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“So, is that a yes or a no?” Mr. Kingston tapped his pencil on the table. “I’m afraid I can’t take ambiguity as an answer.”

I sighed. “It’s a yes.”

“Okay. What about you, Mr. Drummond?”

“Seriously?” Jax looked in astonishment at Bo and me. “You guys have to think about your answer? It’s a dilemma for you people? I’d take the medicine in a heartbeat. No repercussions, a life saved. The wealthy pharmaceutical company wouldn’t even notice.”

“That’s not the point,” Bo said. “You’re stealing.”

“For a good cause,” Jax countered.

Bo shook his head. “It’s not honorable.”

“Who cares about honor?” Jax’s eyes gleamed. “It’s about survival. Either you’re willing to play to live…or you die.”

He had a point, but it was a cold, hard one. Jax remained a mystery to me. Tough, smart, sardonic, yet…I saw a sadness in his eyes. I knew his mother had died, but I wondered about the circumstances.

The room fell silent, and Mr. Kingston stood. “Well, thank you, students. That’s it for today. I won’t see you until next week. Good luck to each of you with the trial tomorrow.”

We were silent as we filed out. These tests were showing us how different we were from each other. I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. How were we being scored? Was I meeting the criteria for an operative? It was hard to say when you didn’t even know exactly what they were looking for.

I didn’t feel like going back to the room, and it was drizzling outside, so I decided to go to the small library. Two comfortable-looking armchairs, three circular tables, and a couple of floor lamps were arranged near the bookshelves. The library was empty, except for a young woman sitting behind the circulation desk who looked up from her laptop when I strolled in.

“Hello, Angel,” she said cheerfully. “Let me know if I can help you find anything.”

“You know my name?” I asked. I was sure I’d never seen her before.

“Of course. There are only eight of you this session. What are you looking for?”

“Can I check out any book I want?” I asked.

“Sure. It’s just like a normal library.”

“Cool. Do you have any books on coding?”

“We sure do. Those shelves over there,” she said, pointing. “You’ll find everything computer-related in that area.”

I thanked her and perused the titles in the area she’d mentioned. When I came out holding a book, Mike was sitting at one of the tables. He looked up when he saw me. He was dressed in the same white T-shirt and camouflage as I was, but the bling on his fingers and the studs in his ears were missing. The nose ring was still in place, however. Maybe that wasn’t removable.

“Hey, Mike,” I said awkwardly, noting he was reading a manual calledAdvanced Lockpicking Secrets. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” he answered, equally awkward. “Are you, um, doing okay with the chemistry homework?”

“Yeah, it’s easy so far.”

“I noticed you’re really good at chemistry. Me too. Wonder when they’re going to start challenging us.”

I shrugged. “Maybe we’re challenged enough on other fronts.”

“Maybe.”

“Well, I’ll see you around.” I started to pass him.

He put out a hand, and I stopped. “Hey, Angel, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you have a class by yourself? I mean, we’re in chemistry together, and I’m in another class with some of the other kids, but do you have one just by yourself?”