Page 85 of A Mastery of Monsters

The next day we’re summoned to Summerhill to vote in the Doctorate candidacy. Meaning the investigation has ended. Today is also the day we’ll learn whether the new panel of Masters has made any changes to the ranking for the Bachelor candidacy.

“This seems fast.” I play with the ends of my braids. “I thought an investigation would be a week or more. Especially given what went down yesterday.”

“Clearly, the Masterium felt they’d seen everything they needed to see,” Virgil says.

“Are they looking for this puppet master person?”

“We don’t know,” Corey says. “We can ask Margot when we get inside. She must have heard some things from Henry.”

Virgil says, “If we knew what the artifact they were looking for was, it might help with motive and figuring out who would want it.”

“It would, but Riley’s not sharing more.” Which I understand. She’s got her plate full right now with QBSS having their own vote to decide if Malachi will remain president or be replaced. And that’s not even to mention the reckoning going on with her relationship.

Virgil glances at me sidelong, and I wonder if he’s remembering that I was able to use Riley’s chain the same way she had. I’ve been wondering about that myself. I’ll definitely be having a conversation with Riley when she’s free again.

“This might still shake out in Adam’s favor.

People are having conversations about factions creating unfair advantages now,” Virgil says.

“The factions aren’t even supposed to exist, but now everyone’s seen the bias firsthand.

Most of the people in charge of the departments who failed to detect Bernie were Traditionalists.

And the fact that August was disqualified on some after-the-fact technicality in a council that’s Traditionalist stacked hasn’t gone unnoticed either. ”

“Yeah, but people aren’t going to vote for Adam because they’re mad I didn’t make the top five.”

“ They might . The candidacy is supposed to be fair. That’s why they have a panel of Masters in the first place, to avoid professors playing favorites.

Even if the system is rigged, there’s an illusion of fairness, and they pulled the shroud away.

It also means your chances of being reinstated are looking good.

” He stares at his hands and takes a deep breath.

Over the past few days, he’s done stuff like this a lot.

Turn away from me and act like he has something to say but never says it.

I guess now is the time. “And then… you’ll have a decision to make. ”

I glance at Corey, who avoids my eyes.

“What does that mean?”

“Your brother needs a partner, or he’ll be put in the Pen. Jules is now seen as a murderer, even though it’s not his fault. And he’s not a part of the society. No one is going to step up as a partner for him… but you can.”

“But then you—” I hadn’t thought through to this possibility because I hadn’t expected to have any real chance of being put back into the candidacy. Virgil is right. I did all this to help Jules, and now I’m in a position to save him. But that leaves Virgil with nothing and no one.

“I’ve known what was coming since the investigation started. I would never expect you to choose me over your brother, and I wouldn’t let you anyway. I refuse to compete with him.”

I don’t want to think of Virgil down in the Pen, but what else can I do? I know already that I would choose Jules over Virgil as my partner. And so Virgil’s taking away the choice.

I can’t believe that there’s nothing else for him. There has to be something.

He shakes his head as if he can hear my thoughts. “I’ll try to hold out until the end of the year. That’s all I can do—” His voice cuts off. “I… I just need a minute, okay?” He walks out of Summerhill.

I look over at Corey, and she has tears in her eyes. “I wish I could try again,” she says. “I would try again for him. I would. But I don’t think he has that sort of time.”

“He said that sometimes the society will sanction having two monsters. That means it’s a possibility, right?”

“You saw what it did to Bernie. They’ve approved it before, but it was for a seasoned Master, and it was overseen carefully by the Doctorate, who was prepared to sever the bond if necessary.”

“Then it’s possible?”

“Yes, but—”

I rush out of the building. Corey calls after me, but I don’t listen.

I find him on the grass, sitting with his legs sprawled out.

I kneel in front of him, reaching out and grasping his hands.

“Wait for me. I don’t care how long it takes.

I’ll become a Bachelor. I’ll become a Master.

I’ll get strong enough to have two monsters.

Henry and Adam will back me because it’ll be for you.

You already know I don’t like rules. If anyone can handle two monsters, it’s me, right? ”

This is something I don’t know if I can ever achieve. I’m probably just setting myself up to disappoint Virgil. To let him down with this ridiculous goal that I’ve set for myself. But I want to do it. I want to help him in any way I can.

Virgil’s shoulders shake, and he stares at the ground.

