Had Minerva known the whole time that the end of the training wasn’t to make them into kings and queens, but to make them into monsters? Had that been the plan all along? To get them to kill as many people as possible, to build up as much power through blood sacrifice as they could until one or both of them would be strong enough to perform the ritual and destroy another city? Did Raith know about this? Did her parents know? Lord Crowley knew—he must have; he was part of this whole thing. Who were her parents, then? Why was she, of all people, chosen?

  “Your turn, dear,” Minerva said, breaking Rin from her reverie. “Introduce yourself.”

  “I’m Rin Morana,” Rin said shakily, staring at the strangers in the black suits seated across from her. “For some reason, I was selected to be part of the ritual to destroy this city. I’m not entirely sure why. I’d like it if you could tell me. I’m not sure why any of us were chosen, to be completely honest.”

  “Oh?” the man across from her with the silver beard exclaimed. He looked to Angela at the head of the table, frowning. “I thought they had been told why they were chosen, and how special they all are?”

  The woman next to him spoke up. “I also thought there would be more of them.” She had light brown hair cut in an asymmetrical bob, flawless tan skin, and a voice suited for complaining. “And that they would be older. These ones look like children. Can’t trust children to do something this important.”

  “Well, now, they are all of age, are you not?” Angela replied, a tinge of sourness threading through her sweet tone.

  Alan nodded while Kazuki shrugged, and Rin didn’t acknowledge the question at all.

  “There are more—three more heading to us soon. Iris was sent to gather them,” Minerva replied. “I apologize on behalf of the girl—er, the young lady. She’s just trying to stir things up. She tends to do that. Makes jokes in bad taste and feigns ignorance. A real spitfire, this one.”

  “I’m not joking. I really don’t know. Maybe if I knew, it might help convince me to willingly complete it,” Rin said, folding her trembling hands in her lap.

  “I actually don’t know why they were chosen either,” a young man with bronze skin and jet black curls seated next to Angela said. “I’d love to know why they were chosen. Out of all the people to survive the destruction of Washington D.C., why were these ones chosen?”

  “Washington D.C.?” Rin repeated the name as a question.

  “That’s the proper name of the city you live in, dear,” Minerva clarified. Her voice was wearing thinner with every moment they were spending on this topic.

  “The old capital city of the country called the United States,” Alan whispered. “I had no idea…I guess I’ve never seen it, only heard of it in books.”

  “We tried to eliminate as much media as we could that would give away anything about the past,” Minerva said, rubbing her temples. “Let’s conclude this foolishness before we get into any more conversations.”

  “What foolishness?” A young woman with a thin face and short cropped red hair chimed in. She had a strong voice and had been sitting quietly, studying everyone at the table and biding her time. Something in her careful, composed manner reminded Rin of Amaya.

  “Are you calling our questions foolish? Are we supposed to follow the rules of the Order without questioning the decisions that are being made? This Rin Morana has implied she is not even a willing participant in the ritual. Why then is she assigned to the task when there are so many loyal, devoted members of the Order who would gladly take her place? Myself included.”

  “Me too,” piped up the young man. “I’d gladly give myself to the cause.”

  “They don’t look strong enough for the task,” the man with the silver beard said. “Can they even do…anything? How about a demonstration of their abilities?”

  “Unfortunately, we’ve had to…clip their wings, shall we say. At least until we get them under control,” Angela explained, giving Minerva a knowing nod. “Isn’t that right?”

  “Yes, it’s for their own good, as well as your own safety,” Minerva replied. “Now, if we could—”

  “Safety?” The woman with the bad haircut scoffed. “I’m supposed to be afraid of these little twerps? Do they look dangerous to any of you?”

  The man with the silver beard chuckled, staring at Rin through his thick glasses, his expression illegible. The young woman with the short red hair shook her head decidedly, and the young man with the black curls considered them with an expression that resembled sympathy more than fear.

  Rin’s stomach growled; her blood boiled. She was tired, she was angry, and she was hungry. Minerva was talking circles around her question, and all these assholes were sitting around, judging her and her friends like they were some kind of performing circus animals. She’d had enough.

