The last thing Kalista saw was Asher's frightened face above her.

They were coming.

She crouched behind her bed and tried to stifle a whimper as the footsteps pounded outside her door. Every few seconds, a door would bang open, and she would close her eyes, imagining that they were charging in, their guns trained at her head, ready to strike, ready to kill--

And then...

"Guards! Kill them, and protect my daughter!"

Her father's voice rang, loud and commanding, throughout the crowded hall. Sudden screams joined the clamor as the guards joined the fight, their swords whistling through the air. Kalista could not help herself -- she let loose a frightened squeak and pressed her back against the wall behind her bed.

But she had revealed herself. With a groan, her bedroom door slid open, and a pair of feet appeared by the doorway, clad in dark boots. They did not yell for help, however. Quietly, the door was slid shut and the noise outside became muffled once more.

"Kalista?" whispered a female voice. "Kalista, it's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Kalista curled up into a ball, paralyzed with fear.

The boots stopped at the foot of her bed, and the stranger kneeled down, peering at her in the darkness. It was a young woman. Her eyes were dark and kind, and her hair was tied in a long braid that draped down her back. She looked to be about the same age as Kalista's mother.

"We're going to take you away for a bit, all right?" she murmured. "On a quick trip -- an adventure. Would you like that?"

Kalista shook her head frantically. Her eyes burned, but she did not cry. "I... I don't want to leave my daddy."

The woman smiled, but Kalista thought she saw the glint of tears in those dark eyes. "I know, pet, but it'll only be a few days. You'll be back before you know it, I promise."

"I c-can't," Kalista stammered. "I h-have to s-stay here. I have to t-take my lessons, so I c-can be--"

"Your teacher gave me this," the woman whispered soothingly. "It's your favorite, right?"

Kalista glanced at the small object that the stranger was holding out. It was a small knife, short but sharp, the perfect size for her tiny hands. It was her weapon of choice during practice fights. She had never killed with it -- she hoped she would never have to, but she could, if she wanted. She could kill this woman, and maybe... maybe the guards would have dealt with the rest.

"R-really?" Kalista whispered. Her limbs trembling, she shifted and began to crawl forward.

The woman nodded. Closer up, Kalista could see the tracks of tears down her beautiful face, and was momentarily distracted. What was the woman crying about? Wasn't she here for ransom money? If she thought she was about to get it... why was she so sad?

But as Kalista reached out for the knife, the woman moved, quick as a fox. There was a small prick at the back of her neck, and everything went dark.

6/26/3000: DAY 3

Her eyes fluttered open with a start.

"Mom," she croaked, "Mom!"

A blurry figure rose from beside her and crouched down, coming into focus in the dim lighting. Asher looked exhausted, his hair as unruly as ever, streaks of dried blood spread over his pale face. He seemed to brighten a little at the sight of her open eyes.

"Sorry to disappoint, but--"

"No, no -- that was my mom!" Kalista sat bolt upright and felt a blinding pain streak through her chest. Glancing downward in shock, she saw a thick wad of white bandages that began to seep with red.

"Hey, hey, take it easy." Asher placed his hands on her shoulders and arranged some pillows behind her so that she could sit comfortably. "You should be okay, but it might take a couple of days before you get up and running."

In a sickening rush, she remembered the group of students that had converged on them as they left. "What -- what happened? Where are we?"

"We got the safe room," Asher explained, holding up the slip of paper that they had grabbed from the zipline. "You've been out for almost a day -- all of the other slips are gone," he said quickly when she moved to get up. "I had to hide you in a closet for twelve hours... and the stench..."

She winced as another stab of pain struck her. "W-what? But the others -- how did you get past them?"

He smiled, almost sadly, and showed her his phone screen.

1. Kalista Chu and Asher Wayland -- 24.

"Twenty-four," she breathed, limbs numb with shock. Twenty-four kills. Twenty-four classmates. Almost half of her entire grade, fallen at their hands. Their faces flashed like a montage before her eyes -- Remy and Tobias and Bruce and Tom, so many people whom she had known she did not know, yet could not have imagined killing. What had she been doing all this time? It had been so easy -- the flick of a wrist, the twitch of a finger, but now, she felt as if she had waken up from a long nightmare, and the crushing weight of all she had done wrapped like a vice around her chest.

"I know," Asher said quietly. Her mind spinning, she looked into his golden eyes, drawn by their warmth against the turmoil of her thoughts. "I've... I've done worse. You would have too... if... if I hadn't..."

As the thought of Asher's betrayal crossed her mind, she found that it didn't bring the pain that it once had. He had done terrible things, but so had she. She no longer found it so hard to believe that he would have given her up to save himself. Could she be sure that she would not have done the same? Hadn't she killed more than twenty people in the last three days, just so that she could have a shot at the crown?

Suddenly, she remembered the dream she had just had and made another sharp movement, causing her chest to throb again. "My dream -- my mother -- but... that never happened!"

Asher looked confused. "Kalista -- you just woke up, you might be a little disoriented--"

She shook her head. "I had this dream... no, it was a memory. My mom... I think it was when I met my mom? But that doesn't make sense..."

Asher hesitated and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped.

"I've never... I didn't. I grew up with her. She didn't come to take me away. It must have been a nightmare."

"K..."

She let it slide as she glanced up at him. His eyes were full of pain.

"K, that was real."

Whatever she had expected, it hadn't been this. "Real? What do you mean?"

Asher grimaced. With considerable effort, he forced himself to meet her gaze. "Kalista... your parents lied to you."

She opened her mouth to interject, but stopped at the look on his face. He did not look like he was lying. He did not look like he was joking. He looked frightened, wary... almost like he was frightened of her.

With the air of getting the worst over quickly, he blurted out, "They're not your real family."

Kalista blinked at him. Her surroundings were still, her mind quite clear, but she had the faint sensation of standing at the edge of a very high cliff, her stomach swooping with fear.

"The rebels took you from your parents at birth. You were part of their most important plan -- their last, cleverest, and most desperate attempt at taking down the Collective. They didn't tell me until a few days before your-- before what happened, all those years ago. The couple you grew up with... your mom and dad... they weren't your biological parents."

Asher lowered his gaze.

"Your real father is the President of the Collective, and you, Kalista... you are the heir to the throne."

A/N: Sorry that took so long lol! Midterms are actually crazy. As always, please vote and comment and thank you so much for reading!