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THE QUIET STADIUM INSTANTLY changes as every single white uniform stood up from their seats to cheer for the winner. As Crazy 8's flag falls to the ground, Max looks back at Siren and stares at her.

     "My name is River Hansen, Sky's twin brother." Such words echoed inside Max's head as the cheers continue to unfold. No one could believe what they saw. It literally happened so fast.

     "And that's why he's a prince," Felix says with a heavy sigh before sitting back down on his seat. "No one would have anticipated the lights turning off. It would seem like a great disadvantage to Crazy 8, but seeing how PHD didn't even have night-vision goggles or anything to help them see themselves made it clear that it was a disadvantage for all of them. It just so happened that Hee-joon knew what to do."

    Max looks back at Felix and sighs. Crazy 8's defeat means Felix's defeat too, but Max can't directly say anything. Instead, he subtly pats him in the back and says, "I guess it's just one of those days. PHD is pissed off after all so they're not here to stall. I bet BND wouldn't have won against them either if they were in that position."

    Felix doesn't say anything, but he nods his head in agreement. "Well whatever, it's not like I care," he replies. "I'm still not sure why PHD specifically targeted Crazy 8 after finding out about the confession, but I know one thing, and it's that our club advisor won't make light of this situation."

     "Do the royals know who Siren really is? Do they think it's Sky?" Max thought to himself while staring at Crazy 8 who was being assisted by the medic. He then looks back at Felix and tells him, "No point worrying about this now. We should head back to our clubroom first and see what happens."

    Felix and Max head back to Omega's clubroom with the rest of the members. Everyone was expecting to see their club advisor there, but to their surprise, he was nowhere to be found.

     The omegas waited in agony until the bell finally rang, indicating that it was already their lunch break.

     "I know you've all been feeling tense, so go grab your lunch and relax for a bit," Payton says to their members, and everyone nodded their heads and went out.

     As everyone was getting their lunch, Max takes a deep breath and stares out of the window. Sky didn't come to their clubroom, and there was only one reason for that...he was at the clinic. With Kim Hee-joon's shot, he had to be confined to their clinic and wasn't allowed to come out until he was fully recovered.

     But is Sky really not Siren? If he was, it would have been way too easy. No one has known Siren's identity for years, but then she would randomly just break character like this and jeopardize her identity? It wouldn't make any sense.

     "Max? You ready?" Felix calls out, bringing Max back to his senses.

     "I'm sorry, but can you head to the Great Hall first? I'll follow you right after," Max says. Felix didn't know the reason for it, but he nodded his head and leaves the room as Max instructed.

     "Hey Max, you gotta hurry it up. I'm gonna lock the door," Payton — who was still in the room — says as Max walks to his locker to get his bag.

     "I'll be quick."

     Payton sighs but nods his head as Max unzipped his bag. As soon as he opened it, he saw a bottle of perfume inside. He takes the perfume out and stares at it, remembering his conversation with Sky's twin brother before the battle with Crazy 8 and PHD even happened.

     [Earlier before the battle began: At the Omega Clubroom]

     "The one who we have been meeting here, our new club advisor, that wasn't you, was it?" Max asks first, staring at River who seemed to be ready to answer all of Max's questions.

     "No," River answers with no hint of hesitation.

     "You went to Serenity's funeral, is that correct?" Max then asks.

     River was a bit surprised after hearing the second question because he wasn't expecting Max to know that information, but he eventually nods his head and answered, "Yes."

     As soon as Max heard his answer, he pauses and stares at River for a couple of seconds before finally asking his last question. "Sky...is he Siren?"

     The room falls silent again. It was obvious that River was debating on whether or not he was going to answer that question, but since he was finally here, and there was literally nothing he could lose, he takes a deep breath and shakes his head, "If I were to give you a direct answer, then no. Sky is not Siren."

     Max, who has been debating about this idea since last night, takes a deep breath and leans against a table. "So he really wasn't Siren? Then why..."

     The already quiet room became even quieter to the point where Max could hear ringing in his ears. When he couldn't process what he heard, he moves away from the man named River. "N-No...it doesn't...it doesn't make sense," Max says, massaging his temple in complete confusion.

     River, who looked calm, gives out a sad smile and says back, "As surprising as it may seem, Sky is not capable enough to lead a brotherhood like Crazy 8. He's not the type to lead people; he never got along with any of them...even me."