  “Forget it, doesn’t matter why you chose us,” Rin grumbled, picking up her knife and fork, determined to have some roast and potatoes sooner rather than later. “Let’s just finish the introductions so that we can eat. Go ahead, Alan.”

  “Um, hi, I’m Alan Trask,” Alan said as cheerily as he could manage.

  “What happened to the other Violet boy—the one you trained?” the man with the silver beard asked Minerva.

  “Ah, dear Rin did away with him. He is no more. This boy has managed to absorb some of his essence, one way or another.” Minerva gave a coy smile, showcasing her sharp little white teeth.

  Alan flushed crimson at her words. Rin tightened her grip on the cutlery still in her hand.

  “My name is Kazuki Tanaka,” Kazuki jumped in, eager to spare Alan another moment of embarrassment. “I’m probably here because I was adopted by James Sydis.”

  “Ah, the traitor,” the woman with the bad haircut said. “James Sydis was a lying cheat who didn’t deserve the grave they buried him in.”

  “He’s not buried in a grave,” Kazuki snapped, glaring daggers at the woman.

  “Exactly!” She sputtered a hideous laugh.

  “Now, now, Madison, let’s not be rude to the chosen ones,” the man with the silver beard said. “I, for one, think James Sydis was simply a poor soul who couldn’t handle the task of saving the world. Much like these children you’ve presented to us this evening.”

  “Then let us go,” Rin practically snarled as she slammed her fists onto the table, the ends of the fork and knife she clenched clanging with a violent sound against the wood. The sound of glass and ceramic vibrating from her sudden movement filled the room like an echo of her rage. “If you don’t want us, let us go. We don’t want to be here; we don’t want to do this. I’m not interested in being part of this creepy bullshit that takes innocent lives to run fucking health spas.”

  “My dear, you have no say in this matter, and neither do I.” Minerva smiled tersely.

  “Health spas? How dare you,” the woman with the bad haircut screeched—she’d been called Madison, so that must have been her name. “Do you know who I am? Do you know what great things I have accomplished within the Order? I have worked miracles. Ended innocent lives? I’ve done nothing but save them. You children are a filthy lot of degenerates. I mean, look at this pudgy, ginger one. He’s just a stunted, little—”

  She didn’t finish speaking, because a steak knife suddenly rose from its place by her plate and drew itself across her neck.

  Rin turned to see Alan standing beside her, panting with the effort it had taken. He leaned over the table and grabbed a roll from the basket, tearing into it, muttering curses as Madison bled out onto the white linen tablecloth.

  “Damn,” Kazuki whistled. “Guess that stuff wore off.”

  “Guess so.” Rin smirked, uncoiling her fingers from the steak knife in her hand and allowing it to hover in the air in front of her.

  Everything happened in the span of about two minutes. The young woman with the red hair sent a volley of silverware flying toward Rin, who blocked it easily and sent it careening backwards toward her. Rin didn’t get a chance to see where any of it landed, because the young man with the dark curls sprung over the top of the table, pouncing on her.

  She toppled backward in her chair as he crushed her windpipe with his bare hands while digging his knees into her ribs.

  “Rin,” Alan cried, through a mouthful of bread and panic, “do the thing.”

  Rin hadn’t done it since she’d killed Raith, but she figured now was as good a time as any. She closed her eyes and placed herself into the state of mind she called “monster mode.”

  The hands on her neck grew weakened, withered away to nothing but dust. The man screamed, holding them up in front of his face, and watched them dissolve. She kicked him over and thrust her fist into his chest, over and over until she knew it was over for him.

  The smell of smoke filled the room. Something burned as she leaped up and spun around to get her bearings. Alan healed a wound in Kazuki’s shoulder as Kazuki tossed balls of fire at the young woman with the red hair, who caught and returned most of them, until she missed one and it began consuming her.

  Angela, the woman with golden hair, sat complacent at the table.

