I expect my mother to barge into my room at any minute and lecture me concerning the events of last night, but she does not open my door. I wait for her entrance, but when it does not come, I am left feeling surprised but pleased. I have no desire to hear a lesson so early in the morning.

I replay the occurrences of yesterday in my head. I recall the feeling of Luhan’s arms around me, shielding me from breaking. I recall the bar tender, who had looked at me with reluctant interest.

The archives. What did she mean by that? Was she suggesting that the Brasses often hack into the archives?

I try to wrap my mind around it, but I can’t imagine them accomplishing such a feat. If there were people in the Brass region who were smart enough to confront the Government’s security, then there should be at least one Brass who has passed the test.

That doesn’t add up. If a Brass can break the Government’s firewall, then couldn’t that Brass pass the test? So why is it that, in all the years since the test has been created, not a single Brass has passed?

Unless … unless these Brasses are failing the test on purpose.

What are they trying to achieve by doing that?

I cast the thought away. It’s only an assumption, and the bar tender’s words are the only thing that supports its credibility. I can’t naively trust that Brass. She might have toyed with me.

Luhan suddenly enters my mind like a virus. His reaction after I had talked to him last night about a human’s veracity caused him to leave my room. I did not chase after him. Exons aren’t worth the effort.

I’m starting to regret it.

Where is he? What could he be doing that he failed to cook breakfast for the first time?

I pull myself out of my bed and pad down the staircase. I notice that the last step does not squeak anymore.

I walk into the kitchen and stare at the empty counter. Nothing. He hasn’t cooked anything. Where is he? I’m hungry.

I find him sitting on the couch in the living room. His posture is perfect, and his face is blank. The Rubik’s Cube sits on his lap. He doesn’t react when I enter the room. I take a step forward and wave my hand in front of his face, but his eyes don’t make even the subtlest movement. His shoulders don’t rise with an intake of breath. He isn’t breathing.

Of course he isn’t breathing. He’s an Exon.

“Luhan?” I say. I wave my hand in front of his face again. After a long, worrying moment, he finally reacts by tightly grasping my wrist. His grip is firm, and the tension in his fingers hurts my skin. “Luhan … “

He snaps out of it. “Emer?” He asks. He looks so perplexed. He looks … scared. I didn’t know Exons were afraid of anything. I didn’t know they were capable of feeling fear.

“Are you okay?” I ask him. I’m still irked about what he did last night, but the current state he is in worries me more. And plus … “I’m hungry.”

“I’m sorry!” he apologizes, giving a quick bow. He lets go of my wrist and stands up. The Rubik’s Cube falls to the floor. “I’ll go cook right now.”

“Wait,” I call. He halts. His back is to me, and I cannot see his face. “Is there something wrong with … ? I can take you back,” I rephrase my statement. “To the Institute. To get you – “

“I don’t want to go back there,” he sharply declares, his eyes solemn and hopeless. “Not there. Not … I can’t … “

“ – to get you fixed,” I finish. “I meant … if there’s anything wrong. With your body. Are you freezing up? I didn’t mean … I didn’t mean that I’d return you to the Institute. That’s not what I meant. I meant, if you needed fixing, I could bring you back.”

He looks down at the floor. “No. I’m fine.” He raises his hands and looks at the lines on his palms. “2nd Generation Exons are supposed to be indestructible.” He says it likes it’s a mantra with which he’s been trying to convince himself. He doesn’t sound like he believes his own words. “I don’t need to go back there,” he says with finality.

“Alright,” I agree. “Fine.” I pause. “So … hurry up and do your job already.”

“Right,” he says, hurrying to the kitchen. I stay in the living room a bit longer and stare at the Rubik’s Cube on the floor. All the little square panels have been matched.

I actually feel guilty about last night. I don’t understand why I should feel guilty, when Exons don’t have feelings, and I shouldn’