Page 15 of A Mastery of Monsters

On Monday, I follow Virgil, Margot, and Corey into Summerhill with my eyes down and my hands stuck in the pockets of my skirt. Margot told me to dress up, so I dug the skirt and a sleeveless mock neck out. I refuse to part with my Docs, but I think they’re formal enough. They’re black.

We enter a large room with high ceilings and a stage set up at the front.

It’s plain, featuring a podium and a projection screen.

The rest of the space is set up like a banquet hall.

There are multiple circular tables with white tablecloths and antique chairs, pitchers of water and tea at each one.

And whoever designed the house was not shy about either wood paneling or chandeliers.

A lot more of the tables than I expect are already occupied.

We manage to grab one in the middle. As I look around the room, I’m struck, once again, by the diversity of the people.

I mean, I’d thought a secret society of people “Mastering monsters” had to be a bunch of white guys.

Virgil said it was academic, but “Master” as a title in the context of what is probably a cult doesn’t sit right with me.

“Can I ask you something potentially offensive?” I say to Corey.

Virgil snorts. “Wow, you ask permission for that now?”

“Shoot.” Corey turns to me with a smile, unaffected by her friend’s fury. Though her gaze keeps darting around the room periodically.

I say, “There’s, like… not as many white people as I expected.”

Corey laughs and then claps her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle as people look over at us. Some of them curl their lips. There are more than a few attendees peering at our table with barely concealed disgust.

I concentrate on Corey, who says, “The society prizes diversity. Our founder’s father gambled away much of their fortune, so he grew up poor.

He was working in the Kingston Penitentiary when he discovered who we call ‘Patient Zero,’ the first monster.

Though he was different from modern monsters, mostly human-looking.

He’d bitten a bunch of people who Dr. Weiss then sought out and with whom he formed the society with the goal of understanding and eventually curing monstrosity.

Most of them were people of color, as the white victims were more dismissive of Dr. Weiss because of his class.

He hadn’t yet become a doctor at that time.

Dr. Weiss held those victims who helped him form the society in high regard and wanted to be sure that they continued to be represented in the organization.

He even encouraged his children to have kids with people of other races and to be accepting of other types of marginalized people.

We, as a society, are above those sorts of divisions.

We’re inclusive. And you can tell by looking at us. ”

“Oh.” I didn’t expect a full historical explanation. Though I doubt they’re truly above it all, like Corey says. I’ll believe it when I see it. “Wait, so the first monster was Patient Zero. Does that mean being a monster is like a virus? Is that what you’re trying to cure?”

“It’s a mutation.” Corey glances at Virgil as she says it, but he’s staring at his phone.

“It’s fascinating. The abilities of the Doctorate are also a mutation.

It’s kind of a one in a million circumstance, that Dr. Weiss and Patient Zero found each other.

Two people with unique mutations that complement one another.

It’s how Dr. Weiss discovered the bonding process between Master and monster in the first place.

He found that he had an unnatural calming effect on Patient Zero that no one else did, and the same with his victims.”

“It’s genetic? That’s why the Doctorate’s descendants have the same ability or mutation or whatever? And why monsters are born?”

“Yes, exactly. But not every child with a parent who has the mutation develops it. And in both cases, the mutation takes some time to be expressed or activated. Monsters born with the mutation don’t transform for a while.”

“What activates it?”

“Time, the serum, or the bite. We don’t know the particulars of how much time it needs to activate.

We thought maybe puberty for a while, but the results were inconclusive.

However, there are signs of turning, and so we use those symptoms to attempt to predict activation.

Things like increased aggression and partial transformations.

The serum was invented by the Doctorate.

It’s what allows monsters and Masters to bond.

And the bite both immediately causes the development of the mutation and activates it.

That’s why those people turn right away. ”

“Wait, but you said that Patient Zero was different and that his victims joined up with the society before Weiss even discovered bonding via this serum thing. How is that possible if they were in monster form?”

“ Dr. Weiss,” Virgil corrects, setting down his phone.

