stackyard’ and the stairs turned back on themselves. Of course I could now see three fifth form boys and a red faced Beatrice and even Sharon in the back behind Olivia, Amanda, Rachel and Lisa. More girls and a couple of younger boys were exiting the library too. Perhaps I had underestimated the reaction to my behavior. It looked like I kicked over an anthill, or knocked a beehive off a tree.

“Look Bitch, what the hell have you done to Thomas Wehl!” Beatrice yelled. I was wondering did that count as asking where he was? Murmuring about Thomas quickly spread amongst the crowd.

“Bea… itch, are you asking where Thomas Wehl is?” I figured as that was the only question, I could answer I should prompt her to ask it. Of course realizing I should probably not use her first name and she had called me a bitch I should likely do the same. I congratulated how the accident had come out seeming on purpose, making my curse so much better and personal than hers.

“Yes, skank you can’t refuse me that! You stuck up cow! Tell me where Thomas Wehl is!”

“Thomas has been enrolled in Sexey’s School near Lusty Hill, Somerset…

The shrill scream from Beatrice caused most of the congregated kids to jump. I am pretty sure I would have if I wasn’t frozen. As the scream rose in volume she tore up the stairs talons outstretched, and snarling. Facing an apparently mad woman, I suddenly felt way beyond scared. I’d never fought a girl and I think she planned to scratch my eyes out and tear my hair out at the same time. Panicking and once more I found myself frozen like I’d been yesterday at the salon. I needed to address this freezing under pure fear. I needed magic to push Beatrice back from climbing the stairs. Fall! I thought with every fiber of my being while swinging my arm up in preparation to defend myself. I was completely surprised that one, I had thought to move my arms, and two, they actually moved.

The far larger surprise though was I felt a surge leaving me and rushing toward my approaching nemesis, and pushing her left leg back down. It was only four inches of lost height, but those four inches made the top of her left foot be more than an inch below the lip of the stair. Her forward momentum of that foot ceased while the rest continued at her furious rate. The result, Beatrice tripped.

It was a long moment of time, but I could clearly see in her eyes that she knew I’d done it. I was fairly sure I had. However, even though I was only fairly sure, I knew Beatrice was certain it was me. In desperation she stretched out her arms toward me, and her right caught my blouse. Her fingers slipped between the buttons and her nails dug into the flesh beneath. That flesh, was my flesh.

I felt a horrendous tug as she twisted and started to slide back while falling forward. The lower buttons of my blouse popped off as the blouse was torn open. Her chin slammed into the top stair’s edge and blood poured from her mouth like an oil well first drilled.

Beatrice screamed, and threw something shiny from her right hand. Her right hand was burned badly and she cradled it in her left hand. I was thinking this was odd as with blood dripping from her mouth I would have thought she would be treating that as the place that hurt the most. However, it was her right hand that appeared to be causing her the most pain.

“Lisa don’t touch that!” Amanda yelled. “Only Gwithial Ylt alumni can touch that or you’ll be burned as badly as Beatrice’s hand was.”

“It’s a Padparadscha Sapphire, only the top five percent of third year trials are awarded Magna Cum Laude.” Olivia added.

I noticed that the shiny thing that Beatrice had thrown from her right hand was down at the bottom of the stairs, and all the girls were looking at it and then back at me. The gold chains with a pinky yellow stone looked like my naval piercing. That thought woke me to the pain from my stomach. Looking down I saw I was bleeding from where my navel piercing had been ripped out from me. Actually a fair amount of the spooling blood on the stairs was mine, not Beatrice’s.

“That’s mine!” I yelled in anger. Forgetting Beatrice, and my bleeding wound I quickly scrambled down, passing the screaming girl lying on the stairs. Without thinking just wanting to get my jewelry I stooped and picked it up. Then wondered why I was so concerned about not losing it, as I’d not wanted it in the first place. Further, considering it had been torn out, how I was supposed to put it back in? I was puzzled why it had enabled me to ignore the pain while worried it could be lost. Now with the pain returning I tried to pretend I felt none. Hopefully it would make me seem a bad ass. The boys would think it all an accident but judging by the fear in the girls’ eyes they thought I’d used magic to destroy Beatrice in this fight. That or they feared me due to thinking I was some big wig from a prominent school. Or it could be that I appeared to not feel pain.

