Page 72 of A Mastery of Monsters

Caden swings the sledgehammer again, and I jump back.

I get a knife out and flying through the air, where it slices across his cheek.

He doesn’t even wince. He darts at me, managing the heavy tool with a lot more dexterity and ease than it should warrant.

It’s not even like he’s a big guy, but you don’t need bulging muscles to be strong.

I look behind him, but Hudson’s nowhere to be seen. “Where’s your buddy?” I ask.

“He thought chasing you was a waste of time. He’s got a lower rank, after all. He has to focus. But I can always make time for you.” He swings and the edge of the sledgehammer catches me in the side. And of course, it’s the same fucking side that already aches. I cry out, twisting away from him.

The hammer thumps on the ground as he pauses to take a breath. “Where’s your mom?”

“What?!”

“Your mom. Did you grow up with her? Is she in your life? Alive?”

He is the last person who I want to speak with about Mom.

Caden doesn’t care either way. “Mine was doing research at Summerhill. She took me along because my dad had to work late. When she heard them coming, the screaming and the snarls, she tugged a bookshelf out from the wall and pushed me behind it, piling up books in front to hide me. I wasn’t allowed to come out. ”

I take a chance and try to run away while he’s busy talking.

But he’s not having any of it. He rushes me, abandoning his weapon, and slams his body into mine, sending me to the ground with him on top of me.

I attempt to shove him off, and we end up grappling.

He manages to get a hand on the side on my face, shoving it into the dirt as he straddles me.

“Rude,” he says. “I was talking. Anyway, I’m hiding behind these books, and I’m four years old.

No idea what’s happening. And then these monsters storm through.

And one of them crushes her under his foot.

Her body just fucking bursts. Like smashing a watermelon.

” He lets out a hysterical laugh. “And it wasn’t even on purpose.

I guess they didn’t see her. And there was pancake Mommy on the ground.

Blood syrup, and guts for butter, and crushed bones like little chocolate chips. ”

I manage to slide a knife free, and I stab the closest bit of him that I can get to. Caden swears, and I become frenzied, striking wherever I can.

He scrambles off me, and I jump to my feet and whip out my leg. But he’s faster and gets a block up. I let loose more knives, but he’s too close. I can’t get a good throw in.

“Do you know that born monsters look like their parents?” Caden retrieves his sledgehammer.

“Their monstrous forms. When Hawthorne turns, he’ll probably look like them.

Or some mash-up of them. Stronger than both.

” He glares at me. “You think I want to see a stronger variant of my mom’s murderers?

You think any of the victims want to see that? !”

He charges at me, and I’m on the defensive using my knives and wrist braces to block, hoping for an opening, but none comes. He’s stronger than me. It’s the second test all over again.

Caden screams, “He belongs six feet under, just like them! But if I can’t have that, I’ll kill you and guarantee that he’s underground.” He laughs harder, spit flying onto my face. “Actually, that would put him more than six feet under. Perfect.”

The next time he swings, I duck out of the way. He almost got me. A proper direct hit from that thing will break bones. I can’t get hit. But I also can’t just keep defending. I need to do something.

When he raises his weapon again, I jump back and throw a knife directly at his hand. He shouts and pulls back. I scream and kick out in a roundhouse, catching his other hand and making him drop his weapon.

I use every kick that Corey has ever taught me to drive him back. Shouting louder with each and every one.

I am so fucking tired of this kid. He lost his mom, I get it, it’s horrible.

Worse to watch her die in front of him. At least I can still believe that my mom is out there.

But Virgil lost both his parents. His family is gone, and he’s been villainized and ostracized from his own community his entire life for something he had no role in. He’s lost enough.

And still, people like Caden insist on punishing him more so they can feel better.

He recovers, rolling away from me and getting his sledgehammer back into his hands. But I’m right on top of him, rushing in fast. In a panic, he raises the thing high over his head—the first mistake he’s made this whole fight. He shouts, “I’m going to finish th—”

I lean back, pull my leg close to my body, and shoot it straight up with a cry. My foot connects with the bottom of Caden’s chin and shoves it up. He drops the sledgehammer. Blood spurts over my face as he falls.

