I’m standing on the balcony outside my room, wrapped in shadow. It’s the same stretch of railing where Hoya and I used to talk, and right now I would trade almost anything for one of those chats.

I can see Sunggyu two floors below, on the balcony outside the cafeteria. Most of the other students have returned to their rooms, but Sunggyu’s chatting with her dinner companion—an exceptionally good- looking Android named Hoon. He’s number 26. Other than that, I don’t know a thing about him. But Sunggyu certainly finds the guy fascinating. He’s said more to him in one night than he’s said to me in weeks.

I look up.

There’s a sliver of light at the top of Seungyeon door on the ninth floor. They force her to attend classes, but she skips every meal. In the week after she lost the Dux title, Seungyeon was an object of fascination. No one knew what it meant for a student to be left off the ranking list.

We all found out when Seungyeon began to fade. Every day, she seemed to lose a little more substance. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one who still sees her.

For a while, she followed me around between classes. I’d glance over my shoulder and spot Seungyeon skulking a few yards behind me. Or I’d step out of my dorm room and notice her watching my door from the ninth-floor balcony. She almost seemed like a lovesick schoolgirl, though I’m sure she was just searching for new ways to make me suffer.

As much as it annoyed me, it was hard not to feel sorry for her. Now it’s impossible. Whatever medication Seungyeon’s on makes her shake like an elderly woman. Her eyes are glassy and her appearance is haggard. These days, she’s sunk so low that it’s hard to imagine that she ever truly belonged at the top. Sunggyu talks about Seungyeon reign as if it was all some big scam.

He seems to think that Seungyeon declared herself Dux, and for a while everyone chose to believe her. As soon as they stopped, Seungyeon tumbled down to the bottom.

I wonder what Sunggyu will say about me. I’m still on top for the moment, but I’ve let myself slip. When the new rankings are posted in three days’ time, there will be only one Dux. I’ll probably make the top five. But I never tried to keep my title. I want Sunggyu to have it. He’ll be a little bit safer if he reigns supreme.

I hear footsteps approaching. They stop, and someone takes Hoya’s old spot beside me. It’s not Hoya, and it’s not Sunggyu, so I really couldn’t care less who it is.

“Spying on the new Dux? Remarkable, isn’t he?” Jungyeop has slithered out of the woodwork. I haven’t seen him since the day he introduced me to Mr. Il and his nunchaku. I should kill him for that—and a hundred other things. It would be easy to pick him up and fling him over the banister. I’d love to see what kind of splatter he’d make. Three weeks ago, I might have done it without blinking. But his people would kill me, and I have one life to sacrifice.

It’s still Sunggyu’s if he needs it.

“I must admit—when I first saw you two together, I didn’t understand the attraction,” he muses. “Sunggyu’s no great beauty, and all those dirty little pets he kept must have been terribly annoying. I assumed you were high on the most powerful drugs known to nature. Hormones can cloud a young man’s judgment until he mistakes lust for love. That’s why I recruited Seungyeon’s help when you got here. I thought it would be easier for you to let go of the past if your physical needs were being met.”

I frowned at the implications. "If you wanted me to let go, why is Sunggyu here?”

“Because I figured out that you have better taste than I do. I assumed Sunggyu was just an ordinary boy, but as it turns out, he’s nothing of the sort!” Jungyeop chuckles. “So there you have it. I was wrong. And you won’t hear me say that very often.” Jungyeop sounds like he’s a little in love with Sunggyu too. I force myself to look at him. And for a moment, I don’t see a snake. Just a spoiled little psycho in a ten-thousand-dollar Italian suit who’s been allowed to believe that the rest of us are his playthings.

“What makes you think Sunggyu’s so special?”

“Because he’s the only student here who found me. (AN: remember that little tidbit at the end of a chapter a while ago? Sunggyu went out with the brochure and hunted down Jungyeop - that was how he got into Woollim. By his own will.) He showed up a couple of months ago and tried to blackmail me into giving him a spot at the academy.” Jungyeop not making it up. I can tell he’s truly impressed.

“What did Sunggyu have on you?” I ask. Then I give him a playful nudge with my elbow. “Come on, you can tell me. We both know I’m not going anywhere.”

“It wasn’t much, to be honest, but it was the thought that counted. Sunggyu told me he’d spent months researching Woollim’s alumni. He followed the money—his words, not mine—and dug up a few facts about a little pharmaceutical project we’ve all been working on. He claimed he had enough evidence to accuse the academy of being an ‘organized crime syndicate.’ I’m afraid it was an exercise in naïveté. His theory might have been published by some wacky conspiracy website, but no reputable news source would have touched it. Even the district attorney’s office knows better than to tangle with the Woollim Academy. Our lawyers always rip them to shreds. Still, it was a fairly remarkable report. One might even say dangerous. I would have had Sunggyu eliminated after his interview, but fortunately I took the time to check out his references.”

“References?”