“What is going on, out here?” The headmistress tore into the hallway out of her office and looked surprised to see so many people. “Tegan Allana Lesley, why am I not surprised you would be at the center of this. You’ve been on my school campus for less than an hour and already I have students bleeding, and my fifth year prefect badly injured. You have detention with me every evening this and the next two weeks, starting tonight, right after dinner.”

At her comment I looked and saw how badly I'd injured Beatrice. Now I realized the whole 'don't let anyone touch the bling followed by if you severely injure a student you will be expelled'. I was going to be expelled! As soon as she knows Beatrice touched it… What the fuck was my Grandma thinking causing my jewelry to do that to someone’s hand was my next thought.

I was brought out of my panicked thoughts as Ma White turned to the other kids across the hall. “Chris and Shawn return to your dorms until dinner time. Michael, John and Jordan tell a matron from the medical office and wait for dinner in your dorms. Boys you will not talk to anyone about this until a matron has talked to you in your dorms.” The boys nodded and walked off silently.

“Miss Myles, close the library door and keep it closed. Parade Calling.” She glared at the girls in the hallway until they organized themselves. Aside the second year Sharon stood beside the library door she’d been told to close, the two third years stood behind the five fourth years. Rachel Swanson, one of the two upper sixth girls, stood in front of the door to the girl’s rec room I’d first entered.

I was in front of the stairs where I’d picked my jewelry off the floor from, and Beatrice was lying on the stairs. Was I supposed to fall in at the back next to the two third years? I was afraid to cross past Misses White and the fourth years to get there, and I was wondering what my parents would say when they find out I’m expelled.

“Miss Swanson,ensure no one enters into the hallway.” The headmistress called out. Rachel cast a spell that caused all the doors to glow. I assumed the sixth year had locked or sealed all the doors into the entrance hallway.

“Did the boys witness magic?” Misses White asked the girls that were left. I was wondering why no one was offering healing spells to Beatrice or me. I mean surely the headmistress or Rachel knew some. The whole sending three boys to get the matron on duty was to get the boys out of the way wasn’t it? Were the matrons the only ones with healing magic?

“They’ll think Miss Walker tripped due to running up the stairs. Miss Lesley cast silent and with no visible spell elements. She was able to make minimal movement to cast and it looked as if she was preparing against a physical attack, not casting a hex.” Rachel stated.

It took me a moment to realize she meant me when she called out the name Miss Lesley. Rachel carried on so I had to quickly concentrate on what she said next. “Miss Wright’s comment to stop Miss Thompson grabbing Miss Lesley’s navel ring will confuse them and will need to be edited from their memories before they spread that Miss Lesley has jewelry that burns anyone else who touches it. Miss Young mentioned the third year trials, along with the facts about what a padparadscha sapphire means.

Rachel paused and after a moment continued her summary. “It is unclear if the comments are something that require editing with our own third year trials approaching. Miss Wright also named Gwithial Ylt, unclear if any of the five will recall mention of its name with everything else that occurred. That’s everything, Headmistress.”

“Miss Wright and Miss Thompson four night’s detention with Dame Martin, for exposure of magic to workers and drones.” Misses White said. Then when it looked like Lisa was about to complain that she hadn’t said anything, she added. “Or for the sheer stupidity for a fourth year nearly touching stuff that shouldn’t have had to be explained to them, to not touch.

“Miss Wright two more nights of detention for the near naming, and sanctioning is possible if any of the five are found to know the name you released. Miss Young a warning and it is your job to ensure no mention of the summer solstice’s third year trials is mentioned until they are completed.”

I twisted as I saw Beatrice struggling to stand in the corner of my eye. I moved so I could see her better and still face Misses White. She didn’t appear to be about to attack me thankfully, but I wasn’t going to stand with her behind me. Surprisingly she seemed to have stopped bleeding. With how fast she’d been bleeding before I expected her to need stiches before she would stop.

As no one rushed to help her I wondered if I was supposed to. I mean I hadn’t wanted to hurt her. I’d just wanted her to not hurt me. Why the hell was she not staying down until the matron arrived to heal her? She’d lost quite a lot of blood and her hand was blistering with peeling skin, it was so badly burned. I was feeling so guilty on how badly I’d caused her to be injured. Why had Grandma made my jewelry attack people?

“Miss Walker, you finally decided to stand before me. I’ve been here for several minutes and only have your punishment yet to deliver. I don’t think my fifth year prefect should be so pathetically weak. What do you think?”