He’s clutching his mouth, which is bleeding profusely, and he’s choking and searching around.

That’s when I see the bit of pink muscle covered in dirt.

“Nothing more to say?” I grin at him. “Cat got your tongue?”

He moans, but he’s too occupied with his pain to do anything else.

There’s nothing I can tell this boy to make him see Virgil as anything other than the son of the monsters who killed his mom. And it’s not my job to make him understand or learn or do better.

I just need to beat him.

I take off into the trees, running as fast as I can, leaving Caden howling behind me.

I break out into a clearing, passing the white spray-painted line in the grass. I skid to a stop.

I’m alone.

I’m… I’m last. Or, second to last.

Tears spring to my eyes, and I hide my face in my hands. I don’t want the drone whirring above me to capture this moment.

Caden delayed me just enough.

“You did it! You did it! You did it!” That voice is… Virgil.

I pull my face away from my hands, and he’s running around the corner with a huge grin on his face. He slams into me like a ton of bricks, lifting me off my feet and spinning me around. “You fucking did it!”

“What?” I croak.

“You did it!” His breath is warm against my ear.

“But… I’m practically last.”

“What?!” Virgil pulls back from me and shouts in my face. “August. You’re first ! And you got past Corris, which no one has ever managed in the candidacy. Ever .”

My mouth is wide open. A dude with a camera appears and is shoving it in my face. Asking me how I feel to have come in first and how I knew the trick to beating Corris.

Fuck, my head hurts. My side hurts. My everything hurts.

“Give her some space!” Margot says, coming over with Corey, who squeals and hugs me.

I wince.

“Sorry!” Corey steps back. “Do we have a medic?”

I’m still in a daze when we get into a thing that Virgil says is a side-by-side vehicle, and it takes us around the grounds. A medic is in there, asking me questions and checking on me. I answer without even paying attention. He says something about my ribs being bruised but not broken.

First.

I came in first.

Thirty points. If Charity hadn’t been taken out in the beginning and had come in second, we’d be tied. But now that means I’m first. Violet could beat me if she got all ten panel votes, but I don’t give a shit about that. I’m in the top five for sure.

“Virgil.” I turn to him. “I’m in the top five.”

He rolls his eyes. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

Tears spill down my face. “You should be crying too!”

“He already did,” Margot and Corey say together.

“Okay.” Virgil puts up his hands. “You guys were too happy about getting to say that.”

“He cried like four separate times watching you,” Corey says, grinning. “I guess he’s out of tears now. But more importantly, you did the kick!”

“I did!” I’m laughing, the mirth spilling out of me.

I know this isn’t the end. There’s still initiation. But in the words of Virgil, I fucking did it.

“The powers that be are pleased,” Margot says, as the vehicle turns the corner and we can see the crowd. They explode into cheers when I come into view. Henry and Adam are both beaming and clapping.

But it’s not just them. So many people in the stands look excited for me.

Margot meets my eyes. “I know it can feel like a lot. That sudden shift. When they see you as one of them instead of an outsider. But you showed them who you are. That you belong.” She mutters, “And Caden showed his ass.”

“Could you hear what he was saying?” I look over at Virgil.

He shakes his head. “No. There are no mics. Just the footage. Why? What did he say?”

“Nothing. Just bullshit.” If he didn’t hear, then I don’t want him to know. Virgil already carries enough guilt over what his parents did.

When we get off the side-by-side, a bunch of people come over to congratulate me.

Virgil and Corey stand beside me while Margot rattles off everyone’s names.

Chen gives me a self-satisfied nod, and I nod back.

Perez comes over to congratulate me too and seems genuinely thrilled for me.

I think during the training he was just trying to put me in a position that would make it impossible for people to deny that I deserved to get through.

But that begs the questions of why? Why try that hard to legitimize me? I don’t even know him.