“Well, reference,” Jungyeop corrects himself. “He only provided one. A man named Zoran Zrenjanin. I knew the gentleman by reputation, but it was a challenge getting in touch with him. And I say this as someone who can have the president of the United States on the phone in five minutes. But Mr. Zrenjanin is currently spending time in The Hague. As an inmate in Scheveningen Prison.”

“Where they put war criminals.”

“That’s correct. Are you familiar with Mr. Zrenjanin’s work in the former Yugoslavia?”

“Nope, never heard of him. But if you’re a fan, he must have an impressive resume.”

“Oh yes. Murder on the grandest scale. Ethnic cleansing. . Torture. Organ and blood farming. Human trafficking.” I can hear Mandel’s excitement growing. Then he abruptly stops and regains his composure. “The point is, the man willingly confirmed that Sunggyu is his son. Do you know what that means?”

“That any mass murderer is just a phone call away?” I don’t even think he heard me.

“It means that Sunggyu is the child of a predator! He’s a hybrid! I have two specimens now. So even if something were to happen to you, my experiment wouldn’t need to end.”

“It’s a banner day for science,” I mutter.

Down on the sixth floor, Sunggyu is strolling toward the elevator with his Android friend. “He is captivating, isn’t he?” Jungyeop remarks. “Always collecting data. He was right about the predator students, you know. They can be quite predictable. And I’ve discovered that with a little medication, they’re easy to manipulate. So I’m keen to focus on hybrids now. Sunggyu is inventing his own rules. Improvising. He understands his prey. He knows how they think. Aside from you two, the academy’s Duxes have all been born predators. They ruled by fear and force. Sunggyu has accomplished what I never thought possible—he’s inspiring the other students to follow him. Soon he could have them all working toward a common goal.”

“You mean your goal,” I say. “So that’s why you’re letting him break all the rules?”

“I have two hybrids, but I only need one to prove my theory. For now I have the luxury of simply observing my second specimen. I still have much to learn about your kind. I must admit, Sunggyu’s behavior here has been absolutely fascinating. He seized power with little interference on my part. What do you think he is planning to do next?”

“I have no idea,” I tell him in all honesty.

“Well, if he hasn’t taken you into his confidence, I’d say that there’s a good chance that he’s plotting against you.”

“You may be right.” That’s what Jungyeop came to say. He’s pitting us against each other.

“Oh, I’m definitely right,” he assures me. “I was completely up front with Sunggyu when I offered him the scholarship. I told him that only one of you two would survive this semester. That didn’t seem to trouble Sunggyu in the slightest. I don’t think he considers you much of a threat.”

I knew it would come to this. If one of us is going to live, one of us will have to die. But both of us are going to lose. “What if Sunggyu is the one who survives? What happens to your wager with my father?”

“As long as my theory is confirmed, it doesn’t matter which of my two hybrids prevails. Either way, the alumni will have the proof they require. However, my interest in you isn’t entirely scientific. Your victory might teach your father a meaningful lesson. I’m still rooting for you, Flick, but I won’t be heartbroken if you lose. In fact, I’d love to dissect that brain of yours.”

“Why wait?” I ask. “Go ahead and take it.”

“It’s a very generous offer, Flick. But it makes me suspect that you never opened my present.”

“Present?”

“The folder on your computer.”

“What’s in it?” I ask.

Jungyeop smiles. “A reason to live.”

• • •

I must have fallen asleep with the computer on my lap. I remember staring at the little blue folder. WHEN YOU’RE READY.

Jungyeop should have named it something else. You’re never ready for the truth. No matter how much you think you know, it always takes you by surprise.

I open my eyes. Peter Pan is floating a few inches off the floor, examining his own yearbook picture on the wall of my room. “Dad went ballistic when he found out about this,” he says.

“I know,” I snap. Of course I know. I was the one who was punished for letting my little brother go to school in a goddamned Halloween costume. “Where have you been? You said you weren’t going to leave me. You said there was nowhere to go!”

“Just because you couldn’t see me doesn’t mean I wasn’t around,” Peter Pan replies. Then he points at the computer that’s slipped off my lap. “Don’t open his present.”

“I didn’t.” I climb out of bed to deliver my big news. “Sunggyu is here.”

“I figured he’d get here sooner or later,” says Myungsoo as he slowly drifts down to earth. “Don’t know why you’re so surprised. I saw that one coming a long ways back. I left a trail of bread crumbs for him to follow.”

“Bread crumbs? Wrong f—ing fairy tale,” I say.

“Then call it a trail of pixie dust if you want. I knew you could count on him.”

“Count on him? He won’t even speak to me!”

Sungjong shrugs. “He’s angry. Can’t say I blame him. I’ve been pretty pissed off at you too. The last time I was here, it seemed like you’d made some real progress. Did you forget everything that I told you?”

“What? Haven’t you been paying attention? I’ve been doing everything I can to help Sunggyu. But he’s not who he used to be, Myungsoo-yah.”

“Looks that way, doesn’t it? But we all know what they say about looks.”

“Stop f—ing around! We both know Sunggyu hates me.”