  Minvera had vanished.

  The door was wide open. They had a chance to run.

  She sprinted into the hall, followed by the others. Something was burning out here too.

  In the hall, the man with the silver beard had taken off the singed piece. It was a costume. His glasses were gone too. His face revealed, familiar.

  Rin knew this man. She didn’t hesitate. She rushed toward him, jabbing her elbow into his throat. The force of the blow sent him back into the wall—through the wall. He crashed through the lathe and plaster to the brick, but she drove him in deeper, picturing the bitter look in his eyes when he’d stood over her all those years ago.

  She wanted to claw out those eyes. She wanted to rip his thick neck to shreds; she wanted to tear him into pieces under there was nothing left of him…

  “Enough, Rin,” Alan said, bringing her back. “He’s dead, let’s go.”

  “I got the keys to the van,” Kazuki told her.

  She took a deep breath and drew back from the ruined man she’d pushed through the wall, breathing heavily, viscera dripping down her arms. On the black fabric, it wasn’t so visible, but her hands looked like she’d tried to carve a blood pumpkin. The adrenaline crash and the surrealness of the whole thing made her giggle.

  She turned toward the front door. A fist smacked her in the jaw, sending her flying backward down the hall. Alan and Kazuki gasped. Rin tried to get back up, but a foot clamped down on her throat, holding her still.

  “That was fun.” Edgar Crowley sneered, towering over her. “Surely you don’t think you can end me that easily?”

  “Someone did.” Rin choked, grasping at his ankles to force him off. He budged a little, but not enough to allow her up off the floor.

  “Because I let him, that clever little slut.” Edgar smirked. “Now, if I let you go, would you be good and stay for dinner? The food’s getting cold.”

  “Can you even eat?”

  “No, but I’m sure you’re hungry, and you’ve been awfully rude keeping the host waiting.” Edgar ground his heel into Rin’s neck.

  She gasped, almost losing consciousness from the pressure.

  “Let her go,” Alan cried.

  “Why should I, sweet boy?” Edgar asked, letting up on Rin a little.

  “You need her,” Kazuki said. “You need all of us. Alive. We can’t run from you; we’ve tried. We can’t fight you, because you can’t die. But you can’t kill us either. We’re at a stalemate. Everyone loses.”

  “Or everyone wins,” Edgar mused, but he lifted up his foot and let Rin sit up to breathe.

  She gasped for air, coughing, curling up in a ball. She may have lost consciousness for a moment, because the next thing she knew, Alan and Kazuki were lifting her up and carrying her back into the dining room.

  The scene was a little different now. Madison, the woman with the bad haircut, sat in her chair with her throat cut and her eyes open. The young man’s body laid sprawled on this side of the table, a pool of blood seeping from a hole in his chest. The young woman’s charred remains were strewn across one end of the table. Minerva was nowhere to be found; Edgar had also vanished. Only Angela was left, still seated, staring dazed at the carnage before her.

  “Well, I think we answered the question of why you three were chosen for the ritual,” Angela said, her sweet voice trembling as she rose up to welcome them back to the table. “Perhaps we’d better eat in the kitchen tonight, if you all wouldn’t mind.”

  They didn’t mind at all. Somehow, through all this, Rin was still ravenous. They all were, and made heaping plates of what food had gone untouched through the battle, then heated them up in the microwave and sat around a kitchen table.

  “Sorry about your house,” Rin said to Angela through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. “I put a guy through a wall. I guess we’ll need to get rid of the…bodies. I hope you weren’t close with the…deceased.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’d only met those members this evening,” Angela said, waving her off. “I’ve planned ahead. When I agreed to host this dinner, I was told what to expect.”

  “They expected us to fight like that?” Alan asked, setting down his fork.

  “Yes and no. I was told there might be some resistance—that you all might show off a little, and there could be casualties. I didn’t expect those high-ranking members of the Order to say such terrible things to provoke you…or to fight back quite so hard.”

  “Can I ask you something kind of personal? You don’t have to answer,” Rin assured her.