I look around for Bernie, but he’s hunched over on a bench. “Is he okay?” I ask Virgil.

Virgil bites his lip. “I told him that he should go home, but as a professor he’s supposed to be observing. I think this is going to be his last time doing this. He’s been struggling all year.”

I turn away from Bernie and watch the screens. There are several showing the live footage and another updating the scores as we place. Someone is commentating over the loudspeakers about their progress. I’m currently in first with forty points.

And I guess Violet and Bryce must have just come through, because she’s in second with thirty-four points, and he’s third with twenty-six. Suddenly, the scoreboard changes. Caden appears in fourth with twenty-four points. I guess he dragged himself to the finish line.

At the bottom of the scoreboard, Charity and Peter are under disqualification. Hudson is still doing the run.

“What happens if Hudson doesn’t finish on time?” I ask Virgil. “We wouldn’t have five finalists.”

“It happens sometimes. There are five spots, but they don’t always get filled if there aren’t enough candidates who qualify.”

Right. There’s no way the society would give them a free pass.

We sit in the stands, where I’m given water and an impressive cheese plate.

When the hour is up and I’ve been suitably stuffed, we’re made to wait another half hour while the panel of Masters casts their votes.

I get medication for my head, which still hurts, but the medic said I don’t have a concussion, at least.

Finally, James, Adam, Carrigan, the professors, and a woman I’ve never seen before gather. The camera guy perches in front of them.

The mystery woman accepts a microphone. “I am the representative from the panel of Masters, and I am here to announce the candidates who will participate in the initiation. Due to disqualifications, there will be no fifth candidate. In fourth, Hudson with twenty points. Tied for second place, Caden and Bryce with twenty-eight points.”

The crowd starts buzzing.

“What the fuck…?” Virgil looks at Margot. “What’s happening right now?”

Margot is staring at the woman, her brow furrowing. “Just stay calm.”

“How?!” he shouts, and I jerk toward him. It’s the loudest I’ve ever heard him speak, even when he’s been pissed at me. “Can’t you see what they’re doing?!”

Some people in the crowd have started looking his way, and for the first time, Virgil doesn’t care.

He’s reading the writing on the wall in real time, the same way I am.

“And in first place with fifty-three points,” the woman says, making her voice louder to be heard over the murmuring crowd. “Violet!”

The crowd erupts. There are screams and cries and boos.

It’s not what Violet deserves, but I can’t even turn my mind to her.

The woman on the mic is half screaming into it.

“August Black has been disqualified. It was noted that in the second test, she took the bag used to hold the eggs from another candidate, therefore making it impossible for that candidate to continue participating in the test. It was being discussed whether or not this should be grounds for disqualification, and the decision was finalized today. The panel voted six to four that she should be disqualified. The two panel members who gave her their votes for the final score refused to reassign them, which is why the numbers are as they are.”

Virgil rushes toward the woman.

Margot sprints forward and tries to pull him back by his arm, but he’s incandescent, tugging her along the ground. Corey has to grab his other arm to stop him, both of them working in tandem to keep him from getting to the lady with the mic, who’s stumbled back.

“It’s bullshit!” Virgil screams. “She won! You know she won! She won!”

Henry comes down from the stands and gets in front of Virgil, speaking to him in a low, urgent tone, but even he’s not helping calm him.

It’s like I’m watching the scene through a TV screen.

Remote and separated.

His entire life he held back so he could be saved. And in the end, they showed him the truth. They were never going to allow him to ascend in this society. Not me, either.

And isn’t this how I knew this was going to end? I tried my best. I did everything I could, and still, this was the result.

Now I’m going to lose them both.

Virgil to the monster.

And Jules to the Master manipulating him. Or if not them, then to the society whenever they get around to dealing with what’s happening. Or to QBSS, who plans to kill him.

It’s worse now, worse than it’s ever been, because I wanted this for myself too. I wanted to win. I wanted to save them. And I wanted to show these people that I could do it.

I leave without looking back.