Kalista's heart froze.

Breathing heavily in the oppressive darkness, she rested her head against the wall. Kaylee knew where she was. Kaylee knew what she was doing. Of course she would -- she knew her inside out, after all, just like Kalista could guess at Kaylee's every move.

It didn't matter. It changed nothing. Her plan was still perfect.

For there was one more function that she had control of.

Fingers steady, she turned on her phone and navigated to the security camera's emergency setting. She clicked on the video feed that showed a group of five, all in the same room. They were all some of her strongest competitors -- including Rayna from Cohort 2 and Yasmin from 4. They seemed to be sleeping. Rayna was on watch, twirling a knife idly around her middle finger.

Kalista breathed out, slow and silent.

She only had one chance at this. She had to use it well.

OBLITERATE?

YES.

ARE YOU SURE?

YES.

The resulting pops resounded throughout the school, and her phone buzzed five times.

This was a little-known setting in the school's security system, and she had found it when casually browsing around its programming. The Academy's students held some of the world's greatest secrets, and if the school was ever infiltrated by enemies, there were hidden guns in every room that could kill every occupant in seconds. This was her greatest weapon. She had thought about using it later in the game, but she had no idea if she would still have access to the system, and she couldn't risk letting Kaylee get to it first.

"I found something, Kay," whispered Kalista in the middle of the night.

Kaylee didn't respond.

"Kay..."

"You're nothing to me, remember?" came the muffled voice.

"What is this place?" Kalista murmured. "Kay, there was this thing... in the security system. These hidden machine guns in the walls. What are they for?"

Silence.

"Are... are they going to kill us?"

"Can't have any secrets getting out, even if we're held hostage," Kaylee said crisply. "The Academy knows when to make sacrifices. Just like we do."

Kalista shut her mouth.

For a second, Kalista stopped to relish her name at second place on that leaderboard, and then she burst into action.

There were others who would be questioning. There were others who might suspect, others who might guess when they saw her kill count rise to 7. She couldn't risk those others gathering up to come get her. She had to run while she could.

Not stopping to question her choice, she brought her fist down onto the console, destroying it. She couldn't risk letting her weapon fall into someone else's hands. Then, she jumped out of the cabinet and ran down the hallway.

She had left the two smoothie cups, and all she had on her was her phone, the broken hard drive, and Harper's knife. The hallway was empty, and she ran as silently as possible toward the science labs.

It was time to take care of Tobias Cleary.

As she slowly slid the door open and guided it shut behind her, she caught a glimpse of his project. It was small and complex-looking, consisting of several tubes of bubbly liquid that were connected by cables. One glance at it told her that it wasn't a small one, however. This one could take down the whole school.

It was suicide, and it was an attempt at bringing them all down.

Maybe he's a rebel, she contemplated for a moment before she threw the knife.

It hit him straight in the back.

Kill number 8.

The bomb was incomplete, thankfully, but she couldn't bring herself to destroy all of his hard work. What if she needed it someday? She concealed it as best as possible in a messy drawer and hoped that no one else would find it. She didn't have the time to do anything more.

Footsteps were already sounding in the hall.

She peeked outside and saw two groups coming from either end of the hallway -- one with four, and one with five. She couldn't outfight them. She couldn't outrun them.

She had to hide.

Hide, they screamed as the world went up in flames.

What was that? She pinched herself hard as she spun around, looking for places to crawl into. She couldn't have these memories clogging her logic in times like this, but they came nevertheless, clouding her vision until all she could see was blood and betrayal.

Hide.

It was everywhere. The blood... so much blood. She knew who it was from, and that made it even worse. She was covered in their remnants. She was drowning in the only part of her parents that she had left.

She pressed her hand to her mouth to keep out the screams, only to taste more blood.

"Focus!" she growled out loud, managing to halt the onslaught of memory. "Focus, come on, focus..."

She spotted a medium-sized drawer at one of the lab tables in the back and ran for it. Just as she managed to fit herself in and slide it closed, the door to the lab opened.

"Spread out," she heard Ted Rios hiss.

"Spread out," they had said.

Kalista barely held in a whimper as she clutched her sister's hand and--

"She's not over here!" Elaine Shen called.

"Not here."

"I think she got away!" Ted cursed. Kalista heard his footsteps grow fainter. Maybe she was safe--

"Maybe we're safe," she whispered. "I think they're gone."

"Everybody out, come on! She's headed downstairs!"

Kalista held her breath as the door closed shut behind them, and then opened the drawer just a sliver. She was already planning out her next move, her next hiding spot, her next kill. And then--

They came from behind.

They came from behind.

***

Ten minutes later, she was surrounded by dead bodies.

The reek of blood stung her nostrils and she ran.

She knew she was at the top of that leaderboard now, but thinking about it made her want to puke. So much blood. So many dead eyes. It was that voice, that memory. Every slice of her knife had been aimed at silencing those thoughts, at quieting the storm in her mind, but it still wasn't gone. It wouldn't be forgotten. It was still--

First, she heard his breathing.

It was labored and desperate, only barely concealed by his mask. Even that small sound was familiar. She knew it like the back of her hand.

Kalista spun around and saw him.

"Ash, Ash, you gotta help me," she cried. "My sister--she's dying--please..."

He was holding a knife.

"Aagggh!" No, no, no, not the knife, not the knife! She ran blindly down the stairwell, hoping to outrun her own thoughts, but they were still there--they were still there...

"K, I'm sorry," he whispered through his tears. "K--"

Don't say it! Don't say it!

She had gone seven years without thinking about it, but it was rushing back now. It was rushing back, and she passed landing after landing, thinking only about getting away, thinking only about escaping her horrible, horrible mind...

"I have to. They're making me. K, I'm so sorry. I hope you can..."

I can't! I can't, I can't!

"... forgive me."

"Ash, what? What are you doing? Help me... you've got to help me, please!"

"This is the only way," he sobbed. His golden hair formed a matted halo around his head, framing those amber eyes that burned like flames. Those amber eyes that were so familiar. Those amber eyes that had always protected her.

"What do you mean?" Kalista gasped. The ground seemed to be falling away, the ground that was covered in dirt and ash and blood. Everyone was gone. It was only the two of them now. Her parents-- she couldn't even think about what had happened to them. No one was left to save her. No one but the boy who she had always loved.

"I had no other choice. They made me--they...they... I can't lose you, Kalista. I can't."

Kalista wanted to run, but she couldn't leave her sister behind. Her sister, the only one she had left in this world. Her sister, who was-- no, she couldn't be! She couldn't be dead. She couldn't have left her. Her parents said they would never leave her, but now... now...

It hit her with sudden clarity.

"It was you," she whispered, and her voice was like the crackling death of a flame.

Another tear rolled down Asher's cheek, but he didn't deny it. The knife shook in his hand. "I told you--I--"

"There's always a choice!" Kalista screamed. It came out more as a panicked wheeze. The smoke was growing thicker, and all she could see were those fiery eyes, so desperate and sorrowful amidst the dark gray sky. "How could you? You killed them!"

"No! No!" She ran and ran, anything to make it stop, anything to stop her, anything to stop him. Her panic blinded her. It was everywhere. Their voices were like a soundtrack that would never end, pushed away for so long only to come rushing back, and this time, she couldn't stop it, she could never stop it. She ran until she reached the end, and oh, finally, she could make it stop, she could make it stop...

"I did it for you," he said.

She was sprinting now, and the road was clear before her, and she was weightless--

The knife sank into her shoulder.

A hand clamped tight onto hers.

Dangling over the second floor balcony, she looked down at the ground far beneath her and then up -- into Asher Wayland's amber eyes.