     Max looks back at River and stares at him. "Why have you been keeping your identity a secret, inside and outside of J.S High?"

     "It's not like I wanted to keep it a secret." He says, slowly looking up at the ceiling as if he was trying to remember something. "For as long as I could remember, I've always been loved. I was the perfect son my parents would brag about because I followed them. Sky, on the other hand, was the opposite. He was always making trouble; he was fearsome. My parents were afraid of him because he slowly became violent. He was out of control." River reveals, which wasn't much of a surprise especially after meeting Sky.

     "So our parents did the unthinkable...they hid him away. Since Sky was the oldest, I took his identity and lived my life like how our parents wanted. I even started modeling at a young age to please them. But then, out of anger, resentment, and complete jealousy, Sky snapped. While we were alone..." River pauses and reaches out to touch his scar, almost making Max cover his mouth from shock. 

     "He slashed me on the face with a knife, and I couldn't show myself to the public anymore. My parents had no choice, so they let Sky take over the life I built while I had to hide, afraid others would find out about our fucked up family." River explains further, slowly standing up from the floor to face Max.

     "Why are you telling me all this?" Max genuinely asks him.

     "I came to J.S High for one reason, and that's not to get entangled with you or the other brotherhoods," River replies.

     Max was still confused about what was happening, but with what he heard, he couldn't help but pity him.

     "I can't say much Sinclaire, but I came here to ask for your help. In exchange, I'll tell you everything that I know," River suddenly says, making Max look back at him with surprise.

     "Help? What kind of help?"

     "Before I tell you, I want you to know something important. In Crazy 8, no one knows the real Siren. No one has seen her either. The person that you've all been seeing is just a facade. The real Siren is the person who controls everyone. She's the real leader," River explains to Max.

     "And how do you know this?" Max asks.

     River takes a deep breath and pulls something out of his pocket. It was a bottle of perfume. Max furrows his brows in confusion as River sprays the perfume on his wrist. Seconds later, a number comes out. It was the roman numeral II.

     "What is—"

     "This is my number in Crazy 8." River finally reveals, surprising Max even more.

     "W-Wait, you're a member of Crazy 8 too?" Max asks. He then remembered what he heard from Felix. It was stated that he was the seventh member, so does that mean that all the members of Crazy 8 have that invisible tattoo?

     "This perfume is something I've developed over the years. I've been trying to find the real Siren for years, but I have not found her yet. Only my brother Sky knows who she is."

     "And why would Sky know something so secretive?"

     "It's because Siren was the one who personally asked Sky to join Crazy 8," River answers, and Max couldn't believe it. This means both twins are members of Crazy 8, yet no one knew about it.

     "You see, my brother and I were invited to enroll in J.S High, but we weren't able to reach the quota, so we were transferred to the House of Pawns instead. While we were there, my brother met someone who wanted to form a brotherhood, and that was Siren. Siren needed someone who could fight, so she wanted Sky to be a part of it," River explains, and Max widened his eyes from shock when he realized something important.

     "A-Are you telling me that Sky...he's the one who battles? He's the one who poses as Siren when there are battles?" Max asks, and River nods his head as an answer.

     Max couldn't help but slowly feel excited. Everything was now piecing itself together.

     "If Sky's the one who battles for Siren, then you—"

     "I pose as the image of Siren. Whenever Siren is needed, for instance, meeting with other brotherhoods, I come for her behalf."

     As Max was listening, he couldn't help but be impressed by all this. Siren was really smart to do all these things to hide her real identity. With the system she made for them, it would be impossible to know who the real Siren is now.

     "So then, why are you in Crazy 8? Were you forced to join? Did Sky force you?" Max then asks.

     "I wasn't technically forced. As I said earlier, I had my reasons to come to J.S High, but I didn't know how. When I heard that Sky joined a brotherhood, I asked him to let me in too and I'll follow his every order. That's the reason why I'm here now."

     Max wanted to ask what his reasons were for wanting to be in the House of Kings in the first place, but Max knew that it would be crossing the line now. Though he doesn't know the exact reason, Max could make a vague guess.

     The reason why River is here might be connected to Serenity. According to Cindy, during Serenity's funeral, she saw Sky who had a scar on his face. Knowing now that it was actually River, it would make sense that River is connected to Serenity.

     "The real Siren is the one who knows all the secrets. We simply follow her commands," River adds.