  “Of course. What is it?”

  “You seem really nice,” Rin muttered, pushing around a roasted brussels sprout in the dregs of her gravy. “Why are you working for the Order?”

  “The Order isn’t all bad. Sure, there are some members join up because they crave power and control of those around them. Those who are only in it to become superhuman.” Angela sighed. “But people really do benefit from the services that the Order provides. You’ll see tomorrow when we take a tour of the center here in town.”

  “You’re taking us on the tour?” Alan asked.

  “Of course. I run the center,” Angela said with a smile. “You’ll be staying here tonight. Your doors aren’t locked. The house isn’t locked either. You’re free to leave, but I would implore you to stay at least until after the tour. You can see how much it would mean to us if you were able to perform the ritual. How much good work we’d be able to do.”

  “Wouldn’t we be destroying the center?” Rin asked. “I mean, your center. Since it’s in this city and we’re destroying this city?”

  Angela frowned, looked away a moment, then looked back.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked, smiling sheepishly.

  “I said we’re destroying this city with the ritual,” Rin repeated.

  Angela stared blankly ahead, like something was blocking her from hearing Rin and processing this information. Rin exchanged glances with Kazuki and Alan.

  “If you’re finished eating, I can show you up to your room,” Angela said in her soft, sweet voice, having failed to register what was said before.

  Kazuki and Alan offered to wash the dishes. Rin offered to put away leftovers and clean up the dining room as much as she could. When all was done, they were shown up the stairs to a bedroom with a four-poster king sized bed and a small pull-out couch.

  “There’s changes of clothes in the dresser,” Angela noted before gesturing across the room. “That door there leads to your private bathroom. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be right down the hall.”

  “Okay,” Rin said. “Thank you.”

  Angela left them, shutting the door behind her.

  Kazuki flopped down onto the bed, rolling into the middle. Alan crashed beside him.

  “Can we just all sleep on the big bed together, or is that weird?” Rin asked.

  “It’s fine,” Kazuki muttered, staring at the ceiling. “I doubt I’ll be able to sleep, anyway.”

  “I should change out of these bloody clothes first,” Rin said, rifling through the drawers for a t-shirt and some sweatpants.

  “Yeah, I can’t believe you ate like that.” Kazuki smirked, folding his arms behind his head. “I should change too.”

  “They’re keeping it from her, aren’t they?” Alan whispered the question. “The Order. They’re preventing her from knowing that it’s this city being destroyed. That’s why she’s okay with everything.”

  “I wonder what city she thinks is going to be destroyed, then,” Kazuki mused, but Alan was already snoring softly beside him. “Anyway, goodnight, love.”

  “Goodnight,” Rin whispered as she stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

  The water could only wash away so much, but when she was done, she felt more refreshed than she had earlier when she’d showered in the tower room. Tower shower. She chuckled about the dumb rhyme to herself as she picked her way through the dark room to the bed. Alan and Kazuki were both breathing steadily, like they’d fallen asleep.

  Rin laid down on the bed beside them gently.

  A voice whispered in her ear, making her snap awake. “Rin?” She wasn’t sure where she was or how much time had passed. All she knew was that Amaya’s astral projection was hovering beside her.

  CHAPTER 20

  THE ONE WHERE AMAYA PLANS A TRIP

  (Saturday, 10 P.M.)

  “Amaya,” Rin whispered, sitting up in bed.

  Amaya edged closer to her, brushing a hand across her cheek. Her fingers slipped through, offering little comfort.

  “I wish there was some way I could really touch you,” Amaya whispered.

  “Let me try something,” Rin said, closing her eyes, lying back onto the pillow.

  After a moment, her body relaxed, her breathing matching that of the sleeping Kazuki and Alan in the bed beside her. A glowing aura formed at the edges of her, outlining her in rings of blue, yellow, and green. The rings grew, flickering, twisting, and rearranging until they formed an exact copy of Rin’s sleeping body, her pale oval face, her wild dark hair, and her gray eyes.

 

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