“I am confident that I can maintain order and am the best; except one of the fifth year to fulfill all requirements of the fifth-year prefect.” She looked sullenly at me. “Miss Lesley, do you demand the fifth-year prefect spot?” She then asked me, obviously thinking my second middle name was my surname as Rachel had before.

I looked frantically at the headmistress who was glaring at me, was I supposed to accept it? Could I, a third year, be the fifth year girl’s prefect? Also I was going to be expelled once Ma White realises whay Beatrice's hand is burned. The headmistress, aside glaring at me, gave me no help in what she wanted me to say. Did the glare mean ‘don’t you dare accept the spot!’ or the reverse? Not trusting myself to speak, I shook my head in the negative and I felt I saw relief in the eyes of the headmistress for choosing correctly? I could be just hoping I saw that and had actually completely messed up though.

“Miss Walker, it seems you get to petition and apologize to me, for being allowed to keep your prefect spot.” Misses White declared. I was just thankful the force of her gaze was on Beatrice and not me anymore.

“I am sorry, Headmistress. It will not happen…

“You’re damn right it won’t. You’re on probation and Queen’s Champion to the one you acknowledge as your better, whom kindly deferred your lost position back to you.You have detention every evening with Miss Hodges through the end of term. I will decide over the summer if you will be allowed back for sixth year and if you will still be a prefect.”

“Thank you, Headmistress…

“Further, for instigating in front of drones and workers, and then losing an informal duel against a new student I had requested you provide orientation to, you will be sanctioned.” At the headmistress’s punishment a few gasps and murmers occured. They were quickly stifled as she turned and glared at the perpetrators that had interrupted her.“You can go to one of the attic punishment cells until I decide you can be healed and allowed to return to the hallowed.”

Beatrice curtsied and bowed her head into hands that were brought up to it. That must be painful as her right palm that was badly burned was lying on the back of her left hand. Her head was bent so her eyes would have been pointing at the floor if they weren’t lying on top of the back of her right hand. She stayed like that, stooped and not complaining over the burned skin. I was wondering if I was supposed to do that, but none of the other girls had when getting detentions issued. No one spoke so I stayed standing at attention like the rest.

“Be off with you Miss Walker.” Misses White finally said and Beatrice started climbing the stairs. “Miss Swanson after Parade Calling is finished, release the hold on the entrances and complete the orientation of the new student that Miss Walker failed to take care of. Everyone else I want all of you carry on as though nothing occurred.”

“Let me fix your bling for you as we are the only two here that can touch it.” The headmistress said holding out her hand to me. I’d forgot I was holding the jewelry in my hand and I numbly handed it over. Was I supposed to curtsey? Going on the principle that there was a delta between how one behaved when getting a detention verses a punishment I kept standing straight, and no one seemed to look like I was doing something wrong. Looks like I’d guessed right.

I didn’t catch the mumbled words, Misses White spoke. I did see a glow spread over my lower abdomen and finally the pain was removed. When she stepped back from me and turned toward Rachel I glanced down and saw that though my naval and lower blouse were a bloody mess I didn’t see torn skin as I had before. The three chains were once more dangling beneath the sapphire stone. Hopefully after I clean away the gore my naval will be completely healed.

“Miss Swanson, I recommend you show her the Seagull dorm she is assigned to, and the bathroom so she can get a shower and change. Then show her the laundry room so she can get her uniform fixed and cleaned for school tomorrow. Make sure every girl knows that touching other peoples jewelry can often lead to burned fingers.” Misses White then turned toward me and was scowling at me with pure anger. “If any boy gets that badly burned from your bling I will expel you. Hold out your hand." I did wondering if she was going to burn it as I had burned Beatrice's. Instead she dropped four buttons in it. "After you've washed your uniform and dried it, you'll need to sew those buttons back on.

"Oh, and one more thing. I don’t care how you behaved at your prior school, but here at Belmare Moor, you fall in with your form at attention, unless told otherwise, during a Parade Calling. You are not Miss Swanson’s senior. I am only not sanctioning you, as your guide, Miss Walker, failed to fall in. You, at least stood up, even if your deportment was no better than a groveling hag’s.”

“As you were ladies.” The headmistress looked over everyone and then swept back into her office.

* Bloody Mary is a card game where the loser is the one left with the Queen of Spades. The loser then cuts the deck and all other players use the deck of cards to hit the loser's knuckles the number of times on the cut deck.