     "And where do I come in? What do you want my help for?" Max finally asks after finding out all of this from River.

     River gulps and nervously hands Max the bottle of perfume. "P-Please...help me find Siren. I've done everything for this brotherhood but everything's crumbling down because of her and Sky. I can't lose now, now that I'm so close to finding out the truth and the reason why I came here in the first place," River begs, holding onto Max's hand tightly as tears formed in his eyes.

     "How am I going to—"

     "This perfume will reveal the mark. The real Siren has the number 8 on her wrist. If you can find Siren and stop her from doing more of these crazy confessions, then I'll eternally be indebted to you. Please, Sinclaire, you're the only one I can count on. Siren is dangerous, and I believe that you're the only one who can stop her."

     [End of Flashback]

     "I'll try my best River. I won't let you down," Max whispers to himself, clenching the bottle of perfume in his palm before looking back at Payton who was lazily waiting for him at the door.

     "You done?" He asks.

     Max nods his head and walks toward him. But as he was walking toward Payton, Payton notices the perfume and asks, "Whoa, you use perfume? Didn't know you're that type of guy."

     "No, it's just a new product one of my business partners made. She asked me to see if it was okay, so I was hoping to get Felix to test it out for me since he usually uses perfume," Max lies as he and Payton head out of the clubroom.

    Payton locks their clubroom door and looks back at Max. "Really? Can I test it out too?" He then asks.

     Max was hesitant since he didn't want to waste the perfume, but to not raise any suspicion, he hands it over to Payton anyway and says, "Sure, tell me if it's too strong or if it's just right."

     Payton takes the perfume and sprays it on his wrist and on his neck. He then sniffs it and says, "Wow, that's pretty strong for a perfume. If she's targeting the feminine market, then this isn't it."

     Max chuckles and takes the perfume from Payton. "Thanks. I'll let her know."

     The two finally started walking away down the empty corridor toward the Great Hall where everyone was eating their lunch. "The battle earlier was crazy, don't you think? Who would have thought Kim Hee-joon would be able to pull something like that," Payton says while the two continued walking.

     "Yeah, it was pretty crazy. That's the reason why they're the royals after all," Max then adds, making Payton nod his head in agreement.

     "By the way, let me just go back to that perfume you gave me earlier. I don't know why, but I feel like I've smelled that perfume before," Payton says, making Max furrow his brows.

     "Really?"

     "Yeah, I think I've smelled it on River once," Payton suddenly reveals, making Max stop walking in an instant. For some reason, his heart drops in complete fear. He couldn't help but feel like he was now in danger, and all he could do was stand there and helplessly wait for it to happen.

     "Ah shit, thanks to that perfume, the bruise on my neck is starting to show. I shouldn't have sprayed some on it," Payton continues to say, his voice slowly turning feminine.

     Max gulps and slowly looks back at the man standing beside him. To Max's surprise, Payton wasn't wearing his glasses anymore, and his perfectly waxed hair was now brushed back, making him look less timid.

     "Cj was really out to kill me when he strangled me that time. Well, I don't blame him, he was angry after all. If I was blackmailed to ruin my own friendship with my best friend, I'd be mad too," Payton says, and all Max could do was take a step away from their club leader.

     Max then slowly looks down to see Payton's wrist, and as soon as he caught a glimpse, he couldn't help but cover his mouth in shock and fear.

     It was the number eight (VIII).

     "You know Max, I've always liked you, but the moment you try and cross paths with me, it's game over. After all, what is hidden cannot be touched, and if you don't understand what that means yet, then let me show you..."

     Max was about to make a run for it, but someone suddenly appeared behind him and covered his mouth with a white cloth. Max tries his best to struggle, but slowly, his eyelids drop and his body weakens until everything eventually turned to black.

- END -

IMPORTANT NOTE: As others might have been confused with all this, I will give a brief explanation.

The Siren we have been seeing throughout the book has been River all along, while the Siren who was in the battle (or who always battles), is Sky.

Payton - the real Siren or the real leader - has never shown herself (Payton really identifies as she/her but uses her Payton persona to hide who she really is) to the public. The only time we saw her as Siren was in chapter 133| Red Kiss Mark. The person who Cj was talking to was really Payton, and not River or Sky.

I hope this clarifies it since I know it may confuse some. Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy the updates I'll be giving after my long break! Thank you!