“They were different, like Patient Zero, a sort of blend of human and monster. They could pass for human but not enough. They were ostracized and imprisoned or sent to asylums. But the bonding permanently changed the monster mutation, leading to the monsters we know today, who are either fully human-looking or fully monstrous. It was a relief for the victims because they could lead normal lives in control of themselves.”

They gained what Virgil wants so badly for himself.

He ducks his head, staring at his phone again, even though he’s not using it.

I look around and, once again, people are gazing at our table with narrowed eyes.

I glance at Virgil. Is that the reason he keeps looking down?

“Second potentially offensive question?” I ask.

“Go for it,” Corey says.

“Do people like… hate you guys, or…?”

Virgil stiffens next to me.

Corey plays with the teacup in front of her. “I was the youngest candidate in a century. You’re supposed to be at least eighteen, but I got special permission to participate at fifteen and failed. A lot of people were invested in my success, and it… caused issues, basically.”

“Henry nominated me last year when I was a freshman,” Margot says.

“Which pissed people off because I was an outsider, like you. I grew up with my grandma, who, when Isaac started showing signs of turning, let me know exactly what was happening. She sent us here, where we were lucky to have Henry take us in. Obviously, I was going to do everything to try to fight for the Master title to help Isaac, but my parents had left the society a long time ago, so we were seen as both outsiders and traitors. And then I won the title, which pissed them off more.”

I turn to Virgil. “What about you? Is it your parents?”

“My parents,” he repeats, rubbing his face. “Some of the people they hurt are in this room. Or they’re the relatives or friends of those they killed.”

“Basically, this is the public enemy number one table.”

“Pretty much.” Corey takes a long sip of her tea.

“Or almost, anyway,” I amend as a South Asian–looking man in a black suit and tie, enters the room and immediately makes his way over to our table. “He seems like he’s a fan.”

“Why is he coming over?” Virgil whispers to Corey.

“No idea,” she says.

He arrives at our table with a big smile on his face. “Margot! Just the girl I was looking for.”

“Nice to see you. Where’s your better half?”

“He’s at home with the kids. We prefer to attend the monthly children’s lectures with them.

They don’t quite have the attention span for the general weekly ones yet.

But I didn’t want to miss the nominations, so I’m flying solo.

” He spots me then. “There’s a new face.

” He holds out his hand, which I shake. “I’m Corris.

I semiregularly participate in the candidacy as a Master.

Meaning it’s my job to challenge candidates in tests. ”

Margot waves to me. “This is August. She’s pairing with Virgil.” At that, Corris glances at the boy in question with a nod. “Corris neglects to mention that he’s never had a candidate get past him. Best to avoid him in the competition.”

He laughs. “Yes, yes, perhaps. It’s lovely to meet you, August.” I don’t know what else to do other than press my lips into some approximation of a smile.

Corris leans toward Margot. “I was hoping to pester Henry, actually. I heard a rumor someone very interesting has shown up today and wondered if he’d seen her. ”

“He isn’t here yet. He likes to come just before six o’clock for lectures.”

“Right. I assume to avoid any pestering.”

Margot doesn’t deny it. “Who are you looking for?”

Corris is about to answer when he pauses, his face lighting up. “Well, never mind, there she is, as I live and breathe. Natalie Soer.”

Corey chokes on her tea, and Virgil just about breaks his neck looking around. Only Margot maintains her cool.

“Who’s Natalie Soer?” I ask.

“At your four o’clock, Black woman, great hair,” Margot says.

I spot her toward the back of the room having a tense conversation with an older white guy with a gray-flecked ginger beard. The two walk as they talk. The man keeps looking away, his brow furrowed, like he would very much like to shake her off.

Corris is delighted. “And she’s arguing with Garrett. My, this is heating up to be one hell of a nomination ceremony.”

“They don’t usually come to these things,” Corey supplies for me.

“Natalie is part of a society faction that… well, they’re not supposed to exist. None of the factions are.

But the Pro-Libs especially. Cyrus broke them up years ago when Natalie and Garrett led the Wilds rebellion.

Garrett was the one who switched to peace talks, so they don’t get along.

His family are direct descendants of Patient Zero. ”

I massage my temple. “Why is this organization so complicated?”