Peter Pan just yawns. “You see, this is why I’m back. It’s all about you again.”

“Did you hear what Jungyeop said about his father?”

“Sure, but it would be kind of stupid to hold that against him. Our dad is Captain Hook.”

“What if Sunggyu has the gene, Myung? What do I do if I . . .” How do you put words to the worst thought you’ve ever had?

“Yes?”

“I hurt him. I hurt him so much. I didn’t want to, but I did. What if there is a gene? And what if I switched Sunggyu’s on?”

“Then switch it back off!”

His glib answer annoys me. I wish there were someone else I could turn to for advice. But my only confidant is an overgrown elf. “I don’t think it works like that.”

“How would you know? You’re not even sure that the gene exists.”

“Jungyeop says there’s a gene that’s either on or off. Dad says you choose to fight or die. What difference does it make in the end? It’s between me and Sunggyu now. One of us is going to die. The one who survives is going to end up a monster.”

“Those are the only two options?”

“Don’t give me that crazy ‘third option’ again.”

“Let’s see if I’ve got this straight. You’re having a conversation with a fictional character. And you honestly believe that it’s possible to make someone a monster. But it’s crazy to think that there might be a third option. Interesting. Very interesting.” He arches an eyebrow and an imaginary goatee.

“You’re not helping me!”

“Why are you the one who always needs help?” Myungsoo shouts back. “Sunggyu’s trying to save everyone. Jungyeop can’t see it. And the sad thing is, neither can you. If you want Sunggyu back, get your head out of your and help him!”

• • •

Forty-eight hours have passed since I spoke to Jungyeop. I still haven’t opened the folder. The Immunity Phase ends tomorrow. The new rankings will be revealed in the morning, and the Wolves have already stopped treating me as Dux. Sunggyu is their leader now. When Tablo arrives in the Wolves’ Den with a memo from Jungyeop, he doesn’t even acknowledge my presence. He heads straight for Sunggyu, who appears to be focusing on his own homework for once.

“What?” he asks without glancing up at him.

“I have a list of the bottom six,” he says, making sure that only the top Wolves can hear. “The culling should begin as quickly as possible. We traditionally start with the last student on the list, but since this semester has been rather unusual, Mr. Jungyeop would like you to make the selection.”

“No,” Sunggyu says, returning to his homework.

Tablo swivels around, hoping that one of us can explain the response. “I’m sorry, Sunggyu,” he says at last. “I don’t understand. No what?”

“The culling is postponed. I haven’t finished my analysis yet. I need to re-interview some of the students.”

“But . . .” Tablo protests.

Sunggyu glances back up as if he’d already forgotten he was there. “Yes?”

“But what about Seungyeon? And number fifty-five is that girboyl Dongwoo, from your Incubation Group. Surely you don’t need to interview him.”

“My needs are none of your business. I said the culling was postponed. That’s all you need to hear.”

Tablo won’t leave. “I understand. But what should I tell Mr. Jungyeop? This list came directly from him.”

“Let me see that.” Sunggyu snatches the memo and runs his eyes down the list. “Who decides where students lie in the rankings?”

“The instructors, of course,” Tablo answers.

“And you really think they’re the best people to be making these kinds of decisions?”

Tablo frowns. “They determine our grades. They’re the instructors.”

“That’s right. But they’re not just instructors. They’re all graduates, too. Do you think the most gifted Woollim alumni would choose to be stuck teaching a bunch of delinquents all day? No. These instructors are here because they didn’t make the cut on the outside. So if you ask me, decisions like rankings are a bit beyond their abilities. The people in this room are more qualified than they are. We ought to be the ones calling the shots, don’t you think?”

Tablo doesn’t say a word, but everyone else knows exactly what the answer should be. Soul slams her computer shut and Justin shoots her a knowing glance. Isaac sits back and studies the ceiling. Sunggyu keeps rattling their cage. Why haven’t they started searching for a way to break free?

“How long do you think it will take to complete your analysis?” Tablo asks.

“Dunno,” Sunggyu says with a shrug. “Could be a while. I’ve never done this before.” He’s pretending to read now, but he’s scanned the same page three times. Sunggyu must be feeling the weight of my stare. His head remains bowed down toward his book, but then those eyes dart up and meet mine. And I see the boy I knew on the Lower Side.

He’s still there, and he’s not going to change. That’s why Sunggyu keeps postponing the culling.

He’s trying to save all the students—just like Myungsoo said. But he needs more time to come up with a plan, and he knows it won’t be long before Jungyeop calls his bluff. Someday soon, he’ll force him to either kill or be killed. I know which of the two options he’d choose.

So whether Sunggyu hates me or not, I’m going to have to help him search for a third.

AN: Hey guys~ I didn't think I would be able to fit a chapter today, but I managed to :)

Also, I'm not gonna say everything, but the reason Sunggyu's last name is different from his father's is because he took his mother's last name.

Anyways, hope you guys have a great week or so till I post again (I know I'm not TT TT)

BYE~~