“It’s me, right?” I say again, louder. “If anyone can do it, I can.”

He looks up, smiling through tears. “That’s right.”

“I won’t leave you down there. I promise.”

Virgil squeezes our tangled fingers. “Okay… I’ll wait.”

“Promise,” I say.

“Promise,” he repeats.

Corey runs out. “Voting is starting!”

We’re about to enter Summerhill again when someone shouts Corey’s name. We stop and turn to where her parents are hurrying up the hill.

Ms. Yang says, “We heard you fought with Bernie and that you—you—”

“I’m a good fighter,” Corey says, looking toward the escape of Summerhill.

“Of course you’re a good fighter!” her mom shouts, and Corey lurches back. “But you could have been hurt! Something could have happened, and the last thing I would have said to you was that we had leftover gamjatang in the fridge.” She ducks her head and wipes her eyes.

Mr. Yang rests a heavy hand on his wife’s shoulder. “We thought… we…” He sighs. “We know we did wrong by you. We just wanted to protect both of you.”

Corey stiffens. “But you didn’t.” Her voice rises as she speaks. “You protected him . It was always him . Everything was about him. I was just collateral. And then I come back, and you look at me like… like this. The pity .”

Ms. Yang shakes her head. “No, we never pitied you. We were… we were ashamed.”

Corey gapes at them.

“We almost lost you,” Mr. Yang says, eyes shining. “Both of you. And you got hurt. Really hurt.” He looks at Corey’s left leg and then away. “It’s our fault.”

It feels like we shouldn’t be here for this. “Maybe we should meet you inside?” I suggest, but Corey shakes her head. I glance at Virgil, who nods. If she wants us here, then we’ll stay.

“That’s why, when you said you wanted to go live with Dr. Liu, we agreed,” Ms. Yang says.

“And when you stopped talking to us, we didn’t push back.

We never wanted to lose you. But we almost did.

We don’t deserve a daughter as good as you.

” Her mom loses it then, dissolving into sobs and pressing her hands to her face.

“I… I…” Corey swallows. “I need some space.” She walks away from her parents into Summerhill.

“Corey?” I ask, keeping my voice low.

“I just need a moment,” she says.

“Okay.”

We join the line of voters. It reminds me of when I’ve tagged along with my parents to vote. It’s the same sort of mundanity. Checking of IDs and registration with the society. Confirming of status and designations. People chatting in line and speculating on the results.

“Have you forgiven them?” Corey asks me. “Your parents?”

“We’re different people.”

She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have said that—”

“Yes, you should have. And you were right. Even if our lives have similarities, they aren’t the same.

You don’t have to do what I did. And honestly, I dunno, maybe I haven’t forgiven my parents.

But I want them around. Even if I only have one right now.

But if you don’t want the same, that would be fine too. ”

She bites her lip and looks at Virgil. “Would you think I was an asshole for it? I have two parents right here. Not everyone has that choice.”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Virgil says. “And you can always change your mind. Or take it slow. Or cut them off. They didn’t do what they did to me or August—they did it to you.”

Corey nods to herself and enters the voting booth.

Virgil has his turn, and then me.

It’s my first time voting, and it’s for an organization that I only joined this year.

My pencil hovers over Carrigan’s name. I know I’m supposed to vote for Adam, but I can’t help thinking about the things Bernie said.

He was a snake, obviously, but some of what he said rang true.

Our priority should be a cure. Not attempting to reconstruct a broken system.

But I know Carrigan won’t win. He doesn’t even want to.

Adam is at least willing to do something.

There won’t be another chance at this. There are no terms. There will be no new candidates.

I color in the box next to Adam’s name. If Virgil and Corey and Henry and Margot and all these people can put their faith in him, I can too.

Summerhill is the most crowded I’ve ever seen it.

There’s barely any sitting room when we leave the voting area and most of us are crammed in with each other, the round tables loaded with extra chairs.

I search around the space for Jules, but I can’t see him.

I assumed they would let him out for this vote, but maybe not.

At least he’s not in a cell like Bernie.

They’ve set him up in a guest room in Summerhill for the time being.

Me, Virgil, and Corey find the table where Margot is already sitting with Isaac. The tables around us fill up quickly, and I spot Corey’s parents looking for a place to sit. They pass by us, giving tentative smiles to their daughter.